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Hello, all. I have lived in Oklahoma all of my life. I know this sounds crazy to other people. It will be such a shock climate-wise and people-wise, right? Well, the thing is that I hate the climate in Oklahoma, and when it comes to the people, well, I'm not one for the fake "niceness" of the South. When I'm out in public surrounded by strangers I want them to mind their own business and I'll mind mine.
Why MA? I've been eyeing the New England region for years now as a destination. A combination of factors has led me to be most interested in MA. A combination of these factors:
1. A place that is blue and protects my rights as a woman and a member of the LGBT community.
2. A place that has four seasons, and less of the severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in OK.
3. A place that has a good suburb-city balance. I currently live in a suburb town of Tulsa.
I have landed at Massachusetts versus the other New England states (and the rest of the US) after much consideration. There are many other reasons that draw me to MA, but instead of delving into that, I want to get into the questions I have for MA residents.
Moving to MA is going to be a challenge for me as a single, disabled (in a way where I can not drive. D: I'm pretty functional otherwise, just limited standing/walking so I must have a desk job) woman from OK. I know this much. Oklahoma has really low cost of living, thus in order to make this transition I must find somewhere cheaper.
I have done some research and it *seems* that some of the suburbs of Springfield have a very similar cost of living to where I live. The two I have been really eyeing are Chicopee and West Springfield. I've read a lot of what people have to say about them, especially Chicopee (West SF seems less talked about). I know to avoid Holyoke, and I dream of Northampton.
Does anyone here have any experience living in either of those two towns? The worst I hear about Chicopee is that it's "boring", but it seems so close to less "boring" places (but that's a problem when I can't drive), I also hear to avoid the Walmart.
I also have some other questions:
1. How are the medical facilities and doctors in and around Chicopee? I have been blessed with my doctors in Oklahoma. I wish I could take them all with me (ironically one did just move to Boston. I am so jealous!) This is very important for me as I have some health problems.
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?
3. Grocery stores. How are the grocery stores? The reports of the Walmart in Chicopee being bad concerns me. I use Walmarts a lot where I live. Are there other good alternatives in town? Are the ones in Holyoke in an okay side of the town (I know Holyoke has a Target), or should that be avoided?
4. Are there standard chain restaurants like Domino's, Pizza Hut, Arby's, etc.?
5. What are the "bad" areas of Chicopee and West Springfield to watch out for and not rent an apartment/walk through?
6. Flooding, flooding is the largest concern I have in regards to natural disasters in the Northeast. Kinda like the bad areas, I have no idea what I'm getting into in this region of the country. I know that Chicopee and West Springfield are near rivers. I'm also relatively close to a river where I live, but we don't have flooding in my neighborhood. I need to find out where flooding doesn't occur, or if everywhere's dangerous.
7. How is the transportation in Western MA? Honest to goodness, one of my reasons for wanting to move to the Northeast was because I know they have better infrastructure and in fact, some places more people use public transportation than cars. However, I know that Western MA is a different animal from the Boston area (which I couldn't even dream of affording).
8. Colleges... I do ultimately plan on going back for Grad School. I know that New England has some pretty great universities and colleges, but are there any in this area?
8. Any other towns to recommend? (Understanding that I need them to be affordable, and not full of Trumpers)
These are a lot of questions. I appreciate any anyone can answer for me. This is not an imminent move for me, unfortunately. I just began a desk job where I live and I want to get a lot of experience in that before I start trying to present myself in this "foreign" land. lol
Nothing like going from one extreme to another. But Chicopee and Springfield is a very depressed area. If you must have MA stick with Northampton area. It's environmentally beautiful and it's also loaded with lesbians. Not sure if it's in your budget though. Public transit in Western Mass isn't great. I'll let people who actually live in Springfield chime in on more particulars. UMass Medical in Worcester is a good healthcare facility.
If you can manage Northampton (where I live), it'll meet most of your requirements. One thing to NOT worry about is flooding, even though the Connecticut River is nearby all the places you mentioned. Worry maybe if you're a farmer, but you aren't.
As far as #8 goes, Springfield has Springfield College, American International College (AIC), and Western New England University. Two of my high school friends went to Springfield College and AIC, and although they definitely enjoyed their college experiences, I have heard them second what Bostongymjunkie said about it being a depressed area.
Sorry, I've only heard of Chicopee but couldn't tell you much about it at all.
Agree that Northampton would probably be a better bet. It's a pretty area, plus, you'll have Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and UMASS Amherst nearby.
You all (going to have to stop that, it's a southerner thing I know xD), I would love so much to live in Northampton, but it's on the pricier side and right now I am looking at a way to escape Oklahoma, because Oklahoma is taking away my rights and I see no reprieve from that. I have lived in OK all of my life and I am so sick and tired of this, I am so sick and tired of my rights always being in the spotlight of a debate in this godawful state when they should be guaranteed from the beginning because this is the US and we're supposed to be the country of freedom.
This isn't something I'm taking lightly, this isn't something that I'm thinking just because I've always wanted to live in New England, it is becoming a necessity.
Before I go off on this long spiel, I do want to ask what people mean by Chicopee and West Springfield being "depressed" areas? Are they on the decline? Understand that would be quite different from where I live, which has been a growing suburban town for the last two decades. It is nice here in that we keep on expanding and getting more shopping centers, restaurants, and grocery stores, and don't really feel like we have to worry too much about finding everything we need as long as we're willing to drive around a little bit. That's what I worry about Chicopee and West Springfield. Especially since I've heard that Chicopee's Walmart is a no-go, and I've heard really bad things about Holyoke so should I even venture to that town for the mall, Target, etc? =(
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For the record, I have looked into other states - Upstate New York (Buffalo area), Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, but the problem with those areas is that there are not really any big cities with suburbs, which would be a shock for me. I'll of course still consider them (probably not NH) should I have no other option, but if I can swing Massachusetts it is my dream state.
I haven't looked much into anything further south of MA because to be honest the further south we get I'm going to be miserable. Don't get me wrong, RI and CT are not the south. I just want to get as far away from Oklahoma as possible because the climate here has messed with me mentally. The messed up climate of OK has created in me some kind of reverse SAD where I dread Spring with every fiber of my being, and get really depressed and irritable as it approaches and during the time. Just seeing the trees bloom and the flowers makes me feel off and that shouldn't be the case because I love flowers.
I've got to get somewhere more balanced, for my mental wellbeing. This probably sounds silly.
Unfortunately the lack of ability to drive presents an incredible challenge to me. If I could convince my family to move with me, maybe, but I think they'll try to pick apart anything and everything about these affordable towns they can. My parents have long wanted to move to New England, too, but they're picky in different ways from me. (they want to be on the coast for one). OK isn't taking away their rights like it is mine, nor do they have reverse SAD like me. In fact they LIKE the climate of Oklahoma as far as I can tell. *sigh* But that's their right, they shouldn't have to move somewhere they don't like for me. I am a grown adult now and they are in their retirement years, they should have their own happiness.
There are no prospective partners for me at this time, and the only person I have a crush on is in Florida. LOL. Florida is such a big no for me. I'm be so depressed down there.
So I'll be going alone, most likely. Sadly.
My dream idea right now is moving into MA, maybe not the top of the line area, but just getting my foot in the door and being on their wages for a while and then maybe beginning to look at a better town like Northampton or on the east coast if I'm really lucky (not expecting that)
You all (going to have to stop that, it's a southerner thing I know xD), I would love so much to live in Northampton, but it's on the pricier side and right now I am looking at a way to escape Oklahoma, because Oklahoma is taking away my rights and I see no reprieve from that. I have lived in OK all of my life and I am so sick and tired of this, I am so sick and tired of my rights always being in the spotlight of a debate in this godawful state when they should be guaranteed from the beginning because this is the US and we're supposed to be the country of freedom.
This isn't something I'm taking lightly, this isn't something that I'm thinking just because I've always wanted to live in New England, it is becoming a necessity.
Before I go off on this long spiel, I do want to ask what people mean by Chicopee and West Springfield being "depressed" areas? Are they on the decline? Understand that would be quite different from where I live, which has been a growing suburban town for the last two decades. It is nice here in that we keep on expanding and getting more shopping centers, restaurants, and grocery stores, and don't really feel like we have to worry too much about finding everything we need as long as we're willing to drive around a little bit. That's what I worry about Chicopee and West Springfield. Especially since I've heard that Chicopee's Walmart is a no-go, and I've heard really bad things about Holyoke so should I even venture to that town for the mall, Target, etc? =(
---
For the record, I have looked into other states - Upstate New York (Buffalo area), Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, but the problem with those areas is that there are not really any big cities with suburbs, which would be a shock for me. I'll of course still consider them (probably not NH) should I have no other option, but if I can swing Massachusetts it is my dream state.
I haven't looked much into anything further south of MA because to be honest the further south we get I'm going to be miserable. Don't get me wrong, RI and CT are not the south. I just want to get as far away from Oklahoma as possible because the climate here has messed with me mentally. The messed up climate of OK has created in me some kind of reverse SAD where I dread Spring with every fiber of my being, and get really depressed and irritable as it approaches and during the time. Just seeing the trees bloom and the flowers makes me feel off and that shouldn't be the case because I love flowers.
I've got to get somewhere more balanced, for my mental wellbeing. This probably sounds silly.
Unfortunately the lack of ability to drive presents an incredible challenge to me. If I could convince my family to move with me, maybe, but I think they'll try to pick apart anything and everything about these affordable towns they can. My parents have long wanted to move to New England, too, but they're picky in different ways from me. (they want to be on the coast for one). OK isn't taking away their rights like it is mine, nor do they have reverse SAD like me. In fact they LIKE the climate of Oklahoma as far as I can tell. *sigh*
There are no prospective partners for me at this time, and the only person I have a crush on is in Florida. LOL. Florida is such a big no for me. I'm be so depressed down there.
So I'll be going alone, most likely. Sadly.
My dream idea right now is moving into MA, maybe not the top of the line area, but just getting my foot in the door and being on their wages for a while and then maybe beginning to look at a better town like Northampton or on the east coast if I'm really lucky (not expecting that)
Depressed as in poor, run-down and redneck with no well-paying jobs.
I’d like to know what the OP does to earn a living. That kind of dictates whether a West Springfield or Chicopee would be possible.
If I had to live near Springfield and couldn’t drive, I’d try to be on the bus route that goes from Holyoke, past the Mall, and then past the Riverside shopping area in West Springfield before going over the bridge to downtown Springfield and the transit hub. Lots of retail. Aldi as the low cost grocer. Connect in Springfield to get up to BayState Medical, the large hospital where all the physicians are. That bus route is every 20 minutes. It starts early and runs late. It has adequate weekend service. The problem is there isn’t that much West Springfield rental stock near it.
Most of West Springfield would be brutal without a car.
I’m not familiar enough with Chicopee to say.
I’m not sure the OP understands how lousy the rental stock is in Massachusetts compared to an explosive growth area of the country where new-ish apartments are everywhere. Most Springfield rentals are 100+ year old multi family homes. The norm is old windows, poor insulation, and an old heating system. Vintage bathroom. Older kitchen. Energy costs are really high so it will be fairly costly to heat it. Window AC or non AC at all.
WestieWhitie: Hm... My research indicated that both towns were pretty blue in their voting record (West Springfield being less so, though). That's a shame about the rest, these are the things I need to know. I've gotta find a way into the state. =(
Geoff: I just started a job in data entry a few months ago. I am a very fast, accurate typer, so jobs of that sort are my strength. I used to be a great grocery stocker, but I can no longer physically handle it. My actual career path is musicology/history, to be a professor. But that's kind of a pipe dream at this point. The last several years have been rather rough between the pandemic and my disability making it hard for me to get work until recently (I only had experience in retail, so I had to go through my city's DRS), so I haven't been able to even think about that. I'm getting back up on my feet with this data entry job, finally. Only to be hit with the crushing reality that Oklahoma is taking away my rights and there's nothing that can be done about it.
My, no air conditioning? Well, I did live in an older apartment complex with a window unit for air conditioning and heat for a couple of years. Since my apartment was so small, it worked fine, the worst about it just being that I couldn't set it to automatically turn on or off and thus had to use it all manually. I most certainly would not be ending up in an apartment any bigger than the one I was in previously - one bedroom/bathroom. I didn't mind that arrangement, TBH.
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