My husband and I are moving to the area of Williamstown, MA .. Not sure exactly what town we will settle in and although I know Williamstown is lovely .. I am wondering if anyone has thoughts to share .. Real estate is that area scares me .. I find some of it very depressed and yet even in lovely areas of Williamstown .. homes can sit for one or two years before selling ... I will not know anyone and/or have any favorite spots .. where do I get my hair cut .. a good restaurant .. I know South County is lovely with Lee and Lenox but that will be too long a commute for my husband everyday .. Any thoughts to share .. ?

I am sending this to a friend who went to School in Williamstown, maybe she can advise you.
I loved it there in the summer, IN town as much as you can get is good.
Getting a good realtor is very important!! You need someone who will weed out the really pathetic old homes ..you might even do well buying there now..don't get scared!

If it were not for the snow amounts in winter, it would have been on our list of where we might have moved to a couple of years ago..
The Clark Museum is a good enough reason all by itself

Heartfelt thanks to you .. I know Williamstown is lovely .. but I feel so like a fish out of water .. as lovely as it is ... Again .. I so appreciate your help ..
MAHS

I don't know Williamstown well, though I have been there on a number of occasions. It is very beautiful.

I don't quite understand why you sound so depressed about moving there. It is a cultural center, a winter sports center, home of one of the finest colleges in the country, and a summer mecca for thousands. What is not to like?

Okay, the winter is long. It is not near a big city, but many, many people commute every weekend from NYC, and you could certainly do that in reverse if that is what you are worried about missing.

The real estate situation is double edged. The recent depression in prices gives you the opportunity to buy a lot of house for the money. But if you plan to sell it quickly, there may, as you suggest, be some difficulty. But there is no law that says you have to buy. If you are not committed to staying in the area for five years, you may want to rent instead. If you change your mind and want to buy later, you may kick yourself, but this gives you a lot of flexibility, and that seems like a good idea given your apparent ambiguity about moving there.

Both my wife and I grew up in military families, and we moved an average of once every 18 months. The secret of doing this is to treat every place as if you will be there the rest of your life, hanging the pictures on the wall right away, involving yourself in the community, seeing what there is to see. The path to misery is to live in the last place, pining for old friends and situations. Invite your friends to come next summer; if they know what's what, it will be a coveted invitation.

The Williamstown area is *full* of excellent restaurants -- remember, it's a winter (ski) resort and a summer (theatre) resort area. My knowledge of specifics is out of date, but you will have *no* trouble finding great spots. I'm on my way there this weekend, but won't be eating out at restaurants.

As for how to integrate yourself into the community . . . do you like art? Then maybe you want to volunteer at the Clark Art Institute (Williamstown) or MassMOCA (North Adams -- next town over). See if you can attend any of the many, MANY free lectures in every topic under the sun during the school year at Williams. Do you like hiking? Couldn't be better located. Chin up! Moving to a new place is always challenging, but think of all the great exploring that lies ahead.

This is very anecdotal because I've only been there for 2 days ever (my son was considering Williams College), but we had one of the best Thai meals we ever ate right there on Spring Street, 3 blocks from campus. I absolutely loved Williamstown, and would have been thrilled if he had chosen to go there (he didn't).