Moving back to Boston area (Lynn, Andover: middle school, utilities, live in)

[Lauren]

Hi, I'm originally from the Boston area. I married and have lived away since 1991. We have the opportunity to move back and are currently looking at the following cities (Lynnfield, Topsfield, Andover, Georgetown, Newburyport, Danvers and North Reading) and I would appreciate any advice or opinions on these towns.

I know the Andover, Lynnfield and Masco school systems are highly rated, but I don't know anything about Newburyport, Georgetown, Danvers and North Reading. I would love to get some information on these school systems. How old are there middle and high schools? Does the middle school offer any after-school program for working parents?

What amount would you say monthly utilities will cost on a 2500 sq. ft. house? What could I expect an overall yearly heating cost to be for oil vs. gas?

I currently live in the South, so I am out of touch with such costs.

Also, what will the commute time be from these cities into the airport?

Thank you for any information you can give me.

[4acadia]

Hi Lauren,
I'm not from the area so may have little to offer in way of facts, but I thought I'd share my impressions after a visit this past week. I live in Nashville, TN and am from FL...we're looking to relocate as well and looked in Newburyport, Portsmouth and York, ME. I loved Newburyport.

Pros to me: great downtown area - big, beautifully done, lots of shops and restaurants...had a very family-friendly feel (meaning...easy to spend time downtown and feel safe, walking around, near the water, lots of parks - at NO time on the entire trip did we drive through an area that we felt the least bit unsafe)...just plain beautiful even on the outskirts, near the state park...there was a great pond in town that they say people ice skate on in winter...all schools seemd in easy walking distance from town, from most areas...and of course, the beach is close....oh, and every person I met said they loved the area and all were very friendly - that was impressive to me, that people loved where they lived.

cons: expensive..I didn't see a lot of people out running or biking (which we love to do), and I'm not sure if that's typical or just not the thing to do in the area.

Of course I only had a couple days, but I was impressed.

Good luck...let us know what you decide!

[Miker2069]

Originally Posted by Lauren

Hi, I'm originally from the Boston area. I married and have lived away since 1991. We have the opportunity to move back and are currently looking at the following cities (Lynnfield, Topsfield, Andover, Georgetown, Newburyport, Danvers and North Reading) and I would appreciate any advice or opinions on these towns.

I know the Andover, Lynnfield and Masco school systems are highly rated, but I don't know anything about Newburyport, Georgetown, Danvers and North Reading. I would love to get some information on these school systems. How old are there middle and high schools? Does the middle school offer any after-school program for working parents?

What amount would you say monthly utilities will cost on a 2500 sq. ft. house? What could I expect an overall yearly heating cost to be for oil vs. gas?

I currently live in the South, so I am out of touch with such costs.

Also, what will the commute time be from these cities into the airport?

Thank you for any information you can give me.

Home heating is about $2.50/gallon now. Even though gas prices have dropped, the oil companies say they bought when it was high so they can't lower the rate. A wild guess would be $300/mo- it's a wild wild guess. Commute time is generally based off proximity to I-95/93/495. In Andover if you live 5 minutes from the highway then it's not to bad (maybe about 30 minutes to the airport), if it takes you 20 minutes just to get to the highway then it will take you that much longer.