The Good & Bad of Springfield, MA (Part 2)

[Kumi12341]

This was taken years ago with an old camera, I can tell. Specifically what year was this taken in?

[akallstar5]

OH SHIT!!! Can I get the tire?

[SuperC555]

springfield is the shit ain't it

[MameySapote]

I watched your video before June 1. Now looking it is interesting to see what has been blown away to oz. crazy stuff...

[Premierboy1971]

Old video... mardi gras area is really nice now... Great resturant 350 Grill next door and that ugly building is gone now.

[fletchneck]

Springfield sucks. I am glad I dumped all my investment properties.

[Geo93bby]

springfield reminds me of new york city

sum parts r good n some are badd

but over all if you knw alotof ppl the better ih iss :]

[nyonan]

Springfield is almost like Hartford, CT

[JMarsh02639]

P.S. someone wrote about crime... Springfield's crime is actually much lower than a lot of comparable cities -- for example, it's lower than both Hartford's and New Haven's. In the past two years, there have been signs of downtown revitalizing... There is a lot of good in the city.

[JMarsh02639]

Springfield has a lot of cool stuff in it -- more than most cities. Before the gov't. closed the Armory in 1968, for 200 years it'd been one of the most prosperous cities in the USA (thus all the mansions and museums in the city.) The city's problem, as shown well in this video, is that absentee landlords have let their properties become derelict, and we all suffer because of their laziness. I wish there was a way to make them clean-up.

[tohostrat]

this city needs to be demolished and start all over again

[danocean111213]

@tohostrat YOU ARE DAMN STRAIGHT! i live in this rat infested city, that im now after 6 years, moving out and relocating. damn this place! beyond disgrace!.

[crazygirl4139]

Nice informative videos. You are very brave walking the streets downtown by yourself. :) I would not do it even in the daytime. They show people what to expect in case they thought of moving here. :) - It's too bad, it was a nice place to live at one time. What I don't understand is the laziness. Some places just need a paint job or trash being picked up and a little hedge trimming and they would look much better. I don't understand why people wouldn't want their property to look nice.

[danocean111213]

@crazygirl4139 i ride a trek mountainbike through this city and it can be trying to say the least. the crime is out of control. immigrants are like 90% here and i have paid 6 years of taxes that just keep supporting the dominant population. its just not right.

[er3L]

that building on maple has seen some tough times. i drive by it on my commute 2x a day. a few yrs back it was being fixed up when truck came down the hill and smashed in the side. it took a yr+ to fix that and has been regularly up for sale while continuing to crumble.

[KeswickCamp08]

ya know the firefighter that stabbed a guy over a woman? he lived in the appaertment next to me...

& EW, Whad'ya mean people LIVE there?!!?

[KeswickCamp08]

we have an emergency shelter? i've lived here for 8 years and didnt know that, you'd think schools would tell us, lol

[er3L]

@KeswickCamp08 really? it's in the news all the time when a homeless person is arrested and gives that as their address. the criminal activity of the few bring a lot of criticism and controversy to their doorstep.

[lady25luv]

It all depends on what part of springfield you live in and theres drugs,gangs,violence everywhere in Ma...I Dont Why ppl only focus on spfld...but i cant lie SOME parts of spfld is bad.

[er3L]

@lady25luv ... because it is so tightly surrounded by lilly white, paranoid communities afraid of their own shadows.

[danocean111213]

@lady25luv i live in this dump,,and shit, ive been through some situations you wouldnt believe.but yes you are right about the downsides of the city sixteen acres is ok pine point is going downhill forrest park ,the streets are shit. i could go on and on, but the bottom line is that there are fewer actual taxpayers that actually shell out dough for any kind of positive reinforcement.

[busterbone]

@danocean111213 i grew up in Springfield, but now live elsewhere. all cities have their bad areas-that's nothing unique to Springfield, but it seems after visiting recently that Spfld, MA and vicinity lack enough prosperous growth of residents, better parks (except Forest Park) and new businesses. Most of the decent people that could afford it seems moved to the suburbs like E.L., Wilbraham, Hampden, Agawam, etc.

[LaidbackPlayboy]

Lynn is worse...and springfield has a lot more people.

[MegaWes1983]

where is homer?

[KeswickCamp08]

@MegaWes1983 wrong springfield -_-

[nasszone]

Horrible place to live, study, and stay in. Drug dealers, crimes, gangs all the horrible stuff, the No drugs signs are in everywhere. I HATE this city.

[Transcribes]

what about Parker Street?

[PTLpdb]

I still love springfield. good people just need to stand up & get involved. All cities have their issues. Pray for springfield , instead of judging and condeming. thanks pdb

[NecroticNeurotic]

I have lived here my whole life and i agree that it's a shame that all this potential investment is going to waste.. I blame local government for overlooking the citys need to expand and allow out-of-state businesses to invest in Springfield. We need the money for Gods' sake!

[slade90210]

i live in the sixteen acres area.

[spfld751]

This pains me so much. My wife and I were both born and raised in spfld and have always dream of moving back one day but things are sooooo bad there. We live in Atlanta which is nice but after being here 14 yes, it still doesn't feel like home to. I miss spfld so much but I have a son now and won't expose him to all the crazyness going on there.

[CoupeDeville23]

I think the drugs and gang violence should be your focus... not some graffiti

[familyguyjc]

i was born in springfield and lived here for 6 years but since i moved down south people have been shot and killed. can't people get along :(

[pete59t4]

I was born in Springfield, went to Classical High. Once I graduated from UMass, it was AMF to Western Mass. The city got headed into the crapper after Westover and the Armory closed. The lefties turned the city into a haven for welfare bums and druggies. Of course, crooked city pols didn't help things either.

[20bdl00]

springfield us to be good 15-20 yrs ago when they contolled the north end from spreading,,ever since then all down hill

[globalflowdan]

I was born and raised in Springfield. It completely changed since the crack epidemic. It had a spirt to it. Their was plenty of things to do.The city is so poor and the youth don't have much direction.Its even worse if your a minority.The jails are stacked and schools a wreck. I want to move back but I don't want to risk getting caught up in the hast and depression. The people in power are all curupt, They need jobs bad too thats why it so much crime, and pain.Nobody really cares its a sad place

[uly2525]

anyone from Springfield(preferably non-gun owning crazies) who would like to hang out? i moved here from Northampton and i cant find people in my age group(21) who are........."nice"

[masxxx88]

springfield is full of idiots. im ashamed to live in spfld

[GDiamondBoo]

oh yeah and Plainfield is the worst part of springfield...

[GDiamondBoo]

i live in springfield, its cheeper than most places but bad to live in if you were to hang out in the streets alot, there is alot of drama shoot-outs,rumors go on and too many chickin heads, most likely you wont be happy... (my opinion:)

[binaissexii10194]

i live in springfield! forest park (: springfield is ghetto but ill always love it hhehe.

[FSM2786]

I got a friend who lives in Windsor, CT, which is between Hartford and Springfield. I asked him about each city and he says their equally ghetto. I don't know much about either city except that I've driven through each of them just passing through, I guess both have bad reputations.

[busterbone]

"I'm alone here

With emptiness eagles and snow

Unfriendliness chilling my body

And whispering pictures of home"

-Deep Purple

"Picture of Home"

Machine Head album 1972

[AliceCullenTH]

go to the neighbourhood known as Plainfield. that's a bad part of Springfield. lmao!

[Deadman7Inc]

Can anybody tell me how Hill McKnight is ? I kinda wanna move to Springfield.

I'm not a city person, you won't find me walk around in the streets at night, nor am I a going to clubs or bars.

So how bad could life for someone like me be in Springfield ?

[MBOYA22]

Im from Philly and I love Springfield so much. I want to move there.

[slade90210]

there is just too much violence in the springfield community.

[smartypants01108]

I live near central high school, springfield is horrible i want to get the fuck out of here LOL

[bubba1331]

lived in spfld. for 45yrs and moved to vt last year. i love spfld. but the crap just became to much to take.

[animerulezu99]

I didnt realize what a dump Springfield is. I need to get out more. Even When the Our Lady of Hope School closing its doors for good on saturday or so, there is already grafitti on the building. its just like one of the the kids in my class said," It sure is weird how Springfield and a place such as NYC are becoming more and more alike"

[MrMiles716]

i was surprised the way thetown looks i went to the hall of fame im from nys if that the way the town looks it is just as bad as a nyc ghetto in the 70s

[fateddiethesecond]

Well it looks like another city in Mass that had industry and when all the immigrants labor became "Too Expensive" the textiles industry got shipped to China/Mexico. Like Fitchburg Mass and Lowell as well as many others. I like the old style brick building, Historic even if they need lots of work, "Mordern" building today as well as homes have zero charater.

[fullm3tal90]

is springfield more dangerouse than roxbury or dorchester

[divaDani28190]

i think so. i read some list of the most dangerous cities to live and springfield MA was on the list. roxbury and dorchester weren't.

[busterbone]

They need some tough old Irish cops walking the beat with a nightstick again in those bad neighborhoods. It was a beautiful city at one time.

I'd like to see more renovation/restoration of the historic structures.

[danocean111213]

@busterbone those days are long gone.holyoke has the same story more or less.

[timmyboob]

hey is AIC a bad school to go to? Bad neibourhood? just curious tell me what you know

[Beholdendamage]

AIC is a good school but the neighborhood is not safe. if you go down the street where dunkin donuts is at there is a park right across the street from there. If you are not black DO NOT GO TO THAT PARK OR THAT NEIGHBORHOOD you will get jumped by a group of black people it happened to me even if you are hispanic they will still jump you.

[slade90210]

wow. never say black. it's just not right. it shows that you're ignorant..

[Beholdendamage]

How is it not right can u please explain that to me.

[MachineGunClarke199]

I live in springfield, behind the eastfield mall

[tailgunner2]

You poor....poor bastard. I live up by WNEC. Working class neighborhood, but some bastard had the balls to go into my backyard and steal my propane tank out of my gas grill.

As for the video, if Lyman street is the armpit, Central street (By Dunkin Donuts) must be the "ass".

[davidinellicott]

I grew up in Wilbraham, MA (borders Springfield) for 25 years. Springfield was my nightlife and some really great restuarants like The Fort. Unfortuneatly, Boston sucked the financial life out of it and "trash" moved in. So many beautiful homes ruined by the poverty that set in. No one seems to care about western MA and that is why I left. Springfield, I loved you but you need to get those corrupt politians out and start rebuilding.

[apollo100]

I lived in Springfield, on Lyman next to the Amtrak station, and it was SCARY. My apartment building was nice at first (Morgan Square) but then they sold the building, and they started being less discriminatory about who they let live there, including section 8 and obvious low lifes. Bums in the foyer, murders down the street, I was like WTF I'm not paying $700 a month for this, and I moved to East Windsor. Never been happier!! It's sad, because Spfld has some really nice areas.

[DrLepper]

Springfield is a lawyer's wet dream.

[macdog0000000]

And another thing there is TOO MUCH murder,fires,cars getting stolen,house invasions and all that stuff, when I go to Downtown Springfield I carry my aluminum bat and my pistol in my pocket I park my mom's car where it cant be seen because she got a mercedes for her bithday also places get closed down like Papa John's closed like 2 months ago

[macdog0000000]

I HATE Springfield,Mass the only reason im living here because my dad got a promotion to Springfield from North Carolina.When I turn 18 im moving back North Carolina and going to college cause im sick of it here but the good thing is that i live in the suburbs

[tailgunner2]

Smart man. I live up by WNEC, and yes, I too would like to get the hell out.

[kylebook]

Sorry to hear that. I attende WNEC for 2 years: 1981 - 1983. The neighborhood around the college was very nice at that time. What the hell happened to Springfield? I live in the NYC area at this time, but grew up in Enfield, CT.

[tailgunner2]

Well, the WNEC area is still a bit decent, mostly working class folks like myself. As for Springfield as a whole, alot of the decent jobs left the area. However, there are initiatives in place to bring in businesses, like a biotech lab, a data recovery center, and IBM is moving in. Hopefully it pans out, but all three requires business loans, so it's a bit scary.

[acealban]

Springfeils isnt all to bad..except for downtown but still...theres worse...

[KButter103]

If you really cared, you would've put the time it took to make these videos into cleaning up the city. that would've really showed that you care. But some people just like to complain, as noted above.

[tataman91]

wow he really missed a lot of bad parts of springfield he didnt go anywhere near the hood so he just showed the good bad parts that no one cares about he didnt actually show the real bad parts and trust me i know i live on Sherman off a Bay street and that neigherborhood is like destroyed

[er3L]

@tataman91 cities are judged on their downtown/commercial appeal since residential areas' upkeep depends on the residents. i think the point was to show how even though some businesses work hard to keep up their properties, the positive effect is blunted by the blight next door. on the maple st corner (last) the contrast is even greater when you look in the other direction at the gorgeous property of the macduffie private school.

[RetroGirl85]

these are actually all of the bad parts of springfield.. there arent many good parts left.

[jennyboom]

My mom grew up on the North End.. Right on bhe border of Chicopee and the river. Last time i was home the factories were being converted into medical labs and building. Not bad looking.. but i was surprised now built any restaurants or sandwhich shops.. It used to be a French neighborhood.. then the hispanic migration (my family included) kind of contributed to "White Flight".. Needless to say.. my parents preferred the irish staying.. kept the property value up.

[JudgeMAGiC]

Well, I live in Boston (Cambridge) and one of my coworkers told me about Springfield. The vid has lots of common with what I was told.. "Springfield is garbage now!".. Don't get me wrong, that's what this dude told me and by watching this vid, I don't think he's wrong neither..

[Tekirai]

omg i used to live there now its gone to the dogs but wouldnt mind going back to see family >,>

[tinglepigstickprod]

i grew up there. is lyman st still a hooker strip??

[WDusty]

No, they cleaned out that street a while ago. The hookers are found largely in the South End/belmont Avenue area nowadays.

[Tekirai]

now way your JOKING!!! i used to live not that far from there!!

[matteotti9matteotti]

the one in union street

[matteotti9matteotti]

hey that's my uncle's building, in fact i keep it clean!

[lustgun]

that corner of chestnut is were my mom works there s homeless shelter right nextdorr its sketch at fuck and the fucked up building u see yeah well homeless people go in and out of there so they can fucking shoot up heroin and smoke crack shits fucked

[ethnicreign]

funny you stopped at that corner on maple street and didnt continue up the block to see the old mansions still in tact and one of the nations best private schools which was right across the street if you turned around. the view changes DRASTICALLY. there are many issues affecting the city. go do a video on that and interview those people that live in those conditions you showcase and see how they feel. video entitled "the good and bad..." go show some good.

[WDusty]

I live in the exact same neighborhood I took the video from, ethnicreign. Save your preaching for the out-of-towners. The view changing *drastically* depending on the street corner is exactly the point of the videos.

[ethnicreign]

and you didnt make that point clear then. i live there too and i teach in that neighborhood. no one was preaching. so dont take it personally. this is a small part of the city and that is MY point. dont like criticism, dont post a vid!

[34chan]

But, if you don't like a video, don't comment on it. No one is begging for your opinion.

[ethnicreign]

ummm. comment sections are for comments. no one begged for your opinion either. and no one was talking to you. save your responses cuz I'm not interested. I been moved on from this and so should you. i have other things to do.

[ethnicreign]

just about every city's downtown area is messed up. springfield has really nice sections around forest park, 16 acres & east spfld. all of those properties in the video are in the same damn zip code for the most part. spfld has failed because of the people that own dntwn and run it, political BS. yes the economy is messed up, but its not the fault of the ppl that live in these areas.

[kevythedevil]

Hey, I know this is a late reply but I just found this thread. I live in the greater Springfield area, and I have something to say. I disagree with you when you say that the people who live in these areas have no responsibility for the appearance or what happens there. Of course they do. Alot of dealers reside in that city.And alot of the people who live in those areas are content with subsidized benefits,when they should be trying their best to get out on their own, Independently. Housecats.

[katamarigirl93]

I was born here but I live in the western US now. I visited Springfield last summer with my parents because they wanted to see it again. It was nice to see where I was born and all, but it was sad to see that both Springfield and Holyoke, where my Dad grew up, aren't exactly pretty anymore.

[Lysander1941]

what happened to Springfield.  So many great buildings have decayed.

[pirog02]

u should make a part 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

indian orchard,worcestor street,

stjames,page blvd,carew,

wilbraham rd,boston road,state st

riverdale rd

plainfield,

south end,belmont ave,pine point

the x,forest park,bicentenial high way

u did a good job im from the field love seeing video of it so keep up the great work bro

[9OzShoe]

i miss going to springfield to get my 'stuff'... good times!

[Godcorpusa]

Just for the record, Springfield always had it's problems. This city has always been racialy superioristic to minorities. A few teachers in school would say some very racist remarks. Remember a high school athlete at tech, my school, being murdered for being in hungry hill. Obviously Springfield is made up of mostly low income families now, but don't tell me it was heaven before.We were kicked out of forest park swim. pool as kids, and I knew weren't swearing and doing the things white kids were

[WDusty]

Hi,

I'm sure Springfield - as all cities - had its share of problems. I didn't grow up in the city, so I don't have any personal experiences growing up here. What I can say, based on economic demographics, is that Springfield was far more prosperous in its past than it is at this point in time. That's not the fault of any given racial or ethnic demogrpahic, it's the fault of repeated failed economic and social policies through the past thirty or fourty years.

[sk8t3rTr3y]

wow i live in hear lolz springfield is massive gay! i cant wait to move

[analiseLOVESmusic]

haha, did u know springfield is the 16th most dangerous city in the u.s? i live right outside of springfield, and im dead afraid of it. lol

[WDusty]

Dang.

[KnackeredSpring]

I'm a cop in it and *I'm* afraid of it! HAHA

[VileRiley]

This place makes Lowell look pretty.

[shxo87]

boy do we need change! big time!

[soto0138]

wonder why u didnt walk down central st into south end with the cam u actually showed the good parts of spfld fukin punk try camin in north end or south

[busterbone]

What's going on at "The X" these days? I remember old The Bing theatre several years ago when I lived there (Sumner Ave. and Dickinson St.- I think).

[LoveoldhousesinSpfd]

Tag every derelict building for violations, give them a strict timetable to clean up their act. After the deadline, take back the buildings, offer them up for sale to qualified buyers or tear them down for scrap (unless they are historic buildings). I have a very low tolerance for blight and Springfield is too full of it. There should be NO laws that allow the burned down hulk of a building like the Mosque to still stand, three years after it burned.

[LoveoldhousesinSpfd]

ou are dead on correct about the abandoned properties in Spfd. I live here and although the Mayor is taking down a lot of these buildings, there should be STRICT laws WITH TEETH about derelict buildings. I am sure many of these buildings are delinquent in their taxes and I don't care who you are, if you can't maintain your building, you should lose it!

[WDusty]

I don't know why these people even own their houses. They're vacant, no income, why not just sell and move on.

[SkyDragonVids]

Springfield needs work and people to buy and improve the abandoned properties.

[necropolic666]

The church at the end of the video is high street, i used to live there 1983-1990. that street was real bad not good for ppl to live in those days, people tell me the place is still bad. I used to live at 90 high st. alot of bad things happen there you name it i bet you it happen.

[PegInFlorida]

Well done video. Very informative. I enjoyed it very much. Have not been back in years. Thanks!!!

[jballer1291]

i was born and raised in springfield... and i dont think its not that bad....there crime and bad areas everywhere...i moved to GA....and trust me its much worse...i love Springfield

[burbank]

This is disgusting and sad. Those areas used to be fine properties and seieng them decayed reminds me of the South Bronx in the late 1970s early 1980s.

[Kelleigh74]

I visit there at least once a month for business, and I have to say I keep my car doors locked the whole time.

[koalin1234]

springfield is actually quite nice.

[bobbyboy690]

why dont you show places like mason square and the corner of main and caroo

[WDusty]

I'll get to those places eventually.

[WDusty]

I did do a drive thru of Eastern Ave, actually.

[morgandnae]

hello! i am currently living in Indianapolis, my husband is from springfield. We are planning on moving there at the end of the summer..i have to say your video is eye opening, but also makes me feel better to know that i have seen all this before in Indy and i wont have any kind of culture shock moving there! thank you so much!

[WDusty]

There's plenty of nice places in Springfield, too ;-) You're going to love Forest Park, our museums, and we've got a Six Flags amusement park just over the river.

[ryandiaz]

dont worry about moving to spfld, he showed a lot of the ugly places but there are a lot of good places. can anyone say Sixteen Acres? hahah

[snog]

thankyou for filming some of the seamy underbelly of my home town. it well portrays the ghetto aspect of its inner city.

i live on avon place, which is right across from Colony Court'. a jewel of a place in the midst of a trash heap, indeed.

nice pan of the downtown area, btw, from the baystate medical building office[my pcp works there].

[WDusty]

Ha! Thanks!

[jfountain2]

I just wanted to you're a funny guy!

[bstateob]

Heartbreaking - it used to be the heart of town!