Moving to MA suburbs, south of Boston (Quincy, Newton: home, to buy)

[victorma]

I was told that people in MA are not as friendly as in north Jersey where I am living in right now. Is that true?

I have accepted a job near Rockland, MA, I would like to buy a home around 400-500k in a place where social life and suburbs could be combined.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Victor

[ontheroad]

People in Massachusetts are as friendly as anywhere else, I'd reckon--friendly than others

Check out some of the other posts to see some good suggestions about towns around the Boston area. I believe I saw several great ideas, like the South Shore, Needham, and others.

Here's a link to the south shore communities. Many of these are quite splendid.

http://www.southshorechamber.com/communities/links.htm

[Parsec]

Oh wow, I didn't notice you were working in Rockland, MA. I thought you said in another post you were working near Brookline, which isn't really that close. I don't know much about the Southern suburbs, but I do know they have the best commuter rail (breaks down less than the other lines, it's newer and it's undergoing improvements and extensions right now). If I were you, I would target the towns between Boston and Rockland, since traffic heading away from the city is virtually nonexistant during rush hour.

Our newly elected governor lives in Milton, so if it's good enough for him, maybe you should give it a look

[surfingatwork]

Originally Posted by victorma

I was told that people in MA are not as friendly as in north Jersey where I am living in right now. Is that true?

I have accepted a job near Rockland, MA, I would like to buy a home around 400-500k in a place where social life and suburbs could be combined.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Victor

I wouldn't say we're ALL not friendly. I'm from southeastern mass and think the people in my town are very friendly but if you're looking for social life it's not the town for you (close to social life but no real social life in town). Some nice towns in that area are: pembroke, marshfield, hanover then further south is plymouth (good social life) or you could go a little north and try braintree, weymouth or hingham.

[JustAroundTheBend]

Hello Victorma! I have been living on the South Shore of Boston all my life. My parents came from New York and Pennsylvania, and we spent a lot of time in New Jersey too! While I would have to agree that Massachusetts in general is not the friendliest place to live,especially in comparison to Jersey, it does have a lot to offer that you might not find elsewhere. (Sometimes I think it's the weather that determines friendliness!) It's funny that you're moving near Rockland, as we are in the process of selling our home in Rockland! We are moving to another town because we want a larger home.

Anyway...your experience here will depend on how active you are with clubs, sports, other activities, etc. I find that even though a lot of people here are sort of shy and tend to stay within their "comfort zone" of being with people they grew up with, it will depend on where you do your socializing. Certain towns are friendlier than others -- Marshfield, for example. Sometimes I think it has to do with how family-oriented the people are. You didn't mention if you are married with children. The family-based activities such as church/synagogue attendance, Hockey, Little League, etc., tend to bring out a friendly atmosphere.

I also would have to say, and hopefully I don't sound like a snob, a town that has a majority of people living there above the average income bracket, may have more available activities, chances to socialize, etc., and the ability to meet people you have a lot more in common with. I can't say for sure which towns have that -- I think you will have to do some type of research.

Well, I guess I've gone on long enough. I wish you the best of luck in your search and hope you can settle into a place that will feel "close to your Jersey home" for you!

[Biscuits&Gravy]

Hi, I am from Rockland, MA and currently live in Weymouth,MA. I personally wouldn't recommend MA to anyone, but if you have to live on the South Shore while working in the city, I would stick around Milton, Braintree or Hingham areas. The commute is hell both ways every day, so keep that in mind as you look further south. I have commuted to Boston from Hanson, Rockland and Weymouth daily for the last 7 years and it's no picnic. The commuter rail is packed tight, the highway is worse and the only rules of the road is "every man for himself" there is NO traffic law enforcement. Driving or taking the train from Hanson can take anywhere from 45min to 1 and 1/2 hours. People are not neccesarily unfriendly, but it is a culture of sarcasm and bluntness that comes off as quite rude and unfriendly to most outsiders.
Anyhow, there are some really nice nieghborhoods in the Milton, Braintree or Hingham areas if you have the dough and the commute from these areas would be a bit more bearable.

[kaioak36]

Just don't live in Rockland. It's not a nice town and your property values won't hold is well than they would in other neighboring towns. If you don't want a long commute but want a nice town, try Norwell or Hanover. You can always clearly tell the difference when you cross the Rockland/Hanover line. It's another world.

[clevedark]

We moved from North Jersey to the South Shore. We moved from South Orange NJ to Cohasset, threw up our hands in disgust five years later and moved to Brookline where we are very happy now.

As one Jersey person to another, I suggest skipping the south shore entirely and concentrate on areas closer to Boston. Milton, Brookline, Dedham, Newton, I'm sure there are others. There are lots of different kinds of people from all over the place (maybe Milton and Dedham are more local, but the people I know who live there are curious, open minded and generally with it), people are looking to expand their social circles, there are good restaurants, you won't have to drive for a half hour to get to the YMCA, the commute to Rockland will be ridiculously easy.

[DeeLaP]

Quincy is nice. I live in the Wollaston area of Quincy and am glad to live here (after living in Boston itself for a few years) until I'm able to get out of the north entirely. If it wasn't for this area outside of the City of Boston itself I think I'd go nuts! People are FAR MORE down to earth, not concerned about style and are more family oriented here. I don't know Rockland and I don't know you but I do know there are a couple of good churches there (if you're interested in going to church).

[Suericio]

Originally Posted by DeeLaP

Quincy is nice. I live in the Wollaston area of Quincy and am glad to live here (after living in Boston itself for a few years) until I'm able to get out of the north entirely. If it wasn't for this area outside of the City of Boston itself I think I'd go nuts! People are FAR MORE down to earth, not concerned about style and are more family oriented here. I don't know Rockland and I don't know you but I do know there are a couple of good churches there (if you're interested in going to church).

---i think quincy would also be a good choice