new job in Mansfield (Boston, Newton: apartment complexes, to rent, crime)

[Sahri]

My husband has a new job in Mansfield. We are moving up from Metro NYC. We have 7th grade and 9th grade daughters and a college son. We are looking for a town...with a real town center. I am worried that my son will not want to come home since he will have no ties to the new location. Thinking about a house on the cape because it is more of a destination draw for freinds and family. Any suggestions?

[jlyang]

Hi,
The Cape is probably too far a commute to Mansfield with traffic; I would be concerned about that commute.

Needham has a great town center and is a fantastic place to raise a family, and it has top schools too. People there are very friendly. It's probably a 25-30 minute commute to Mansfield since both are off of I-95. Houses in Needham are extremely expensive though.
I've not spent time in Mansfield itself but people say that it also has a good town center too.

[tchr]

I-495 from Mansfield to the Cape does not have a lot of traffic. Also, it is three lanes on I-495. Kind of like an outer beltway. Would just consider the distance to the Cape - if it is OK with you.

During summer months, maybe different traffic problems approaching the bridges on and off the Cape with beachgoers and tourists. Don't really know if it affects commuting hours during the week in the Summer. Weekends day not so good.

Certainly there is traffic between Mansfield and Needham. I believe traffic slows down sometimes going north in the morning on I-95, but would guess a reverse commute from Needham to Mansfield going south on I-95 would do better. Keep in mind, more people commuting from RI north into MA in the AM for work.

[findingmesomeday]

School systems on the Cape are not as great as closer to the Boston metro area.

Mansfield district is not terrible but you could probably do better, depending on your housing budget. They do take their sports seriously in Mansfield though...

Westwood is not a bad commute to Mansfield and it has an excellent school district.

[ddmne]

I grew up in Mansfield and would highly recommend it. The town has grown alot since I lived there, there are now alot more stores and restaurants. The center of town has a nice feel and there are many community activities that take place. The school systems are great, the sport programs are good too. I hope to move back there in the near future. Other nice towns surrounding Mansfield are N. Attleboro, Wrentham, Foxboro, Sharon.

[NS-GR]

We’ve been in Mansfield since 2002. Our experience has been great. Especially if my job was in Mansfield, I would not consider living in any other city. I work in Boston and I take the commuter rail every day. It takes about 45 minutes.
The school system is great. People are friendly. It is very close to Providence and the Cape. Shopping is fantastic. Very close (15 minutes) to Wrentham with the Premium Outlets Village.
Tweeter Center, Gillette stadium within 6-7 miles.
I can tell you that when we moved here, there were only 2-3 (centrally-managed) apartment complexes and now there are at least 6-7 (within 5-6 years!). The community is expanding... Just to give you another example, there is a mall that just opened in Mansfield and there is another one that is under construction near Gillette stadium in Foxboro...
If you want to rent, the rent is relatively cheap. If you want to buy a house, then you are looking at $350K (very minimum).
And for kids, Mansfield is a great city to be... Kids are everywhere, sports just great, crime super-low (up to date at least)...
As you can see, our experience in Mansfield so far has been great and we are happy that we moved here.

[MissMee]

"Mansfield school district is not terrible......"

What?! The schools in Mansfield are awesome! Of course there is better - Lexington, Weston, Newton. Those towns cost a bundle! Mansfield has put a lot of time and effort into their schools recently, and it's paying off. We moved from Sharon, which is supposed to be a stellar educational system. It was not all it was cracked up to be. Mansfield is much better, hands down.