Springfield is home to some top-notch health care and education. The city is part of what is known as the “Knowledge Corridor” that runs through the greater Hartford-Springfield area. It has a dense concentration of hospitals, over 29 universities, and liberal arts colleges. This results in Springfield having a high proportion of residents with higher education and degrees and a very impressive GDP exceeding 00 billion dollars a year. For this reason, Springfield is touted as having exceptional healthcare and education in the area. 

An odd counterpart to this reputation for education at the college/graduate levels is that Springfield struggles with the quality of the public schools. It's hit or miss at the schools in the city proper so check your neighborhood for zoning. Plenty of families either go private or pick East Longmeadow right next door due to its higher-ranking schools. 




Top Education and Healthcare

LookyLOO Review of Springfield

Springfield is at the crossroads of 3 other, larger cities including Hartford, New York, and Boston. It’s known for education and healthcare and has a high population of residents who hold degrees. Despite being very densely populated, the average commute is only about 20 minutes, and on the weekends locals enjoy getting outside in the summer months in the various parks around the city. One possibly surprising fact about Springfield is that it has a very active nightlife scene and has dubbed one area “Club Quarter.” Home to many clubs, bars, and music venues, it’s a popular area for younger and single crowds as well as being increasingly LGBTQ+ friendly.

If you want to check out what people get up to in Springfield check out the [calendar of events](https://www.eventbrite.com/d/ma--springfield/events/). 

We highly recommend visiting Springfield and staying in the community in a [VRBO](https://vrbo.com/affiliate/p4JS4ZC) rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our [partnership with Expedia](expedia.com/affiliate/9NZ8LBQ) as well.

Lifestyle 

Springfield is part of the Knowledge Corridor, so it’s no surprise that education and health services are major employment sectors in the city. There are also strong job markets in trade and transportation, manufacturing, tourism and hospitality, and professional and business services. Several well-known companies are based in Springfield, including [MassMutual Financial Group](https://www.massmutual.com/), [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/about-us), and the headquarters of the [American Hockey League](https://theahl.com/). However, despite the presence of these businesses, the city's unemployment rate remains higher than average. That said, the tech industry has been steadily growing in the area since the 2008 recession and economic development in this area is a major priority for the metro area. 

Worklife

Springfield housing is much more affordable than its nearby counterparts. If you’re someone looking to get away from the harsh city-vibes of Boston, Springfield may be your perfect destination! You can enjoy the many outdoor parks and festivals, but beware the cold months! The northeast winters are no joke and you’ll want to be prepared!


Affordable Housing 

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**ScarletOK**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

There are some truly lovely areas in Springfield. Around Forest Park, for one. Big old near-mansions, cheap because it's Springfield. My main beef with the place is sprawl, sprawl sprawl. One of my best friends lives there, and I've been a lot to visit. Good restaurants and local markets of all kinds, great public libraries, they've even got a symphony. The Valley Flyer which goes to New Haven and connects to New York runs through there at their recently refurbished railway station where they consolidated all local/thru transit.

For more reviews of what living in Springfield is like from locals check out: [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/springfield/reviews)


Schools

Reviews of Springfield from Locals

With the many headquarters in Springfield, there are a lot of young professionals who call the city home. If you’re a young professional, you’ll want to take your commute into consideration, as well as cost of living. These areas are great for staying close to the action for weekend or weeknight adventures:
- McKnight Historic District
- Indian Orchard
- Metro Center


Young Professionals

McKnight Historic District

Young Families will love the low house prices and the great schools in Springfield. These are neighborhoods that are walkable and are a short distance from amenities and nightlife.
- East Forest Park
- Forest Park
- Upper Hill


Young Families

East Forest Park 

If you’re looking for space for your family to move around, look no further! There are plenty of more suburban areas in Springfield that keep you close to great schools and daily amenities.
- East Forest Park
- Forest Park
- Sixteen Acres


Established Families

Forest Park

Springfield

**Gh0sTM0p**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

Pioneer Valley
I moved to Longmeadow two months ago after having been out of the state for 25 years. Since I was originally from greater Boston, this part of the state was a bit of an unknown but I do recall not having a positive view of Springfield back then. Well I'm sure Springfield has some places to avoid, I have no concerns about living next to Springfield. Springfield has many neighborhoods, each with their own personality - it really has a lot to offer and see - parks, architecture, museums.

You'll be absolutely fine and East Longmeadow is great too except that crazy traffic intersection/rotary in town.

**ScarletOK**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

There are some truly lovely areas in Springfield. Around Forest Park, for one. Big old near-mansions, cheap because it's Springfield. My main beef with the place is sprawl, sprawl sprawl. One of my best friends lives there, and I've been a lot to visit. Good restaurants and local markets of all kinds, great public libraries, they've even got a symphony. The Valley Flyer which goes to New Haven and connects to New York runs through there at their recently refurbished railway station where they consolidated all local/thru transit.

**HunterGraccus**
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Having lived in Boston and other urban areas Springfield is a piece of cake. Some small areas of Springfield are rough, but nothing like areas of Boston I had to walk through to work. Western Massachusetts is a gem of a place. My health club is 10 miles south of Springfield in northern CT and I drive through a beautiful historic area and a stretch of road on a ridge where tobacco and farm fields go on for miles on each side. It is a beautiful area to live. The entire Pioneer Valley which follows the Connecticut River through Massachusetts has a great variety of art, nature, and cultural activities to enjoy.

Anonymous
2y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

Springfield and surrounding Burbs People are the salt of the earth. Western MA has more real unadulterelated contiguous history than ever changing Boston. It was a borderlands between New York and Massachusetts so you get all the borderland quirks - almost equal number of Yankee fans to red Sox fans... New York drawl as common as Boston accent and in the last three decades standard American English and excellent higher education with international appeal. It's got great weather and beautiful countryside. There is some blight, but what would an MMORPG metropolitan area be without it's blight districts? It is small-town USA and one of the most charming and hilarious places on earth.

**Pros and Cons of moving to Springfield, MA (where going to the hospital is like a vacation)**

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Springfield, Massachusetts

City of Firsts

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Reviews

What's it like to live in Springfield?