May be moving back to North Adams (house, job market)

[tom.saywer]

I grew up in North Adams, and have been thinking of relocating back with my family. I have not been there in at least 10-12 years and would like some input as to the current state of the City compared to how it was in the mid 90's. Any positive as well as negative thoughts/concerns are welcome.

[cvap]

You won't find many good things said about North Adams in these forums, but I like the town. No lines at stores, restaurants or the RMV. It really hasn't changed much since the 90's, or 70's for that matter. Some people think thats a good thing. If you can make a living there,it really is a better way to live.

[tom.saywer]

Originally Posted by cvap

You won't find many good things said about North Adams in these forums, but I like the town. No lines at stores, restaurants or the RMV. It really hasn't changed much since the 90's, or 70's for that matter. Some people think thats a good thing. If you can make a living there,it really is a better way to live.

Thanks for your input. From what I have read the downtown arae seems to be doing beeter then it was when I was a kid there.

[lrfox]

I'm younger, so I dont know what it was like in the 80s, but the downtown seems to be in pretty good shape. According to most, Massachusetts MoCA has had a considerable impact on the vitality of downtown North Adams.

Maybe it hasn't changed much in a while, but I don't think its gotten any worse.

[tom.saywer]

When I was younger, around the time that I left the Town was starting to have a major crack/crug problem. Thats one thing that is holding me back, is it still an issue there? I know every town/city has this problem but from what I remember it was really bad in North Adams in the mid-90's Around 97-98 or so

[litlux]

There are drugs in the northern Berkshires, just like everywhere else, and there are a few sections of the city I would likely avoid. But North Adams has started to change for the better, I am one of the many new residents who bought a house here. It is still tops for the outdoors, the Steeplecats play during the summer, and the arts and cultural scene has exploded with year round activity - it isn't just Tanglewood in the summer now.

The local daily paper - The Transcript - is on its last legs and you can get more up to date info on iBerkshires.com - The Berkshires online guide to events, news and Berkshire County community information. , ,or Berkshire Fine Arts plus there are a handful of savvy bloggers in the area now. Just don't take anything posted in the Transcript or Eagle's Topix sections seriously. There are a lot of naysayers bashing the area.

The best suggestion is to come back and look for yourself, and then decide.

The housing prices are very affordable. But the job market is iffy, with more specialty jobs (healthcare, education, the trades) than factory or shift work.