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Old 05-02-2015, 09:09 PM
 
7,912 posts, read 7,740,728 times
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Bangor isn't bad. I think that river has some huge potential just sitting there. I was at a bar that got too loud and to be frank going a few blocks down the street I could STILL hear it. The sound bounces off of the walls. Going further north from Bangor gets the infamous "Maine Stare".

"I'm not into the scene, but I also know a good chunk of people that are going to the opera, theatre, ballet, museums at least once a week."

I get what your saying but frankly much of that just rehashes itself over and over again. I went to the Museum of Science when I was eight. 20 years later it was the same thing except for a changing exhibit. Having said that I do like the MFA mostly because they change things on a more frequent basis. MoS I see more as a gimmic sometimes. Childrends museum is for children or those with children. Theater can be fine but some of those prices! Didnt' book of mormon get up to $300?

I'm not saying it was right but I think the networks had a similar opinion when they yanked Joyce kulhawik from the airwaves...sad though.

"I'd love the cost of living of Western MA, and indeed, I'd like to be closing to the hiking and nature photography, but would I even have the choice of one good show a night? Or a week?"

Think it depends what you mean by a show or event. There's always something at MassMutual. I saw Wozniak the other day. There's a ton of functions: weddings, barmitzfas, quinitceras etc. There are a fair amount of independent movie theaters. Amherst is pretty good. I think you'd really like Northampton. A fair amount of ethnic restaurants and theaters. Of course this does come with a price as their housing and rents keep going up. But the highways, rail, bike trails and bus make it pretty easy to get to.

"In this area, there are half a dozen good shows a night. I'm off tonight, but tomorrow is Middle East, Sat is Johnny D's, Sun is a house show. What would I be seeing in Pittsfield or wherever?"

Middle east is pretty good I've been there a number of times. Although the first time my ears rang for a week and I had to receit Shakespear the next day for English class!

Pittsfield is ok I guess. I was aiming more for pioneer valley.
Northampton, Massachusetts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Iron Horse Entertainment Group : Main -

springfield also has the symphony, mass mutual, theos has blues
Home - Bing Arts Center
Home - Springfield Symphony Orchestra
MassMutual Center
Blues
a number of museums
Springfield Museums they do a different thing one thursday a month of a social gathering
Culture & Cocktails - Margaritas in May — Calendar » Springfield Museums
Holyoke is getting more into arts. On the outside it might look like a big hulking warehouse but the reality is it has quite a bit inside.
Gateway City Arts
Gateway City Arts
Holyoke Creative Arts Center

Now are you going to see something as big as the TD Bank Garden, Comcast Center or Fenway park? Heck no. The big variable in this of course is the casino. They were advocating it to bring more of a night life and that might be true to a point. As the river keeps improving we'll see more on it. A waterfire like event would be great but with I91 where it is that might be doubtful for the time being.

The NY influence is also felt. I've seen stores advertising brooklyn fashions. Yankees fans apparently exist. Earlier today I was watching tv out of CT which I guess made a deal to broadcast Mets games! A fair amount is withing a half hour (Greenfield, Northampton, Hartford, Going further out say 60 minutes would be New Haven and 90 would be Albany.
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Old 05-02-2015, 10:03 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles/Massachusetts
341 posts, read 669,259 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mdovell View Post
Well yeah but that's the thing...

I worked retail for 3.5 years and when the pay scales leaked out it showed that the pay was NOT based on the cost of living. It was based on competition. Here's the breakdown.

1 - Remote areas with hardly anything there

2 - Fairly common..Boston is this level..Orlando is this level..Staten Island is this level..

3 - Fairly common (most stores are 2's and 3's)

4 - Rare

5- VERY Rare. Brooklyn, SF, LA..and New Oreleans (they couldn't find help after Katrina).

Wages can vary on a variety of things. There's general competition, cost of operating etc.

As I said before Boston is not really a place to start a career. If you want to search like crazy and make bare bones that's fine but frankly you can afford more and get more even in pay if you leave the metro area. I make more then what I did in the 128 belt in western Mass with a much lower cost of living. Boston tries to sell you everything when in fact it kinda falls flat. Some reasons I've heard for not leaving include...the red sox?!? Huh? Why not just watch it on tv. Some favorite bar/restaurant. There's a restaurant bubble right now because frankly the competition is too high and there's hardly that much of intrinsic differences between them of the same type (Italian, Indian, Chinese etc). Academia? Well sure it's nice to attend higher ed but then what? Museums? How often do people visit them and expect a difference? Past the age of 25 why stay in Boston? Clubs? Who really goes clubbing past their 20s?

Boston gentrified to the point where there's just not much of a soul left. Cookie cutter standardized...typical.

Boo Hoo...guess I cant go back
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Old 05-02-2015, 10:08 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles/Massachusetts
341 posts, read 669,259 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrewsburried View Post
Really? Bangor? One does not need to go that far ...

There are plenty of towns in central MA (west of 495) which have highly rated schools, viable houses in the $260-300k range, and access to plenty of high income jobs (healthcare, higher-ed, STEM/R&D, etc.).

Where is that, Worcester?? Or Worcester County....certainly not Shrewsbury. If houses are that cheap in MA there is usually a reason...............
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Old 05-02-2015, 10:50 PM
 
3,808 posts, read 3,102,853 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhapsodie2014 View Post
Where is that, Worcester?? Or Worcester County....certainly not Shrewsbury. If houses are that cheap in MA there is usually a reason...............
Mostly the Wachusett towns (e.g., Sterling, Holden, Paxton, Princeton). Lancaster is still relatively cheap despite sharing a school system with its pricer neighbor Bolton. Groton also has the occasional sub-300k home come to market in the west side of town.

As for Shrewsbury ... a nicely maintained and updated ranch in the desirable north side of town sold for 270k this fall. The house was on a small lot, but with both Spring St. School and Dean Park nearby, access to green space isn't an issue. These deals do go quick in town, rarely hitting Zillow - estate sale, a neighbor inquires and passes along the info to family or friends looking for a home, house closes before a listing agent is ever called.

If you want a 2400sqft colonial, it ain't going to happen. But, patient buyers who are flexible in their tastes and expectations can find a viable home in these towns at or under 300k.
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Old 05-03-2015, 10:45 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles/Massachusetts
341 posts, read 669,259 times
Reputation: 231
I commented because I had been looking in Worcester County (mostly west side),,,,,,,as can no longer afford anything around Greater Boston....like many and am hoping to find something in Southern Maine......I really like the town of Shrewsbury and Northboro......I could see (as everyone else) that property on east side of Worcester is much more expensive than west side......Holden seems very nice and reasonable.....
The city of Worcester (nice areas like West side, Tatnuck) have lovely homes very reasonable.....too bad the city has such a bad rap......beacuse 1/2 of it IS a ghetto......buying home in Worcester might be good investment...if it was known that the city was really going to improve in next 10 yrs......have researched...has positive attributes....40 miles to Boston etc.....not near ocean (boo hoo).....
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Old 05-03-2015, 09:15 PM
 
7,912 posts, read 7,740,728 times
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Haven't heard anything really negative of Worcester...except walking those hills :-(
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Old 05-13-2015, 04:41 PM
 
457 posts, read 642,095 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notafan View Post
I grew up here but have relocated several times, and have been back in the Boston area for one year now. I'm finding it difficult to secure a decent paying position and am wondering if the over saturation of recent college graduates in Boston makes it increasingly difficult to secure jobs? There are thousands upon thousands of college grads in Boston that are likely applying for the same jobs I am (I have a Masters degree and am in my 30's). Also, I believe that having a Masters degree in Boston is not that special since the population tends to be highly educated here. I'm wondering if job markets in other cities may be less competitive without these factors.

Has anyone had experience with this or given it any thought?
Yes.

But the problem you would have trying to relocate to somewhere where there's less competition (i.e. Middle America) is that you will find yourself someplace so bat-ass frustratingly DESOLATE that you will want to kill yourself every single day. I mean, yes, there's less competition for the "master's degree required" jobs in quite a few states I won't bother to list, but if you can get one of them you will find yourself surrounded by a majority of such whopping morons that it will be unbelievable. In fact, you almost have to see it to believe it. Come on out to New Mexico and try to get a job here, if you want to see it first-hand. Especially if you went to one of the New England states' better universities. The Dakotas would be another prime example.
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