Has Northampton gone downhill? (Amherst, Great Barrington: low income, section 8, rental market)

[Prinsislg]

I'm always amazed at the number of people who will constantly complain about a situation but, won't take any steps to improve it or leave it. As a long time resident of Northampton I love my town and think most of the changes have been positive. Read some books about the real history of Northampton and you will see that it has truly changed for the better.

I remember the days when the PVTA buses were crowded with mentally ill people who just rode all day. Someone complained about the "beggars". Apparently they haven't live here for long. because that is not new. There have always been beggars, mental patients, pot smoking teens and homeless people hanging around, sitting around and begging in downtown NOHO. (Yes, I said it NOHO! I like the name & I'm not a "trustafarian".)

The way I see it is if you don't like the way the city is changing you have two options: 1. Run for office or volunteer to committees or 2. MOVE! It's that simple. Besides with the complaints about housing costs you can probably make a pretty good profit on the sale of you home.

[in_newengland]

As someone from Northampton, I prefer it to be called 'hamp. NoHo is just too obnoxious.

I agree. It used to be HAMP, my mother called it HAMP, it should still be HAMP. It got a lot better in the '70s and '80s but you had to take the good/obnoxious, yuppy, gentrification, with the good ( cute shops, festivals, cleaned up city, great restaurants.) For me the final straw was when they decided to charge admission just to get into Look Park! Just to drive in on your lunch hour, sit and watch the paddle boats and swans, and then leave -- you had to PAY.

One time I PAID and went to eat my picnic lunch sitting in my longtime favorite place, lying on the grass on a blanket, and some kid in a uniform came up to me and announced that we are not allowed to sit on the grass. Excuse me? I've been siting on the grass in Look Park for UMPTEEN years but now we can't sit or lie on the grass and look up at the sky and watch the clouds? Isn't relaxing and being in a peaceful green place part of what a park is FOR?

I think they went too far in a city that was liberal and free. Now there are too many silly rules. Native residents for mostly forced out long ago due to the high rents for the incoming New Yorkers and trust babies. I'll still go back and eat at India House or a good Mexican restaurant or to visit the Smith gardens and art galleries but that's about it. Easthampton is starting to replace Hamp.

[redhead770s]

We prefer "Hamp" also - my husband grew up there and he agrees - things have totally changed. He says as long as Smith continues to grow so wont the large chain stores continue to increase and so long to the small businesses who made hamp what it was.

[clevedark]

Chain stores have ruined this country. Maybe this recession will shake out some of the losers and free up some space for the independents. I went to MHC in the 80s and would come out to Northampton every so often and loved the cool stores (too bad I didn't have any money to spend). It's sad to think that it was invaded by chain stores.

I should think that the trustafarians will be decimated in number, if not now then very soon. Look at Williamsburg in Brooklyn--I hear it has collapsed and that was the main population. Everyone's stocks have taken a major hit, the money won't be as free flowing for the next 5 or ten years.

[artwomyn]

I'd like to discuss how housing costs, tend to exclude minorities, from living in Northampton. One bedroom apartments there, can run between $750-$2000 a month. The average price for a one bedroom pad there, is about $1000 per month. That's outragious, considering that Noho is a very small city.

Noho has long been a city, that has a progressive rep. Well not when it comes to housing! Real estate companies there, are very exclusionary. And many of them use illegal tactics, such as charging hefty up-front fees, before they even accept their client's applications. These real estate companies, also demand that their clients have good credit scores. So even if you can afford the sky-high rents in Noho, a bad credit score will destroy your chances of renting in Noho. And only the affluent (who are mainly whites), tend to have the best credit scores.

Northampton is also a haven for lesbians. But mainly white lesbians live there, because whites as a group, have higher incomes than minorities. As a lesbian of color, I was shocked at how few of us there are, living in Noho. With rents being so high in Northampton, now I know why it's basically for affluent (and thus, mostly white) lesbians only.

[western mass and love it]

ummmmm a credit score has nothing to do with skin tone,and everyting to do with paying your bills on time. to say that only white people have good credit scores is just insane,pay your bills on time and you too could have a good credit score......

[artwomyn]

Hey western mass and love it,

You took my comment out of context. I know that not only whites have good credit scores. My point was, that whites TEND to have better credit ratings than minorities do, AS A GROUP. That's because whites OVERALL, are more affluent than minorities are OVERALL. And statistics prove this fact.

Yes, having a good credit score, is dependent upon paying bills on time. Well guess what? Minorities, OVERALL AS A GROUP, still make less money, and have fewer assets than whites AS A GROUP do. Plus, AS A GROUP, minorities are still the last hired, first fired, with regards to employment. As a woman of color, I've experienced this first hand.

All these factors that I just mentioned, make minorities AS A WHOLE, less well off than whites AS A WHOLE, financially. Which means that minorities, AS A GROUP, would have more trouble than whites do, AS A GROUP, when it comes to paying their bills on time. Working class and poor whites, also experience these problems with paying bills on time. So, I don't mean to imply that this issue, is only a problem for minorities. So this is also a class issue, as well as a race issue.

My final point, is that Northampton could attract more minorities, and modest income whites, if the city created more affordable housing for all. With housing costs so high in Noho, the city is basically practising economic racism, and classism too. It's as if Northampton has turned into a little San Francisco-meaning only the affluent (mainly white), can afford even marginally decent housing there. And I know that this goes on in the San Francisco Bay area, because I used to live there, just two years ago.

[western mass and love it]

still do not buy that theory,it is 2010 and time to put the race card away and own up to one's individual responsibility. If you go through life doing the right things and working hard all sorts of options open up for you regardless of color or race. I for one am sick and tired of hearing the "oh i was fired because i am black" but not because i screwed up and i missed 20 days this year or whatever the case may be.

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by clevedark

Chain stores have ruined this country. Maybe this recession will shake out some of the losers and free up some space for the independents.

Sorry but that doesn't work out. Those towns that are hold outs and do not allow chain stores are few and far between. Taxes are higher because of that and unfortunately, when people who want to get away from the commercialism that exists in nearly every town, they suddenly want to bring those "conveniences" with them. They also lament the higher prices usually charged by independents and often will drive the extra miles to save a few bucks.

Too bad this is happening in Northampton, I spent some time up there for work at one point and thought it was a really fun, funky area.

[teachertype]

Originally Posted by western mass and love it

it is 2010 and time to put the race card away and own up to one's individual responsibility.

Yes, it's 2010, time to put away the hypocritical right wing talking points about individual responsibility and deal with the realities of race and economic inequity in America.