looking for special town 1-1.5 hrs from boston (Plymouth, Franklin: hair salon, condo)

[photomom]

We live in Jamaica Plain, and love the community here. But we can't afford to buy here, and more importantly we really want out of the city. So here are the factors that we are hoping for:

up to 1.5 hr from Boston.
town with character... a "historical" feel
opportunities for outdoor fun (beaches, hiking)
good schools
VERY affordable property, i.e. 3BR in the viscinity of 275-300k.
any direction from Boston... that's probably the most challenging wild card.

We spent a couple of days looking at properties in the town of Medway. While we found some homes that we like and can afford, it just seemed that there wasn't much to the town: couldn't find a coffeeshop, no art galleries, no real town center. And it made us realize that we want to hold out for something a little more special.

We like farmers' markets, art, nature, dogs, and good food.

[surfingatwork]

In my town of lakeville (SE mass) we have farms that sell their own produce, LOTS of nature thanks to the many public and private lakes/ponds and state parks, golf courses, plenty of places to safely walk your dogs (I have two - on sunday brought them both to the pond down the street to swim in and walk around the trails), affordable homes (can easily find property for $300K) and low taxes. What we don't have is a true town center or art galleries (middleborough - next town over - does have a wonderful art gallery, antique shops and craft shops and a true town center). Two friends just opened a wonderful coffee shop in the old library (the town just finished building a brand new 10K sf library). Lakeville's a quiet town (with wonderful and friendly people) with access to many great restaurants, shopping, easy access to the cape, westport, etc.)

[emski]

I don't have an answer, but I will be taking notes since we're n search of a similar place.

[cmthomas]

Dear Photomom,
I moved to Sandwich, MA about 3 years ago (from south Florida) and love it here! Sandwich is a charming village, very historic, great beaches, kayaking, hiking, canoeing etc. It seems more like a traditional New England village than a beachy Cape Cod town. Home prices here are a little pricey, but have dropped a little in the past year. Single family homes in Sandwich are in the low $300's. It is exactly one hour and ten minutes from Sandwich Village to Boston Logan Airport. <Advertising cut> Good Luck! Catherine

[seldomseen]

You should consider towns in South Eastern, MA they pretty much offer everything you're looking for:

Acushnet, Bourne, Bridgewater, Buzzards Bay, Cedarville, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, East Carver, East Freetown,
East Pembroke, East Wareham, Halifax, Hanson, Kingston, Lakeville, Marion, Middleboro, Monponsett, North Carver, Onset, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Pocasset, Rochester, Rocky Nook, Silver Lake, South Carver, Wareham, West Wareham

Good Luck!

[Annabelle]

Everything you are looking for can be found in Exeter, NH which is just one hour north of Boston by car, bus or train. Check it out.

[vter]

I like Rowley on the north shore. Next to Newburyport for it's restaurants, shops etc. Near the beach. Easy access to I-95. The only catch is housing prices. Not sure what you could get if anything for that amt.

[photomom]

We spent the afternoon at the common in Franklin yesterday and loved it. There was a farmer's market, with the neighboring towns' folk band from King Philips High School jamming, and everyone was quite friendly. I didn't get an impression of much diversity in terms of ethnicity, kind of a bummer. The homes are all very cute, and we're looking forward to spending a day there with our realtor. It is away from the water, which is kind of a downside in terms of enjoying the beach, but I think it might be well positioned to visit the cape, rhode island, as well as boston.

One person I spoke with told me that there is a lot of political conflict in the town over how to shape the downtown zone. A developer has purchased two full city blocks and razed everything in them to build high density condo units (almost 200 units). The city's main street did not have any boutiques or coffee shops, just a couple of hair salons, offices, a bodega, and a fitness center. They also told me that the downtown does not want to continue sponsoring the farmer's market on the common, because they feel the market does not bring any business to them.

Is anyone familiar with how this compares to current trends in other small massachusetts towns? I would hate to move to a town that I initially find attractive and very "town-like", then later have developers move in and destroy the downtown areas...

[mmckenna]

Try Kingston on the south shore. Very up and coming, has the commuter rail to Boston, schools are decent, a few miles from the beach. Definitely houses in your price range right now.

[DreamworksSKG]

You might consider Winchester, we're only 20 minutes from the city of boston but feel like we're miles away its a great town with great community events , spirit and schools. Also two commuter rail stops right in town (20 min into the city) 20 min by car with no traffic.