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Hello again,
I had asked about relocating to MA several months ago. Got very informative posts, but a surprise health issue derailed us. Sorry I didn't follow up.Back on track now, looking at earlier suggestion of Springfield. Housing market for old homes is great, but a little concerned about comments in this forum. If Springfield is not workable, does anyone have suggestions for any area within approx 2 hour commute(train or car)to Boston . Wish list: Old homes 400k and under(in need of work o.k.), schools not important,some kind of downtown with a few amenities.We can go to RI or NH .Urban is fine if we can have small yard and parkiing. New Bedford and Fairhaven still on list,but would like to research all of our options before the next (hopefully last) househunting trip up. Thanks so much for any help.Debra
Last edited by relocatetonewengland; 03-05-2011 at 11:52 AM..
Reason: spelling
Hello again,
I had asked about relocating to MA several months ago. Got very informative posts, but a surprise health issue derailed us. Sorry I didn't follow up.Back on track now, looking at earlier suggestion of Springfield. Housing market for old homes is great, but a little concerned about comments in this forum. If Springfield is not workable, does anyone have suggestions for any area within approx 2 hour commute(train or car)to Boston . Wish list: Old homes 400k and under(in need of work o.k.), schools not important,some kind of downtown with a few amenities.We can go to RI or NH .Urban is fine if we can have small yard and parkiing. New Bedford and Fairhaven still on list,but would like to research all of our options before the next (hopefully last) househunting trip up. Thanks so much for any help.Debra
Springfield is about the worst city/ area in Mass and possibly New England. Providence is much nicer. If you want small and quaint, check out Portland, Me. Portsmouth NH is nice too.
Personally I think Boston is the best, with anyplace along the north or south shores being next choice. The ocean is a huge amenity.
Thanks Bostonian,you've confirmed the stats and comments I've read. I love Boston,went to college there many years back and it would be first choice but for price.Providence is also beautiful. Have always loved being near the ocean,but not sure if it's doable. Need a house and must have parking.(not off street)otherwise very flexible as to area and condition of house.Limited by budget-400K but can do total rehab. If anywhere comes to mind... Always enjoy your posts-honest with a little humor. Thanks,Debra
^I'd add that while Springfield has serious problems, it's not without redeeming qualities. Springfield has some beautiful homes and safe neighborhoods. If schools aren't a concern, you've eliminated a significant concern about living in Springfield. While I do think there are better options, I wouldn't write it off entirely. After 5pm and on weekends the downtown area isn't very lively.
I think out in that direction, you'd like Northampton better. You may wrestle with prices a bit, but it's smaller (I'm getting the impression you would prefer less urban if you can find it and it meets the rest of your criteria?) and still has an active, walkable downtown area.
New Bedford and Fairhaven are good choices. 50 minutes to Boston, affordable homes and beautiful coastal location. New Bedford's downtown is beautiful (13 blocks are a national historic park), and active with lots of shops and restaurants. Most of the influx of activity in downtown New Bedford has occurred in the last 10 years. The recent success is only now starting to gain real attention from outside of the New Bedford area. It was named one of 12 distinctive destinations for 2011 by Preservation Nation and was just featured today on NECN's TV Diner. The success of New Bedford is very recent which means its still a work in progress; and is part of the reason that some folks outside of the NB area aren't on board yet (if you last visited 5-10 years ago, it was a different place). There are places in New Bedford to avoid and schools are terrible, but the downtown area and the historic neighborhoods surrounding it are one of a kind. You can still find excellent value. I would absolutely keep it on your list. Fairhaven is beautiful. Check out the Oxford Village section (great old homes). It has a small but active downtown area too.
Portland, Maine and Portsmouth New Hampshire are good suggestions too. I lived in Portland for four years. I'd liken it to New Bedford but about 10 years ahead in the gentrification/revitalization process. Portland is more "established." Maybe too much. The Old Port (the beautiful historic downtown section) is filled with kitsch and tacky tourist shops and overrated restaurants. Still, the city is located on a stunning harbor with excellent views of Casco Bay and the surrounding islands. I would look for homes in the West End (may be pushing your price range, but you can find something) and Deering/Oakdale/Rosemont for historic older homes. West End is walkable to downtown. There is no such thing as a "bad" neighborhood in Portland. Portsmouth is similar, but smaller. I actually like Portsmouth better as it doesn't feel so gimmicky and the downtown area is more intact (Portland's has a surprisingly large number of vacant lots and ugly, post-modern infill buildings). Portsmouth's historic housing stock is excellent too.
Don't rule Providence out either based on price. There are some nice old homes for sale in good neighborhoods that fall into your price range. It doesn't have to be College Hill. If you're willing to put in some work, you're even better off. Many neighborhoods have homes with large lots (we had 1/2 acre on George Street on the East Side) and off-street parking.
Same goes for Boston. You may have to work to find it, but some of the better and up and coming neighborhoods in Dorchester (and others) have a number of fixer-upper Victorians that you could get for under 400k (some under 300k). You won't be downtown, but you can make it happen in Boston.
Salem might be tough,but you could give that a shot too. Great location if you can make it work.
You're not crazy to consider Springfield. But you're crazy to consider commuting from Springfield to Boston. If you want a cheap old city why not Worcester or Lowell? Haverhill looks nice and is safer than either.
You can get definitely get old homes in Northampton for under 400k.
I'd be looking in Worcester before Springfield, for sure. As long as you avoid the bad sections, there are some real bargains there and you've got the train to Boston.
How many of you who've posted withering comments about Springfield have visited the city lately? (Within the past two years, that is.)
I, like you, would have known little better than you about Springfield--and perhaps agreed with you, sheep-like, in an effort to gang up on any NE city that's not Boston or prototypically "quaint"--if I hadn't visited Springfield for myself last week.
I'm from New Haven--a city comparable in many ways to Springfield.
My traveling companion and I were shocked at Springfield's older architecture (gorgeous,) the safe feeling on the city's streets, and the diversity of the city's neighborhoods.
A few more positive things about Springfield that no one here has mentioned:
Right now, Springfield is a real estate speculator's DREAM CITY.
1) Real estate costs are low (what you can get for 80k in SPfld, you'd get for 200k in New Haven--and the two cities are very comparable.)
2) Within the next 2 years, there's a high speed train line--the Knowledge Corridor Line--being built from New Haven through Hartford to Springfield. From NYC and points south, it'll be shorter (time-wise) to transport along the Knowledge Corridor Line than the current I-95 Corridor Line (through New London and Providence,) and also cheaper. Springfield will reap the benefits of these altered shipping patterns b/c it becomes the new New England train nexus between NYC (and further South) to Boston, Albany (& the Great Lakes), and Montreal. (This should bring in big $$$ for Springfield, which is well-positioned geographically to be a transportation hub--both freight and human.)
3) Springfield announced plans to develop its riverfront, right next to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Recently, the Urban Land Institute unveiled plans for mixed use commercial/residential along the Connecticut river, next to the Basketball Hall of Fame (one of New England's biggest tourist attractions.) The new development will change Springfield's skyline. Basketball and other sports camps will be opened up next to the river. Suddenly, a more vibrant downtown and more potential for increased tourism!
4) Baystate and Tufts Medical have totally transformed Springfield's North End, and now it's started to build downtown.
5) Just across the Connecticut river from Springfield are the Big E and Six Flags New England, (which features the #1 roller coaster in the entire world... Or, at least it was last year.)
6) I wouldn't have believed this unless I'd seen it myself. Springfield has more beautiful old architecture (at low prices) than almost city in New England ... It's not like Lowell--with its converted mills (which are cool too)-- it has bowfront homes and gorgeous Victorians, which would sell for millions in Boston. Better housing stock than New Haven.
These houses are located mostly around Mattoon St, Mulberry St, the Armory, and the Olmstead (designer of Central Park in NYC) designed Forest Park. (This is a huge area of the city.)
6) It's 15 miles from the 5 College Area -- maybe the most liberal, "indie" area in the eastern United States. Northampton-Amherst is like a college playground! (or a professor playground if you're older.) There's a lot of entertainment up that way too.
Now I'm waiting for someone here to admit that they might've jumped the gun about how 'awful' Springfield is... It's a small city, like my hometown, with a lot more going for it than most places (including my hometown, unfortunately.)
After reading all the negative words people wrote on this forum about Springfield, I was expecting... Well, the opposite of what I actually found.
Lastly: weighing in on Springfield vs. Worcester. If it matters to you, (as it does to me,) Springfield has more visually pleasing architecture. (Historically, Springfield was probably the 2nd richest working city in New England, (i.e. not including pleasure domes like Newport, RI,) or possibly third to Hartford due to the Armory and related skilled labor.) Having spent significant time in Worcester, I found it drab--and as a metro area, I don't think it measures up topographically/geographically, culturally, or atmospherically to Springfield-Northampton-Amherst.
Here's an example. There are mansions in Springfield that can be had at a fraction of the price of a clapboard house in Worcester.
Here's a stunning Springfield house for under 200k!! (This home would be 200k more in Providence, 100k more in New Haven, and might not even exist in Worcester due to the predominant architecture. http://www.choosespringfieldmass.com...in-forest.html
Springfield is the only NE city you'll find that kind of quality at those prices, excepting the odd city like Bridgeport or New London.
I think it interesting or at least something to ponder when the critical difference of opinion varies to a wide degree is that some of the folks may actually live in an area, do not base comments on a one day visit nor have ancillary thoughts of real estate speculation in mind.
In any case, the best advice is to always visit an area multiple times oneself, varying times of the day......and night..... and seasons of the year if at all possible as part of their own due diligence.
Last edited by Justin Sparks; 03-07-2011 at 05:19 AM..
I think it interesting or at least something to ponder when the critical difference of opinion varies to a wide degree is that some of the folks may actually live in an area, do not base comments on a one day visit nor have ancillary thoughts of real estate speculation in mind.
In any case, the best advice is to always visit an area multiple times oneself, varying parts of the day......and night..... and seasons of of the year if at all possible as part of their own due diligence.
Justin:
I completely agree with you. And, as Casey B. said earlier, Worcester should be considered before Springfield if jobs are a consideration. It's much more stable than Springfield, convenient to Boston (and Providence), jobs are much more plentiful, etc. And, you can easily get to Happy Valley and the much more desirable - in my view - Berkshires.
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Springfield
