Looking to relocate in the Berkshires (Pittsfield, Franklin: houses, schools, college)

[arel]

What about Greenfield? Right near the Vermont border. I stopped there after a cross-wind was blowing me out of my lane on Interstate 91. Found a good Chinese restaurant near the highway. But I didn't really see the town. An acquaintance in Brattleboro suggested working in Greenfield because Massachusetts has more amenities than Vermont.

I can't tell you if the town is worth considering or not, but I'd like to know more about it for my own curiosity.

By the way, let me also share my enthusiasm for the Pioneer Valley. It is a very special place.

[Dragonfly1]

Originally Posted by lrc1465

Hi all,
I am a single over 50 yr old female interested in relocating for the purpose of a fulfulling a dream My dream is to live a more holistic lifestyle while attending Kripalu Yoga school of Ayurveda. I am a nurse by profession but feel my life skills can transfer to many employment venues.
I need help in finding a town were I can become part of the community and be able to see the mountains and lakes possible from my window
Please only give positive feedback

HELLO!

I live in Boston, and I am considering selling my house here and moving to the Berkshires for about a year to do my art and some serious soul searching. I'm looking to rent, but nothing isolated, maybe in Stockbridge, Lee, Lenox or even Pittsfield area. If you find a good place that deals with long term ( not just vacation ) rentals, would you please pass it one?

This is a new decision for me, so If you'd like to connect and " hold" hands through this, please PM me.

DK

[chionactis]

I grew up in the Berkshires and know it well. My family is still there. Kripalu is in Lenox, on the Lenox/Stockbridge line more or less. I lived in Lee.
Pittsfield, right now, is probably the most affordable. If you check out Pittsfield, look at homes on the South/East or southeast end of town. Avoid North for sure (I am also a nurse and used to work for the Visiting Nurse Assoc of the Berkshires and the places that were the scariest to go into were located off North Street - which used to be a thriving location up until 20 years ago or so). West Pittsfield going toward Berkshire Community College is nice also. Lee is becoming expensive to buy in. How much can you afford?
Lenox near Kripalu - well, lets say you will be spending BIG bucks if you buy near there. Stockbridge - $$$$$, Gt. Barringotn - $$$$ and am not sure about towns betyond them as you travel south on Rte 7 and those routes that spawn off of 7. Check out Pittsfield and some of the more affordable parts of Lenox before you consider being OUT of Berkshire county. Heck, even check out Lee.
I fly back home every summer to visit family in Lee and Lenox. It is lovely!
Good luck.

[Dragonfly1]

chionactis,

Thank you

I have been to Kripalu, Tanglewood, and spent some time in some lovely inns in Stockbridge and Great Barrington. I'm a seafaring gal ( I sail, spend long summer days on the beach, that sort of thing,) so the Berkshires seems like a whole new country for me . Whenever I was there, I loved it! I have been reading about Pittsfield and saw a few places to rent there that might be nice. My questions are;

What are the nice parts of Pittsfield?
What's the Pittsburg Renaissance?
Where is the area?
How far is it from Kripalu? Tanglewood?

Also...What's Great Barrington like?

I am a city gal, so I need to live in a "town" setting. I will not be happy living in an isolated area. I want to be sure I live in a safe area. I keep hearing about the Renaissance area in Pittsfield and found a few nice apartment buildings in that area. I am looking for something nice, clean and cozy. I have a car, a bike and a cat. I may be looking for a part time job ( mostly just to meet new people and make a few bucks) in a hotel, inn, gallery or shop. My life will be simple as I will write and do art and do some soul searching. It will be a year, and then after that? Who knows? Back to Boston, Go to Tuscany? South of France?

I can go anywhere in the world right now, but I think the Berkshires call out to me because of the art culture and natural beauty. I'm big into yoga, walking, and bike riding. I love the BSO! I love bookstores, wine and martini bars, dining out, and just getting to know new people, so living in a touristy area doesn't bother me!

Any tidbits of info to help me would be appreciated!

DK

[chionactis]

Dragonfly-
I just sent you a message regarding your questions but I don't know if you will receive it, so I will re-respond.
Pittsfield used to be a really nice "city." Today I would avoid NORTH ST and any of the streets that spawn off of it directly (to live). This is because it is economically depressed and there is all sorts of crime going on. Feel OK about walking North St during the day, but not at night, alone. There may be some neat little shops there now - I have been gone from the Berkshires since 1998, so I don't know what is there anymore, but hear and read plenty about the crime scene of North St.
NICE AREAS: South Pittsfield, East Pittsfield and maybe even West Pittsfield. Any of the streets that spawn off of South, East and West St will give you nicer neighborhoods, clean homes and yards and more of a secure feeling about safety. There are 2 nice lakes off of upper North Street - Pontoosuc and Onota. You can relax on the grass under a tree, swim, sail, windsurf -whatever....They were quite nice when I was living there.
PITTSFIELD RENAISSANCE: no idea what this is! no idea the location...I am GUESSING it may have something to do with the efforts to revitalize Pittsfield and esp. North St. Pittsfield used to be thriving - with GE plastics the main employer and North ST. the HUB of shopping. Ever since GE took off and ENGLAND BROTHERS DEPARTMENT STORE vacated and the old building was torn down, it has become a hub of criminal activity. All this within about 20 years.
DISTANCE TO KRIPALU/TANGLEWOOD: very close to Pittsfield. Rte 7 south to Rte 7A to rte 183...probably 15-25 minutes depending on what part of Pittsfield you are coming from and also depending on if there is traffic from Tanglewood or other popular goings-on in the area. Tanglewood and Kripalu are so close to Lee, Lenox, Stockbridge also. It's kind of equi-distant.
GT. BARRINGTON: artsy! Main Street has a lot of little stores and eateries. As you drive south on Rte 7 into Sheffield and Egremont (rte 41 I think) you will come across more artsy things and antiques. It is a charming area.

If you have considered living in Tuscany or the South of France and, given you are now living in Boston area, you might have the ability (I am assuming here) to afford living in South County of the Berkshires - not as expensive as Boston! but so much nicer than Pittsfield! It would probably be up your alley.
LEE has a GREAT town beach - I love going there whenever I am there visiting - it's called Lee Sandy Beach. check it out.

Also, I encourage you again to contact my brother-in-law and /or his wife (my sister) - who own the hotels, B&B and restaurant. Go to berkshireinns.com.
you might even find a job with him?!?!

Keep me posted. my name is Andrea. good luck!

[Dragonfly1]

Andrea,

Thank you so much! You are a wealth of information! I am going to copy every single thing that you wrote down! I will definitely keep you posted! I do have to sell my house, and yes, if I rent for a year or 2, I would actually save more money than I would gain in equity by owning a house, so I am happy that I do have that as an option. I will sock away the difference, plus the equity I already have on this house and save as a down payment on a future house when I decide who I am, where I'm going, and what I will be doing.

I am sooooo happy to hear about those lakes! Growing up on the Atlantic and having the sea as huge part of my life, I am a little bit uneasy about having mountain " culture shock" LOL. I am also a sailor, so knowing I will be near bodies of water is a big comfort!

I am exploring the the towns and areas you have suggested. Right now I am doing online research so that helps. I will probably take a few drives out on really nice Spring weekends and look around, too. I will keep your sister and her hubby in mind when I'm ready for a job. Here I am am Interior Designer, and in the Berkshires I really want to simplify my life, do art, write and maybe work in a nice inn or restaurant as that would give me plenty of opportunity to meet people. I am a hard worker, so they would not be disappointed in me. Thanks for that lead, it really means a lot to me.

What about you? Where are you now? When do you get to visit in the Berkshires? You seem to have a big warm spot in your heart for it. I can't say I blame you! I know at times I will miss here, but having a big change in my life is in order.

Thank you sosososososoososossooossooso much! You are awesome!

DK

[Dragonfly1]

OH! I just looked up thier Inn online.....JUST GORGEOUS! Perhaps I will stay there during my investigation weekends. I will do that in the next month, so it will be before high tourist season! I'm excited!

[chionactis]

Dragonfly,
I am happy to help! I live in AZ right now, have been here since 2000. Every summer I would fly home to visit the family. This summer, however, I am flying home for good. We are leaving AZ and relocating to Hebron, CT actually. It is an hour and a half from Lee, but at least I can drive to visit pretty much all in a day if I wanted.
My brother-in-law who owns the Inns, etc - he is a sailor as well. They used to summer in Jamestown, RI every year since 1985 or so - had a house there but sold it a couple of years ago because of the restaurant.
I have not been able to truly explore the Berkshires much when there visiting, since moving away, because I have 3 little kids and it is hard to do. So, I'm not sure how much, if anything, has changed. I think you are smart to go on a weekend and explore for yourself. May will be nice - April has had a rough start weather-wise!
The Chambery Inn used to be a Catholic school, built in the late 1880's. It was used as a school up until the mid 1970's or so. I went to kindergarten there, and well, my mom 1st - 8th grade back in the 1940's. It is a cool place to visit because the history of the place is well documented in pictures and newspaper articles, framed on the walls. The chalkboards are still there, too! My bro-in-law bought it from the diocese for $1 so it would not meet the fate of the wrecking ball, and he moved it down the road onto his business property.
Please feel free to ask me any more questions!

[whimsylinsy]

Come to Adams. I just bought an apartment building there.
I am an architect and a single mother. I live and work near
Boston but spend weekends in Adams now that I own property.
The town itself is one of the most physically beautiful but very small,
so you'll get to know everyone in no time. . .

[willdufauve]

The Berkshires are generally pretty nice with a mix of everything. I live in Franklin County so I can tell you that Sunderland is suburban and Ashfield is a very pretty rural town, somewhat affluent for Franklin County.

Greenfield is an awful little town with high crime, lousy schools, and a corrupt old-boy network of two dozen families that run the politics of the town.

A lot of the towns in Franklin County - Greenfield, Turners Falls, Conway, Colrain, Orange - are hostile, racist, economically depressed, backwards thinking redneck towns. Franklin County is the poorest county in Massachusetts.