Cute towns within 1 hr. of Logan Airport (any direction) (Boston: real estate, homes)

[MaimounaKande]

We may need to transfer to be within about one hour of Logan Airport. If anyone can help with suggestions, that would be great. Here's what I'd like! :

-small town (actual downtown you can walk around--not a strip mall)
-older homes (no cookie cutters please)
-schools not that important (we'll go private)
-a bit of land (minimum of one acre, would prefer 2-5 acres)
-can be in any state (RI, MA, NH)
-For the purpose of this question, cost is not an issue
-educated population
-Don't need a "night life" place--do want a safe, pretty, quiet area

Any help would be great as a starting point!!

[MAtoNC!]

Newburyport: newburyport - Google Image Search

View Details - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Beverly Farms

Andover

Lexington

[airedaly]

It's rare to find large pieces of land in Lexington - it's a great town, but lots are too small for this family. Carlisle, Weston or Lincoln may be good towns.

[capecodcathy]

Boxford, Georgetown to the North, to the South: Scituate, Cohasset, Plymouth

[ogre]

This is a bit of a tough call, since many towns with the acreage you're seeking have tiny downtown areas. You said you want walkable downtowns and not the strip mall character, but some of this depends on how large you want the downtown to be, and what variety of businesses you'd want it to have. I agree that you're unlikely to find the size property you want in Lexington, but the town has a fairly substantial downtown area. Weston, Carlisle, and Lincoln may provide the acreage, but their town centers are tiny, with just the most basic kinds of businesses. On the other hand, these downtown areas are real downtowns, not strip malls.

Meeting your one-hour criterion depends on your plans for commuting. Because of traffic, you can't live as far from Boston as you might think and be able to reach the city within an hour if you're driving during peak commuting hours. Some of the towns suggested here--Boxford, Scituate, Carlisle, Andover, Plymouth--are borderline at best for being an hour away if you're driving in during peak hours. If you're commuting during off hours, or working in the 'burbs and going to the city only for evenings out, this expands your one-hour possibilities.

North of Boston, I'd suggest Wenham, Ipswich, and Hamilton for the acreage you seek. These towns also are on commuter rail lines, which gives you another commuting option (over your one-hour limit, though, when you allow time to get from the train station in Boston to Logan). Generally, the driving commute from the west of Boston is less difficult than from the north or south. Some towns to check out there are Dover, Sherborn, and Wayland. Wayland has a twist with regard to the downtown area. What is generally regarded as the town center consists of a strip mall and a row of small office buildings along a highway, but there's a distinct section of town called Cochituate which has its own business district that is like a small-town downtown, and even has a few restaurants with some local flavor.

Hope this is useful, and best of luck finding the place that works best.

[MaimounaKande]

This is GREAT information--thank you all so much. I don't think I could have figured this much out on my own in several weeks. As for the commute, it just needs to be an hour (give or take) from Logan Airport itself. We can work from home, but do want to be within some sort of reasonable distance from the airport.

Thanks for taking the time to answer this...I will be printing it out and doing some research on these areas.

[bostonlady]

Lynnfield- Wakefield- Reading-Peabody- North Reading- anwhere on the North shore is good. (except Lynn and Lowell)

[bostonlady]

Newburyport is really nice and a cute little downtown.

[MaimounaKande]

Does Newburyport have all sorts of white lights up at x-mas? I lived in Boston for a short time many years ago and remember going somewhere around xmas, seeing it all lit up, and thinking it was beautiful....for some reason Newburyport sounds right, but I could easily be wrong!

[patriotsfootballfan]

I used to sell real estate in central mass before moving to North Carolina. You can also check out Sterling, Shrewsbury, Northboro and Westboro. I personally loved Shrewsbury. I lived there - petty small center of town with all the amenities you need within the town. tax base is ok and the school were rated highly. they have there own electric and cable company and the whole town is wired for cable and internet! Sterling is more country but its a nice town and the community supports the local mom and pop businesses there.

happy searching.