need help. Springfield or Portland

[kalyson]

OGRE: "I'm going to guess that the immediate reaction most people would have would be to recommend Portland hands down,..."

This post was excellent. This is the sort of post that makes this forum so valuable.

[thenewtexan]

Portland!!!!!!!

[western mass and love it]

Springfield!!!!!!!!

[Cunard51]

Springfield is a very old fashioned and mean spirited city, althought it does have some ''tiny'' positives the negatives outweight all of the positives about the city. It has lots of crime, violence, incivity and it is not a LGBT friendly area like the recent articles have stated. If it was a LGBT friendly place the city would be a lot cleaner, friendier and more tolerant. Trust me, i was born and raised in this city and it has seen better days. Even the nice areas aren't too civil and nice! The schools are horrbile and the government and police are corrupt! I would not recommend anyone to live in Springfield, MA ever! It is the bible belt and Detriot of Western Massachusetts and embrassment to the liberal and live and let live spirit of New England! Wilbraham, West Springfield, Northampton, Amherst, Easthampton, Wendell, Sunderland are better towns and cities. I would highly recommend Portland for it's liberal mentality over Springfield anyday, unless you're making over $300,000.00 per year and then it can be liberal for you anywhere!!

[lukyelle]

Portland. Loved living there on Munjoy Hill. Coming from the midwest, I thought my move to Mass from Portland would be like moving from Kansas City to Omaha, Nebraska. Maine and Massachusetts are so different, sad to say as I am stuck here basically until retirement unless I choose to leave a tenured job.

Coming from the west coast, I would guess you'd be more at home with the outdoorsy vibe, progressiveness and down-to-earth nature of Portland.

[JuJu83]

Springfield.

At this point, Springfield has a much bigger upside in terms of real estate investment, (Portland has peaked and Springfield is nowhere near its peak Springfield has a better climate than Portland; Springfield has more cultural offerings than Portland; Springfield is closer to other major metropolitan areas than Portland; Springfield has a higher quality housing stock at cheaper prices than Portland.

Although many people on this forum do not recognize it yet, Springfield has been resurgent for the better part of a decade now. (That's why I moved here, recently.)

For example, work has begun on Springfield's $73 million, northern commuter rail, (through Chicopee, Holyoke, Northampton, South Deerfield, Greenfield, and the ultimately Burlington, VT, before heading through VT to Montreal,) to be completed in 2012. Next year, Springfield's ornate 1926 rail station will be renovated ($75 million.)

Later next year, work is scheduled to begin on the U.S.'s first-ever bullet-train, which will have its northern terminus in Springfield, ($1 billion.)

Right now, Baystate Hospital is building athe$310 million "Hospital of the Future" in Springfield, and the Commonwealth is constructing a $110 million Data Center in Downtown.

Currently, the Big E is running -- all six New England States' state fairs. Six Flags New England is open. The Basketball Hall of Fame just had enshrinement. Springfield has the Springfield Armory National Park. It has Forest Park, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (who designed Central Park in NYC -- Forest Park is nearly the same size.)

Springfield is full of cultural offerings year-round, is not nearly as isolated, and is surrounded by unspoiled nature -- the Berkshires, the colleges towns around Amherst and Northampton, and Hartford is 23 miles south.

Springfield is very under-rated right now, in my opinion.

[Justin Sparks]

Originally Posted by Cunard51

Springfield is a very old fashioned and mean spirited city, althought it does have some ''tiny'' positives the negatives outweight all of the positives about the city. It has lots of crime, violence, incivity and it is not a LGBT friendly area like the recent articles have stated. If it was a LGBT friendly place the city would be a lot cleaner, friendier and more tolerant. Trust me, i was born and raised in this city and it has seen better days. Even the nice areas aren't too civil and nice! The schools are horrbile and the government and police are corrupt! I would not recommend anyone to live in Springfield, MA ever! It is the bible belt and Detriot of Western Massachusetts and embrassment to the liberal and live and let live spirit of New England! Wilbraham, West Springfield, Northampton, Amherst, Easthampton, Wendell, Sunderland are better towns and cities. I would highly recommend Portland for it's liberal mentality over Springfield anyday, unless you're making over $300,000.00 per year and then it can be liberal for you anywhere!!

Right on all accounts. Places like Springfield peaked 60 years ago and just drag along now never to regain former prominence. There's just too many other better places for savvy people to invest themselves and money. As the decent folks age, retire and move on or pass away what remains behind is the dregs.

[tamara611]

I live in one of the better suburbs of Springfield and am so happy here. My husband does commute to Boston for work but he could work in Springfield or Hartford he just chooses Boston due their more international level of business. It's more fun for him, basically.

All that being said, I hate Springfield as a city. It's really scary as hell. The gangs seem to be completely in control of the kids, the streets, the neighborhoods. I do shop in the shopping district but try to avoid it at night. I try to avoid all of it at night. The government is just useless, it seems. The police are overwhelmed. And YES the people DO seem tired, mean, rude, obnoxious. There is about a month in Spring when we've all had a long winter and everyone is happy and that is about it.

BUT, I do use a lot of the city's nicer things! Forest Park is amazing. The gardens, the duck ponds, the zoo. Just beautiful. If you can find a more secluded part on the weekend for a picnic it's a great time. And only about $3 a car to get in. The playground is iffy. On weekdays when school is in it is much quieter and nicer. On a beautiful summer day it is way too CRAZY and full of parents who don't really care what their kids are doing.

The main downtown library is really great and they also have some great free programs. All the little libraries are more community based and offer the same things on a lesser scale.

The Springfield museums are really. really, really impressive. They do rival other well known museums especially if you take into consideration the size of Springfield. They do a lot of shows and fun days for kids and adults during the summer.

Springfield also has City Stage where they offer such quality theater. The theater itself is just lovely and so much character. Downtown also offers different shows and specials during the summer. We went to a jazz fest that was in connection with the basketball hall of fame and it was a lot of fun. Symphony Hall is also beautiful and they offer some really nice shows.

Speaking of the basket ball hall of fame, they have some fun things going on also but they tend to be pretty pricey. As far as the other parks in the city, I have not ventured into them with my kids. They have invested a lot into new playground equipment and some very cool spray parks (which was a smart investment if you ask me) but the neighborhoods are so sketchy that I just can't do it. Plus there is seriously SO much to do in the surrounding areas, plenty of parks and spray parks, trails, ponds, etc that you just wouldn't venture to one of the neighborhood parks unless you lived there.

So I do love where I live and do love a lot the city has to offer but they REALLY need to get crime under control, make people safe and feel safe, set the government right, and better financial management.

The schools are actually really great if you take them at face value. The teachers make good salaries, lots of money goes into the school budget, the teachers are great, etc. It;s the kids and the parents of the kids that give the Springfield schools a bad rap. And that rap is WELL warranted. And then some.

[tamara611]

I should add, too, that the surrounding areas such as Northampton & Amherst, Mt. Tom, Mt. Greylock, the Berkshires, VT, CT, NY..the proximity to all these places IS part of the appeal for this area. Springfield is where the jobs are for this part of the state but we do a lot of recreational activities all over this area. It is part of what makes it a fun place to live.

If you are looking for a city where you spend all your time within the city, walking and using public transit, then I would not recommend Springfield. You need a car to get around safely and to get to all the fun places surrounding it. If you want all-city living then you are better off in Boston or NYC.