Info on Athol/Orange (Boston, Worcester: homes, employment, buyers)

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by SuperSparkle928

Go read the article about Orange MA, from the Boston Globe, and you will get a good perspective. 'Bugsy', one of the persons that lives there had an eye-opening interview.
Orange is ranked the 336 worst out of 351 municipalities (in terms of per-capita income) in the entire state. On the bright side, there are 15 worse. (Athol being 342).

That was a very interesting article. Apparently, home values have fallen something like 50% in those towns and there are gobbs of vacant homes. You can buy a home in these towns for what a sub-compact car costs.

[jsb_mass]

Originally Posted by SuperSparkle928

Go read the article about Orange MA, from the Boston Globe, and you will get a good perspective. 'Bugsy', one of the persons that lives there had an eye-opening interview.
Orange is ranked the 336 worst out of 351 municipalities (in terms of per-capita income) in the entire state. On the bright side, there are 15 worse. (Athol being 342).

Do you know the date of the issue that this article was published on? I would be very interested in reading it if you have the information.

Also, I would not recommend to anyone to ever invest in a house in Athol or Orange. I understand that housing values around Boston seem exorbitant, but one is so much better off buying a condo in one of the relatively cheap 100k-ish (population) "gateway" cities of Massachusetts, at least resale is possible in those places. No one will ever look to buy in the North Quabbin region again unless an industrial miracle takes place. Even through the 90's when the entire country was convinced that the conglomerate value of the housing market was forever going to be of increasing worth, these two towns were falling in value. I've toured Athol extensively out of fascination and it is a hopelessly decrepit place. There is less industry in those places than in the perpetually hard-luck old anthracite coal towns in Pennsylvania. Athol's downtown is a wasteland.

If someone has come to this thread for information on Orange/Athol because their heart is set on buying a cheap house in a small town in Central-ish Massachusetts, my compromise for you is Clinton.

[SuperSparkle928]

Originally Posted by jsb_mass

Do you know the date of the issue that this article was published on? I would be very interested in reading it if you have the information.

I will see if I can find it.... it was quite a while ago. It was several pages long in the paper, and sort of scared me.

Also, I would not recommend to anyone to ever invest in a house in Athol or Orange. I understand that housing values around Boston seem exorbitant, but one is so much better off buying a condo in one of the relatively cheap 100k-ish (population) "gateway" cities of Massachusetts, at least resale is possible in those places. No one will ever look to buy in the North Quabbin region again unless an industrial miracle takes place. Even through the 90's when the entire country was convinced that the conglomerate value of the housing market was forever going to be of increasing worth, these two towns were falling in value. I've toured Athol extensively out of fascination and it is a hopelessly decrepit place. There is less industry in those places than in the perpetually hard-luck old anthracite coal towns in Pennsylvania. Athol's downtown is a wasteland.

If someone has come to this thread for information on Orange/Athol because their heart is set on buying a cheap house in a small town in Central-ish Massachusetts, my compromise for you is Clinton.

Mine in red.

[brightdoglover]

I think Clinton is a good idea for an alternative. It is a lot lot closer in than Athol/Orange, so prices might be relatively higher, but it's not a bad location or town.

[FCMA]

Here's the link to that article. I'm renting in Orange. If I could afford a down payment, the mortgage would probably be cheaper than the rent. Onward with saving my nickels!! Home of the housing bust - Boston.com

[brightdoglover]

Only if you really want to own in Orange. Look at the prices- if you need or want to sell and leave, it could be very hard.

[SuperSparkle928]

Originally Posted by FCMA

Here's the link to that article. I'm renting in Orange. If I could afford a down payment, the mortgage would probably be cheaper than the rent. Onward with saving my nickels!! Home of the housing bust - Boston.com

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The article I was referring to was at least a decade old, where they interviewed the long-term residents, who spent the day drinking, smoking and collecting welfare. Still haven't found it, yet.

[FCMA]

I believe that article series was called "Forgotten Massachusetts," in the Boston Globe in the late 1990s (1997 perhaps?). I've searched for it online with no luck. Maybe try a public library with newspaper microfiche?

It profiled Athol/Orange, Ware, and how these towns are hotbeds of unemployment, poverty, desperation, drugs, and a whole host of social problems. A rare acknowledgment from the Globe that the economic success of metro Boston does not extend to all corners of the state. Who woulda thunk it?

[Martha39]

I will try to answer some of your questions, as I grew up in Athol, work in Orange in live nearby.

[brightdoglover]

That article, "Forgotten Massachusetts," was a disgrace to working people and unemployed people. It showed this trashy family, last name was Pickup (yes) and you can guess what one of the boys was named, yep, "Chevy." There were very dramatic photos, sort of black-and-white, like tragic photojournalism (Stan Grossfield?) of these people sitting around a table in mid-day, drinking, smoking, and looking tanked, while one kid was posed at trying to do homework.
There will always be such people, but to profile them as the poster people for unemployment in central Mass., well, I hope that is at least statistically wrong.
I think it was a lot longer ago than ten years, if it's the same article. I wonder what happened to those Pickup kids.