The Greenfield Public Library was originally the Levitt-Hovey house, designed in 1797 by Asher Benjamin, one of the original architects of post Revolutionary American style. It was originally a private home, and was bought by the (then) Town of Greenfield in 1909 to serve as the public library. I love the building and have very fond memories of spending time there growing up, but the building has access issues. Greenfield found Commonwealth money to build a new Library, but it meant the Fire Department next door would need to be knocked down and rebuilt elsewhere, on property the City would also have to buy. Cue taxpayer rage, and passive-aggressive comments from the Police Department about not getting a new station.

I'm a third generation Greenfieldian, although I left after high school. I've lived in Boston near Mass/Cass for over 30 years, so there's pretty much no place in Greenfield that I personally would call rough.

Housing is much more affordable there than out here - I sold my mother's house near the high school for ~$120 a square foot. In Watertown the average is $491. Downtown has seen better days, but there are still some excellent restaurants: People's Pint, Hope and Olive and Magpie, Mesa Verde, and although it may not look like it from the outside, China Gourmet is a decent Chinese and Sushi place. Village Pizza is a local institution, although the family who owns it just sold it, so people are holding their breath to see how it turns out.

It’s very controversial, but the city is getting a new library and a new fire station. Along with the new courthouse extension, Amtrak station and high school, the city has been using state and federal money to upgrade aging infrastructure. Some people like that, some people don’t. Greenfield has the only hospital in Franklin County and the Community College, two somewhat recession proof employers. The Greenfield Recorder is one of the oldest newspapers in the country, part of the group that owns the Hampshire Gazette in Northampton. I think most subscribers are just interested in finding out if their neighbors are in the Police Log - I know I am. The city also has a municipal wi-fi infrastructure, although I’ve never used it.

If you want a more nuanced insight into Greenfield’s heroin problem, find the Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown Season 4 Episode 7 “Massachusetts”. It starts out in Provincetown, but then heads to Greenfield to interview a cross section of people involved in the heroin epidemic. I thought it was well done, but it was made in 2014, so it’s a bit dated.

So, I’m pretty pro-Greenfield. I say go for it!