I found a school that I really like there and we're planning a move, but I know nothing about massachusetts, especially that part. Any info on economy, weather, jobs, anything would help.

Thanks!!

There are 5 big colleges in the pioneer valley. If you're moving near Northampton, you can check out noho.com.

You can also look at weather.com for local weather trends, etc. And, try calling the local chamber of commerce.

Northampton is a great area, and we just moved there last year. We love the organic farmers market in Amherst.

I'm not as familiar with Holyoke, but I'm pretty sure that it has a different economic climate than Northampton.

Best of luck.

Holyoke is a city, not all that attractive, with all the assocaited issues with an urban area. However, it is in a beautiful part of Massachusetts with a lot of economic and cultural diversity.

Massachusetts is the only state of 50 that lost population in the last census, partly due to very high cost of housing without significantly higher wages. While western Mass is a little better on this account than Boston area, it is still tru in area you are considering.

I read in an earlier post of yours that you are a vet tech looking to become a veterinarian - I am assuming you know that admission to vet school is extremely competitive - at least as difficult as admission to medical school, so I would not make a geographic move with my heart set on a specific school prior to acceptance.

It would help a lot if we knew the name of the school.

Holyoke itself is a tired urban community with the usual tired urban issues related to education, infrastructure, etc. My brother-in-law taught there for several years.

Holyoke itself is not that exciting but you are close to Amherst and Northampton (wonderful), the Berkshires, even Vermont and New Hampshire. Much of Westerm Massachusetts is beautiful (with some kinda ugly industrial cities, old mill towns, etc. mixed in).

to make a bit more clear what the above are saying, holyoke is a bit of a wretched hole, but the surrounding towns and area are gorgeous. Knowing nothing else, I'd tend to recommend Northampton - very close.

More info (I live in Amherst):

As for climate -- it is New Englandy.

Compared to the (northern) midwest, it is not so bitter cold, but there can be lots of snow (mostly in Jan/Feb). New England towns have invested heavily in their snow-removal infrastructure, though, so getting around is not a serious problem. Spring comes very late, and is gloomy and slushy. Summer and Fall are extremely spectacular.

As mentioned above, Holyoke is a depressed city, but the general region is very nice to live in, with lots of farms and college towns. If you are going to be a farm-type vet, its about dairy cattle and sheep, mostly; also lots of produce farms.

They don't call it Taxachusetts for nothing. And housing prices are high.

You can get to Boston in 2 hours, NYC in 3 hours, ocean in 2 hours, and mountains in 2 hours.

Here's some information:

http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genIn...?locIndex=2984

And if you google Holyoke, Ma., there are lots of sites to cover whatever you want to know

I'm not from Massachusetts, so that's probably why I have fond memories of Holyoke - was there one summer and they had the biggest blueberries I ever done saw!