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Ogre - Thank you for your tip! More and more, I am leaning towards renting a townhome or condo...if
they might be a better alternative...maybe in Northampton area. I was actually hoping to drive myself to school instead of taking a bus...is this a bad idea???(I'd read about the parking situation at school, but I am guessing, isn't all universities have this sort of parking problems??)
in_newengland - Yea...I think I am going to stay away from Amherst area. I think I want the opportunity to sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet once I come home... I am not familiar with renting a house(rented apartment enough times...) but you have to cut the lawn and snow plow and
things of that nature, right? I will be there by myself and so I don't think I am going to have that kind of time (or energy) to do the "maintaining" sort of work... Thanks for your 2cents!
Ogre - Thank you for your tip! More and more, I am leaning towards renting a townhome or condo...if
they might be a better alternative...maybe in Northampton area. I was actually hoping to drive myself to school instead of taking a bus...is this a bad idea???(I'd read about the parking situation at school, but I am guessing, isn't all universities have this sort of parking problems??)
in_newengland - Yea...I think I am going to stay away from Amherst area. I think I want the opportunity to sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet once I come home... I am not familiar with renting a house(rented apartment enough times...) but you have to cut the lawn and snow plow and
things of that nature, right? I will be there by myself and so I don't think I am going to have that kind of time (or energy) to do the "maintaining" sort of work... Thanks for your 2cents!
Well, you could PAY someone to mow the lawn and plow the snow but that gets pricey and especially the plowing can get nerve wracking when they don't show up!!!!
If you rented a house near the bus stop you'd be okay -- parking can be tight at UMass, expensive too. When I worked there you had to buy a parking pass in advance and they were NOT cheap either.
A rental along a bus route in Northampton could be a good idea for an older student wishing to avoid noisy student ghettos. Northampton (Noho, as many students called it when I lived in that area, though a Northampton native on this forum once bristled at "Noho" and said the natives don't call it that) is the largest town in the five-colleges area, so it's kind of a center for nightlife among students in the area, despite being home to only one college, a fairly small school at that. However, Noho still never gave me the sense of being totally dominated and defined by the presence of colleges the way Amherst did. It's going to vary from person to person, but age has something to do with a person's reaction to this. I often enjoyed all the youthful energy from the college kids, but sometimes Amherst would seem a bit surreal with the way this one group totally defined the town's character. I'm guessing that most people of even somewhat more mature years would prefer the more balanced demographics in Northampton.
One reason I lived in Amherst was that I was going car-free. I also took summer classes and some night classes. Living in Noho along a bus line would not have worked so well when taking evening classes at UMass during the summer, because part of the cutbacks in bus service during the break periods includes having the busses stop running earlier in the evening than they do during semesters. If you have a car, though, you can fall back on that if you happen to take a summer evening class. Having gone car-free, I was not personally familiar with the parking situation at UMass, but In_newengland's observations fit well with what I always heard it was like. I also knew people who said they often had to park well away from any of the buildings, and really had a hike to get to class from the parking lot, so the possibility of using the bus frequently is something to seriously consider. Northampton has all the basics you would need in the way of shopping, dining, and nightlife, and with a car to fall back on, a location in Noho near a bus route would offer the best combination of all possible options.
Ogre - Thank you for your detailed info! Sounds like "noho" is the best combination for me! It has convenience of shopping, dining as well as the bus route. Cominig from Texas, it is hard to imagine the school that size will have parking issues...but then again, everything is big in Texas...
I might have to consider taking bus. You mentioned the hike from parking to the bldgs, how far could the walk be???(I imagine it is not ideal in freezing winter time but...)
thanks again!
It's really hard to find a complex that accepts dogs of any type. I lived in Alpine Commons for a little while and they were one of the few places that accepted small dogs. But, they were also filled with rowdy college kids and you'll get that at any complex in Amherst.
My recommendation is to stay away from the complexes all together (they're all overpriced, noisy ghettos, even the ones just outside of Amherst) and instead search craigslist and find more independently owned apartments, such as homes converted into duplexes or in-law apartments. It's not only easier to find a quiet and well-maintained apartment, but it's SO much easier to find a pet-friendly rental that way. The owners tend to be much more flexible and are often willing to negotiate a small dog if you ask them, even if they don't specify in the ad.
Also, I wouldn't knock Amherst entirely off the list. South Amherst is just as rural and quiet as neighboring Hadley and Sunderland, and a very convenient location to everything.
theh - thanks you for your 2cents! From searching one of those mainstream website like apartmentguide.com or rent sites, the apartment in MA area seem to be much older and not many!
I will go with craigslist and maybe even try the realtor's route...whatever works, right?
Just wondering...you mentioned the south side of Amherst, is it safe??
western mass and love it - oh, good. I am glad to hear that it is safe around the school!
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