Is North Adams the next Northampton?

[defender]

Thank you litlux, the area is absolutely beautiful, and I agree...if your looking for the city that never sleeps, keep on moving about 3 hrs southeast (NYC) or go east 2 hrs (Boston).

You can't beat the property tax rates for many towns in the Berkshires (although North Adams is a little higher than most, it's still a bargin for most metro types who are used to nearly $15.00 per 1000 of assessed anyway).

I happen to follow college baseball, and each summer the Berkshires hosts 2 teams (one in North Adams, the other in Pittsfield) that always attract at least 1000 people per game...

[herald]

Further to the discussion of North Adams' prospects:

North Adams Transcript - City of promise


North Adams Transcript, 09/11/2007 11:17:05 AM EDT

City of promise
TheTranscript.com


Tuesday, September 11

Anyone looking for certain signs of the city's revival need have looked no further than 420 Curran Highway on Monday, when two groups of investors bid spiritedly for a deteriorating property that the Health Department, according Mayor John Barrett III, has been ready to condemn. Ten years ago — even five years ago — the foreclosure auction would have been ignored, and another vacant property would have joined a long list.
That was then. This is now. In September 2007, two Williamstown partners and the estate of longtime property owner Ben Drew Jr. have spent $700,000, counting back taxes owed by the unfortunate Richard Doherty, and are talking of investing millions on the former K-K Home Mart site. A disappointed partnership of developers from Pittsfield and Northampton who lost the auction are talking of joining them.
Down the road a piece, a Lowe's home improvement store stands poised to move into the long-empty and boarded-up North Adams Plaza — with another large development in the wind on adjacent privately owned property and the city gravel pit.
Less than a month ago, the prestigious Clark Art Institute of Williamstown announced a major presence at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, which has been slowly renovating and filling its cavernous buildings over the past eight years.

In the Blackinton section of the city, entrepreneur Michael Meehan is building and marketing condominiums in a former mill. A similar project is planned for the long dormant former H.W. Clark Biscuit Co. on Ashland Street. Across the street, workers have been putting a new roof on the once-crumbing armory building, which has finally been acquired by the city.
Downtown, Scarafoni Realty continues to renovate historic buildings into housing above Main Street storefronts. On the horizon, new projects loom for the former Notre Dame church and school, for the once resplendent Mohawk Theater and for — who knows what next?
It is a new age in North Adams, an age in which the city is at last drawing in private investment to match the commitment the city government, and to some extent the state and federal governments, have shown over the past two decades.
It has been a long road, and the downtown has yet to show its promise. Empty eyesores still lurk — on Eagle Street, on River Street and along Curran Highway. But slowly, the doom and gloom is lifting, and even some of the more cynical residents have come to realize the city's glass is at least half full.

[topher441970]

Well if North Adams is going to be the next Northampton, it better get in gear and work on the unbelievably run down housing... I'm from Northampton, and it is NO Northampton. Yes it's cheap to live, but it's pretty hard to find a nice apartment there. I found out first hand. I recently moved up to Massachusetts from Florida 3 weeks ago. I secured an apartment I was told was "very nice, had a new Kitchen and bath and would easily rent for $900 in Greenfield". Well when I got there, the owner lied his you know what off... It was a dump, old run down apartment, walls covered with trailer paneling, brown trim with bright blue carpet!!! No doors and it had no privacy, there were 5 rooms one after another that were 7 feed wide each, you had to see it to understand... I made a drawing of it just to show family members how stupid it was laid out(sorry I am going on about this but I am still MAD) It was on the hill from hell, I could not get my Penske truck up the hill and into the driveway without rolling it over. I tried all ways to get it in there, NO WAY. I was so discouraged I sat in the truck with my fiancee, who was crying at this point, and my 2 cats who were in a carrier for 2 days and wanted out(poor things) started the truck up, and drove to my fathers house 40 miles away to Chesterfield, MA.(beautiful little town), and ended up putting all my stuff in storage. I called the owner and told him we were not taking the apartment, he of course kept the first months rent, gave us back last and security, even though he tried EVERYTHING to get us to move in. OH YA, and come to find out the 5 family house is for sale(which it sold this week), and he didn't tell us, because "well it's no big deal" and he was selling it because he lost a ton of money with all the upgrades he did to it, YA RIGHT!!! He unloaded it because he made no money off the rent, it was a DUMP... This liar really screwed us.

I was not impressed with the downtown area, full of empty store fronts. I would never have found a job there. No thanks on North Adams. I ended by chance and with some good luck, finding a GREAT apartment here in Chesterfield with the best landlords ever... for a little more money, but WELL worth every dime. 15 minutes from Northampton. All the forest, and beauty of New England. I look over a horse pasture and it is just perfect.

I would look into the surrounding Northampton area over North Adams. OR go to Pittsfield, maybe Cheshire. It's going to be a LONG time before N.A. can even run along side NOHO...

[litlux]

Topher, I am sorry for your experience, but did you rent an apartment and send in three months rent without even looking at it? When I was thinking about moving to North Adams, I took a weekend off and stayed at the Holiday Inn while I gave the place a real once over. I saw some awful places, though the rent was real cheap ($375-400 mo.) and even the place I finally moved to needed work, but I went in with my eyes wide open.

I ended up buying my rental apartment (actually a former doctor's office converted into a little free standing shotgun cottage) and while it had good bones, I have painted every square inch of it, and upgraded the bath and am now working on the kitchen. I couldn't be happier, North Adams has lived up to expectations for me. I guess everyone's experience is different.

I am happy you found a nice place to settle, we all deserve a nice place to live.

I centainly wouldn't call North Adams the next Northampton, it has its own character, and yes, a couple of shady landlords. But it has its own charms, I have made some great friends, and my initial landlady was terrific.

Caveat emptor.

[Mr.Mortgage]

The two towns are about 50 miles apart through mountainous roads (rt 2)