Neighborhoods of Springfield, MA & resources for finding roommates
April 10, 2018 5:41 PM Subscribe
Asking for my daughter. She's hoping to find an apartment to share with 2 or 3 others, women or men, hopefully in their early or mid-20s like her. Best city location for her work in northern mid-Connecticut would be Springfield, MA but she's afraid there are no appealing neighborhoods there. I'm encouraging her to look in the city rather in more suburban towns around there like Agawam or Chicopee where she might be more isolated.
Are there areas in Springfield that are appealing to young adults? You know, not too expensive with maybe cute/cool coffee shops, practical stores & shops, and cheap restaurants?
Also, what are the best resources for finding roommates these days? Craigslist seems limited and sketchy. Maybe even sites that are popular with people with a poly lifestyle (though just for a platonic roommate situation).
Are there areas in Springfield that are appealing to young adults? You know, not too expensive with maybe cute/cool coffee shops, practical stores & shops, and cheap restaurants?
Also, what are the best resources for finding roommates these days? Craigslist seems limited and sketchy. Maybe even sites that are popular with people with a poly lifestyle (though just for a platonic roommate situation).
I live near Northampton (about 25 minutes north of Springfield and exactly what you describe) and work in Springfield. I also went to law school in Springfield and used to work in Hartford. I don’t think that there is a neighborhood in Springfield like you describe. West Hartford does match your description, except I wouldn’t say there are cheap restaurants. I am curious as to why she’s interested in living in MA while working in CT. In her shoes I’d definitely scout CT towns closer to work before considering Agawam or Chicopee. If she is set on Mass for some reason, she might want to check out Longmeadow or West Springfield or Westfield.
And I’m not sure what to recommend for searching besides Craigslist, other than leveraging any social network contacts she has locally. I manage a three family in Northampton and I use Craigslist and friend networks to find tenants.
posted by ElizaMain at 8:33 PM on April 10, 2018
And I’m not sure what to recommend for searching besides Craigslist, other than leveraging any social network contacts she has locally. I manage a three family in Northampton and I use Craigslist and friend networks to find tenants.
posted by ElizaMain at 8:33 PM on April 10, 2018
Also, what are the best resources for finding roommates these days?
A lot of places now seem to have Facebook groups that are dedicated to roommate-finding, or general classifieds groups that get a lot of "we're looking for a roommate" posts.
If your daughter happens to be not-straight, the Queer Exchange Western Mass FB group is exactly what she's looking for. I'm not sure what the straight equivalent would be, but I know a lot of straight friends are finding their roommates on Facebook too.
Maybe even sites that are popular with people with a poly lifestyle (though just for a platonic roommate situation).
The poly folks I know here in MA seem to use the same roommate-hunting strategy as everyone else (Facebook, word-of-mouth, Craigslist if desperate), and just specify in their ad they want poly-friendly roommates.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:39 AM on April 11, 2018
A lot of places now seem to have Facebook groups that are dedicated to roommate-finding, or general classifieds groups that get a lot of "we're looking for a roommate" posts.
If your daughter happens to be not-straight, the Queer Exchange Western Mass FB group is exactly what she's looking for. I'm not sure what the straight equivalent would be, but I know a lot of straight friends are finding their roommates on Facebook too.
Maybe even sites that are popular with people with a poly lifestyle (though just for a platonic roommate situation).
The poly folks I know here in MA seem to use the same roommate-hunting strategy as everyone else (Facebook, word-of-mouth, Craigslist if desperate), and just specify in their ad they want poly-friendly roommates.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:39 AM on April 11, 2018
Downtown Springfield is going through a revitalization in anticipation of the MGM Springfield casino that is scheduled to open this Autumn, which will bring with it a whole lot of what she's looking for in regards to retail, and restaurants.
That being said, being a "50-Something", I cannot advise where the cool young adults would want to live in the city.
The "East Forest Park" and "Sixteen Acres" neighborhoods are the safest, but, also the most expensive parts of the city, and with the coming of the casino, I would expect rents in downtown Springfield to go up, if they haven't already.
If she has a car, living in either Agawam or Chicopee shouldn't be a problem, and let's face it; in Western Mass public transit is not that great. Good luck to her!
posted by Hanuman1960 at 5:40 AM on April 11, 2018
That being said, being a "50-Something", I cannot advise where the cool young adults would want to live in the city.
The "East Forest Park" and "Sixteen Acres" neighborhoods are the safest, but, also the most expensive parts of the city, and with the coming of the casino, I would expect rents in downtown Springfield to go up, if they haven't already.
If she has a car, living in either Agawam or Chicopee shouldn't be a problem, and let's face it; in Western Mass public transit is not that great. Good luck to her!
posted by Hanuman1960 at 5:40 AM on April 11, 2018
Where in north central CT will she be working? Echoing the above advice, there aren't many neighborhoods like you're describing in Springfield (though I admittedly have not been back since the casino became a factor), and as you get into the neighboring suburbs, things get real rural real fast. Depending on where her job will be, and whether access to 84/91 is important, West Hartford is an option, as is Bloomfield or Windsor. If work is right off of 91 right near the border, I'd even suggest looking further north in Northampton (~45 minute commute), which would push all the right buttons.
posted by Mayor West at 5:44 AM on April 11, 2018
posted by Mayor West at 5:44 AM on April 11, 2018
> Downtown Springfield is going through a revitalization in anticipation of the MGM Springfield casino that is scheduled to open this Autumn, which will bring with it a whole lot of what she's looking for in regards to retail, and restaurants.
That's as may be (and allow me to have my doubts about the glorious benefits casinos bring to towns), but right now Springfield is an awful place and I wouldn't advise anyone to move there unless they cared nothing about quality-of-life considerations. I agree with those who suggest taking another look at Connecticut.
posted by languagehat at 6:43 AM on April 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
That's as may be (and allow me to have my doubts about the glorious benefits casinos bring to towns), but right now Springfield is an awful place and I wouldn't advise anyone to move there unless they cared nothing about quality-of-life considerations. I agree with those who suggest taking another look at Connecticut.
posted by languagehat at 6:43 AM on April 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: She works in Windsor and has a car. She was thinking of Springfield just because she's not very familiar yet with many areas in Connecticut. Sounds like West Hartford might work for her. She doesn't need a spiffy neighborhood, just one that is moderately safe and where there are other young people. I'm the one encouraging her to look in more urban areas, just because living in suburban or country areas as a very young person without a huge network of friends yet sounds sad and isolating. And I imagine there are fewer apartments (versus single family homes) outside the cities.
posted by primate moon at 7:08 AM on April 11, 2018
posted by primate moon at 7:08 AM on April 11, 2018
Yeah, there's not much to recommend Springfield and I highly doubt the casino situation will change that. I'd look elsewhere.
Google says that Northampton to Windsor is about 45 minutes. I despise Connecticut and wouldn't live there under any circumstances, so I'd personally take that quality of life vs. commute tradeoff in a heartbeat. Especially if I were still in my 20s! It's a super fun, super walkable town with about a million cool coffee shops, great restaurants, and a ridiculously good music scene. I lived downtown for years and really miss it (I only moved because I wanted to buy a house and I'm not a millionaire).
It really just depends what her biggest priority is. If a 45-min commute would make her miserable and/or her heart doesn't burn with a deep and passionate Connecticut hatred, Northampton probably isn't the answer. Could she visit some of these different places and get a better feel for them? That might help too.
posted by catoclock at 7:29 AM on April 11, 2018
Google says that Northampton to Windsor is about 45 minutes. I despise Connecticut and wouldn't live there under any circumstances, so I'd personally take that quality of life vs. commute tradeoff in a heartbeat. Especially if I were still in my 20s! It's a super fun, super walkable town with about a million cool coffee shops, great restaurants, and a ridiculously good music scene. I lived downtown for years and really miss it (I only moved because I wanted to buy a house and I'm not a millionaire).
It really just depends what her biggest priority is. If a 45-min commute would make her miserable and/or her heart doesn't burn with a deep and passionate Connecticut hatred, Northampton probably isn't the answer. Could she visit some of these different places and get a better feel for them? That might help too.
posted by catoclock at 7:29 AM on April 11, 2018
> Google says that Northampton to Windsor is about 45 minutes.
If she doesn't mind the commute, Northampton is a wonderful city—I live just across the river and always enjoy going there for cultural/culinary events. (I, on the other hand, like Connecticut, so that part of the above answer doesn't apply to me!)
posted by languagehat at 11:40 AM on April 11, 2018
If she doesn't mind the commute, Northampton is a wonderful city—I live just across the river and always enjoy going there for cultural/culinary events. (I, on the other hand, like Connecticut, so that part of the above answer doesn't apply to me!)
posted by languagehat at 11:40 AM on April 11, 2018
West Hartford is definitely the answer, particularly if she can afford an apartment right near West Hartford center. Both Springfield and Hartford are... sad. Springfield probably worse than Hartford.
posted by slateyness at 12:41 PM on April 11, 2018
posted by slateyness at 12:41 PM on April 11, 2018
I would not recommend Northampton, mainly because rents are MUCH more expensive there than any of the other named areas. Gentrification is a bitch. In addition, the commute can be tough and there is frequent roadwork on the interstate which makes it more than a 45m commute on many days.
Hartford for sure. Hartford has restaurants, nightlife, and some nice(r) areas, and is a big enough city to support a sizeable queer population. I am sad to say that Springfield does not really (yet) have most of these things.
I also second Queer Exchange on FB, that is a good place to look for leads.
posted by epanalepsis at 12:47 PM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Hartford for sure. Hartford has restaurants, nightlife, and some nice(r) areas, and is a big enough city to support a sizeable queer population. I am sad to say that Springfield does not really (yet) have most of these things.
I also second Queer Exchange on FB, that is a good place to look for leads.
posted by epanalepsis at 12:47 PM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by xo at 6:11 PM on April 10, 2018 [1 favorite]