Relocating to MA? (Boston, Worcester, Framingham: mortgage, budget, showing)

[Yoshi]

Hi, I was wondering if anybody would be able to give me a list of places in MA which fit the following discription:

Somewhere where I would be able to go out and go to the cinema, go bowling, go to a handful of restaurants, a couple of takeaways, but not a big, crowded city. Somewhere where I can get to a a big city in a short amount of time (20-40 minutes) but also to the countryside in in 20-40 minutes, somewhere where there is a suburb feel, clean, friendly and free of crime but where there are also forests to hike through and lakes to fish in.

Hopefully you can see my vision
Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to offer

[ogre]

Originally Posted by Yoshi

Hi, I was wondering if anybody would be able to give me a list of places in MA which fit the following discription:

Somewhere where I would be able to go out and go to the cinema, go bowling, go to a handful of restaurants, a couple of takeaways, but not a big, crowded city. Somewhere where I can get to a a big city in a short amount of time (20-40 minutes) but also to the countryside in in 20-40 minutes, somewhere where there is a suburb feel, clean, friendly and free of crime but where there are also forests to hike through and lakes to fish in.

Hopefully you can see my vision
Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to offer

A little more information would help. About how large a city do you mean when you say you'd like to be within 20-40 minutes of a "big city?" The only large metropolis in MA is Boston. That's the city you'd want to be near if you were looking for many restaurants and night spots, major museums, top-level symphony and opera and arts and the like, major league sports, a bustling big-city feel, etc. It's possible that being close to Worcester, or just over the border from Providence, RI, could work for you if your desire for city amenities could be satisfied in a small to medium-sized city, with a decent variety of restaurants, some arts and culture but not a lot, minor league sports, etc.

Also, the price of houses anywhere near Boston tends to be quite a bit higher than in most of the rest of MA, so it would help to have an idea what you can spend on a rent or mortgage.

Finally, there are many towns in the Boston suburbs that lack some of the entertainment options you'd like to have in your immediate local area (a few restaurants, movies, bowling, etc.), but are close to other suburban towns which do have these activities. It would help other users to make the best suggestions if we knew whether driving to other nearby towns for these activites would work for you, or you would really prefer to find these things right in the town where you lived.

To get things started with a few suggestions, I'm most familiar with the suburbs west of Boston, and there are several towns I could suggest, if you can afford to live in an affluent area close to Boston, and also would be satisfied with finding movies, bowling, and a few basic restaurants in a town near the one where you lived. These would be Wayland, Holliston, and Hopkinton, possibly Ashland. These towns have woods and lakes, and are close to the larger towns of Natick and Framingham which offer more shopping, restaurants, movie theaters, bowling, etc. I hope these suggestions help get you started. Best of luck with your search for the right place!

[Valerie C]

Amesbury/Newburyport area might work. Schools are great, close to major highway routes, beaches, Boston is about 30 minutes, there are bike paths, hiking (not mountainous, but nice trails) at Maudslay State Park also biking trails coastaltrails.org - Working to link the cities and towns of the Lower Merrimack Valley! in/around Amesbury leading to Newburyport, etc. Tons of resturants offering various ethinc. such as Thai, Indian, GREAT seafood, etc; also bowling movies. Not too far from Manchester airport, White Mountains about 2 hours away for serious hiking/climbing, etc. Overall, a beautiful area!

[Yoshi]

Thanks Ogre & Valerie

Valerie seems to understand almost exactly what i'm looking for from the description she gave (or 'he' I guess) but I'm not really a fan of the seaside, love seafood, but hate the sea - well its not the sea I hate its the 'tacky' 'seaside towns' - anyway I think you know what I am looking for but maybe not those 2 towns.

Ogre - you have really got me interested in the Worcester area - do you have any information about Worcester, its suburbs & neighborhoods and its surrounding towns?

[scarletfire]

Yoshi, The Salisbury Street area of Worcester is beautiful. My favorite part of the city.

[Yoshi]

Woah! fast reply, thanks

I will look into that area in 5 mins, any perticular reason why you like it?

Also, can I add that low crime rates, low polution and 'greenery' are VERY important to me

(why is my last post extra wide O.O... and this one! )

[Valerie C]

He is a she (I forget that my name could be either! A nice thing when posting on this oh-so public forum)

Ahhh tacky seaside towns... there ARE a few of those in the areas north of Boston. Funny that scarletfire mentioned Salisbury Street in Worcester. I immediately thought of Salisbury Beach MA, or actually what it used to be like in years gone by. The face of Salisbury Beach has changed from the penny arcades, amusement park w/ roller coaster, and games of chance, and of course all sorts of beach food: fried everything (clams, dough, onion rings, etc) "beach pizza", of my youth, to the honky-tonk bars of my 20's (The Kon-Ti-Ki, The Frolics, The Sidewalk, etc) and now upscale condos have filled the former amusement areas... This is not an endorsement of the area, just an observation... Anyway, I digress... Depending on what you need to be near, there will be towns that will fit your needs, no matter what part of the state you decide to concentrate your search.

[scarletfire]

The Salisbury Street area of Worcester is very pictureque with handsome homes, lovely trees, and lots of character. I never really thought of Worcester as being an attractive city but that area is beautiful. I was there checking out a few places today.

I think the city you choose to live near depends on your job choice and budget. Boston certainly has much more to offer than Worcester but it's more expensive to live closer to Boston (though you can live in the metrowest towns mentioned above and take the train or drive into the city in less than an hour).

Also, re: lakes to fish in, there are plenty in the area. Ones that are less than 75 acres in size might be your best bet for fishing, as those smaller ponds are supposed to be free of jetskis.

[scarletfire]

Hi Yoshi, There was a Boston Magazine article awhile back showing all sorts of data for towns, including pollution sources, green space, and crime rates. You may be able to find it on their website. If not, please feel free to PM me. I'm sure I filed away that issue in my office for reference.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by scarletfire

Hi Yoshi, There was a Boston Magazine article awhile back showing all sorts of data for towns, including pollution sources, green space, and crime rates. You may be able to find it on their website. If not, please feel free to PM me. I'm sure I filed away that issue in my office for reference.

Just go to the Bostonmagazine.com site and check best of boston. They have it online and will update every May.