Looking for info on Reading, N. Reading, Wakefield area

[PhillyViaBoston]

Originally Posted by heather3

he will be working near Back Bay station.

The realtor we are meeting is going to show us around Reading, N. Reading etc first, then we'll work our way west.

If your husband intends to drive to work, you should consider communities closer to Boston. Route 93 (toward Boston in the morning, away in the late afternoon/evening) makes for a rough commute.

If your husband is willing to take the commuter rail (a popular option into Boston) then Reading or Wakefield will be better than North Reading because they have train stops. That said, the Haverhill line which services that area (and other nice communities) only goes to North Station in Boston. Your husband would probably then need to hop on the orange line (subway) to get over to Back Bay.

There are trains that go directly to Back Bay station rather than North Station. You may want to add those towns to your list for exploration.

This may help:
MBTA.com > Commuter Rail Maps and Schedules

Good luck!

[heather3]

So, we drove around Wakefield and loved it, loved the lake and the feel. We saw a home in Andover, Reading and Stoneham. We liked Andover and Reading also and Stoneham was "ok". I know the "great schools" rating for the Wakefield School system is lower than Reading or Andover...anyone go through or have kids in the elementary, middle or high school in Wakefield and can give me some insight?
Tomorrow, we will go visit MetroWest...Hopkinton, Westborough etc.

Thanks everyone!

[unit731]

All of the towns you visited are nice.

Your best bet next is to find a home that meets your requirements and finances. As stated before don't rule out older homes as they may have been constructed better then newer homes.

If you can find a home within walking distance to train station that is a plus. A plus for you and a plus when time comes to sell.

A garage is better then no garage and a two car garage is better then a one car garage.

Avoid hills if possible. When it snows the hills are slippery.

The larger the yard the better. Large yards in many areas are a premium.

All of the school systems in towns mentioned are good. It is not the schools that make a student successful it is the parents.

[Pedroia15]

Hi Heather. I grew up in Wakefield and went to the schools from k-12. I always thought the schools there were good & safe, with a great array of extra-curricular offerings to choose from as well. There are plenty of honors & AP classes in the high school for students looking for a challenge, and most kids I grew up with went on to college, many of them good colleges. There is a strong drama club, band, orchestra, and a great athletic program. Melrose, Reading & Stoneham are all sort of similar to Wakefield as far as the type of people you will find there and the school system. A good mix of professionals and trades, no unsafe areas. I am a runner and would run alone at night in any of these communities. They are nice places to live without being elitist or snobby.

North Reading has more of a rural feel. Houses have more land and you have to drive more between things. A possible con - a lot of the kids I knew from North Reading were into drinking and getting stoned as teenagers. (I know teenagers do this in every town, but it seemed like it was more prevalent there because being further away from the metro Boston area, there were fewer constructive things for them to do.)

Andover is a bit more upper crust...it always had more of a Concord feel to me. Having grown up in the area playing sports and the like, the Andover kids/parents always seemed a bit different than the Wakefield/Reading/Stoneham people. As kids playing youth sports, we thought the Andover kids always came across as well-bred but at the same time rather spoiled and entitled, and the parents a little "holier-than-thou-but-trying-hard-not-to-be". (Though I'm sure plenty are not this way.) As high school teenagers, the Andover teenagers seemed...I guess more "sophisticated" and "naively comfortable" than us, but in a snobby and not necessarily beneficial way. Kind of like they thought they were Starbucks and Whole Foods, and we were Honeydew and Stop & Shop. More educated? Maybe a little. However, many of them seemed like the type of kids who would be in for a real shock in the real world after high school/college because they never really taught the value of a dollar and most of their friends did not have to have after school jobs.

It's a nice enough town, those are just the impressions I got of Andover folks having growing up in the area. It's considered more upscale than the other towns mentioned. I don't know if that would make me want to live there more, or less.

I may be biased of course, but I think Wakefield is a good place for kids to grow up. There are plenty of parks and playgrounds around, and it's a safe town with lots of family neighborhoods that don't have a lot of traffic. I still see kids playing outside - riding their bikes around the neighborhood, playing catch and street hockey, skateboarding, trick or treating at Halloween, etc. On July 4th Wakefield has one of the largest parades in the state, and all day long there are kid's races and activities, a bicycle and doll carriage parade, a fishing derby, canoe races, and a pet show at the town common. There are also plenty of opportunities for organized activities such as youth sports teams, Scouting, religious education, music lessons, youth theater, etc. Breakheart Reservation (right in town) and Middlesex Fells or Lynn Woods (about a 10 min drive) are both close by for hiking, biking, and nature walks. The lake downtown is great for sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, and canoeing. They have boat rentals and lessons in the summer, and when the ice is safe, you can ice skate there. Wakefield also has a nice Farmer's Market in the summer.

Good luck in your search!

[heather3]

Originally Posted by Pedroia15

Hi Heather. I grew up in Wakefield and went to the schools from k-12. I always thought the schools there were good & safe, with a great array of extra-curricular offerings to choose from as well. There are plenty of honors & AP classes in the high school for students looking for a challenge, and most kids I grew up with went on to college, many of them good colleges. There is a strong drama club, band, orchestra, and a great athletic program. Melrose, Reading & Stoneham are all sort of similar to Wakefield as far as the type of people you will find there and the school system. A good mix of professionals and trades, no unsafe areas. I am a runner and would run alone at night in any of these communities. They are nice places to live without being elitist or snobby.

North Reading has more of a rural feel. Houses have more land and you have to drive more between things. A possible con - a lot of the kids I knew from North Reading were into drinking and getting stoned as teenagers. (I know teenagers do this in every town, but it seemed like it was more prevalent there because being further away from the metro Boston area, there were fewer constructive things for them to do.)

Andover is a bit more upper crust...it always had more of a Concord feel to me. Having grown up in the area playing sports and the like, the Andover kids/parents always seemed a bit different than the Wakefield/Reading/Stoneham people. As kids playing youth sports, we thought the Andover kids always came across as well-bred but at the same time rather spoiled and entitled, and the parents a little "holier-than-thou-but-trying-hard-not-to-be". (Though I'm sure plenty are not this way.) As high school teenagers, the Andover teenagers seemed...I guess more "sophisticated" and "naively comfortable" than us, but in a snobby and not necessarily beneficial way. Kind of like they thought they were Starbucks and Whole Foods, and we were Honeydew and Stop & Shop. More educated? Maybe a little. However, many of them seemed like the type of kids who would be in for a real shock in the real world after high school/college because they never really taught the value of a dollar and most of their friends did not have to have after school jobs.

It's a nice enough town, those are just the impressions I got of Andover folks having growing up in the area. It's considered more upscale than the other towns mentioned. I don't know if that would make me want to live there more, or less.

I may be biased of course, but I think Wakefield is a good place for kids to grow up. There are plenty of parks and playgrounds around, and it's a safe town with lots of family neighborhoods that don't have a lot of traffic. I still see kids playing outside - riding their bikes around the neighborhood, playing catch and street hockey, skateboarding, trick or treating at Halloween, etc. On July 4th Wakefield has one of the largest parades in the state, and all day long there are kid's races and activities, a bicycle and doll carriage parade, a fishing derby, canoe races, and a pet show at the town common. There are also plenty of opportunities for organized activities such as youth sports teams, Scouting, religious education, music lessons, youth theater, etc. Breakheart Reservation (right in town) and Middlesex Fells or Lynn Woods (about a 10 min drive) are both close by for hiking, biking, and nature walks. The lake downtown is great for sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, and canoeing. They have boat rentals and lessons in the summer, and when the ice is safe, you can ice skate there. Wakefield also has a nice Farmer's Market in the summer.

Good luck in your search!

This was very helpful, thank you so much!

Can anyone tell me if Wakefield or Reading has a public pool?

[Pedroia15]

Stoneham and Melrose have outdoor town pools run by the Department of Conservation & Recreation, and they are free. I don't think you have to be a resident. Wakefield does not have an outdoor pool and I don't think Reading does, but Wakefield and Reading share the Burbank YMCA (which is in Reading) if you are thinking swim lessons, swim teams etc. Most high schools around here have swim teams, including all the towns you mentioned. All these communities are 25-45 mins from ocean beaches.

[heather3]

Switching gears a bit to sports, I have a daughter that plays soccer (she is in 4th grade). What kinds of teams do they have? Here in MD you have a local league that plays other school leagues around the county. You can also play for a county league--for the more sports gifted--and travel around the state even to other teams across state lines like in PA, but those cost more money. So, is there one league for her at whatever school she'll attend or do we get to choose where to place her?
As far as Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts go, I figured I could call the schools and they could give me any contact information for the local troop.

Thanks for all your help!!!

[gf2020]

Pretty much every town has their own youth soccer league with in-town and travel teams. In addition there are teams sometimes referred to as "select" or "premier" teams, these are teams that are fielded by private organizations that compete against teams from other private clubs.

You can find more information at:

http://www.mayouthsoccer.org/default.aspx

http://www.maplesoccer.com/

http://www.nepremiership.com/