Working in Franklin ,but dont know where to live! Need help (Boston: middle-class, apartments) - City-Data Forum

Dman3 · 01-28-2011, 06:11 PM

I will try to make this short ,but I am graduating in May and begin work in June located in Franklin,MA. I have heard suggestions from Foxsborough,Franklin,Hopkinton,Worcester,natick,Fr amingham,Brookline,Woonsocket RI, and "SOUTHIE". I flew into Logan Airport last month and drove to franklin and it was by far the worst drive. With the snow and traffic, it took me 3 hours. I cant seem to narrow my search down, financially I am able to purchase a condo/townhouse up to $250k. I know it would be smart to rent first to see if I like that specific area ,but I would like to eliminate that process and just buy due to housing prices being down. As much as I would like SOUTHIE due to me being in my early 20's ,but that drive last month has me worried that it could be a daily occurrence with working in Franklin. Overall I am looking for something with a decent nightlife/active area, but also a decent commute. Any suggestions would be great

massnative71 · 01-28-2011, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dman3

I will try to make this short ,but I am graduating in May and begin work in June located in Franklin,MA. I have heard suggestions from Foxsborough,Franklin,Hopkinton,Worcester,natick,Fr amingham,Brookline,Woonsocket RI, and "SOUTHIE". I flew into Logan Airport last month and drove to franklin and it was by far the worst drive. With the snow and traffic, it took me 3 hours. I cant seem to narrow my search down, financially I am able to purchase a condo/townhouse up to $250k. I know it would be smart to rent first to see if I like that specific area ,but I would like to eliminate that process and just buy due to housing prices being down. As much as I would like SOUTHIE due to me being in my early 20's ,but that drive last month has me worried that it could be a daily occurrence with working in Franklin. Overall I am looking for something with a decent nightlife/active area, but also a decent commute. Any suggestions would be great

Framingham is probably the closest thing to what you are looking for, and is where I would start.

ogre · 01-28-2011, 11:47 PM

If you'd prefer a more urban setting, you might consider Providence. Worcester would be another possibility that is a bit closer to Franklin than Southie is. Worcester vs. Providence involves a trade-off. Providence is a little closer to Franklin, but if you lived in Worcester you'd have a more simple tax situation since your work and your residence would be in the same state. Worcester and Providence are not really right next door to Franklin, but are the closest options with any kind of urban feel, as the area right around Franklin is very suburban and exurban for the most part.

Dman3 · 01-29-2011, 11:46 AM

Hows Natick? I heard parts of Worcester can be bad. Worcester has great bang for the buck condos/townhouses. How is Woonsocket RI?

ogre · 01-30-2011, 11:30 PM

How good a fit Natick would be depends on what you're looking for. Natick is a nice upper-middle-class town, but very suburban. Nice little downtown with a small collection of local kinds of shops, but the town's economy centers around a big area of malls.

I don't know Woonsocket at all. I don't know Worcester well enough to recommend particular neighborhoods, but my understanding is that Worcester has some bad areas but is an okay place to live if you stay in the nicer neighborhoods.

massnative71 · 01-31-2011, 01:05 PM

The thing with Natick is that most of the activity (i.e. shopping, dining/bars, movie theater) is in the area bordering Framingham, and if you are on the Natick side you will have a longer commute to Franklin. Natick is more suburban and has better schools, but neither of those apply in your case. In Framingham you will have a shorter commute and get more for your money, so I see no reason to opt for Natick. If you do look in Framingham just make sure you avoid downtown and "south of the tracks", anywhere else should be fine.

Woonsocket I would avoid altogether. It has some decent areas still, but overall it's a dying mill town full of crime and poverty. Nothing there for a single/professional male like yourself.

Worcester might be an option if you find something in the right area, but it will be a good commute to Franklin especially in the winter (it is in the snow belt). Also I've heard that the Worcester nightlife is geared primarily towards the townies and students, without much in between.

ogre · 01-31-2011, 11:50 PM

Since I can't be sure what Massnative meant when describing Natick as "more suburban" than Framingham, I won't disagree, but I will tell you that Framingham, like Natick is predominantly suburban in character. In both towns most of the commercial activity is mall-oriented.

It is true that there are parts of Framingham that would be a closer to Franklin than much of Natick. To some degree this would depend on which section of either town you lived in, but much of Framingham is a bit closer to Franklin than many neighborhoods in Natick. Framingham is a larger town than Natick, so you're likely to find more rental options. I would suggest that if you rent in F'ham you stay away from rental properties owned by small-time local landlords. Some of them seem to feel protected from landlord-tenant laws by their local connections with the town government, and therefore feel free to mistreat their tenants. The larger commercial properties in F'ham should be fine in general, as long as you're okay with having a suburban landscape all around you.

CaseyB · 02-01-2011, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dman3

Hows Natick? I heard parts of Worcester can be bad. Worcester has great bang for the buck condos/townhouses. How is Woonsocket RI?

Trust me, you don't want Woonsocket.

Where is your job in Franklin? Could you possibly take the train out from the city?

massnative71 · 02-01-2011, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ogre

Since I can't be sure what Massnative meant when describing Natick as "more suburban" than Framingham, I won't disagree, but I will tell you that Framingham, like Natick is predominantly suburban in character.

While Natick is certainly a "suburb" in every sense, Framingham is and for long has been a city in everything but name. I actually believe it is the largest "town" in the USA going by population. It has all the elements of a city; downtown surrounded by dense neighborhoods, many apartments and condos (in addition to single families), huge amount of diversity, current and formal industry, it's a regional shopping/dining destination, a fair amount of street crime in spots. Yes it is true huge swaths of it are suburban, as most all cities are. But stand by the RR tracks by downtown or the old GM plant, or in the highrise apartments off Rt. 9 and tell me your in Mayberry. It might not have the vibe of Boston, but Framingham is a true city (if in a semi-urban sense) and comes with all the good and bad.

ogre · 02-02-2011, 01:19 AM

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on the general feel of Framingham. I'd characterize it more as predominantly suburban with some urban pockets here and there. My most concise description of Framingham is "generic large suburban town."

Anyway, agreeing to disagree is fine. If Dman3 wants to consider F'ham, maybe he'll ask about details, which will give him a better feel for whether it's a good fit for him.