Two Bay State Cities Have Been Deemed "Underrated"

The definition of "underrated": Not rated or valued highly enough. that best describes a pair of cities located in the Bay State's Pioneer Valley. A recent poll by CNN is NOT in agreement with the local public and it's surrounding areas, but we won't keep you in suspense much longer. Drum roll, please: The two cities we are referring to are located east of the Berkshires, Springfield and Northampton. Both vicinities have a bevy of places to visit which can constitute a perfect day trip or weekend getaway.

Let's start with Springfield: This city's biggest draw is The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame which has moved to a bigger location and has a plethora of history regarding life on the hardwood. The game was first played here back in 1891 and features NBA and player memorabilia and the addition of a full-court gym.

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You can also catch a Springfield Thunderbirds AHL hockey game at The Mass Mutual Center or try your luck at MGM Springfield which has been an economic engine since it's opening 4 years ago.

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Dr. Seuss is a Springfield native. Theodore Geisel has favored all ages with his children's books and families can stop by and pay a visit to The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum and Sculpture Garden on Edwards Street. The city is celebrating a year long "Seuss-iversary" where you can relive those precious moments of his work with a bevy of fantastic creatures from the past and present as some of his work has just been unveiled with audience participation as he has been a beacon for those who entertain and educate the reading public.

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Northampton is located north of Springfield via a quick trip at I-91. The city has been deemed a crossroads destination as it's highlight stop is The New England Trail. Pack your patience as this area is congested with year round traffic with an assortment of "mom and pop shops" and a variety of restaurants to satisfy your appetite. The population of 30 thousand also encompasses a very robust college crowd. It is also home to Smith College. Our 30th President, Calvin Coolidge also served as Mayor for 2 years before embarking to The White House. A historical stop-over for sure!

BOTTOM LINE: Make some time and check out what these two cities have to offer. You'll be glad you did!

(Some information obtained in this article courtesy of www.masslive.com and Wikipedia)

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.