You are correct that Springfield MA has problems typical of an urban area with shrinking employment and liberal government.
The Springfield Armory is open as a National Historical Site and a visit is well worth the time if you are in Western Massachusetts.
If you go to the Springfield Armory you should also check out the basketball hall of fame. It’s where basketball invented. In the first game between the faculty and students at Springfield College the high scorer was Amos Alonzo Stagg. He was the all-time athlete at Yale and was the University of Chicago coach for decades. He also invented the batting cage, and many football plays including the forward pass, the Statue of Liberty and the fumbleruscki - whatever that was. While you are there you can also go to the Dr. Seuss sculpture garden. Dr. Suess grew up on Mulberry St. and later wrote “To think I saw it on Mulberry Street.”