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MIDDLEFIELD INFO
A few observations and a repository of information for a small town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Property and the Town’s Future
The area at one time had massive paper mills using the abundant local water resources. Gone now. Tourism was once a life blood supporting local shops and tourist facilities. Mostly gone now - with the Route 7 shops migrated to the internet and climate change greatly disrupting the foliage and ski seasons. The massive Pittsfield and North Adams electric component factories, that once employed thousands, are a dim memory. In 1950 the town had 2 local schools, 2 stores and regular train service. A paper mill offered local employment in Bancroft. A railroad section crew lived in town. In 2000 we had one struggling store, a still vibrant church and a grange. There were catholic churches in nearby towns. In 2024 all that is left is the town agricultural fair that struggles to survive with agriculture gone missing in the hilltowns. We do have seemingly thousands of TV channels on our new high-speed internet. Prior to 2008 we had on average 4 new homes built each year. Since 2008 (16 years) there have been 8 new homes constructed, 3 homes demolished and another 3 awaiting demolition. That is about net zero homes per year. My home’s appraised fair value has risen 27% in 20 years. Inflation has climbed 61%. That gives an investment loss of $70k on a $200k initial investment. This is typical of the entire town and one of the main reasons for the lack of new home construction. Very few real estate agents will steer clients to Middlefield given our poor investment climate and latest 22% tax increase - and the future instability that infers. There are probably 15 school age children in town. We spend about $29k per year per student for a second-rate education. UMass with full room and board would be cheaper. Middlefield must be a difficult place for children and teenagers who must spend an hour or three a day riding the bus. A local school was always a magnet for extra-curricular doings that provided social connectivity. Regional schools are too distant to provide that connection. Today it is the cell phone and the electronic sewer called the internet providing the social setting. We never had mass shootings by angry teenagers before the cell phone era. Even though 50% of the town consists of seniors over 60, it would be insane to build senior housing here. There are no stores, no doctors and no regular transportation. We are 20 miles away from everything.
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