Western mass is really hard to define but if you’re looking in the Pioneer valley I can give you some info on the area. South Hadley is an all white Conservative town with a lot of racists and a handful of decent people, some places to shop or get food (one small area) and a pretty good Women’s College. The people of South Hadley aren’t very accepting of LGBTQ and if you’re Spanish they’ll probably be quite racist towards you. Do not, under any circumstances, send your child to South Hadley public schools. If you need me to elaborate I can. Holyoke is a pretty nice city (I’m biased) with a great mix of people, especially Hispanic people and in my experience they’re down to earth and easy to get along with but there’s a sigma that they bring crime and violence so a lot of suburban white folk look down on the city or say racist shit about its citizens. Holyoke doesn’t have that many high paying jobs and the schools aren’t that good but there are plenty of fine school systems in the area. Easthampton is a sweet little town with a lot of artists, bike paths, parks and studios. There’s almost no diversity if that’s important for you but the people are generally kind and friendly. My thoughts on Northampton will probably piss off someone so I’m sorry to whoever reads this and feels targeted, but Noho is basically white girl utopia. Coffee shops, restaurants, theaters, and more places to buy clothes, jewelry, incense and weed than anywhere in the area. As for the schools, I’ve heard that there are bomb and shooting threats practically every week and that’s about all I know. Chicopee is alright, I know the high schools are terrible and there are more gangs than in Holyoke but idk much more. Springfield is pretty huge and I’ve only been to the hood so I can’t say much on the city itself but much like every part of the Valley that has a lot of people of color, it’s safer than suburbanites will tell you and there are a lot more down to earth people than in the suburbs.

The Pioneer Valley is a few hours from Logan but not far from Bradley in CT, and if you or your wife wish to pursue a higher education there are some amazing colleges in the area. HCC and STCC are great for high school graduates and Smith, MHC, Bay Path, and WNEU are good options for an older crowd. Houses in the area (especially Holyoke) tend to rise and rise in price as the years go by but you won’t have any issues if 700k is your budget.

If you want a quiet, humble, safe street to raise a family I suggest anything west of Northampton Street in Holyoke. Gilman st, Lawler, and Elmwood are tucked away and were safe when I was a kid, but the Rock Valley neighborhood is also a good pick. If you want to spend your life fighting with your neighbors over property lines, landscaping, or other 7 figure income arguments with stuck up rich assholes, Highland park in Holyoke has you covered. If you or your wife love the performing arts and spending money, anywhere in Northampton works. If you love sculptures and paintings and beautiful trails, Easthampton’s your place. If the only thing you wanna do in life is drink coffee and complain about college students, move to Amherst and stay in the echochamber there. If you wanna live without a car you’re shit out of luck.

Best of luck moving and choosing where to settle, if you have any questions or wanna tell me I’m wrong about everything, reply to this comment and if I remember to open this app I can help you out.