Pricey housing and long winters, but a pretty good
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8/13/2015
The greater Northampton, MA area is generally a pretty good place to live, if you're interested in Western MA or southern New England in general. MA is more affordable than CT, and has less harsh weather than VT, NH, or ME. But even still, winters are long...5-6 months on average, so make sure you can deal with the cold and snow. Great place to live if you love winter sports of all kinds. Northampton is pretty liberal/progressive, a little bit pleased with itself, and pretty pricey for housing. You can get a lot more house by choosing to reside in one of the surrounding towns, but the school systems aren't as good. Northampton is well-known for being an LGBT-friendly and welcoming town, but there's also no "gay center" here, so if you're looking for gay hangouts, there really aren't any because the high number of lesbian (especially) and gay households are very well integrated into the greater community as a whole. This area has a lively arts and music community, and it's easy to get to, and into various venues. There are decent restaurants with most types of food available, though there may not be many choices for certain types of food (only 2 Indian restaurants, only 2 Thai restaurants, etc.) The job market is average, I'd say, maybe a bit better. Always plenty of service-industry jobs and low-paying jobs with no benefits, like anywhere. But there are also some good jobs here, since there are 5 colleges in the immediate area, and a few small industries. There are a number of government jobs, social services jobs, and medical field jobs as well. In general, people tend to say, "If you're thinking of moving here, better bring a job or a business with you," but that's not absolutely the case. There are good jobs to be had here, but like anywhere, it helps if you know people who can give you a referral or an "in." People are generally friendly and kind. This area has a low crime rate in general, but you'll see more crime in Northampton than other nearby towns, and it's also got its share of homeless and drug addicted but less so than elsewhere, probably due to the harsh winters. Although there are places of worship for all faiths, this is not a devoutly or overtly religious community. All places of worship are struggling to keep members and stay open, and are therefore pretty welcoming. In general, with the exceptions of the long winters and pricey housing, it's a pretty good place to live!
Yvonne | Goshen, MA