'Do Bostonians really care about Western MA' Globe article (Burlington: home, to live in)

[in_newengland]

The state put a lot of money into Boston infrastructure in particular and continues to because that's money well spent; the investment in highway, rail, and sewerage infrastructure (harbor cleanup) has paid big returns on a growing economy. What exactly is the state supposed to do in Springfield, and why should Massachusetts have better results investing in declining cities than any other state with similar places?

How does that help western MA? Most of this is stuff we never even hear about and it doesn't seem to have any effect on us either. Personally, I don't care about Boston's highway, rail and sewerage infrastructure (sorry if I offend anyone) but Boston doesn't seem to care about us either.

As for what the state should do/should have done for western MA, I guess that would have been a question best answered by the experts. I do know that there is a lot of brain power out in WMass, lots of college grads and people with advanced degrees who historically have ended up moving to the Boston area to get jobs. That's because there isn't anything for them to do in WMass.

Maybe that's one incentive. Our educated people leave. They go to Boston and take the jobs that Bostonians compete for. I don't know what Boston could do but if there were businesses in WMass to absorb all these educated people, it might solve more than a few problems.

[mdovell]

So Great barrington isn't western mass? I take the same with North adams. Can't treat berkshire county differently as it has more people then Franklin...just saying.

"Brattleboro is less than ten miles from the MA border, not an hour into VT."

Sure from the border but from Greenfield it is about 20 or so. What I'm getting at is southern vermont is not nearly as developed as much as it could be.

If you factor in the effects of the Quabbin and all of the state and federal parks in southern VT it is no wonder why there was less development. Technically speaking once we factor air travel it makes it much different. For a small plane to fly from Boston to NYC is what 45 minutes to an hour? There isn't enough in volume to fly between Boston and Springfield but in driving it is an hour and ahalf easily without any traffic and coming from the suburbs probably another half hour in.

"As for what the state should do/should have done for western MA, I guess that would have been a question best answered by the experts. I do know that there is a lot of brain power out in WMass, lots of college grads and people with advanced degrees who historically have ended up moving to the Boston area to get jobs. That's because there isn't anything for them to do in WMass.

Maybe that's one incentive. Our educated people leave. They go to Boston and take the jobs that Bostonians compete for. I don't know what Boston could do but if there were businesses in WMass to absorb all these educated people, it might solve more than a few problems."

I've heard that argument quite a bit but at the same point if there is a drain then there's also a further drain back. Those with degrees stand out more in western mass then eastern. How so? A friend of mine was frustrated in eastern Mass. He went to VT for work and then northern maine. Now he's in western mass making probably 2.5 times what he made in eastern Mass. This all happened in probably a three year span. Why deal with the 128 rat race if you don't have to? You don't really get anything "extra". The traffic is horrible and cost of living way too high. If someone has debt why would they even bother? The answer to some is live where it is cheap and then work where you make the most. OK fine I have a colleague that drives from Springfield where she lives to Boston EVER day. That's 180 miles each day.

We do have things that can be a bit of an issue that could be resolved. In Mass to work in the judicial system you have to be a state resident already. So if you are looking to be an aide to a judge in Greenfield you can't be out of state. Springfield AND Holyoke both have residency requirements. They are only 8.5 miles away! So if someone owns a house in Holyoke and gets a city job in springfield they have to sell it and then move. Ok well what if it's a couple and one works in one city and one works in the others? What's the solution....own two houses?!? If a place has a bad school system then private school might be the only option and that takes more time to prepare and deal with.

We can argue about jobs but I think the greater issue frankly is the amount that have been educated out so to speak. The standards have never been as high. Background checks, drug tests, credit checks are now the norm. A four year degree is the norm and yet some gateway cities have high dropout rates. If you drop out what exactly is the point? How many employers want to hire dropouts?

Going to Boston for a default doesn't help because there's already people there looking for work.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by mdovell

So Great barrington isn't western mass? I take the same with North adams. Can't treat berkshire county differently as it has more people then Franklin...just saying.

Yeah, I never got this. If they're just talking the CT River Valley, then there is plenty of interest. Western Mass is Western Mass to most people (not living there), it isn't like Deerfield and Heath are seen as much differently (for good reason) that stuff like Chester or Great Barrington.

Originally Posted by mdovell

Sure from the border but from Greenfield it is about 20 or so. What I'm getting at is southern vermont is not nearly as developed as much as it could be.

Thank God!

[in_newengland]

We've done this before. Western Mass geographically is the entire western part of the state but the part that is usually called Western Mass is the area around the CT River Valley, not including the Berkshire region.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

We've done this before. Western Mass geographically is the entire western part of the state but the part that is usually called Western Mass is the area around the CT River Valley, not including the Berkshire region.

By who? Must be only by the people that live there and the tourism agencies.

[FCMA]

Oy here we go again.

It's all Western Mass. Just boils down to subregions within W MA. The only thing I like to correct people about is if they use "Berkshires" to refer to all of western MA.

[mdovell]

Then again Minnesota doesn't want to be called the mid west anymore it wants to be called "North"
Minnesota

[bolehboleh]

I grew up in Mass and I had always considered the Berkshires to be part of Western Mass. To me, anything west of Worcester County was/is Western Mass.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by bolehboleh

I grew up in Mass and I had always considered the Berkshires to be part of Western Mass. To me, anything west of Worcester County was/is Western Mass.

Yeh, in a manner of speaking, anything west of Worcester County would be western Mass. To locals, western Mass is one area and the Berkshires are another area. It's like those of us from western Mass who call anything east of Worcester, Boston. To us it IS, but to those who live in the Boston area, you break it down much more specifically.

But anyway, no matter what the definition of western Mass is to outsiders, does Boston even care about it. They should. It's a part of the state, after all.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by in_newengland

How does that help western MA? Most of this is stuff we never even hear about and it doesn't seem to have any effect on us either. Personally, I don't care about Boston's highway, rail and sewerage infrastructure (sorry if I offend anyone) but Boston doesn't seem to care about us either.

You should care. Boston and the 495 belt pay the funds that support the entire state. Without it, there would be nothing anywhere else. All the money comes from Boston realistically.