It took them like 30 years to add a few stops to a Green Line extension.

There is no political will at the state or federal level to build out a robust commuter train based infrastructure. I would love it if they did but it's just not a priority.

Yeah, the entire state has seen quite a bit of appreciation in the past five years. Even out there. I have most of my family in that area and it's tough for the younger generation to find anything reasonably affordable without breaking the bank.

I wouldn't expect a huge influx of people into Springfield or Palmer (where the two major stops would be) for commuting opportunities into Boston unless it can get them there in a half hour or less. There will be some but not many.

I have seen something else happening though - a lot of Boston based companies have opened up office space in Worcester, which allows them to tap into people that live in the Springfield area. It seems that the companies are making themselves more accessible to more employees probably as a need - they are realizing that they don't pay enough for people to live in the Boston area.

I'm not holding my breath for that East-West rail. It will need to be a high speed rail line to make it effective for commuting from Western Mass and I don't see that happening any time soon.

I almost moved to the Springfield area five years ago after being in Boston for a long time but chose Worcester instead. Back then housing costs were roughly the same for Worcester and the Springfield area for starter homes. Since then, there seems to be a much wider gap.

The state seems to think that this rail line will somehow open Eastern Mass up to commuters from west of Worcester, but I think this is just another instance of Beacon Hill being so oblivious to the needs of Western Mass. If you're living out there, you're far more likely to take a job in that area or in the Hartford, CT area. That area is more closely tied to CT than it is to Boston.

It's safe as any other urban area. There are tons of younger people that live downtown and within the Canal District.

Probably downtown or the Canal District. Are you looking for a condo/apartment?

You can find a cool little loft space or a newer/renovated building in these places. If the WPI area is not lively enough, I don't see any other areas that will fit your needs.