Northampton WOW!

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by VADude

We are looking to retire in or near Northampton. It's a neat place all right, but in some ways in a victim of its success. Finding parking downtown, for example, on a Friday night is pretty much impossible unless you go into a commercial lot. But it is reasonably unique. I've seen other areas sort of like it. Burlington VT has a pedestrian mall, as does Boulder CO Pearl Street Market, Fort Collins CO as well (downtown area). What I like about Northampton is the scenery, the closeness to nature and the way rural and agricultural areas are integrated so intelligently. Kudos for those running Northampton for getting it right, and I hope the don't spoil their success.

For a retiree though there are not a lot of great options in Northampton. The whole area is not particularly friendly to the 55+ age group. We are likely to either retire on the outskirts somewhere (Leeds maybe), or Easthampton, Hadley and Amherst and they too have little in the way of housing that will accommodate us.

I thought Easthampton had built some over 55 retirement housing. No?

I wouldn't go anywhere near Amherst because UMass has never done anything to control the students and their loud parties and even rioting.

[VADude]

South Amherst is okay, but we'll look at it more extensively this summer. I have heard the UMass students can be a bit much. In fact, there was a news item recently about 4000+ drunk rampaging students that needed the national guard to quell them.

There are pockets of housing that will work for us, which is basically something where we don't have to do much in the way of maintenance (condo most likely) and where living can be done principally on one level. The E'ton condos in Easthampton look particularly interesting, and we'll be checking them out, but there are also new condo/townhouses on Village Hill Road in Northampton as well as scattered other 55+ housing. We're still pretty young so we are looking for plenty of space, hence the E'ton condos look particularly interesting. It will mostly depend on what's on the market next year when we are ready to sell.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by VADude

South Amherst is okay, but we'll look at it more extensively this summer. I have heard the UMass students can be a bit much. In fact, there was a news item recently about 4000+ drunk rampaging students that needed the national guard to quell them.

There are pockets of housing that will work for us, which is basically something where we don't have to do much in the way of maintenance (condo most likely) and where living can be done principally on one level. The E'ton condos in Easthampton look particularly interesting, and we'll be checking them out, but there are also new condo/townhouses on Village Hill Road in Northampton as well as scattered other 55+ housing. We're still pretty young so we are looking for plenty of space, hence the E'ton condos look particularly interesting. It will mostly depend on what's on the market next year when we are ready to sell.

Yes, South Amherst is very beautiful. There are places in Amherst where you would probably be almost unaffected by the students but you have to be really careful. I was shown a cute house once and thank goodness I knew the area. Across the road was a driveway that went into a monstrous apartment complex that is known for drugs and out of control student parties. I know the police would be coming all the time, the house would get broken into. The UMass problem has been there for years and shows no signs of getting better because no one does anything about it! You can't use the Amherst downtown most of the time and certainly you usually would stay away on weekend nights because of mobs of drunken and violent students.

If you want to partake of what Northampton has to offer, it's better to live on the other side of the river. The Coolidge Bridge is jammed with traffic much of the time so if you want to do things on the Northampton side, it's better to just live in one of the towns like Easthampton or Northampton. That way you're already there. If you want to go to something at the fine arts center at UMass, you can still get there and it's after rush hour.

[RiverBird]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

It would be nice to hear some specifics about what is changed. I was last there about 10 years ago.

What has changed is that it has become totally gentrified and unaffordable. The punks that hang out, sitting on the streets of downtown, are either homeless or trust fund babies or both. I lived in Hamp in the 80s and it was a fine, affordable, artsy place then. Now I avoid it whenever possible.

[RiverBird]

Originally Posted by tovarisch

I live in Northampton, and it IS cool, but your memory is flawed -- it's been economically, culturally and otherwise vibrant since the early '80s -- there never really was a "lull." The last time it was NOT a destination would have to be the '70s. Stores and restaurants come and go; that's the way life is. And by the way -- only ONE "h."

Mid 1980s, when I lived there, there was a serious economic downturn regionally and many artists who had reasonable rents on their studios above the downtown stores had to leave as the rents skyrocketed.

At the same time New Yorkers discovered Hamp and started moving in, driving up housing costs ridiculously and making it unaffordable for many families to move in. The spaces above the downtown stores became pricey apartments and offices. Downtown parking went to meters; new upscale stores that only the well to do can afford on a regular basis.

Despite the influx of a monied class, the Academy of Music began to see worsened times, stopped showing films and the opera company that performed there went under along with other arts orgs. The Calvin as a venue became unaffordable for these orgs, too. Now you have a handful of business owners and landlords who own the town, with rents much out of reach for many.

Northampton was a cool town before it was "discovered." Everything cool does get discovered, sooner or later. Then it's generally only for those who can truly afford to live there. Even the Market Street area (Joe's Pizza) became gentrified.

[RiverBird]

Originally Posted by VADude

For a retiree though there are not a lot of great options in Northampton. The whole area is not particularly friendly to the 55+ age group. We are likely to either retire on the outskirts somewhere (Leeds maybe), or Easthampton, Hadley and Amherst and they too have little in the way of housing that will accommodate us.

Depends on your price range. Across from beautiful Look Park in Florence, adjacent to Hamp, are some upscale condos (Bear Hill Estates, starting at $400K), as well as the new condos on Hospital Hill (oops, now "Village Hill" [wright-builders.com/Residential/Homes-Properties-For-Sale/Village-Hill] going west of Hamp out Rte 66.

Some very nice condos are just built in Hatfield, originally a farming community that is now residential, adjacent to Northampton, right by River Valley Market (organic/natural foods trendy market). Hatfield is a bit of fresh air compared with the dense atmosphere of Hamp.
115 Elm Street Unit 2A, Hatfield, MA 01038 Condo for sale - MLS #71517700

Hatfield is a much better option than Leeds, imho.

[tovarisch]

Just FYI -- Leeds is part of Northampton, as is Florence. I will be 60 in May and live in a very modest house; it would sell for under 250K now if marketed. It's doable, folks.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by newenglandgirl

Mid 1980s, when I lived there, there was a serious economic downturn regionally and many artists who had reasonable rents on their studios above the downtown stores had to leave as the rents skyrocketed.

At the same time New Yorkers discovered Hamp and started moving in, driving up housing costs ridiculously and making it unaffordable for many families to move in. The spaces above the downtown stores became pricey apartments and offices. Downtown parking went to meters; new upscale stores that only the well to do can afford on a regular basis.

Despite the influx of a monied class, the Academy of Music began to see worsened times, stopped showing films and the opera company that performed there went under along with other arts orgs. The Calvin as a venue became unaffordable for these orgs, too. Now you have a handful of business owners and landlords who own the town, with rents much out of reach for many.

Northampton was a cool town before it was "discovered." Everything cool does get discovered, sooner or later. Then it's generally only for those who can truly afford to live there. Even the Market Street area (Joe's Pizza) became gentrified.

Joe's Pizza is gentrified too? I LOVED it. Most of the stores and restaurants I loved aren't there anymore. My favorite store was The Cedar Chest in Thorne's, when they had their sidewalk sales. It was always fun to look in anyway.

I got disgusted when they started charging money to go to Look Park. No longer could you just drive through or go for a few minutes on your lunch hour to sit and watch the swans. They even said I couldn't sit on the grass after I had always sat on the grass from when I was one year old!

I'm so glad I lived there in the 70s, 80s, 90s. It must still be good for some people but I can't go back--or I go back just to see the river and the mountains but not to partake of what it has become.

[RiverBird]

Originally Posted by tovarisch

Just FYI -- Leeds is part of Northampton, as is Florence. I will be 60 in May and live in a very modest house; it would sell for under 250K now if marketed. It's doable, folks.

I lived close to Leeds once and it was fine, but I just prefer Hatfield. It's right on I-91 and all points N & S, plus it's a contained community and so easy to get right into Hamp and River Valley Mkt. The prop tax may possibly be better there too.

[VADude]

Thanks for all the great housing leads! I knew of some of these. We'll check them all out including Hatfield when we return in the summer. As for Leeds, yes it is part of Northampton, but doesn't feel like it is. There is a townhouse community behind the golf course and near Look Park that is of interest. Something will pop up.

I hear the real estate is pricey, but to me it only seems if you live in the city center. Everything else looks very affordable, at least to real estate prices here in northern Virginia. There are few houses in Northampton we could not afford. As our house is worth about $500K and almost paid off, I figure we'll pocket a lot of equity if we buy in Northampton and vicinity. I guess whether it's pricey depends on where you come from.