Mass move

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

....Like I said MA snobs think MA is head shoulders above the rest. There's no reasoning. As we all know anything you can reach in MA you can reach in CT without any real hassle. In addition to this you have less population density, lower housing prices, access to NYC and the same culture more or less. It's not a real difference in a practical sense: the biggest difference is property taxes. Fin.

I guess there's something that warrants 3x the housing cost? You'll never be able to afford to do all the cutest things living in MA but whatever I guess.

You deliberately ignored where I suggested alternate states in the region, if one is looking for lower cost. And that if one leaves New England entirely, that brings even more options.

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

So Tandoori Taylor Ham? LOL

Why is it so good though...

[bizcuit]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Never been. Even having never seen it in person, I would still take it over a place like Hartford. I can understand the appeal of New England, but that Hartford/Springfield area is like the armpit of it from my impression. Might as well save your pennies and go with flyover country, if that is your main concern.

It may depend on what you're looking for. The Hartford and Springfield cities aren't great, but there are a lot of wonderful little towns and beautiful country in the area. I am north of Springfield in Northampton and I just love this town and the countryside surrounding it. I have no need or desire to go into Springfield, so the city is really a non-issue for me.

I was driving home from Bradley Airport once and Waze sent me on back roads (due to traffic on 91) through gorgeous horse country in Northern, CT. I was very impressed with the towns I drove through.

If you don't really need a city, but still want some amount of civilization, easy access to mountains, lakes, oceans and big cities like NYC and Boston, it is a perfectly wonderful area to be. The question is, how often do you need to access a city? If it is a weekly thing then, no, it probably isn't ideal. But if it's once in a while, then check it out!

[Unsure070]

Massachoicetts
Yea the tolls are lame. My daughter got violations all the time, and of course she swore she paid the tolls. I won’t miss my younger three driving there when that time comes. My husband retired from the port authority, and a nice perk is free tolls on certain bridges and all tolls going into Staten Island and Nyc. We get to keep it too and yes the GSP is nice south of Woodbridge. It’s very hilly and green and unlike many areas of Nj it’s not filled with 80’s looking strip malls. Nj really is much prettier than people realize. The topography is certainly better than the Midwest, but I think it also has some uglier areas, and unfortunately those areas are what most people think of, like our side of Newark airport. That area couldn’t be uglier.
It’s too bad Massachusetts is so expensive because I enjoy the walk ability and shopping like Faneuil Hall, I also love the history. And as much as I love nyc, I’m ready for a mid size city that can be navigated easily and doesn’t make you feel like you’ve been run over by the time you get home. And yes everyone likes to make fun of NJ, we all just say your jealous, and some believe that. Haha I know people say Minnesota and Massachusetts both have bad accents, although I think Mn is by far worse. But it’s not like people think, I don’t know many that talk like Fargo at all. I think that is by far the worse accent in the country. Not attractive at all.

[Crystalre]

I would consider what is more important locations and commute or the condition/size of property and the lot size. It’s extremely hard to get an offer accepted these days especially in that price range but if your open to townhouses and single families there are many option on the outskirts of Andover. I don’t work in those areas but I would suggest connecting with a local knowledgeable agent that covers the towns your considering. And ask how to best prepare and what the typical prices are at close compared to list price.

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

What? The Big E, the Basketball Hall of Fame, the casino, and the Kielbasa Festival are the pinnacle of New England culture.

The comment about Hartford drivers was accurate. They’re Boston drivers with the aggressiveness but the have NYC horn use.

The most unexpected thing about West Hartford when we landed there four years ago was the big Jewish presence. The grocery stores have a kosher meat counter. You can get a real bagel.

West Hartford is kind of a 1968 time capsule. I presume Hartford white collar employment peaked then. There isn’t much that is newer. Blue Back Square, Whole Foods, and the Delmar Hotel. The Big Y in Bishops Corner and the Stop & Shop on Farmington are pretty dated. Still, I don’t think there is a suburban town center that is comparable. Hartford is such a wasteland that affluent people go to West Hartford Center from the farther out blue chip suburbs like Simsbury and Avon. Connecticut is flinging money at Hartford to make a core area like that but it isn’t remotely close to critical mass yet.

Minneapolis surprised me the first time I was there on business 25+ years ago. I was expecting a white bread and Miracle Whip cultural backwater. It’s a very cosmopolitan place. I was working in the burbs north of the city. That’s like the movie set for Fargo. I found a little boutique hotel on Nicollet Island on the Mississippi downtown and stayed in the city.

If you’re doing the suburban kids, golden retriever, luxury crossover, office drone thing, the blue chip Hartford suburbs are fine. Even with the stiff property taxes, they’re far more affordable than the Boston, NYC, and DC equivalent. You’re not house poor so you can afford a vacation home. It doesn’t align with my interests but it’s a perfectly reasonable place to live with all the amenities.

Blue Back Square is kinda interesting...I lived in Mass until recently. CT tries to play off NY and Ma like Canada being not quite British not quite American. The trouble I see with CT is outside of minor league sports it just doesn't know what it wants to be. hartford is in financial receivership and will likely continue to do so for years if not a decade. Hartford and CT has lost quite a bit. Hartfords population dropped from 180K to 120K, springfield went from 175K to 153K, a much smaller drop. There is no 3rd casino in CT and in fact they can't redevelop that area for ten years. Your high end department stores are long gone (GFox and Forbes and Wallace). People might brag about some defense jobs or finance and insurance in CT but the reality is they've been dropping for decades. The CT foundation problem is what is propping up houses in the area. If every foundation was fixed and those homes were put on the market it would increase inventory and drop prices. There's a difference between prices going up due to a denial of supply (like gas down south) and actual aggregate demand. The other problems in hartford are simply way too big for the city to deal with. Mass at least developed a wide range of smaller gateway cities. CT just invested in suburbs and even then it was a mindless endevor that yielded a confederacy of towns rather than a state. Mass has testing for graduation (MCAS homegrown) CT doesn't and pretty much everyone passes. My girlfriend teaches and per the superintendent this year no one gets lower than a 50. Even a blank assignment gets a 50. Mass has their own teacher testing (MTELs) CT and NY had to hire a company for the Praxis which is a lower standard. There's no prop 2 1/2 so taxes are higher, there's no procurement laws, there's no educational reform, there's no public housing reform, debarment list hasn't been updated in three years. No business entity is threatened or intimidated by the state of CT. It appears empty, shallow and weak. If the Mass AG or IG goes after you that can trigger other states and get the ball rolling, especially since much of the Biden white house is staffers from mass.

These cities pretty much have to work together because frankly they are pretty close and share highways and rail lines. There's some realities. Springfield isn't going to get a baseball stadium and hartford isn't getting a casino. I don't think big concerts are coming back to either area any time soon. the only way to get people out of poverty in both is long term financial education and individual action.

I live in CT because it's closer to my girlfriend and to be frank the house was cheap. I don' t need a palace but the price of my mortgage and everything else (electric, water, internet, phone, groceries ) all added up is about what rents are in downtown springfield. I still work in Mass and most likely will continue to do so because frankly there's just more jobs there and better wages.

Originally Posted by Unsure070

Massachoicetts

It’s too bad Massachusetts is so expensive because I enjoy the walk ability and shopping like Faneuil Hall, I also love the history. And as much as I love nyc, I’m ready for a mid size city that can be navigated easily and doesn’t make you feel like you’ve been run over by the time you get home. And yes everyone likes to make fun of NJ, we all just say your jealous, and some believe that. Haha I know people say Minnesota and Massachusetts both have bad accents, although I think Mn is by far worse. But it’s not like people think, I don’t know many that talk like Fargo at all. I think that is by far the worse accent in the country. Not attractive at all.

Faneuil Hall is really for tourists. I would kinda argue it's nearly like what times square is to NYC. It's part of the city and is obviously historic but the average person from Boston isn't going there. having been to NYC a tad if you want a better experience I'd take a look at the old boston city hall.