Is anyone familiar with the Springfield, MA area for LGBT living. Thinking

[RKP5637]

of moving back to MA and have heard some good things about parts of Springfield, more reasonably priced housing and the area is improving some. ... would prefer a state a bit more friendly toward LGBT. I spent my youth in Boston, but cost to live around Boston is pretty severe anymore.

[William769]

1. I have never been to MA.

Hopefully some one will give you the information you need.

I have been planning on moving back to my hometown in KY within the year, but am now having second thoughts about it. I love my hometown & the area it sits in but there is no LGBT community and any Gay people will be closeted.

If you find a place that your happy with, please Keep us informed.

[RKP5637]

6. Thanks, will do. n/t

[One_Life_To_Give]

2. It depends

Not that familiar with Greater Springfield. However from my observations it's not as tolerant as the Boston area. Northampton MA seems to me as perhaps a better choice for the Central Valley area.

[RKP5637]

7. I was in Northampton MA a bit ago. It's nice, but pricey for us. It's a

beautiful place!

[Veruca Salt]

3. As a former native of Springfield MA do NOT move there

Move to Northampton if you can't move to Boston, it's ideal for us and a great community. I loved visiting there when I could but hated the drive as it wasn't conducive to night life that included any sort of drinking. There is NOTHING in Springfield or any of its surrounding towns that even resembles a life for LGBT. I would never move back there.

I should also mention that I do still frequently visit the area as I have family there so if you have any questions let me know. Northampton though, live there and you won't be sorry.

[RKP5637]

8. I had read that McKnight, Forest Park, Ridgewood/Maple Hill

area of Six Corners and Sixteen Acres were areas that were getting better. I like Northampton, but it's a bit pricey for what we were looking for. Have you seen any improvement in those areas I mentioned? Thanks!

[Veruca Salt]

9. As a general place to live none of those area's are bad places to live

in fact quite a few places in Springfield are doing quite wonderfully and have cleaned up. I still wouldn't recommend the Forest Park area but if you go view the area/street before renting/purchasing accommodation there are some very nice area's even right off Sumner Ave. I'd recommend viewing the immediate area though in any case.

My initial reaction was as a single gay woman, if you already have a partner or spouse you'll be fine in my honest opinion. Downtown Springfield is a dead zone and I still avoid it like the plague.

I personally would not be out in the Springfield and surrounding area except in friendly company, and not in the general public as I would fear for my safety. Where I would walk down a street in Boston or Northampton holding my girlfriends hand I would never do that in Springfield.

[RKP5637]

12. Thanks for the update!!! n/t

[millijac]

4. I live in MA and don't know about Springfield specifically

But ANYWHERE you move in MA you will be probably be better off. Check out MassEquality, they might offer some information. They do tremendous work in the state. And just because we offer the most protections for the LBGT community, doesn't mean we still have work to do. http://www.massequality.org/

Do we still have bigots? Yes, but they wield less influence with every passing day.

And I found this

http://gayberkshires.blogspot.com/2010/01/advocate-declares-springfield-one-of.html

"All across the nation, LGBT folk are scratching their heads at the cities The Advocate.Com picked as America's gayest. They admit it was not a precisely measured study, but a subjective one based on things like gay civil rights and marriage, openly LGBT elected officials, the number of gay bars, social organizations and number of cruising spots. The obvious choices like Manhattan, San Francisco, Provincetown and even Northampton do not appear, since some of the measurements were based on per capita same sex couples living together according to the census." Springfield was #13.

[RKP5637]

5. Thanks! n/t

[Fearless]

10. I have lived 45 mins north of Springfield for almost a decade.

And in MA my entire life.

The area in general is fairly to extremely pro-LGBT. More so as you head a bit further north into the college towns... Northampton, Amherst, Hadley, South Hadley, Leverett... The mayor of Northampton and Holyoke are lesbian and gay respectively. Many of the towns are very open about LGBT issues and very pro-LGBT rights.

Springfield itself is a mixed basket. There are places that are very LGBT friendly and some others that are more "traditional", old, conservative, and religious.

Springfield, Chicopee, and Holyoke are cheaper to live in than many of the college towns. Northampton and Amherst particularly are awful when it comes to housing prices although there are good finds now and again.

I've worked with the school districts in Springfield and a few of the surrounding communities, and I have never had any issues with LGBT issues. A word of caution however for the more outlying, rural communities. They are as red as the come in MA and act accordingly. As for particular areas of Springfield itself, I'm not certain. These may be of some help there:

http://glbtspringfield.com/

http://www.choosespringfieldmass.com/

http://gayberkshires.blogspot.com/2010/01/advocate-declares-springfield-one-of.html

http://www.site.nohopride.org/

If you have any questions that I may be able to answer, feel free to ask!

[RKP5637]

11. Thanks!!! n/t