moving to Massachusetts....HELP!!!

[Continental]

dmoss79: I agree generally speaking, the Bay State is far better than Long Island. I lived on The Island in the days when the LIE only went to Huntington! I was fun in those days, especially if you were single. I think something like 11-familes per day were moving into Suffolk county and you can imagine what that was like.

Regarding schools in MA, being a dad of two lovely ladies who grew up here, my feelings are best sumed up in my Ten Commandents:

1) Today is NOT yesterday. If your family has standards, you love and respect each other, and you view what you do for your children as an investment in not only their future, but your own...down the road if you know what I mean, you HAVE NO CHOICE but to thoroughly and carefully check-out any potential school system. 2) Failure to do this can cause great anguish when "things go wrong." 3) Before you even enroll your kids, ask to see a copy of the complete reading list of books they will be using. 4) ask what the student-teacher ratio is for EACH class they will be taking 5) ask about the school's attitude/policy toward "the pledge," prayer (private and/or public), dress code, drug use and enforcement, openly homosexual behavior, disrespectful behavior in general and lastly, the school's recognition of achivement. 6) if a high school, ask to see a list of the last 3 graduation speakers, 7) find out the percent of graduates who go on to higher education, 8) ask if any faculty have been arrested or are under a court order. 9) ask if your child can "aduit" a school day (i.e. accompany a student through their day) and lastly, 10) Lastly, ask about SECURITY measures and if the school has had any recent incidents.

If the answer to ANY of the ten items leaves you feeling a bit dicey or just plain uneasy, that's your cue to move on. Remember, you are paying for public education, and in many communities that's 80-cents for every tax dollar going directly into the school budget!

Now, if you have any energy leftover, a casual visit to the local Police station for the purpose of speaking generally with a police officer about the city/town may be very helpful.

Both of my daughters went K-6 in the local public school, but afterward they both went 7-12 in a private school. It was the BEST move at that time and in our circumstance. Both girls did well and, in the years since, have thanked us many times for what we provided. Appreciation = a rewarding experience.

[HouseRenter]

I do not know if you are still looking to live in Ma. I see you have gotten a lot of responses and I agree with most of them. Ma is a wonderful place to live but even with the market being in favor of buyers these days it is still very expensive to purchase a home in the more affluent subburbs like Andover, Newton, Wellesley or even Lexington. If it is of any interest to you I have a modest 3 bedroom home, 1 bath, with a huge attached garage on one acre of land (fenced in for privacy) in the rural town of Dracut which is only 2 minutes to RT. 93 (22 miles to Boston), minutes to RT. 495 and minutes to Tax Free N.H. (5 minutes from our large Rockingham Mall). I am the owner and live across the street with my family. We purchased the house and lived in it for nearly 2 yrs with our then 2 and 5 year old girls while we renovated our home across the street. My husband is from the town of Dracut and lived on the still working farm only minutes from the house. Their family owns a public golf course also minutes away. I really loved living in this house and would love to sell or rent to a profesional couple or family. It has real "country charm" but it is so easily accessible to Boston and NH. The towns in the state with the best public school systems may be out of your budget (maybe not?). Since our family's businesses are routed in this area and we have the ability to live with more privacy, land etc. as my husband was accustom to when growing up, we decided to expand our current home in this town and keep our children out of the not exceptional school system but rather spend our money on private education. We have chosen to send our children to a private school in North Andover. Maybe that is the route you will take also. We were looking for high 300's to sell the home but have decided to either rent to own or just rent for a couple years while the market is still soft for sellers. Since any potential renters will be my neighbors' neighbors I have promised my neighbors that I will choose carefully. If you have any interest in renting for sometime while you decide what is the best area for your family, work etc. I would love to show you or give you more info on the house. Please do not hesitate to contact me at pavexinc@comcast.net. Good Luck Julie
P.S. There is a huge garage so your cars won't be covered in snow and Driveway snow removal is included in the cost of rent on this house!!!!!

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by lola8822

Hi All,


- We would like an area low crime and family friendly.
- Commute time to Boston would have to be 40mins or less.
- Affordable....we are looking at about 400 - 500 k.
- Awesome schools....not good but Awesome.

Some things we would Likeare
- 30 Mins from ocean if possible
- lakes nearby
- A good size mall (for me

This reminds me of the old saying we use in project management....You can have the project done quickly, cheaply, or well. You pick 2.

You will not find everything you want in one location. If you want a short commute and "awesome" schools, be prepared to pay dearly for a house. 400 - 500K will get you a tar shack anywhere that fits your criteria.

[MsAries]

Ayer, Acton, Boxborough. Very amazing neighborhoods to raise children in and keep the peace in your family. I heard Acton has the best school system in the country for kids from K-8th grade. Check it out. Beautiful Areas, and nice water fronts as well.

[moemommy]

Research Andover. It's a great town, no crime, family oriented, amazing school system.
If it's too pricey look at North Reading, or Reading. All close to Boston and the ocean in the summer.

I lived in Phoenix for a little while. You will love New England!
I would take a snow storm over a dust storm..those are just creepy!

Good luck!

[JMC07]

The further out of boston area the more your money will buy. The commuter rail is available to the city and is about 45-50 minutes. Massachusetts school must adhere to MCAS requirements and you can access each school on their website www.massgov/education. Many of the towns are struggling financially now so you need to talk to the individual schools to see where these budget cuts reflect. Franklin, Holliston, Milford, Wrentham, Norfolk provide good schools and close proximity to highways to Providence R.I., 40 minutes to the shore to the cape and Rhode Island beaches. There are options for you. Good luck on your journey.