Tell me about Pittsfield! (Worcester, Springfield: insurance, houses, high school)

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by FCMA

Pittsfield is head and shoulders above the true bottom barrel MA dumps like Fitchburg, Brockton, and Athol in terms of being an acceptable place to muck through life. But it’s still isolated and only has its few niceish things because of outside money cruising through on US 7. The Berkshires are supremely scenic but don’t let yourself forget that unregulated industry means you can’t eat the fish from the local river.

A guy in Vermont once told me "You can't eat scenery "

In all due respect to Brockton it has three rail stations and a line to Boston. It also has the largest public park south of Boston.

No one will be able to eat local fish in Pittsfield for decades.

The only real long-term solution is to consolidate the region to a few areas. Rural areas don't grow.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by mdovell

A guy in Vermont once told me "You can't eat scenery "

In all due respect to Brockton it has three rail stations and a line to Boston. It also has the largest public park south of Boston.

No one will be able to eat local fish in Pittsfield for decades.

The only real long-term solution is to consolidate the region to a few areas. Rural areas don't grow.

That's true, even though housing may be a good deal cheaper, finding a good paying job in rural regions can be a real puzzle.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Brockton is bad for sure but it’s not a bottom of the barrel dump. Poverty levels are fairly low ~15%, home values are fairly high and as someone mentioned before it has good rail connections and a nice large Park.

Brockton is wealthier and more suburban than Lawrence Fitchburg Fall River Springfield Holyoke...it’s the gateway cities furthest from Boston that are the worst:

[G1..]

Originally Posted by mdovell

A guy in Vermont once told me "You can't eat scenery "

No one will be able to eat local fish in Pittsfield for decades.

The only real long-term solution is to consolidate the region to a few areas. Rural areas don't grow.

1) Many in Vermont do so he sounds like he hasn't a clue.

2) Why, yes I real there are spots that are pollute water wise(mostly the rivers) but many of the lakes in the region are fine for fishing and are stocked by the State .

3) I would agree to some towns sharing some service's ,rural area's do grow if they want to ,some like the small rural lifestyle they provide.

[FCMA]

Pittsfield has room to grow back at least to its former population and then some. It’s down to 42,000 from a height of 57,000 population. The current fed administration doesn’t mind private industry dumping toxic waste in waterways like the Housatonic again so long as the markets climb for a few years, so there is hope in myopic federal corruption. But big brother Commonwealth has a Rivers Protection Act so think again parasites.

[G1..]

Originally Posted by FCMA

Pittsfield has room to grow back at least to its former population and then some. It’s down to 42,000 from a height of 57,000 population. The current fed administration doesn’t mind private industry dumping toxic waste in waterways like the Housatonic again so long as the markets climb for a few years, so there is hope in myopic federal corruption. But big brother Commonwealth has a Rivers Protection Act so think again parasites.

Housatonic has been bad for decades .Thanks GE. This might help explain everything..................




https://dailygazette.com/article/202...-on-ge-cleanup


Pittsfield to start next chapter as final agreement reached on GE cleanup

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by G1..

Housatonic has been bad for decades .Thanks GE. This might help explain everything..................




https://dailygazette.com/article/202...-on-ge-cleanup


Pittsfield to start next chapter as final agreement reached on GE cleanup

Well, at least GE is being held accountable and they are paying for the lion's share of the cleanup. Too often, companies have made their profits greater by using unsound and environmentally hazardous processes, and then the executives walk away fat and happy and the taxpayers are saddled with the full burden of cleaning up the mess of years of environmental malfeasance. Compared to many cases, I'd call this a good outcome.

[G1..]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Well, at least GE is being held accountable and they are paying for the lion's share of the cleanup. Too often, companies have made their profits greater by using unsound and environmentally hazardous processes, and then the executives walk away fat and happy and the taxpayers are saddled with the full burden of cleaning up the mess of years of environmental malfeasance. Compared to many cases, I'd call this a good outcome.

Not really they have put it off and off until it was reduced yet in the mean time the damage is still there and still being made. Not counting the damage done to the town and surrounding areas by leaving.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

I could see the problem with living a practical life there as a 17 year old and on the bus. Winding roads for sure, lack of high speed internet, declining populations and rundown towns. Downtown Pittsfield is cruddy and they try to mask it with ‘New England charm’ but it fails.

Broadband in that part of Western Massachusetts was Adelphia. That was a total disaster. It was also mercifully over in 2002 when they went flagrantly bankrupt. Charter-Spectrum has it now. The cable plant has been rebuilt twice since 2002. A hard core gamer might not like it but at residential speed tiers the rest of us use for streaming video, it’s fine.

I’m not a big fan of Pittsfield but you can certainly work there and live over the line in Lenox. Good schools. If you’re into outdoor activities, there’s plenty to do. Tanglewood and all the vacation homes & tourism gives it a pulse.

[mdovell]

Tanglewood was canceled this year along with Jacob's Pillow. Tourism has to wait. Short term rentals might still be banned.

Rural America has died out for 50 years now. Adelphia I bumped heads with back around then. I had to go to a regional vice president to get things done