How is life in Amherst? (Boston, Springfield: 2009, apartment complexes, to rent)

[erizocanadiense]

Hello to everyone.
I have an offer to do a postdoc in the Umass in Amherst and I have some questions...
I am thinking seriously to moving to Amherst with my wife (We are 27 and 24), and I am bit worried about my wife. we are from Barcelona (Spain) and we are used to live in a big city. Moving to Amherst could be a very good thing for my professional career, but I don't know if it could be boring for my wife. She is an interior designer and I do not know if she will be bored to live in a small city. Also, we have been looking for places for living and we have found that Amherst is so expensive! My salary as a postdoc will be about 2200 euros for both (I think that is 2800 $..) Do you think that we can afford to live there with this salary?? What is the better way to rent a flat or an appartment?? Are there things to do for her?? Could she get a job ?
I have heard that the winter is very cold, that is true?? Will you recommend to live there or in another city/town near Amherst??

Thak you very much for trying to answer these questions, I have lots more but I will write it later .

Thank you another time!

[goyguy]

The Pioneer Valley area is small in terms of population; the largest communities are the city of Northampton (~30,000 people) and the town of Amherst (~18,000.) But those head counts don't include college students, who more than double that number and contribute to much of the feel of the area. The "Happy Valley" is a haven for artists and academic types due to the huge presence of its higher-education institutions (Amherst, Mt Holyoke, Smith, and Hampshire Colleges in addition to UMass.) Ethnic/cultural events abound, way out of proportion in quantity and quality to the number of permanent residents there. This makes it a Mecca for collegians, even those who simply want to be among throngs of their peers.
But a boredom factor may well exist for anyone accustomed to an urban pace and lifestyle. I was raised as a "city kid," and decided to try and finish an undergrad degree at UMass while living in "Noho" after several years of living and working in Boston. While it was easy to appreciate the Valley's offerings - indeed, both my siblings also attended college out there and thrived - it "got old" for me pretty fast. After less than two years of "climbing the walls" and increasingly frequent road trips to Boston and NYC I bailed.
It's questionable whether your spouse would be able to secure gainful employment in her chosen field, given the small population of the Valley and the even smaller number of persons who'd be in the market for interior-decorating consultations. But the Internet means that one can set up a business along those lines and succeed no matter where they might happen to be.
A thought about housing: Many retired professors, and other "elders," remain in the Valley or relocate there for its relaxed quality of life. A lot of them have far more space in their homes than they need. You'd probably be able to find such people - perhaps with assistance from UMass' housing office - and procure living space in surroundings superior to those of the deteriorating '60s-era apartment complexes in Amherst while not paying as much. Occupying some rooms in a rambling home while enjoying the company of the owner and helping with their utility bills would be a nice deal.
Modern-day winters in western New England are not much of a challenge. Rarely do the temperatures fall near or below zero (Fahrenheit.) The winter of 2009 was a banner one for snowfall; I lost count of the major storms, lol, but I believe there were about eight between December and a few weeks ago. Snowplows and modern heating systems render that into something not major.

[ogre]

I'm not sure what salary is needed to live in the Amherst area. I was in that area as a student at UMass, and lived on campus, so I'm unfamiliar with the cost of apartments in the area. I'm also unsure how housing costs between the area's towns compare, but I would suggest that you look at the possibility of living in Northampton. It's a larger town than Amherst, and serves as the commercial center of that local area. Because of this, Northampton has more in the way of local small business that serve everyday needs and provide basic entertainment.

Being home to one small college (Smith), as opposed to a school the size of UMass, Northampton also has less of a feel of being overrun by college students than Amherst. This might be something you would want to consider, since it sounds as if you are beginning to enter a time of life when you may want a mature mature way of life than being surrounded by noisy, partying college students.

One town you might also want to check out is Westhampton. Housing there may be a bit less expensive than in Amherst or Northampton. Westhampton has its own little downtown area, and is close to Norhtampton.

It is certainly true that the Amherst/Northampton area is fairly rural, and you may find it to be a significant adjustment from a larger city. However, this area is located about an hour and a half's drive, maybe an hour and forty-five minutes, from Boston, and just over two hours from New York City, so larger cities are close enough for day trips. With several colleges in the immediate vicinity of Amherst and Northampton, there are also some decent cultural amenities in the area. Frankly, UMass seems to do some things on the cheap, and may not provide the abundance of culture and entertainment found at some large universities, but the sheer size of UMass does lend itself to at least a decent variety of entertainment and cultural possibilities. Add to this the offerings of the several smaller colleges nearby, and there is more in the way of culture than you would find in many areas with a somewhat rural character.

[erizocanadiense]

Ok, thank you very much for your quick answer! I have to think about your respones, but I'm quite sure that I'll finish in Amherst, hehe.

Thak you another time

[Woof Woof Woof!]

Amherst is a nice town, but small.

It's a great place for people who enjoy an outdoor lifestyle. If you like running, biking, hiking in the woods, you'll love it here.

Yes winter is cold. Buy a warm jacket and Muck boots for the springtime. Only 90 miles from Boston. And Northampton is a short drive over the bridge.

[jjjbcc]

amherst is a nice quite town.. winters are cold if your not afraid of snow u should be ok.. It can be both reasonable and expensive pending I know the economy n spain is not so graet right now itmay
pick up hopefully .. You may have more opportunity here for what you do as a profeesion and your wife as well... Its deffinately not the city not much to do around that area.. Northampton has some good restuarants wish you the best..

[westernmass101]

Originally Posted by erizocanadiense

Hello to everyone.
I have an offer to do a postdoc in the Umass in Amherst and I have some questions...
I am thinking seriously to moving to Amherst with my wife (We are 27 and 24), and I am bit worried about my wife. we are from Barcelona (Spain) and we are used to live in a big city. Moving to Amherst could be a very good thing for my professional career, but I don't know if it could be boring for my wife. She is an interior designer and I do not know if she will be bored to live in a small city. Also, we have been looking for places for living and we have found that Amherst is so expensive! My salary as a postdoc will be about 2200 euros for both (I think that is 2800 $..) Do you think that we can afford to live there with this salary?? What is the better way to rent a flat or an appartment?? Are there things to do for her?? Could she get a job ?
I have heard that the winter is very cold, that is true?? Will you recommend to live there or in another city/town near Amherst??

Thak you very much for trying to answer these questions, I have lots more but I will write it later .

Thank you another time!

Amherst is actually relatively cheap... Many foreigners (multi-cultural) live here. However, Amherst is a small city and so as Northampton. Both downtown's are very active, especially Northampton. So, your wife has nothing to worry about being bored.... everyday there's always something new.

UMass in Amherst is actually a city within a city basically. (I'm actually attending in the Fall).

Our region has actually a nice climate in terms of other areas. Winters are cold, but wearing warm clothing is all it takes to be comfortable. Probably the most coldest month in the winter woudl be February (the dead of winter). But, over the years we actually have been lucky in terms of temperature.

As for other places to live: Amherst would be the best bet if you wanted to live close to campus. Personally, I live in the metro area for our region which is Chicopee-Holyoke-Springfield. Springfield is claimed to be a big city; not really. Both Springfield and Holyoke are somewhat known for there crimes; more of Springfield. Holyoke has improved.

If you wanted to live in Holyoke the best area would probably be around Mt. Tom, but than again the homes are costly. But, stay away from the flats and apartments in both Holyoke and Springfield.

Chicopee (I live here) is relatively cheap in terms of monetary concern. We have a low tax rate. If your thinkign of starting a family, Chicopee is the best location in the region in terms of education. We have many private schools and elementary schools. We are the only ones in New England to host two brand new state-of-the-art high schools. (Chicopee High and Chicopee Comp.); (Chicopee Comp. cost $99 million to build). Tax rates still haven't rised with all the new construction we have and in the future they still will remain low. It's really easy to commute to UMass. Plus, the great thing about our region is how everything is situated. Chicopee is close to both Northampton and Amherst.

I also notice you are worried about monetary concerns. There are many orgainizations that will help with that and job wise for your wife. Interior designers are very few in the area. But, I'm sure she'll find a job. In the worst case scenerio she could start her own business.

I hope I would of been some help.