Massachusetts Town Named the Best for ‘Indie’ Culture
If you’re thinking of starting a life in a new city and want to know of a fantastic Massachusetts town to set up shop, you’re likely going to want a welcoming town with a reasonable cost of living and, of course, a high level of safety. Thankfully, there are plenty of welcoming areas across America, so whether you want to live close to where you’re from or venture out, you have options. Now, one Massachusetts town has been named a great place to live and one of America’s best for an “indie” scene.
Massachusetts Town Named One of the Best
The experts at Money have put together a tally of the finest places to live in America. “This year’s Best Places to Live list celebrates cities and towns where a thriving economy meets affordability, diversity and an exceptional quality of life,” they state, adding that, “Instead of using a predetermined dataset to whittle thousands of American cities down to a ‘winning’ 50, we crafted our list from the ground up through meticulous research and in-depth reporting — paying special attention to those deeply invested in the livability, equity and sustainability of their communities. We asked readers for suggestions, too, in a newsletter poll that produced hundreds of responses.”
During the vetting process, Money did their research and compared each city, town and neighborhood on their roster of contenders against various metrics, including the health of the local job market; the average housing costs borne by homeowners and renters; the quality of public schools; and more. So, if you’re looking for places that are projected to be great areas to live in the future, this is the tally for you. They also said they used a “holistic” approach, because they know some wonderful benefits of living in certain places can’t be counted on metrics.
The Massachusetts town the experts at Money say is great for “indie” culture is Northampton, which they describe as being a spot filled with independent bookstores, restaurants, record stores and more. “Legend has it that back in the 1850s, famed opera singer Jenny Lind dubbed Northampton the ‘paradise of America,'” Money states. “Though times have changed, the town retains its charm.” Northampton was the only Massachusetts town to make the cut. In general, the city offers “great coffee, historically preserved buildings, a raucous music scene, students reciting Plath, a local food movement, first-rate museums and art galleries, eccentric shops, eclectic restaurants and residents eager to play outdoors in any season,” notes Visit Hampshire County.
