Oklahoma to (likely Western) Massachusetts - Beginning Research (Boston, Springfield: how much, tornado)

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by WoodwindsRock

2. How bad is Springfield as a destination to go for short bursts (like watching a symphony)? Now I know that Tulsa is also a pretty risky town and I do go see symphonies there, but it's scary to walk alone at night. I'm wondering if Springfield is comparable to Tulsa, or worse?

Others have covered most of the topics pretty well, but I wanted to speak specifically to this one. You'll most likely be fine going into the city for a show, a museum, an event, etc. I generally wouldn't recommend straying too far off of a crowded, well-lit street by yourself, but with similar common sense to what you'd exercise in Tulsa, you'll probably be fine.

My future Brother-in-Law lives in OKC. We've been to Tulsa a few times on visits to the state. There's actually room for some interesting comparisons between the two, but ultimately, I'd say it comes down to Tulsa being more of a "functioning" city than Springfield. Both cities have issues with crime, but Tulsa actually feels like the hub of an active small/medium sized metro area with an active business center in the city center, a variety of cultural attractions, bars, restaurants, etc. and colleges and universities ringing the downtown area. Springfield just feels depressed. The economic, education, and cultural hubs of the region are in Hartford, Amherst, and Northampton respectively. Springfield looks smaller but comparable to Tulsa in population (metro population), but feels much smaller as much of the "city" functions are spread throughout the region. Tulsa offsets some of the bad and ugly by being a real hub whereas the bad and ugly is more dominant in Springfield. To me, that's the most jarring difference between the two places.

[mdovell]

I lived and worked in downtown Springfield for about 5 or so years. Things have changed considerably. We're there once were empty buildings are now torn down to Lots where there once were empty lots or no drug stores and restaurants. I'm not saying that everything looks pristine but there's a lot to the city itself going to be on just the downtown. There's many Suburban areas and it is the city of homs for a reason. Having said that though I think that you've given us reasons why you want to move but you haven't specifically said what you want to do for a job and I think that's problematic if anybody looking to move. When you say data entry that's all well and good but a lot of that process these days to be automated out with macros or just outsourced to another country. Any job that I can think of is dependent on data and entering it. I found out the other day that my boss might not actually know what a type but the man probably makes six figures.

The pvta does a pretty decent job all things being said. The majority of more the transit within the pvta would be Springfield Holyoke Chicopee and Northampton. There's also Amtrak that does run predominantly North and South but a little bit east and west which is going to expand over the next couple years. You also have the Peter Pan Bus Line and the valley bike rental. Having said this prices are going up. Ten years ago two family house might have cost $50,000 in Springfield now you looking at 10x that. I moved to a more rural area in Eastern Connecticut largely because the housing prices just got to be too much in the rents are too much. Last year neighbor's house sold for about 185. 2 months ago the same house sold for 1.1 million. Yes it's a rental opportunity and I can understand that but I think the capacity for any form of empty homes is gradually fading.


Remember a lot of what you describe is data entry is being done online so they might not need you to even move there in order to get the job. Tell you right now I work in a large off its that's when the hybrid for quite some time and we're probably never going back to full time at 100%. I was hired back in September they didn't tell me was hybrid we are on hybrid until January then went full remote to the omnicron and we came back in March. Our agreement initially was until the end of June and now it's until the end of the summer. Other divisions are poaching employees because they're more apt to be able to offer working from home. We've lost at least four maybe seven people since September because they're getting full remote jobs. Don't get me wrong I get it you can type fast so can I. I might be at about 85 but the more I work the more I realize it's not so much speed but its accuracy and understanding where data goes and what it's actually doing.

[missionhill]

Originally Posted by msRB311

It's nice to see someone posting here though who isn't like yo i have a housing budget of 2 million, looking for top schools with close proximity to Boston. These are the people who have made our state so expensive...but it's not entirely their fault. Seems like CD is at least getting a bit more diversity on people wanting to move here.

Yes, that's a nice thing to see.

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Up-thread, I suggested that you could make it work in metro Springfield if you could somehow find rental housing on the West Springfield bus route. There's a bus every 20 minutes. Goes to the mall in Holyoke. Goes past the Riverside shopping plaza in West Springfield. Goes to downtown Springfield where you can transfer to get to Baystate Medical. In theory, you could do an office drone job at Mass Mutual and get by just fine without a car. Unless you had months to try to find housing on that bus route, it would be challenging to find an apartment in West Springfield.


The challenge is finding a smaller affordable city that has a high service bus route with everything you need on it. Your job. Retail. Health care. I think that's the best one in Springfield. I've shopped at the mall and Riverside within the last few years. There are some apartment complexes between Riverside and the bridge crossing the river to Springfield. For example, this is in West Springfield right on that bus route between the bridge and Riverside. $1,095/month for a 2br 1960s apartment that says it includes heat and electricity.

https://www.apartments.com/the-carri...ld-ma/qlb651x/


I imagine that you can find 1 bedrooms around there for sub-$1000.

Good advice: On your own in a new state/city with no one to fall back on for rides here and there but the bus and your own two feet, this area could be the sweet spot in Western Mass -- Elm Street in W Springfield has shops and apartments, the town center with post office, green, library; the P20 bus takes you over the North End Bridge into Springfield and in the other direction to downtown Holyoke. Google satellite view shows the dikes right along the river behind the Riverdale Shops complex. That's what made it possible to build all that in the flood plain without flooding.

[FCMA]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

Sounds like you want to live in Eastern MA, not Western MA.

Note the part where OP says re: Eastern MA
“which I couldn’t even dream of affording.”

That’s the very thing has driven some of us locals to the other corners of MA.

OP can hit most criteria in western MA, just needs to be careful about quality of doctors and choose a place accessible to transportation.

[WoodwindsRock]

I'm pretty adamant on the Northeast US as opposed to the midwest or the west coast. It's very possible that I could enjoy the coastal Northwest, but from what I've seen it's kinda mild versus the Northeast. Seattle's reputation as cloudy, rainy, and cool is a very desirable thing to me (I hate the sun). It's just that the West coast has issues from being earthquake prone to wildfire prone.


St Louis I will not think about. I don't mean to be rude and throw suggestions back at people, but Missouri is a red state not too different from Oklahoma. I know that St Louis itself is probably really blue, but you need rights on a state level. Missouri is just not on the table.



In addition, Missouri and Illinois both have the issues of being right in tornado alley and just as prone to that nonsense as we are where I live. I can not emphasize how much I want to get away from tornado alley. I am well aware that tornadoes do happen in the Northeast, but not anywhere near the frequency of my state. I am also well aware of the W Springfield/Springfield tornado from 2011 that makes me wary of that area of MA, but it may be unfair to judge it by that too much.


Oklahoma has its freak weather events, too, like 2011 where it got down to -30F. Does that mean that warm weather lovers should hate it here or be worried about that kind of weather happening anywhere near as much as, say, Minnesota? Absolutely not.


My career trajectory is a bit of an open slate, as I have said. I can adapt to get me to somewhere better to live if need-be. But I know that's just a lot of words and is not helpful. Obviously I'm not going to have a six figure career to go to MA with. =/



If Providence, RI is actually a good option, I will definitely take a better look at that. Providence, RI is even relatively close to Boston and is very much still New England. I could roll with that. I determined MA to be the sweet spot of the country, but I don't think the Providence, RI area would be too far from that mark.


I'll say it: I have not visited New England. It's on my list to do as soon as I can, though. In reality, the closest I have been was Maryland and that was back in 2004. Visiting NE has been on the list for years now, but the last several years have been really bumpy financially with me not working most of that time (or working very little). That is beginning to change now, so I hope we can start getting serious about the trip now. But if I'm visiting with the intention of seeing everywhere I would want to see about moving to, that would be a very wide scope. I'd have to narrow it down.

[WestieWhitie]

Originally Posted by FCMA

Note the part where OP says re: Eastern MA
“which I couldn’t even dream of affording.”

That’s the very thing has driven some of us locals to the other corners of MA.

OP can hit most criteria in western MA, just needs to be careful about quality of doctors and choose a place accessible to transportation.

Exactly - you’d need six figures in Boston and nearby towns if you’re planning to live in a place that won’t kill you surrounded by neighbors who won’t kill you.

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by WoodwindsRock

If Providence, RI is actually a good option, I will definitely take a better look at that. Providence, RI is even relatively close to Boston and is very much still New England. I could roll with that. I determined MA to be the sweet spot of the country, but I don't think the Providence, RI area would be too far from that mark.

Providence may be your spot. Springfield is a very gay friendly city and there are many gay couples living there, but the city is on life support and western MA is the step child of MA. The Providence economy isn't leaps and bounds beyond but it's more populous and is the state capitol. It also boasts a large and active LGBT community and is an easy train ride to Boston and points North as well as CT and NY. It's also very easy to get to the coast. Housing is a little more than Springfield but I think most other costs are comparable. I think you'll find a much better quality of life there if it comes down to those two cities.

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

In addition to Providence and Buffalo, you might also consider Pittsburgh. Even parts of Chicago (yes, that) and Detroit (that, too) would be a better choice than MA considering your situation and what you want, in my opinion. To each their own.

A friend of mine in NH who is an advocate of public transport is planning on moving to Pittsburgh for just that reason- affordable housing, great public transport (bus lines) and a decent job picture. Pittsburgh is a blue metro area in a sea of rural red, politically. I think it's far better for personal rights than Oklahoma, an understatement.

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

A friend of mine in NH who is an advocate of public transport is planning on moving to Pittsburgh for just that reason- affordable housing, great public transport (bus lines) and a decent job picture. Pittsburgh is a blue metro area in a sea of rural red, politically. I think it's far better for personal rights than Oklahoma, an understatement.

Absolutely, and yet it's not the training ground for the next October Revolution. It's an actual liberal city.

[msRB311]

According to this list at Louis is one of the most liberal cities :

https://worldpopulationreview.com/us...liberal-cities