Williamstown/North Adams on Forbes List

Williamstown (and its neighbor North Adams) regularly are underrated as a location to spend four years. So it was pretty cool to see the region recognized on this list. North Adams in particular is poised to explode over the next 5-7 years. In addition to Tourists (which looks amazing), two more boutique hotels are in development in North Adams, and there are plans for a distillery and as many as 5 new museums coming to town, with the most promient (the Krens-developed model railroad museum) poised to likely break ground in 2021. Lots more shops, galleries, and restaurants are sure to follow. And more and more of the old mill buildings in North Adams are being converted to really cool entrepreneurial and artistic uses.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2018/12/06/where-to-go-next-best-places-us-travel-2019/#7c7563e86928

Thanks for posting @Ephman. Completely agree that the northwest corner of Massachusetts is indeed undergoing a renaissance. Nice to see it listed among travel favorites like Santa Fe and Charleston.

And remember, in addition to the new boutique hotels in North Adams, the new Williams Inn will be at the bottom of Spring Street next year. I was delighted to see the Log has re-opened after a nice renovation. And the Clark is one of the best museums with French impressionist paintings in the country.

Agree. North Adams is a cool little town

I really hope the planned development in North Adams creates some decent-paying, stable jobs for the local community but I’m not optimistic. MassMOCA was supposed to and didn’t. I fear rapid gentrification that shuts long-time residents out of the housing market.