Western Mass

[Leilani Vasquez]

I hate to say this, but the housing market is like this in many places. It may be more prevalent in urban areas, but it is affecting areas all over.

I chose to live in Western Ma because the cost of living is much cheaper. I commute to the Hartford, CT area every day for work.

Your community is what you make of it. If you look for the negative, you'll find the negative. True, that there are many folks that bring down Springfield, but I've also met some outstanding, hard working people in the area as well. This is typical of ANY urban area. I've lived in NYC, CT and MA.

[westernmass101]

Originally Posted by DCtoMA

Our young family of 4 would like to find a place in Massachusetts with a lower cost of living than DC. Housing is ridiculous here and its too crowded.

My husband is considering a job with an employer in Springfield, so we are considering the move.

What is it like living in Western Mass for families? Is a commute from Amherst too far to get to Springfield everyday? Do people find there is enough to do with kids?

Thanks so much for any responses!

Well, I am from Chicopee (the city who is the neighbor with Springfield). I'm going to be attending UMass at Amherst in the fall and I'm commuting from Chicopee. Honestly, it's not that far of a drive. The region has a lot to do for children. I wish they had this stuff when I was little.

Housing here is very affordable. I would most likely suggest Chicopee because it's in close proximity to Springfield and other regional cities/towns of importance. Chicopee is very safe, safer than any city in Massachusetts. We have a lot of great neighborhoods and parks.

Well since you have children, I know your probably interested in schooling. Chicopee has catholic schools (one of the best would be St. Stans.; from K-8/ than going to Holyoke Catholic High; which is also located in Chicopee close to St. Stans.) Public school system is one of the highest education forms out here. Many elementary schools to choose from; not crowded. two middle schools. Two high schools; both are brand new. I'm in high school right now at Chicopee Comp., I've been livign here my whole life and I love the school system. No matter what needs they have. Chicopee Comp. cost $99 milion to build and is the state-of-the-art school in the Northeast. More students in Chjicopee end up going for higher education than other school districts.
We have a new central library with staff that helps. Many resources..... The tax rate is very affordable. We have one of the lowest tax rates in the state. Offer all services (fire, police, medical response). Our SWAT Team is compared to a military force, very high tech and well-trained. Idk what else to say this city is great for families.

[teachertype]

Chicopee is the pits. It's proably the least attractive city/town in western Mass.

The former mayor of Chicopee, Mayor Richard Goyette, is currently in prison serving two years for extortion. I think he gets out of the slammer October of '09 and then has to do a year of home confinement. It's public information, widely reported in the media. Anyone can google search for the details.

[western mass and love it]

But but but i thought greenfield was the pits and least attractive city/town in Wmass. I live in West Springfield and i am sure that it is probably considered to be a ghetto to you also. And also the vicious attack in greenfield is something that happens all over the country,not just an isolated greenfield thing. When i was in high school we had a 2 kids go to jail for a brawl in the RT 5 McDonalds and another for manslaughter(he shot his friend in the face point blank fooling around with gun).So i guess by your criteria i live in a hell hole.



P.S. Chicopee is a fine city,if you don't like it don't live there or go there.

[east215]

Originally Posted by western mass and love it

i just love how people can just drive down a street for 1 mile and come up with the state of a city. are you saying that if all those houses are for sale that the only people to buy them will be poor or minorities. so that is why they should stay away,or is just because people are selling there houses.i would love to hear why people should "avoid that area like the plague".just curious

East Springfield in general seems to have alot of houses for sale. I drive through the area as I have friends who live in the Springfield Plaza area and over near Liberty School, and see many houses for sale in those area as well, but the most that are for sale are centered around St James. My friends say that many of the houses in their sections are bought by and then rented out by absentee landlords whose only concern is making money, not contributing to the neighborhood and community. Most of the tenants are decent people, but trying to get by on a low income. It is the people that own the property that are to blame for the blight. I was just saying that the area seems to be going down hill. Longtime residents are selling out, and as such the community is not as close-knit as it once was. As is usually the case, when most of the houses become rentals, property values do go down, and the neighborhood becomes transient. Whether or not crime will go up remains to be seen, but I would be very cautious about buying there and try speaking to the neighbors, epecially longtime residents to get their input.