Greenfield is fine. Heroin is a huge problem in western mass, but really no worse than anywhere else in Mass. Personally, I don’t love Greenfield because it feels out in the middle of nowhere. I prefer Holyoke and it’s central location. We don’t live in Holyoke anymore but that was because our house needed to be de-leaded for children to live there and we wouldn’t have been able to make that cost back. Any city has run down areas.

Amherst isn’t comparable to anywhere else. It’s a weird little bubble, and honestly only worth the high housing cost and taxes if you have school aged kids that will benefit from the school system.

Hatfield is kinda a good compromise town close to northampton but more rural, but housing prices have gone way up in recent years.

Honestly though, if you don’t seek out trouble you’ll be fine. Also, honestly, in this day and age everyone should carry Narcan, it’s free and you could save a life.