comments on Needham? (Newton, Wellesley, Dedham: for sale, home, to buy)

[puffle]

Looking for opinions on living in Needham. Is there a nice town center with local shopping,markets,etc? Areas to avoid? All opinions welcomed.

[seldomseen]

Needham is a decent town as a whole...

[puffle]

From the looks of it, Needham is not a very popular town? Would really appreciate a more detailed response.

[findingmesomeday]

No, Needham is a very nice town with a great school district. It's right on the commuter rail line and convenient to 128, etc. It's pretty congested but you have all the necessary shopping right there. It's very expensive.

[adair4]

Needham is a nice town. My grandfather (95 years old) has lived there his entire life, my mom grew up there and I have spent a lot of time there. I would say, however, that it has changed a lot. It is VERY congested and while the downtown area has some nice shops and restaurants, it is also filled with people speeding by in their expensive SUVs and Mercedes who would run you over before letting you cross the street. People are more concerned with their McMansions than their neighbors. It's become a very expensive place to live.

[puffle]

Thank you everyone for the info on Needham. Are there any quieter family areas that are nice?

[bunnyrider]

I'm not sure the posts paint the exact picture. I grew up in Needham and my mother still lives there so I am there frequently.

Yes, it is expensive to buy a home there. Yes, there are areas where when an older cape/ranch/smaller colonial is for sale they tear it down and put up a 4000-square foot new "McMansion."

But, I think "congestion" is relative. I don't consider the town congested at all. It's definitely a town and not at all city-like, it has a downtown with some good restaurants (though residents would argue they need more shops/restaurants and fewer banks as there are a dozen or so downtown).

I'm there a few weekends a month and end up running around town to the grocery store or something to help out my mom ... I see no issues with traffic or rude drivers (no more rude than the rest of the Commonwealth) ... but that's just my take.

[findingmesomeday]

Dedham is right next door to Needham and is less expensive. Parts of Dedham are very nice, but the schools are just fair so resale value isn't there and if you do have kids, you're better off in Needham. The other parts of Needham border on Dover ($$$$$), Newton ($$$$$), Wellesley ($$$$$)--well, you get the idea!

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by webfootma

Dedham is right next door to Needham and is less expensive. Parts of Dedham are very nice, but the schools are just fair so resale value isn't there and if you do have kids, you're better off in Needham. The other parts of Needham border on Dover ($$$$$), Newton ($$$$$), Wellesley ($$$$$)--well, you get the idea!

I hear you on the Wellesley border part of Needham. A friend of mine just purchased a 3bd split w/only 1200 s.f. for $510k. It's walking distance to an elementary school and a few blocks from the Wellesley border.