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The town is Holliston. If you do a search on this forum you'll find lots of previous posts about Holliston as well as some on Natick. Of the two I prefer Holliston - more of a quintessential New England feel, sweet town center, lots of community activities, lots of trails, etc. I've had some clients who saw both who felt like Natick worked for them and others who thought it was not the most attractive place in the world. I guess it's all personal preference.
The town is Holliston. If you do a search on this forum you'll find lots of previous posts about Holliston as well as some on Natick. Of the two I prefer Holliston - more of a quintessential New England feel, sweet town center, lots of community activities, lots of trails, etc. I've had some clients who saw both who felt like Natick worked for them and others who thought it was not the most attractive place in the world. I guess it's all personal preference.
That's one of my favorite things about this area: the variety. You can have a pretty rural feeling town like Sheborn and then a mere 30 minute drive or so from there you can have a place like West Newton which is extremely dense in population with lots of shops & restaurants.
Personally, I'm on the other side of the coin. I would much rather live in Natick than Holliston. I like the larger more developed town center of Natick. I also like the easy access to all the shopping and restaurants in the area of Natick/Framingham known as the Golden Triangle. Also, I really like the level of population density in most of Natick. I'm a firm believer that 10,000 sf lots make it easier to meet your neighbor. Of course, there's also South Natick which has a little more of a rural feel but still has the proximity to all the ammenities in town. I also like that Natick is closer to Boston and has public transportation options.
Hmm, differences between Holliston and Hopkinton...
I feel like Holliston has retained more of a quintessential New England feel. Hopkinton is undergoing considerable growth and is going to need to make some decisions about whether to break out into elementary school districts to support the growth. Legacy Farms is a huge new development that's being built in town.
I prefer the Holliston town center to the Hopkinton one because there are more little shops, a children's park that's being renovated, and tennis courts. Hopkinton has the pretty town common and a few places to check out in the town center (Zio's Cafe, Hopkinton Gourmet, etc) but it could be so much nicer. Hopefully in the coming years it will be. There are plans to do so, including efforts to make it more of a walkable area.
Re: schools, both are ranked highly by sites like Boston Magazine & Great Schools. Holliston is one of the two towns in the state that I'm aware of that offers a French immersion program for elementary school children, which is a very popular program. Hopkinton was recognized as a Gold Medal School for college readiness by U.S. News & World Report & was named to Newsweek's list of top 100 high schools in the country.
For access, Hopkinton has excellent access to Rt 495 and train service along the Southborough/Hopkinton and Ashland/Hopkinton town lines. Holliston has better access to Rt 16 and is a little further from main routes.
They both have a lot going for them - well rated schools with plenty of parent involvement, lots of great community activities, nice neighborhoods, generous lot sizes, active recreation departments, etc.
Mike and KMann, I am quickly finding that I can always count on you both for such real, honest, and helpful information. Thank you! Thank you!
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