Amesbury, MA (Boston, Haverhill, Wakefield: apartment, condos, house)

[Gina1031]

Hi, Just wondering if anyone can give me some info on living in Amesbury. My husband and I currently own a 2 family in the Northshore and we are now looking for a single family. We have a little boy (19 months) and are planning on another baby. We are looking for a nice, safe environemnt for our children. I feel like Amesbury could be a nice fit for us. It seems like it is close to Newburyport, not far from Boston, and very close to NH.

What is the town like? Are there alot of young famlies? We want to live somewhere that has a little bit of everything

Any info is greatly appreciated!

[investtt]

Originally Posted by Gina1031

Hi, Just wondering if anyone can give me some info on living in Amesbury. My husband and I currently own a 2 family in the Northshore and we are now looking for a single family. We have a little boy (19 months) and are planning on another baby. We are looking for a nice, safe environemnt for our children. I feel like Amesbury could be a nice fit for us. It seems like it is close to Newburyport, not far from Boston, and very close to NH.

What is the town like? Are there alot of young famlies? We want to live somewhere that has a little bit of everything

Any info is greatly appreciated!

Amesbury is a nice little town/small city. It's very safe. There are lots of families, like many other towns in the area. A little more bang for your buck than Newburyport or West Newbury.

[SwiftCreek]

My wife and I were recently house hunting in Amesbury and Newburyport and we think it's a great place to raise a family. We have 2 young children and are pretty fussy. Nice clean town, close to Newburyport and yes, very close to tax free shopping. There were some good values in the area. Most homes were selling at or around assessments.

[Gina1031]

Hi- I am wondering what the difference between the two towns? IS amesbury less desireable and if so for what reason. Also how is it for commuters. Boston, 128 etc...

[Valerie C]

Hi Gina
The biggest difference is remember that Newburyport is more than just the downtown. To get a feel for Newburyport, get lost in some of the neighborhoods. Get away from downtown hit the back streets. Some are great, some are so-so, but all are expensive because of the zip code

Downtown Newburyport has the waterfront, businesses, festivals, etc that attract and cater to out of town guests with alot of money to spend. Throughout the summer, the boardwalk and docks are full of people and boats from all up and down the east coast. It used to be very charming. Now it feels like a tourist attraction and nothing more I noticed that several long-time businesses are gone: Bergson's Ice Cream, State Street Candle and Mug, and the great pizza at Ciro's is now a franchise. Easy access to Rte 95 to get to Boston or Maine.

Amesbury is quieter, has very similar neighborhoods without the transient population. A great downtown to explore, tons of parks, bike trails, etc. I truly feel that Amesbury offers a nicer place to live. Like Newburyport and other towns, you're going to find neighborhoods that are less than stellar, some apartment buildings, etc. Overall, it's a nice safe smaller town. Easy access to Rte 495/95

Also explore Merrimac, West Newbury, Groveland, Georgetown... The whole area is near and dear to my heart. I live in southern NH now but still get to those areas as often as possible. Be sure to try Skip's when it reopens in spring! If I can be of assistance, please let me know.

[CityGirl52]

Gina1031,

A very good friend of ours lives in Amesbury and her and her husband have one of the nicest homes we've seen! I love everything about it, her street, her neighbors, her sons are well adjusted and happy as a lark, due to going to school there. It's just SO New Englandy, if you know what I mean! In fact? We were just saying the other day that we like Amesbury more than Newburyport's vibe these days! We go there for their wonderful Playhouse Theater, they have a Flatbread Company (Pizza!), the Powwow River Grille is out of this world, the Ristorante Molise located at 1 Market Square is too die for. There's one in Wakefield, MA. and this one in Amesbury opened a couple of years ago and it's a big hit, we like it so much that we get it to go! Hodgie's Ice Cream is here, Capaccio Italian Cuisine, The Scandia Restaurant. Sal's Pizza is located at 84 Haverhill Rd., they're all over the place now, but this one is pretty good if the Flatbread Company is too crowded! These Sal's Pizza opened Salvatore's on Atlantic Avenue in Boston and it's a huge success. IN any case Gina1031, definitely check out Amesbury, it should be on your A-list for places to live. It's very convenient having the I-95 and 495 exits right by the town too!

Good luck deciding where to live! As one of the other posters mentioned to you, check out Merrimac, West Newbury, Groveland and Georgetown too, all very good places to raise kids!

[Valerie C]

CityGirl, do you notice a subtle change to the feeling in Newburyport?. I was telling someone the other day that it needs to get over itself LOL. Thinking about it though, I'm glad it's changed and become more upscale instead of in the other direction, as has happened in so many other places... Thanks for reminding me of Hodgies--I have a gift certificate that we'll use this weekend if it's still open for the season

[CityGirl52]

Good morning, YES Valerie C, it's really a hoot to me more and more, because we went to Newburyport over 35 years ago, when these people didn't or weren't even born! It definitely changed though didn't it? Oh absolutely for the better of course, but still there's a certain attitude or as you say a "vibe" that's there now that's really kind of a shame. The ones that live there now don't see it, but it's definitely there. It's kind of a little shallow to me because I lived in a place like this and now it's become so structured with condos on top of each other and cars on top of each other due to these 2 & 3 families becoming condos, they need their wheels! But, that's the case in a lot of towns and cities that all of a sudden are a "hot" commodity to live in!

Isn't it funny! You know, a lot of the crew living in these particular towns crack us up to no end now! You would think they discovered it there and are the only ones that know about it, yet the funny thing is? We know they're the only ones now that CAN live in these towns and WILL pay through the nose just to have that address.

Where I lived and grew up it's the same way. I grew up in Charlestown, MA and it's the same thing there. It's so funny to hear the different accents from the various ones getting on the MBTA "T" bus through there! When we were kids growing up there? We knew every single person getting on and off the bus, if we didn't know them personally? We knew some one that did. It's just SO different now. I'm sure this same sentiment can be said for the people that grew up in Newburyport all their lives. In fact, I worked with a woman that lived there all her life and she says this to me all the time about it now.

It's life in a nutshell as I always say and basically, that's how it is in a lot of towns and cities throughout New England and beyond. I'm actually seriously looking to live in a warmer climate, (yet not too humid & warm) someplace like Colorado or North Carolina for down the road. I'm sure the people that live in these states, feel a little twing of resentment when they see all the new faces with all different accents from around the country. It's obvious when you read different threads on City-Data about it all!

We're actually all pretty fortunate that we can do this, you know what I mean? Just pack up and head off to another area all together, or another town or city completely different, when you think about it. Look at all of our ancesters coming over to the USA from all parts of Europe, from Asia and beyond and here we are, living right here, still in this day and age and some of us are still looking for some where else to live! Well at least it's still in our own country we're looking at, just the same!

[Suewagner]

Hi Gina, My husband and I bought a house and moved to Amesbury two years ago and have since had a baby, and we love the town. It's a nice community, with lots of young families and tons to do. We can drive a mile or two in one direction and go past farms with cows and horses (and farm stands in the summer) or a couple of miles in a different direction and be at all the big box stores that are so handy to live near. I work in Boston and the commute is long but not terrible, if you time it right it's not more than an hour (Amesbury is 40 miles north of boston). Taxes are on the high side in Amesbury, but we think it's worth it. Your money goes a lot further in housing there than it will closer to Boston.
Newburyport is more expensive overall, although also nice, and has more of a downtown and summer community (and the traffic that goes with that). One thing about Newburyport to research is the school system, they've had a lot of difficulty in the past few years with funding cuts.

If you move to either community be sure to check out the newburyport mom's club, they have lots of events for moms and babies and help you feel more tied in to the community, especially for someone new to the area.

Best of Luck!