Melrose, MA (Boston, Lowell, Lynn: real estate, house, landscaping)

[alexandva]

Ok, so what's the deal with Melrose? I've found real estate prices listed on-line to be reasonable for homes in Melrose - compared to surrounding areas. But I don't see any mention of it these postings. Can anyone enlighten me?....

My wife and I are considering moving our young family (3yo and 6 yo) from the DC metro area (Alexandria, VA) to the Boston metro area to be closer to family (RI, CT, NY) in June, 2008. We like our current close-in location to the District, and would hope to find something similar in Boston (inside the "beltway.") I'm not surprised by the housing prices I see in Brookline, et al. Prices here are at a premium also. But I'm hoping we can find an 1800 SF single family home for around 500K in an area with good schools, racial and ethinic diversity, good restaurants, etc. That is, a small town with town center, yet 8 to 10 miles outside the Hub (?). The Highland of Melrose seems like it offers some of these things - on paper at least. What have you heard about its schools, town, etc?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks.

[CaseyB]

Here's an earlier thread where someone had questions about Melrose:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/massa...9-melrose.html

Hope this helps a little.

[alexandva]

Thanks, Casey B. That was helpful and a little confusing at the same time.

[ChunkyMonkey]

Melrose itself is not terribly diverse in terms of race. However it is near Malden which is extremely diverse. I live in Malden and love the fact that in my child's school, students are from over 80 countries. Unfortunately, some people often equate diversity with being bad simply because of income inequity from newly arrived immigrants. This proximity to Malden is probably why Melrose is more affordable than communities out west, which are even less diverse. The nice thing about Melrose is the excellent public transport to Boston. It is near the Oak Grove T station and also has 2 commuter rail stations. It is also has beautiful nature in its proximity to Middlesex Fells Reservation. It is extremely safe community and has a beautiful downtown with quaint shops and restaurants.

Certain parts of Melrose have drainage issues and often flood when there are unusually heavy rains. The highlands area should not be a problem.

[AnnPedi614]

I lived the first 6 years of my life in Melrose. Not in the Highlands but close to it and even closer to the Wakefield border. Melrose is a nice small city close to Boston, but I would prefer to be a little further out. Don't get me wrong I loved our old neighborhood and my parents still are friends with our old neighbors 30 years later.....But after Melrose we moved to Lynnfield because at the time Melrose schools were terrible, and I still Love driving through Lynnfield, though it doesn't have the downtown area you are looking for and Melrose definately does. Lots of shops and restaurants up and down Main St. with trees and places to sit. In fact my brother designed the downtown landscaping and signage about 20 years ago, maybe more. Most of the signs are wooden and it is just quiant.

[AnnPedi614]

Originally Posted by alexandva

Ok, so what's the deal with Melrose? I've found real estate prices listed on-line to be reasonable for homes in Melrose - compared to surrounding areas. But I don't see any mention of it these postings. Can anyone enlighten me?....

My wife and I are considering moving our young family (3yo and 6 yo) from the DC metro area (Alexandria, VA) to the Boston metro area to be closer to family (RI, CT, NY) in June, 2008. We like our current close-in location to the District, and would hope to find something similar in Boston (inside the "beltway.") I'm not surprised by the housing prices I see in Brookline, et al. Prices here are at a premium also. But I'm hoping we can find an 1800 SF single family home for around 500K in an area with good schools, racial and ethinic diversity, good restaurants, etc. That is, a small town with town center, yet 8 to 10 miles outside the Hub (?). The Highland of Melrose seems like it offers some of these things - on paper at least. What have you heard about its schools, town, etc?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks.

With what you can spend you should also look in Beverly, it is on the commuter rail and is a nice town, a little further out but if you are looking to take the train into town it is definately do-able.
I do like Melrose and Wakefield, the town centers are cute. I moved from Melrose to Lynnfield when I was 6 but we still went to Melrose a lot as a few of my brothers lived there and we had to go through Melrose on Sundays to get to my Grandmothers in Medford.
With your budget you could also look into Lynnfield which I think is a wonderful town with great schools.

[alexandva]

Thanks ChunkyMonkey, AnnePedi614, and CaseyB. This has been very helpful. Melrose is beginning to sound similar to Alexandria in many categories, which is a good thing.

I like the notion of being close to the city and having easy access to the M. Fells Reservation. Using MFR as a central point, I looked into real estate prices in the surrounding areas. And now I'm wondering if you or others out there could maybe give me a little more insight into the reputation of the public school systems in Melrose, Medford, Stoneham, Woburn, Winchester, Medford, et al in the area.

Any first hand knowledge would be helpful, as well as what the word on the street happens to be. What do you hear or know about these towns in general?

Thanks again. I appreciate your help as we continue our efforts to get back up North.

[whinton]

Winchester has exceptional schools, very nice town center with commuter rail, but the prices are probably the highest of the towns you mentioned.

[Sophana]

I have friends who just sold their house in Melrose for $625,000, the asking price. In a bad market that's very good, but it was a beautifully restored Victorian home. There's little racial/ethnic diversity in Melrose. It's mostly white until you get closer to Malden. (Melrose is dry by the way. No liquor stores). Melrose Highlands is residential.

The town center is in Melrose itself. It's a cute kind of town, on the high end financially. It's cheaper in the Wyoming area. There are good restaurants and shopping on Main Street, and they have a great library. One of the nicest aspects of Melrose is its transportation. The bus runs frequently through the town from the Oak Grove stop at the Orange Line, and the Haverhill/Reading commuter train makes three stops at Wyoming Hill, Melrose/Cedar Park, and Melrose Highlands. The town is popular for that reason.

I know little about the school system because my friends there schooled their children elsewhere. It's a safe, clean community, certainly a very good town to raise children in.

I agree with the last post, that Winchester would be an exceptional town to live in. It has a splendid common surrounded by many restaurants and stores. It's quite beautiful, but of all the towns in that area it surely must be the most expensive. To reach Winchester you would need the Lowell commuter line, which does not stop in Melrose.

[alexandva]

Sophana:
Thanks. That is helpful information. I've had several others tell me the same about Winchester. The towns in the immediate vicinty of the Fells Reservation all seem to comand a highr real estate dollar.

I wonder what your friends may have heard about the Melrose school system while living in the area. What was their opinion about the town? I wolud love to get their opinion if you happen to talk to them sometime.

Thanks again.