Oklahoma to (likely Western) Massachusetts - Beginning Research (Boston, Springfield: car insurance, crime rate)

[mdovell]

I would tend to argue going way way back that there are communities that literally broke away from each other due to a snake divided. There was no real physical conflict in this was not say Yugoslavia but it did happen. For example Springfield was much larger about three hundred or so years ago and gradually many other towns came from it. Holyoke for example was considered the Irish portion. Parts of Springfield back then actually extended much further into Connecticut as well. New England has a pretty deep Colonial history that we can't deny. Many of the locations have the names in England as simple look at a map can show that. County government in Massachusetts and actually Connecticut was abolished Generations ago. So as it lies more on the local level they can become a little bit more territorial. At the same point there are laws like the Dover Amendment and 40B that take a deeper look at what can be allowed locally and what can be exempt from zoning. I know of a community in Eastern Massachusetts that's very well off with starter homes are probably 800,000. They do not have a drugstore or a fast food chain in their boundaries. However if you go 5 minutes into the next town There's a plaza that shares the towns named that clearly has these things.

[WoodwindsRock]

Alright, so I want to summarize all of the advice I've gotten here and make sure I've gotten everything straight in my mind:

Opinions over the Springfield area are mixed, aside from Northampton - which is significantly pricier than the other areas. With that said, I have not been completely deterred from thinking of West Springfield, Chicopee, or the city proper if need-be. This topic, however, has opened me up to a lot of other options.

The only other area of MA that has been recommended is the Worcester area, but it is pricier than the Springfield area. Worcester itself is not astronomically higher than where I live, and it is closer to Boston, which is a plus.

Other areas of MA are not feasible at all due to being super expensive. Or that's my impression anyway. I don't recall other areas being recommended here, but I could have forgotten. Anywhere anything closer to Boston than Worcester is astronomically expensive.

---

Other states and cities:

Providence, RI. It is recommended for being a cheaper city with good transportation, opportunities, and is a mere train ride from Boston. However, some have reported that finding a good place to live there is now difficult due to people fleeing there from the extremely expensive Boston. Providence has a lot of culture and its close proximity to Boston would be perfect. Would love to make it work if I could.

Hartford, CT. It is another cheaper city in another state I'd be very happy to live in. The suburb New Britain has also been brought up, but it seems to be rather unsafe. In my own research (including read other topics on these forums), Meriden seems like a good place. However, it is much further away from the Hartford metro, making it difficult for transportation. (Presumably, I don't know for sure)

Keene, NH. It is a surprisingly cheap town in New Hampshire. NH is not my first choice due to being a bit too politically mixed for my own liking (but I can not emphasize enough that Oklahoma is atrocious politically and even the more mixed NH would be a much safer place for me). However, it is a potential compromise to bring my family with me, which would change a lot of the difficulties of moving that I'd have otherwise.

Brattleboro, VT. Across the river from Keene, NH has been enthusiastically thrown out by at least one member here. It looks to be pretty small, but I can't complain about VT politically! Problem is its relatively far away from anywhere else if I was by myself. Also, I believe the difficulty of finding a job was brought up.

A few cities in upstate New York have been brought up, and are very much on my mind. IIRC, they were Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. (Was Albany brought up?). New York is a very safe state politically. I would never have to worry about them taking away my rights. However, I still have much research to do on these cities. They're also, again, relatively far away from places. Unless the upstate cities are exciting in of themselves - that I don't know. Albany is very close to MA and VT, so it has that going for it. Also, Albany was one of the first towns settled by European settlers so it has a lot of history. I haven't really brought it up in this topic, but that's one thing that really drives me to the Northeast. I'm so fascinated by history. And loved going to DC and Baltimore when I was in my teens. Even further up North is even better.

I believe Minnesota was briefly brought up. I expressed my concerns about it being too prone to tornadoes. However, it's not off the table if it turns out to be the best fit. I just haven't seen where would be the best place to live there, since the twin cities are pricier, or at least Minneapolis is.

I think Washington or Oregon was briefly brought up as well. I'm not against living in these states, but I fear they're far too expensive. The west coast is insane in expenses, and the East coast is more my style anyway.


Chicago, IL was also brought up. Like MN, I have concerns about the tornado frequency. But other than that I likely couldn't complain, so I put it in this category. Rights are more important than escaping tornado frequency.


---

For the other areas.

Pennsylvania - Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have been brought up. I've probably expressed it before, but I'm concerned about living in a swing state. The legislature is not guaranteed to protect my rights. PA is technically a Northeast state, though and has a lot of history. Naturally it's going to be better than Oklahoma by any measure of mine. So I can't completely throw it off the table but I have concerns. PA is the most likely non-blue state for me to consider.

Cleveland, OH. Don't even need to say what I'm going to say. It's too predictable. OH is too red. While Cleveland is not, it doesn't matter much because state governments have more authority.

Michigan - I believe Detroit was brought up, but it has this big reputation as a run-down, unsafe city. In the past I had considered Ann Arbor and Lansing. They both have great universities (I have personal ties to the University of Michigan, as well) and are very blue. However, again, we're dealing with a swing state. It's less looking for liberal cities with limited power, and more looking for safe states.

Milwaukee, WI. Wisconsin is neat, but again, the politics. WI is too wishy-washy. WI and MI are both likely to ban abortions. If I was going to this area, I'd sooner try to find a place in MN.

St Louis, MO. You know what I'm going to say, but I appreciate every suggestion given to me in this topic.

Lawrence, KS. To be fair to Kansas, it seems to be one of the more sane red states. But that doesn't help it much in my eyes because 'more sane' is just a relative thing, and does not speak too positively. As I stated previously, I love KU and have been to Lawrence many times, but I'm afraid it's worrisome.

---

I think that covers a lot of what has been talked about, and these are my current stances on all of them.

[brightdoglover]

Great summation. I think OP is on the right track in seeing that states have authority over towns and cities in that state, and since the awful Oklahoma politics are the major driver for migrating to another state, it's a done deal.

[ChadChadderson]

I've read through this thread and I think it's sad that politics and the opinion of others have such an influence over your life. It seems to be really robbing you of any happiness you might find in life.

I'm a Right winger living in a very blue state in a blue region that I love. I get along with everyone and live a happy fullfilling life. I have my beliefs, and others have theirs. Moving to a region of the country where the politics align with mine is out of the question.

Delete Twitter. Throw the TV away. Take a walk. Plant a garden. Read a book.

[WoodwindsRock]

With all due respect, I don't understand how you've read my topic and come to the conclusion that this is merely about me moving somewhere where more people agree with me. This is about rights. The Supreme Court striking down Roe vs Wade and my state of Oklahoma banning abortion from conception is not a product of the media, it's a real deal thing. It won't disappear if I turn off the news and Twitter.


I would not be trying to frantically make such a move if it was something so minor as people where I currently live disagreeing with me. As I've noted many times before, I'm not in the best place to move. I'm disabled, I don't have great job experience, etc. I'm moving because I need to.

[MrDee12345]

I'm not sure why some people in the Mass forum **** on Springfield so much. It's not great, but it's also not awful - and when you compare its crime to other cities mentioned from upstate NY and CT, it fairs pretty well.



Springfield is SOOO MUCH cheaper than Boston. Look, you can get a brownstone in the downtown area for 110k:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7...56231075_zpid/

And Springfield's proximity to Boston is a bonus as well. You can take one of several buses (or one train) to Boston, and hopefully, they'll be expanding train service soon.

You can also take the train to NYC and points South.

Plus, you're near the Berkshires, Northampton and the rest of the Pioneer Valley. If I were young, single and didn't have kids AND I wanted to take advantage of the social benefits of living in Mass, I certainly wouldn't write off the city.

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by ChadChadderson

I've read through this thread and I think it's sad that politics and the opinion of others have such an influence over your life. It seems to be really robbing you of any happiness you might find in life.

I'm a Right winger living in a very blue state in a blue region that I love....

I think losing one's rights to a full human life would be considered more than a "disagreement."

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by MrDee12345

Springfield is SOOO MUCH cheaper than Boston. Look, you can get a brownstone in the downtown area for 110k:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7...56231075_zpid/

The realtor listing looks nice, but that can be deceptive. Google's street view feature can often provide a more accurate picture.Within spitting distance of that $110k brownstone, there appears to some questionable activity. For example:


Drug dealing from the porch?
https://goo.gl/maps/f2PDPiLwAfZ1DnQD8


Hooligans in the street?
https://goo.gl/maps/oEjJKN6bSwNP4CYi8


A hooker and her pimp?
https://goo.gl/maps/ZMSeQZ8M32jpTxmF9


Another hooker?
https://goo.gl/maps/jUdJSs8eKeFRm9Ms9


A drug deal?
https://goo.gl/maps/AEFZmyCuLKnFJ13Q6


Homeless people?
https://goo.gl/maps/sXzmSqmkwkyH7Vsz7
https://goo.gl/maps/o2DxyqvAM4jYHS1Y9
https://goo.gl/maps/6J7o3zr3HVZ9NgnF7


Another hooker with her pimp nearby?
https://goo.gl/maps/RGESyL8nCdnMs3a86


A guy stealing a bike?
https://goo.gl/maps/gb2Rb9WhRxztQSq56


Another drug dealer?
https://goo.gl/maps/CbAGWcvqZkXHZadA9


Unclear what's going on, but this guy seems to be up to no good?
https://goo.gl/maps/R27JJUmg917iMPz57

[MrDee12345]

Originally Posted by massnative71

The realtor listing looks nice, but that can be deceptive. Google's street view feature can often provide a more accurate picture.Within spitting distance of that $110k brownstone, there appears to some questionable activity. For example:


Drug dealing from the porch?
https://goo.gl/maps/f2PDPiLwAfZ1DnQD8


Hooligans in the street?
https://goo.gl/maps/oEjJKN6bSwNP4CYi8


A hooker and her pimp?
https://goo.gl/maps/ZMSeQZ8M32jpTxmF9


Another hooker?
https://goo.gl/maps/jUdJSs8eKeFRm9Ms9


A drug deal?
https://goo.gl/maps/AEFZmyCuLKnFJ13Q6


Homeless people?
https://goo.gl/maps/sXzmSqmkwkyH7Vsz7
https://goo.gl/maps/o2DxyqvAM4jYHS1Y9
https://goo.gl/maps/6J7o3zr3HVZ9NgnF7


Another hooker with her pimp nearby?
https://goo.gl/maps/RGESyL8nCdnMs3a86


A guy stealing a bike?
https://goo.gl/maps/gb2Rb9WhRxztQSq56


Another drug dealer?
https://goo.gl/maps/CbAGWcvqZkXHZadA9


Unclear what's going on, but this guy seems to be up to no good?
https://goo.gl/maps/R27JJUmg917iMPz57

Are you being serious with this post?

It seems that in your world, anyone just walking, talking or sitting outdoors is probably up to no good.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by MrDee12345

Jesus ****ing Christ, man. Are you being serious with this post?

It seems that in your world, anyone just walking, talking or sitting outdoors is probably up to no good.

Bro...as the old saying goes, "nothing good happens after midnight". In a city like (much of) Springfield, that can be reliably reworded as "nothing good happens after midnight, or before midnight, or before noon, or afternoon..."...your best chance of coming across legit business is the time of day (varying by street/neighborhood) when the mailman makes his way around. Springfield, MA routinely comes up as one of the most dangerous cities in America. It's a welfare cesspool that's also a major pipeline for drugs and thugs migrating up from NYC (and Waterbury/Bridgeport, CT...). Along with Holy("coke"), it's literally the armpit of the state.