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Hello!
My husband recently accepted a position at UMASS and we will be relocating in the next 6 weeks. We have 2 children that will be in preschool for another 18 months, then we will have them in public school. We are searching for homes primarily on the east side of the Northampton-Hadley bridge but are interested in hearing opinions about some of the towns on the west side. Would the commute to Amherst be a bear? I found a beautiful home in Southampton but have not learned much about the area. Any input is greatly appreciated!
I always thought it would be perfect because I love Southampton as a beautiful place to live and would love Amherst as a place to work. It sure would be a lot easier than the commutes these Boston people talk about!
But you'd have to go up rte 10 past Easthampton and then onto the dreaded rte 9, over the bridge and through all the traffic to Amherst. It can be bad at times but not so bad at other times. Probably the worst part would be if you had friends in Amherst, they would consider Southampton to be out of the way.
I'd do it! For me, it would be the best of both worlds. But it may or may not work for you.
That drive would would get old quick. I would keep my focus on areas East of the river. South Hadley, Hadley, Granby, Sunderland,Deerfield,Pelham , Belchertown just to name a few.
I always thought it would be perfect because I love Southampton as a beautiful place to live and would love Amherst as a place to work. It sure would be a lot easier than the commutes these Boston people talk about!
But you'd have to go up rte 10 past Easthampton and then onto the dreaded rte 9, over the bridge and through all the traffic to Amherst. It can be bad at times but not so bad at other times. Probably the worst part would be if you had friends in Amherst, they would consider Southampton to be out of the way.
I'd do it! For me, it would be the best of both worlds. But it may or may not work for you.
Thank you in_newengland! Realistically, how long would it take on a daily basis? Also, are we talking about a 30 min ride to a grocery store/shopping/amenities?
There's a Big Y on the Southampton/Easthamton town line so probably no more than 10 minutes to a grocery store anyway. 10 min to Easthampton restaurants and shops downtown, 20 to Northampton. Southampton is really not that isolated, it's a rural residential suburb rather than straight up rural, though it's more convenient to the Holyoke-Springfield area than UMass.
As a former UMass Transit bus driver, I'll say that from Southampton, I would cross the Connecticut River on the 202 bridge in Holyoke, and then take 116 all the way up thru South Hadley and over the Notch to Amherst. This way you avoid Route 9 entirely. In fact, you could just park in South Hadley and take the Mount Holyoke bus to UMass.
As a former UMass Transit bus driver, I'll say that from Southampton, I would cross the Connecticut River on the 202 bridge in Holyoke, and then take 116 all the way up thru South Hadley and over the Notch to Amherst. This way you avoid Route 9 entirely. In fact, you could just park in South Hadley and take the Mount Holyoke bus to UMass.
That is great advice regarding an alternative route. My husband will need his car during the day, so taking public transportation probably won't be the best option. The elementary school looked pretty good. The house is so beautiful, it is probably worth checking out. I appreciate this feedback!
As others have said, you'd have the Big Y in Southampton and a few things like pizza shops. In Easthampton you'd have more, and as you go along into Northampton, you'd have everything. It's more west of the river oriented though.
I used to live right on the Southampton line but I never took that alternative route so cannot comment on it. For me, the beauty and peace and quiet of a place makes it worthwhile but that's not the way for everyone. It would be the opposite of living in Amherst, (the peace and quiet) which I why I refused to live in Amherst.
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