West of Boston

[skytrekker]

According to the NAR

Home prices for Massachusetts and Oregon 2nd quarter 2007 are as follows;

Boston/Cambridge/Quincy 413K
Pittsfield MA 213K
Providence RI 291K
Springfield 217K
Worcester 278K

Portland/Vancouver/Beaverton 298K
Salem 227K
Eugene/Springfield 242K

Seattle Washington 395K

Prices in Oregon are lower- but not a great deal lower.

other New England cities in comparison

Hartford CT 242K
Portland ME 244K

[MJD503]

Originally Posted by mbzoltan

Fitchburg is far less appealing than Leominster, IMO.

What is the major difference?

[MJD503]

Originally Posted by MJD503

What is the major difference?

anybody have more input?

[brightdoglover]

I'd say the total population, the percentage of people on welfare/disability, the number of drug addicts/alcoholics, the amount of subsidized housing. Fitchburg is also heavily Spanish-speaking, at least in the shadier areas.

[mrsmcneill]

Ah, Fitchburg gets a bad rap. There are some nice sections of town, and if you want to send your kids to private/catholic school, there are options, and they have school choice, so that's another option.
I grew up there and would consider a move back, planning to send my two littles to catholic school most likely, or school choice them to Lunenburg.
There are shady sections in every town. Fitchburg has the college population (a plus or minus, depending on your perspective.), and some low-rent areas. It also has beautiful parks and some nice neighborhoods. As a one income family with children, it's on our list for a move in the next year, because being close to family is important, and so is not having a ginormous mortgage.

[neil0311]

I just moved south after owning a home in Leominster for 15 years. My wife was born in Leominster and raised in Lancaster. I know the area very well.

Leominster is a pretty stable city with a reasonable cost of living by New England standards. Property taxes are fairly low and you get a lot for your money. You get trash and recycling pickup at curbside, professional fire dept and police departments, and one of the best Mayors in office. The economic and budgetary condition of Leominster is excellent. The schools are so/so, but not terrible. Shopping is convenient and varied.

Fitchburg on the other hand is in a state of economic crisis and near bankruptcy. The political management of the city has bordered on criminal incompetence. Crime is much higher in Fitchburg and the demographics in the city include a much higher percentage of lower income folks. Property values reflect these facts. Over the years, Leominster has become the senior partner in the relationship between the twin cities.

[jandrew]

Hi there,

Best of luck to you in this new chapter of life.

You are wise to consider the Leominster area; the city has quite a bit to offer.

Have a look at stylishtownhouse .com for a homespun example.

Sincerely,

Jandrew

[smarty]

Leominster... stylishtownhouse (something doesn't sound right)

I've never been a fan of having the nicest house in town... but if it works for you... go ahead.

[brightdoglover]

You didn't say if you're older or younger or single or have kids or whatever. There is no night life out this way (I live 5 miles east of Devens) but there is plenty of peaceful wooded housing and it isn't that hard to get into Boston/Cambridge if that's what you want. Your budget for rent is quite managable, especially in the last few years, as rental prices near Rt.2/ Devens have come down, I'd say at least a few hundred dollars a month. The greed party is over, at least for now.
I think it matters more if you want to live very close to work, or a reasonable commute to work and a reasonable drive into town. After all, many people like to go out for a drink or dinner during the week if you live in town or nearby. The vast majority of people outside the city are family people or older singles like me, and we aren't exactly out painting the town red on most nights. (Here I am on Saturday, waiting for the baseball game!)
If you lived closer in towards town, your commute to Devens would be against traffic, so wouldn't be too bad. If that is of interest, I'd certainly recommend Arlington, East Arlington, next to Cambridge. Your budget will get you a decent place there, you're seconds from Rt.2 but out of Cambridge traffic, and you can go out casually or more seriously whenever you want.
I know when I was younger and lived in Cambridge (and worked crazy hours) I was always meeting someone for lunch or a drink or something casual- it wasn't about weekends and "going out."

[Karen247]

The rental market is hot right now in this area and a lot of people who have lost their homes are now renting homes that other sellers could not sell because of the "soft" real estate market.