Is Western Mass that bad? (Boston, Springfield: houses, college, closing)

[mdovell]

In many respects you can have buildings look rough but it's really what's on the inside. There's a race for reviews. Sites like yelp and google have guides that are often crowdsourced. Hartford I think has green shoots. It isn't exactly a city you can drive down slowly, you really have to walk around. The G Fox building is really nice along with the science center. UConn gradually has built more. Non profits seem to have a much larger role in CT. You can have a complete park run by one. The capital green is pretty nice as well. There's potential but they really have to make it more walkable and pedestrian friendly. I don't think Boston is bad for education. Boston Latin is still and probably will forever be highly ranked. The real question is how to get a kid into it as it's a feeder school for the ivys.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by FCMA

Yep the vast Deliverance turf of flyover country metro West and Central MA creates such a solid illusion that there’s nothing westa Wistah (westa Natick even) that most Massaholes totally overlook that there’s a fairly sublime pocket of civilization just a little past the Quabbin. Shhhh

While I generally enjoy your banter and perspective, I'll take the momentum to remind you that Northampton is the destination of NYC and Boston trustifarians and if any area is underappreciated or scorned by Bostonians, it is Worcester County and it's superior value proposition. I'll take a mid-century in Salisbury street over Northhampton's stagnant and wee little downtown regardless of whether I'm a W2 pleb or a capital gains trustifarian.

[tovarisch]

"Stagnant and wee" and you can't even spell it right. Sad.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by tovarisch

"Stagnant and wee" and you can't even spell it right. Sad.

Not sure what dictionary you're using, but regardless, spelling doesn't invalidate truth. Those pumping Western MA are severely overlooking the lack of opportunity which exists within - bohemian NYC and retiree capital is neither a robust or sustainable long economic future.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Not sure what dictionary you're using, but regardless, spelling doesn't invalidate truth. Those pumping Western MA are severely overlooking the lack of opportunity which exists within - bohemian NYC and retiree capital is neither a robust or sustainable long economic future.

They had no retort, so they piddled about an extra "h" in Northampton, not that anyone really cares and most people wouldn't notice because, well, for obvious reasons.


I like the Northampton area, fun place to visit for a day. The Flywheel still gets some great stuff. But yeah.

[tovarisch]

My retort is that I've lived here (in Northampton) since 1980, and it's wonderful. Flywheel is actually in Easthampton. It may depend on your age group. But it offers a lot to families, students, kids, elders. There's a reason it's popular. All it's missing is salt water.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by tovarisch

My retort is that I've lived here (in Northampton) since 1980, and it's wonderful. Flywheel is actually in Easthampton. It may depend on your age group. But it offers a lot to families, students, kids, elders. There's a reason it's popular. All it's missing is salt water.

No BLEEP, which is why I said "Northampton area." But there you go again, looking for minor faults even when there are none.

[FCMA]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

While I generally enjoy your banter and perspective, I'll take the momentum to remind you that Northampton is the destination of NYC and Boston trustifarians and if any area is underappreciated or scorned by Bostonians, it is Worcester County and it's superior value proposition. I'll take a mid-century in Salisbury street over Northhampton's stagnant and wee little downtown regardless of whether I'm a W2 pleb or a capital gains trustifarian.

Yeah I agree with you in the grand scheme. Worcester is a great value and a diverse and interesting city improving greatly in recent decades and has access to a diverse economy. Otherwise, Worcester County is pleasant if a little bland as an overall package, especially its northern tier, but a fantastic value and underrated for sure. In recent years it has finally even sprouted good local beer and sort of promotes its local agriculture. Western MA is good if you’re in academia or self employed in the trades, or a generational asparagus farmer but otherwise not a lot of overall employment opportunity.

As to yours and Timberline’s point, yeah Northampton is kind of tired these days. It probably peaked back in the 90s and early 2000s and now kinda just coasts as a middlebrow food court with upscale pretensions for Smithies and trusties. Indeed still a nice enough place to visit for a day. But what makes Western MA such a nice overall place to live if you can locate gainful employment or that sweet sweet trust fund is not just Northampton but the whole package of scenery, no traffic jams, excellent farm to table food culture, sense of community, and low cost of living. And the string of nice small downtowns (Northampton, Easthampton, Amherst, Greenfield, Shelburne Falls, Brattleboro - even Turners Falls and Holyoke sometimes have interesting events these days) all spaced within about 30 minutes drive with arts and culture momentum that together punch far above their population weight. I’d take these nice mini hubs and their laid-back lifestyle and nourishing scenery over a boring overpriced, overpaved Metro West or 128 Cheesecake Factory huffing suburb any day - though I’d be glad to live in the urban Metro Boston cores if $ was no object. One or the other for me, but instead I lurk in the Deliverance turf I mentioned earlier so that I can still easily enjoy Western MA. But I sort of don’t blame people (although they’re still wrong) for believing Commonwealth civilization has already ended for good back at 495 by the time they get to this area of undead mill towns and turn around before it gets nice again.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by tovarisch

All it's missing is salt water.

And economic opportunity.

[FCMA]

Originally Posted by timberline742

The Flywheel still gets some great stuff. But yeah.

In addition to Flywheel - - Gateway City Arts, Parlor Room, Hawks & Reed, Root Cellar, Stone Church all get some great artists coming through. The Iron Horse suite of venues have precipitously declined in the past decade though. Iron Horse itself is the only one that still has a consistently full calendar.