Amherst, MA

[Guest Debating]

I'm afraid that if I call and ask them if the community if mainly made up of graduate students and whether it's quiet they'll assume I'm looking for that and tell me it's a quiet place no matter what .

Vicki, maybe you can arrange something online? I have a feeling the good places will go fast as well and that's why I'm trying to make arrangements now online and then I will go in May hopefully just to sign a lease. Maybe landlords can hold a place for you with a deposit? I'm not sure what to suggest, but I don't think waiting until mid-July or August is a good idea...

[Guest brandeis alum]

I guess that's true to a certain extent, but the 5-College Area is a hippy town and you're less likely to run into someone who won't be helpful or at least give you a somewhat honest answer. I wouldn't call it a Southern-kind of hospitality, but in general people here are far more willing to help strangers out then in other areas I've lived in. I had to work with a lot of businesses in the area and a lot of them would refer their customers to each other, and I generally didn't have much problems getting donations from them. The house I lived in was just down the road from a vegetable farm, and in the summers there was a little wooden vegetable stand with some produce for sale in baskets marked by price (bell peppers were 20 cents each!). It was unmanned, only a little metal lockbox with a handwritten sign saying "Please deposit your payment here."

Besides, a lot of rental places do advertise "graduate students and young professionals STRONGLY preferred" or something like that. I think if you phrase your question correctly, that it would be worth a shot asking some of the landlords directly - otherwise you can always go through that UMass Office of Something or Other I mentioned before.

[Guest Debating]

Wow, your post really made me feel better! I guess I'll calling the landlords as soon as I make my mind about where to go to grad school . In the meantime, if anyone finds a place where quiet people seem to congregate, do tell .

[Guest Debating]

Vicki, I thought of you when I saw this post since you said you were tight on budget:

"Housing (rent/buy)" Show Last 10, Last 25, Last 50. Search

2006/03/03 - FrankSleegers of UMass at Amherst

Room in large Victorian house.

Downtown Amherst, Utilities, Internet, Telephone, Cable TV, once a week cleaning service all included.

$ 490.

Call Pauline.........

I left the phone out but if you're interested, I got the posting from http://www.fivecol-soc.net/corkboard.cf ... &digest=no. Good luck!

[Guest Vicki]

Hi Debating, wish I had seen this post earlier! THings have been hectic at work and I've been putting my house hunting project aside (probably bad idea). ANyways, have you found a good place yet?

Some new development is that I'm going to UMass for sure, no more deliberation, so housing issue is really essential now. I'm gonna mail some prospects and see if anything at all is available. I've decided against getting a car, so I should be looking at places on the bus line and not to far from school.

Another thing, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I was told by my program that funding isn't available for MA students. I've made some money, saved up some, recieved a small inheritance from a relative, and started to pay back the loan I took out for my undergrad. So, I'm kinda tight here on budget. I was wondering if TAship is avaible in other departments, Or where should I look this kind of opportunity?

I guess once I really decided to attend UMass, there are so many things that I have to work out!

Anyways, thanx for listening to my ramblings.

8)

[Guest Debating]

Vicki,

I've decided to go UMass for sure as well (so my nickname is no longer appropriate ). I have only found one place that kinda fits my needs, it's an apt in Sunderland on the bus line, pretty expensive, but I hope it will be affordable since I'll be living with my fiance. I did put down a deposit and am doing all the application work and everything online, which should be at least somewhat comforting to you!! I hope the bus system is pretty good because although I do have a car, I'd rather take the bus to school and back with the freaking gas prices.

As to your second question, I am really not sure how it works with TA'ing for anohter department. I am going for a PhD, and I remember a math professor once told me that if I don't get a TA from my dept, I can almost always work something out with the math department because they always need help. Not sure how it is in the arts, but there's probably another discipline like math that 'always needs help' .

Good luck!

[Guest lds]

Vicki: I may have missed the post in which you mentioned your program/department. I'm not sure about TAs in other departments, but I'm pretty sure there are some opportunities out there. I did see a student employment office on campus...

It seems like a LOT of people use the bus. It comes highly recommended.

Debating: I wish I'd seen this post before I rattled off my housing bit on the other thread! I'm glad you're moving forward, though, and I hope the place you've found works out. Sunderland seems like a great place to live. My husband and I checked out a place on Friday, a basement apartment that is pretty reasonable, and we really lucked out -- although the landlord is looking for a summer sublease, she is pretty much set on letting us have it in the fall, and her subleasee is flexible on when to move out in August.

So for others wondering about housing...I found this place on Craigslist. People have mentioned a few online places to check out housing posts, and if you check diligently, you'll find a good price.

[Guest Debating]

lds--

not to worry, I really liked your other post and I'm sure everyone else who read it did too. So where's this great palce you snatched? We're definitely going to be in Sunderland for the first year and if we don't like it, look for a better place next year, but you're right, very few places allow dogs and that will be a problem. I'd sure like to meet up in the fall if you're interested--this applies to everyone else posting here as well!!--since I won't really know anyone and it's always good to meet new people.

[Guest Vicki]

Thanx Ids. I actually called up an old friend who was at U Mass for a while for graduate studies, and he told me it is possible to arrange something either as a TA or PA (project assistant) once the school year starts (many people have done this). Related info can be found at the graduate office.

And I have some news to share, since this might effect my decision about going to gradschool (I was sooo set on going before!)

My boyfriend and I are getting married!!! I knew he was coming for a visit this week, but I didn't know he was going to propose. Now I'm so excited but also very confused. My work contract will end in July, and suddenly I have to decide on whether I should go to gradschool or start a family. My boyfriend is an educator in the D.C. area, so that's a long way from Amherst.

Going to gradschool seems really exciting, but so is getting married and maybe finding a job as a history teacher in the D.C. area (maybe in Maryland or Virginia). Suddenly, I just can't decided.

I know I shouldn't ramble about my personal life on a "gradschool related" forum, but it's a very big choice, maybe even bigger than deciding on which gradschool to go to.

[Guest lds]

Congratulations, Vicki! Or rather, best wishes! That's fantastic news. And I think it's relevant to post -- part of applying to grad school is really thinking hard about whether or not it's what you want to do. Also, we Amherst folks seem to be a rather welcoming and supportive bunch.

Does your fiancé want to stay in DC, or would he be up for teaching in western MA? You might want to postpone for a year to settle into marriage, try out teaching, and then see if your heart yearns for academia. :wink:

[Guest Debating]

Vicki, congrats! Wow, everything is even more complicated now, huh ? If you're only going for a Masters, which I think you said you were, maybe you could do both? D.C. is pretty far away, but it's a doable weekend trip (not every weekend of course), besides Jet Blue (http://www.jetblueairways.com) flies to both, and a one-way ticket is 65 bucks . Best of luck whatever you decide!!!

[Lila]

Congratulations, Vicki!

I recently got married. It is exciting!

Anyway, it's a tough decision for you to make. After reading a few articles from female academics, I think it's possible to have a family as well as become a professor with careful planning and organization. If attending this graduate program would be a significant career boost for you, then I'd encourage you to find a balance. With that said, I'd never leave my boyfriend or fiance or husband behind. I've managed a long distance relationship with my husband before, but I was so lovesick sometimes that my work was terribly affected. He lived in Germany and I lived in Los Angeles. I could only visit about every two or three months for about one month. Ah, it was really difficult. I really hated my program even though it wasn't the program that was the problem. But, looking back, I'm glad I made it through anyway. It made feel stronger and more independent. I pushed myself.

Consider all possibilities. Maybe he might consider teaching in western Massachusetts?

Good luck!

[vangogh08]

I've lived in Amherst for about 3 years now. There is grad student housing right near campus. I think it is fairly difficult to get into though.

For a family, rather than an apt. complex, you might try looking for one half of a duplex. The houses here are usually a bit cheaper and the landlords easier to deal with than the apt. landlords.

As for apt. complexes. Any 2 bedroom is going to run you usually $800 or more. And most will have undergrads. You can't get away from them. Sorry. But, there are some that are less run over by them. Stay away from Puffton. It is really close to campus and grads do live there, but there are a lot of parties there during the year. In the summers, it is not so bad. Stay away from Hobart Lane. Also close to campus, but one of the biggest parties of the year is held there. Pretty much stay away from most of the apt. complexes within walking distance of the university. That's where the undergrads will be because they can walk to the bars too.

Sugarloaf in Sunderland is not bad. But, it is a bit of a commute to campus. 15 minutes I'd say. But, there is a bus stop right at the complex.

Mill Valley is also not bad. There is even a day care on site.

South Amherst is relatively quiet. A lot of professors live there. I lived there in a house and prefer it to North Amherst where I am now. Even though North Amherst is closer to campus and has the majority of apt. complexes. South Amherst also doesn't have a lot of apt. complexes. But, I think it is the best part of Amherst to live.

Aspen Chase is not bad either. It's relatively close to everything and on the bus line as well. Most of the apt. complexes are on the bus line. It can be pricey though.

Northampton is arguably the nicer town, but has less in the way of apt. complexes, because the Smithies usually live on campus during the year or will live in houses throughout town. It is also more of a commute.

There is a complex called Hathaway Farms in Noho. They used to offer subsidized housing for grad students, which meant you could get a 2 bedroom for between 600 and 800 a month usually. The 2 bedrooms are pretty nice. A lot of grad students and families. I can't recall how close it is to the bus.

Easthampton and Belchertown are cheaper places to live, but again, skimpy on the complexes. And the bussing gets a little rougher.

Also, check out Florence. It is the town past Noho and sometimes cheaper. More houses.

Stay away from The Boulders. It is by far one of the worst apt. complexes in the area.

Hmm, I recommend checking Craigslist too. Anything in Amherst, Florence, Belchertown, Easthampton, Northampton, South Deerfield, or Sunderland will be your best bet.

This is a lot of information. I hope it helps a bit. If not, just ask me and I'll try to decipher it. Good luck!

[bluewhenitsgray]

Food for thought about living in Amherst (literally):

Atkins Farms Country Market is a a really one of a kind speciality grocery store that also makes its own apple cider (and cider donuts, which are quite popular). All the food they sell is seriously great though, somehow seemingly fresher and better tasting than bigger name speciality stores like Whole Foods. And they have a little cafe where you can read a book and eat, but it's kind of like a senior citizens center sometimes.

The Lone Wolf is the best breakfast and brunch place in the region. It's open from early morning til about 2 or so and serves wonderful food with an emphasis on southwestern flavors. Very nice atmosphere. Extremely vegan friendly, but not in the way that detracts from meat eaters like myself. If you're there early, you might also check out a used bookstore across the street that opens at some absurdly early hour. I believe 6 am.

Next door is the Black Sheep, which is a nice hippie coffeehouse, deli, and bakery. Sometimes it's crowded, but it's a good place to go for some fair trade coffee or a delicious croissant.

The Moan and Dove is a wonderful bar located on the bus route between Amherst and Hampshire Colleges. It's small, pretty low key except on weekends, and has a great selection of hard-to-find beers. And if you or someone you know is interested in microbrews, try the Spirit Haus liquor store as well. They have a large selection and an awesome-sounding name. The Amherst Brewing Company and Northampton Brewery both brew their own beers and have decent food as well.

Chez Albert in the town center of Amherst is a really nice French restaurant. Entrees are in the $18-$25 range, so a bit expensive on a graduate school budget. But it's a nice special occasion place.

Sibies has awesome pizza that can be delivered if you live close enough to it.

In Amherst's town center, there's a place called Antonio's that sells great pizza by the slice. It tends to be overrun with frat boys, but that doesn't detract from the quality of the food at least.

[thelowendhz]

I just want to add to the apartment and location post above. It should be noted that the bus lines run through Noho, Belchertown, Deerfield, and all around Amherst, but when you aren't living in Amherst proper, they come less frequently, so you're going to have to plan your day accordingly. I also want to add my apartment complex, Rolling Green in Amherst, to that list. It is on a bus route - in fact, the bus stops right in front of the apartments - that runs late and comes often (from about 7:20am - 5:30pm the buses are every 15 minutes during the week, and runs until midnight or so everyday). I'm not sure of the exact rates because for 2-bedroom places there are townhouses and apartments, but if you go to equityapartments.com and look up Rolling Green in Amherst you can get their current rates. The staff is friendly and it's very quiet (there are undergrads, but also many families); I really don't have a single complaint about living here. Just my two cents.. good luck!

[cerise]

Hi, I'm bumping this thread. I'm thinking about starting a grad program at UMass this fall, and I'm curious if anyone can tell me some current information about the area. I'm particularly curious whether or not anyone has any experience getting by in the area without a car. I'd also appreciate any neighborhood info-- I'd like to live somewhere that's not overrun with undergrads, but still has some personality and energy!

There have been some good suggestions earlier in the thread, but it's been a while, and these things change...

[ebee]

The Lone Wolf is the best breakfast and brunch place in the region. It's open from early morning til about 2 or so and serves wonderful food with an emphasis on southwestern flavors. Very nice atmosphere. Extremely vegan friendly, but not in the way that detracts from meat eaters like myself. If you're there early, you might also check out a used bookstore across the street that opens at some absurdly early hour. I believe 6 am.

Next door is the Black Sheep, which is a nice hippie coffeehouse, deli, and bakery. Sometimes it's crowded, but it's a good place to go for some fair trade coffee or a delicious croissant.

The Moan and Dove is a wonderful bar located on the bus route between Amherst and Hampshire Colleges. It's small, pretty low key except on weekends, and has a great selection of hard-to-find beers. And if you or someone you know is interested in microbrews, try the Spirit Haus liquor store as well. They have a large selection and an awesome-sounding name. The Amherst Brewing Company and Northampton Brewery both brew their own beers and have decent food as well.

I was in Amherst a few weeks ago and all of these places are awesome!!!

Amherst (and the surrounding area) is pretty much a huge college town with a lot to offer.

[HelloFeminists]

2 - Northampton is the seat of liberalism -- Smith college and countless members of the gay community live in this area, so if you are at all uptight... stay closer to Amherst.

On the flip side, the center of Amherst tends to be filled with white straight rich male preppy Amherst students, which can be extremely homogeneous and off-putting if you don't fit into all of those categories. Northampton is a lot more diverse and has more of an artistic feel to it, thus the liberalism and queer-friendly culture. Northampton also has way better restaurants and random funky places to go. In addition, it has a pretty decent music scene [usually indie rock and folk], especially for a town of its size. Whenever I take the PVTA from South Hadley, Noho is my favourite place to go, and I hardly ever feel like doing something in Amherst. I will say that Ben & Jerry's free ice cream day is an ok reason to go to Amherst, though

[hhw]

I'm particularly curious whether or not anyone has any experience getting by in the area without a car.

I may be heading to UMass also (still waiting word on funding to be sure), and considering going there without a car. I've been carfree in Portland, OR, for 3 years. A current coworker said he had no trouble in Amherst without a car some years ago (5? I think), although I'm sure it helped that that's his preferred status. Not owning a car, I mean. I love not having the expense or the responsibility of owning a car, but I do miss the convenience.

I do know that the public transit is pretty good for a non-urban area, and zipcar -- a carsharing company: http://zipcar.com -- has a few vehicles in the area.

[teaganc]

I'm almost certainly moving to Amherst this fall--my partner has already accepted a spot in the school of education's REMP program, and since none of my programs want to offer me funding, I will most likely be tagging along. The thing is, I am terrified of the idea of living in Western Massachusetts. I mean, come on. It's like 2 hours from an airport, surrounded by woods. They make horror films which start off less isolated than that. And sure, it's supposedly pretty and liberal and everyone is friendly there, but we live outside of LA now. Am I going to die from boredom? Or hypothermia? Or forced contact with ::shudder:: nature?

[apwoh]

I'm almost certainly moving to Amherst this fall--my partner has already accepted a spot in the school of education's REMP program, and since none of my programs want to offer me funding, I will most likely be tagging along. The thing is, I am terrified of the idea of living in Western Massachusetts. I mean, come on. It's like 2 hours from an airport, surrounded by woods. They make horror films which start off less isolated than that. And sure, it's supposedly pretty and liberal and everyone is friendly there, but we live outside of LA now. Am I going to die from boredom? Or hypothermia? Or forced contact with ::shudder:: nature?

I just visited there last week, and it's actually really nice. It's not scary AT ALL. It's really more like an hour from the airport, and it's surrounded by rolling bucolic farmlands, not scary woods. There are farm-stands, and places to buy local meat, dairy and produce, used book stores, beautiful brick buildings and other old stuff, pretentious coffee shops, arty movie theaters, an abundance of micro-breweries, and even a Trader Joe's. The Five Colleges in the Pioneer Valley, which doesn't include U Mass, offer lots of cultural opportunities and interesting things to do. I stayed mostly in Amherst and Northampton and they are both enclaves of liberal, highly-educated people, as far as I could tell. I don't think you'll be bored. Buy a good coat though. I'm from CA too, and was very glad to have my huge poofy down coat on my trip.

[pizzatime]

I went to undergrad at UMass so feel free to throw any questions off of me, I loved the area and considered going back for grad school. The previous poster is mostly correct with their description of the Pioneer Valley although for what its worth, UMass is part of the 5 college consortium. Those opportunities are generally taken advantage of at the undergrad level but Smith and Amherst Colleges have pretty amazing art collections that include works by Monet and Picasso (and those are free to attend). A surprising number of top musical acts come through to the Mullins Center at UMass and at the various theaters in Northampton. My favorite was seeing Kanye West before he got big at the Mt. Holyoke College Ballroom. You really don't have to worry about traffic on football Saturdays because UMass is 1-AA

The PVTA bus is excellent and free for UMass students. I stopped driving to campus senior year because I got around just fine on the bus. Its efficient around Amherst and the other colleges and goes by the shopping areas and the Northampton very frequently. There is an Amtrak station in town as well as bus service to Boston and NYC, in addition to airport shuttles to the Bradley Airport in Hartford which is no more than one hour away.

I found the area to be absolutely beautiful. I miss the local food scene since the next town Hadley has some of the best agricultural soil on earth (as a couple profs used to say.) Super produce during the summer at actual farm stands and right now is maple syrup season! Oh yeah, the foliage is incredible. Skiing is one hour away in Vermont. Yes its cold, but I always felt that Amherst got less snow than Boston because it doesn't really get coastal storms.

[vannik]

They make horror films which start off less isolated than that. . . Or forced contact with ::shudder:: nature?

Cider House Rules was shot at the Northampton Asylum. Does that count?! I'm from western massachusetts, closer to springfield. You can fly into Bradley and Amherst is less than an hour away. I lived in Boston for 5 years and still loved visiting Northampton and Amherst. Believe me, it's nothing like a big city. Northampton is very similar to Cambridge MA. There's a lot of young people around. In regards to things to do, there's plenty. Always head into Boston for any big things you'd want to catch. It's not like you're moving to Kansas and driving across the state takes 12 hours. You can get from Springfield to Boston in about an hour and fifteen minutes. There's a giant mall off 91 in Holyoke which is pretty good. It's really beautiful in the fall out there too. Sugar houses and stuff. Very New England. It's not for everyone, but really, it's a great location. My one thing against the area is the lack of jobs in the technology field. Springfield area isn't good for high paying jobs. You really need to get to eastern mass for that, especially in my field. There's two well known hospitals in Springfield as well.

If I were to move there I'd get a car, especially if you want to go out to Northampton or Springfield. Springfield bars are crazy though. I feel like I'll get stabbed every time I go out down there and I grew up about a 10 minute drive at most away from downtown springfield. Rent is really cheap in comparison to areas like Boston. It all depends on location. I'd imagine walking distance to bars in any college town would be expensive.

Best things in Amherst:

Bueno Y Sanyo {sp?} - Burritos are amazing

The Hanger - wings and beer are amazing

Moan and Dove - great beers.

Atkins Farm - Cider donuts. Don't know what those are? you will.

Northampton:

Really nice restaurants to bring a significant other

Tunnel Bar - best bar to have a non-beer beverage in Massachusetts (This includes Boston). So chill. Definately don't miss it

Dirty Truth - Like moan and dove but with good food and more beers I think. 120 minute dog fish head ipa and macaroni and cheese? I'm ready.

I like beer.

[HelloFeminists]

vannik said:

Best things in Amherst:

Bueno Y Sanyo {sp?} - Burritos are amazing

The Hanger - wings and beer are amazing

Moan and Dove - great beers.

Atkins Farm - Cider donuts. Don't know what those are? you will.

Northampton:

Really nice restaurants to bring a significant other

Tunnel Bar - best bar to have a non-beer beverage in Massachusetts (This includes Boston). So chill. Definately don't miss it

Dirty Truth - Like moan and dove but with good food and more beers I think. 120 minute dog fish head ipa and macaroni and cheese? I'm ready.

I like beer.

I think Autentica in South Hadley is actually better than Bueno Y Sano. Bueno Y Sano is inept at making anything actually spicy - I got their "wicked hot" version or whichever one is the spiciest, and I could just barely taste that it actually had spice, haha. Also, I agree that the boneless chicken wings at The Hanger are FREAKING AMAZING, especially the cajun ones However, I'm now boycotting their establishment after witnessing the degrading little uniforms they make their female employees wear, as well as my experience being sexually harassed by one of their drunk male customers at 5 o'clock in the evening. It's a very "boo yah!" sports-games-on-TV kind of place :roll: Atkins also has the best apple cider I have ever tasted - I didn't even used to like apple cider, and then I tried theirs, and... ohhhhh.

Also, Thai Garden in Northampton is the most amazing place in the whole world when it comes to chicken curry. Oh my god.

[barredell]

I'll be at UMass in the fall - I visited a few weeks back and cannot wait to go back. I've been advised by the people in my dept. to look in Northampton for housing over Amherst. I'll probably be taking this advice if possible and was wondering when people here recommend starting the apartment search for Northampton. I have heard that single housing is relatively hard to find (not sure yet if I'll be living with anyone from my cohort). I will be at a program in CA for all of July and the first half of August. Would going up in June to visit places make sense (signing if necessary and moving in in August)? Is that too early? Too late? I've been trawling the off-campus housing site through UMass as well as Craiglist, but not too much is up on the latter right now.

Thanks!