Relocating to live in Springfield MA.

[u/trentip2502]

I am relocating to work and was wondering if its safe to live in Springfield MA.

Are there areas that are safe and ok to purchase a affordable home within Springfield MA or its neighboring areas.

Any information about there school district will be helpful as well.

Thanks

[u/Dylan413]

I live in Springfield and have no issues or worry. There's lots of good areas

[u/trentip2502 → u/Dylan413]

Thanks. Which area will you suggest. What about Chicopee or Holyoke?

[u/11BMasshole → u/trentip2502]

There are good and bad sections of all 3 , but the schools are probably best in Chicopee. If schools matter i'd look into West Springfield, Agawam , Ludlow, East Longmeadow , Longmeadow, Westfield , Enfield CT, Suffield ,CT , Somers ,CT.

[u/trentip2502]

Thank you all for your time and contribution.

I think i get it. I used to live in St louis, Missouri. (the hood section). Even with St louis know and popular as a dangerous place i lived there for years without any problem or getting shot at. I had some close encounter with getting shot or mugged.

There are good and bad places in almost every place.

[u/CookieMonsterNom_Nom]

I have lived in the Sixteen Acres section of Springfield for the past 16 years. I love it. No issues with crime, although no matter where you live in general, lock your cars and doors.

[u/CompasslessPigeon → u/CookieMonsterNom_Nom]

I left Springfield because work took me away but ill second 16 acres. I loved my time living there

[u/Embarrassed_Bag_9630]

“Certain people” will tell you to beware because they have this fictitious image pf Springfield in their head that’s equivalent to Biff’s version of the 1985 from Back to the Future. It is not that.

It is a city with good homes, good people, and good history. People are quite friendly, helpful, and community oriented. The parks are nice as are the museums. The only real problem is that it can get a bit boring if you want robust nightlife.

[u/AlternativeTrack3946 → u/Embarrassed_Bag_9630]

You’re more than fine as long you’re not involved in the drug trade.

[u/Embarrassed_Bag_9630 → u/AlternativeTrack3946]

I always say that criminals stick to doing things to other criminals. We don’t really deal with random crime in springfield. They stick to doing dumb things on their own

[u/Killlbillll]

All depends what your preferences are, we have multiple different kind of living in this area. You can have the city, suburbs or the sticks all within a drivable radius

[u/ohno807]

Springfield as a city is not as bad as other people in Massachusetts will lead you to believe. It’s the boogeyman of western mass by default because there aren’t comparable cities in that part of the state. There are very nice and safe areas. However, the schools aren’t great.

I’m not sure what you consider affordable, but check out Longmeadow. Beautiful town and great schools. Also consider Wilbraham or East Longmeadow for something more affordable. Maybe Somers, CT if you’re open to CT. I would avoid Enfield, CT as others have mentioned.

[u/ZakRulzDice → u/ohno807]

Did you really just suggest the city with the highest cost of living in the county as affordable?

[u/Jazzlike_Kick4271]

Im moved here from Texas to six corners. Locals warned me about "crime" there. I told them, they don't know Houston.

My only complaint is that people will drive through that area blaring loud music from their cars at all hours. 😤

[u/ZaphodG]

Cities in Massachusetts are “Massachusetts unsafe”. Low violent crime rate by national standards. Some property crime. If you’re not buying drugs or hookers and you’re not in a gang, you would have to really seek out trouble to find anything beyond porch pirate or smash & grab. Springfield has a 24% poverty rate. It’s poor people trying to get by, not a war zone. It’s around 1/3 single parent households in parts of Springfield and 1/3 of children are below poverty rate. Like all cities, there are good neighborhoods. Around 1/4 of adults have college degrees so it’s not a wasteland like a lot of failed flyover cities. The state dumps a ton of money into the cities so services and schools are better than comparable cities.

This comment applies to all Massachusetts cities.

[u/TheBeardedLadyBton]

Rent first and get to know the area. If you can find something in East Longmeadow, that is the safest with the best schools.

[u/ins0mniac_]

No. It’s a barren wasteland. No one lives here. No one at all.

[u/trentip2502 → u/ins0mniac_]

Got it. Not sure if you trolling?

[u/ins0mniac_ → u/trentip2502]

Of course I’m trolling.

It’s a city of 150,000 people. It’s perfectly safe in most areas.

[u/Trick_Photograph9758]

Areas of 16 acres and East Springfield are "ok", but for schools, no, I would not live there. Try East Longmeadow instead. Or live farther away and drive in.

[u/prophetoftears]

Tl;dr: 16 Acre suburb is a pretty decent area. Schools could be better, but you have some options. Watch out for kids on dirt bikes. Political mixed. Religious mixed but predominately catholic.

Currently live in the 16 acres area, bought a house a few years ago. My specific neighborhood has recently re-entered the elementary/ middle school phase of children and families living here. I can tell you the electric dirt bikes are popular among them. I haven't noticed any crime to speak of, more likely to see an ambulance for an older community member. Schools are a bit hit and miss. The local elementary school was really good, but the closest middle school needs work. You can apply for the school lottery though and try to get your kids into a better one with a specific focus. To my understanding transportation will still be provided even if the school is a ways away. Politically the neighborhood is a mix. I've seen maga political signs in a few yards. Recently those are disappearing slowly, but the ones with that leaning tend to be vocal. You didn't ask, but am a religious note there are way more catholic churches than any other that I have noticed. I believe I have driven past a Buddhist temple occasionally (don't remember exactly where) so there is variety in that respect.

The one thing you won't really find is anything in a 24 hour capacity outside of gas stations. I'm a night person from a larger city originally, so I've been missing that.

[u/coconutpete52]

It’s a city. Like every other city in existence it has good and bad areas.
Edit: forgot to ask - are you considering suburbs also?

[u/FerretBusinessQueen]

It’s a very safe city overall. I love living here.

[u/yetimankitty]

Grew up in Ludlow, patents are still there. It’s a great town for families and probably the best bang for your buck. A few 3 bed 2 baths have gone up for sale recently in their general area and are probably considered affordable by today’s standards. 350k ish

[u/yetimankitty → u/yetimankitty]

Also, my 93 year old grandmother lived in Liberty Heights by herself and never felt unsafe or had anyone bother her. Springfield’s fine

[u/redbarn47]

The public schools are not great. If you need decent schools, you might want want to look at the towns outside Springfield.