Beyond Red & Blue

Forbes.com slaps Springfield, Mass. as "dying city"

 

The website names it as one of "America's Fastest-Dying Cities," along with Buffalo, Detroit, and Cleveland. Springfield is the only entry east of Scranton, Pennsylvania.(Full story here.) At least Forbes notes Springfield's rebranding as part of a "knowledge corridor."

UPDATE: Pioneer Valley Central's Mike Dobbs says Forbes isn't interested in "the whole story." Mass.Live.com's Bill Peters points out that Springfield was recently named America's ninth best "dating scene," and that Forbes has sent mixed messages by putting a few of its "dying cities" on its list of "best cities for commuters."

See CommonWealth magazine's cover story on Springfield from 2004 and MassINC's "Gateway Cities" profile of the community.

Worcester scoffs at Worcestershire sauce

The Daily Worcesteria reports on a kerfuffle over which Worcester (ours or England's) should be listed first on Wikipedia. If it's any consolation, when you search for "Wormtown" on Wikipedia, the first thing listed is city nicknames in Massachusetts.

Our advocate for Gateway Cities

The Berkshire Eagle has a great profile of MassINC's executive vice president, John Schneider, a Pittsfield native (and current Lowell resident) who is one of the chief driving forces behind the Gateway Cities initiative.