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Old 02-28-2012, 11:49 PM
 
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I'm interested in learning more about Framingham, MA, and wondered if it is considered a suburb of Boston, or a city in its own right. Does it have a historic city center or older architecture? Or is it more sprawl. I see that a Trader Joe's is located there, and that might mean it has a diverse population and some trendy areas. Anyone living in Framingham care to share some info? Thanks in advance.
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Old 02-29-2012, 01:46 AM
 
Location: Ohio
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It's a suburban city. There are people who live in Fram and commute into BOS daily and there are those who hardly ever need to leave the city at all.

Fram has a downtown area but nothing in the scale of Boston and not decent looking enough for someone to want to take leisurely strolls. It has older sections and areas full of 1950's housing. Some residential areas look slummy (tightly packed multi-families with cars parked everywhere) and other areas look upper middle class.

There are tons of shopping (strip malls with essential shops like HD, Lowes, Target, Walmart, BBB, BB, BN, BJ's, Staples, REI, etc) and restaurants along route 9. If you can call the neareby spruced up Natick Mall (Natick Collection) trendy, then that must be it.

Yes, there is a Wholefoods and Trader Joes, right next to each other. The population is diverse for sure, and the selection of businesses, shops, restaurants reflect that somewhat as there are quite a few smaller mom and pop ethnic restaurants.

I'd call it a small city that has everything you need and is close enough to Boston. However, I'd be the last person to get excited about going to Framingham.
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Old 02-29-2012, 04:54 AM
 
Location: Massachusetts & Hilton Head, SC
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It's technically a town. There are some nicer, quite areas, but route 9 is shopping center after shopping center and the center of town is depressing.
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Old 02-29-2012, 06:58 AM
 
Location: Needham, MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CaseyB View Post
It's technically a town. There are some nicer, quite areas, but route 9 is shopping center after shopping center and the center of town is depressing.
This is a common misconception. The area that could use some help is actually downtown Framingham. Framingham Centre is a small area with some shops, the Framingham Historical Society, the town green, etc.

As others have said, Framingham is large and diverse. Some areas are woodsy and some quite urban feeling. Framingham is technically a town but large enough to be a city. It's actually the largest town in the USA. I haven't lived in Framingham in at least decade but from what I've been reading in the Boston Globe the school system in town is a bit of a mess right now. The town apparently is also having some financial issues as well.
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Old 02-29-2012, 07:19 AM
 
Location: Behind You!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xz2y View Post
I'm interested in learning more about Framingham, MA, and wondered if it is considered a suburb of Boston, or a city in its own right. Does it have a historic city center or older architecture? Or is it more sprawl. I see that a Trader Joe's is located there, and that might mean it has a diverse population and some trendy areas. Anyone living in Framingham care to share some info? Thanks in advance.
Some may call it a Boston Suburb, but Typically the Metro West has it's own identity. Nice town, good schools, everything you need is there. It perfect distance from either Boston or Worcester if you needed to go or work in either. South Framingham is the city side of it, while North Framingham has the suburban feel.
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Old 02-29-2012, 04:23 PM
 
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Nothing charming or old architecture about it, and it is distinctly different from Boston/environs.
Lots of Brazilian food, though. Lots of Brazilian anything.
Route 9 looks like the worst of south Jersey strip mall traffic chain store sprawl, unless you agree that there needs to be a Dunkin' Donuts every quarter of a mile.
I think suburban Framingham is a pleasant-enough suburb, just near a lot of sprawl. Good access to the Pike.
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Old 02-29-2012, 06:23 PM
 
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Originally Posted by MikePRU View Post
This is a common misconception. The area that could use some help is actually downtown Framingham. Framingham Centre is a small area with some shops, the Framingham Historical Society, the town green, etc.

As others have said, Framingham is large and diverse. Some areas are woodsy and some quite urban feeling. Framingham is technically a town but large enough to be a city. It's actually the largest town in the USA. I haven't lived in Framingham in at least decade but from what I've been reading in the Boston Globe the school system in town is a bit of a mess right now. The town apparently is also having some financial issues as well.
well said.

framingham is VERY diverse. you have project housing, and somewhat sketchy neighborhoods, all the way to $800,000 houses with horses. Yup... there's a whole corner of framingham where most people have farm land and horses.

Then you have tons of shopping along route 9 near the natick mall... most people don't realize how much of that is Framingham. shoppers world is all framingham, not natick.
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Old 02-29-2012, 07:06 PM
 
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The areas closer to Wayland are pastoral, and I think the Wildflower Park is Framingham, isn't it?
There's nothing wrong with Framingham, in fact, I don't live all that far from it, but I thought the OP was trying to see if it was sort of a quintessential New England "town," which is is not. (Is any town?)
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Old 02-29-2012, 09:25 PM
 
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Thanks for the comments. Does the commuter rail service Fram? It appears to from a map.

Another question, it appears that there has been an influx of Brazilians to Fram and Mass in general? When did this occur and what was the attraction? I've not heard of Brazilians specifically as immigrating to the US in large numbers. Immigrants from Mexico, yes, but not from Brazil. Have they moved to other parts of Mass and how is that working out? I'm not familiar with immigration issues in New England, since it's not in the headlines nationally, the way the immigration issues in the southwest are publicized.
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Old 02-29-2012, 09:27 PM
 
2,410 posts, read 5,787,604 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brightdoglover View Post
The areas closer to Wayland are pastoral, and I think the Wildflower Park is Framingham, isn't it?
There's nothing wrong with Framingham, in fact, I don't live all that far from it, but I thought the OP was trying to see if it was sort of a quintessential New England "town," which is is not. (Is any town?)
Yeah, I certainly understand that it is not a quintessential NE town or city. Sounds like it has pretty typical features of many "suburban" cities and towns across the country with some diversity in housing and neighborhoods. It does have good access to Boston (highways and commuter rail?).
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