MOGicantbewitty t1_j1qtxe8 wrote on December 26, 2022 at 5:51 PM

Being that close to Boston is overrated. There are plenty of other great areas and most everything in Massachusetts is under 2 hours from a major metro area. You pay a premium for anything east of 495, but no real extra benefits. Even to be in W Mass/Pioneer Valley area is only 90-120 to Boston, 60 minutes to Worcester, 30-45 to Springfield, 75 to Hartford, and 3 hours to New York. Needing to get into Boston every few months is completely manageable from W Mass. And it’s so much cheaper. Anything inside the 495 metro Boston area has much higher rents, utilities, food costs. Adding just a little travel time can get you a much lower cost of living with all the benefits. Check out the Pioneer Valley. It’s amazing…

shapovalovts OP t1_j1qzbya wrote on December 26, 2022 at 6:29 PM

Thank you for the opinion, I am starting to think the same.

amandathelibrarian t1_j1r6gne wrote on December 26, 2022 at 7:21 PM

I live in Eastern MA to be close to family but if I didn’t have to be here for them, I would move to western MA in a heartbeat. The Berkshires are great. Everything is just further away out there so you might have to drive further to go shopping for instance, but there’s less traffic than eastern MA.

shapovalovts OP t1_j1vla3x wrote on December 27, 2022 at 6:57 PM

Berkshires is a street in Worcester? I don’t see such town in MA on maps.

amandathelibrarian t1_j1vr8vq wrote on December 27, 2022 at 7:37 PM

It’s a region in the state in the hills: https://berkshires.org/

Worcester is in central MA. Western MA is even further west than Worcester.

shapovalovts OP t1_j1vret3 wrote on December 27, 2022 at 7:38 PM

Cool, thank you!

MOGicantbewitty t1_j1sa55o wrote on December 27, 2022 at 12:22 AM

Oh! And welcome to MA in advance! We have our own issues like anywhere else, but it’s really a great place to live.

singalong37 t1_j1v836y wrote on December 27, 2022 at 5:31 PM

>Being that close to Boston is overrated...you pay a premium for anything east of 495, but no real extra benefits. Even to be in W Mass/Pioneer Valley area is only 90-120 to Boston, 60 minutes to Worcester, 30-45 to Springfield, 75 to Hartford, and 3 hours to New York.

I rate walkability highly and the frequency and density of desirable walkable places is much higher in and around Boston than in central or western Mass. Living where you can walk to things and minimize car use is hard to overrate. Around Boston you're in a major metro area with dynamic economy and corresponding affluence and increasing cultural diversity. Some people like that. Proximity to the ocean is also hard to overrate.

MOGicantbewitty t1_j1v9013 wrote on December 27, 2022 at 5:37 PM

Okay? Tell OP if you think they should hear it. I have my opinion, you are welcome to have your own and share it with OP. This isn’t a post to debate on so I’m not sure why you are discussing it with me. Have a great day!