Moving to Leominster (Boston, Worcester, Springfield: cul-de-sac, real estate, 2015)

[FCMA]

Ashburnham has a really nice ice rink at Cushing Academy. Gardner has a rink too. Ashburnham or Westminster would be good towns to find some land for a hobby farm. Leominster is mostly suburban sprawl - you can find a decent sized yard in Leominster but probably not easily find a neighborhood where people would accept farm animals and such next door.

[Firefly1217]

You might like Littleton. Not that far down route 2 for commuting, still somewhat rural but more access (IMO) to things to keep the kids engaged.

ETA: I grew up in Leominster...and I have taught in the towns near Littleton. If you can afford to move closer to 495, I would.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Canuck heading south

I am a single canadian/Montreal man with 2 young girls, I have just accepted an engineering job in Leominster, I am not sure of the best location to live in, we are used to lots of facilities nearby, aquatic centers, skating rinks etc, I like the idea of changing speeds and having a small hobby farm to manage on the side and keep the girls busy, as long as we are not too too far way from the action.

Where do you suggest we live?

Thanks for reading.

Dw

You might look in the town of Berlin, a truly rural community right off 495 and not too far from Leominster. There is a good ice skating rink, close to Berlin in Marlborough, Navin Rink. Berlin has a country store with horseback riding lessons, trail rides, hay rides and a petting zoo with all kinds of animals. Many country themed festivals in Berlin and its neighbor Bolton.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

You might look in the town of Berlin, a truly rural community right off 495 and not too far from Leominster. There is a good ice skating rink, close to Berlin in Marlborough, Navin Rink. Berlin has a country store with horseback riding lessons, trail rides, hay rides and a petting zoo with all kinds of animals. Many country themed festivals in Berlin and its neighbor Bolton.

There is also NESC right on the Marlborough/Berlin line near Solomon Pond Mall. This facility has 6 rinks (with plans to build more) and a number adult leagues/skate groups.

Homes in Berlin/Bolton are significantly more expense than comparables in Leominster. I'm going to assume that if OP is considering Leominster, then their budget is limited (<$350K). If so, that pretty much excludes Berlin and the Nashoba towns (except Lancaster). As for Littleton, the RE market has become an extension of Acton's ... pricey.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

There is also NESC right on the Marlborough/Berlin line near Solomon Pond Mall. This facility has 6 rinks (with plans to build more) and a number adult leagues/skate groups.

Homes in Berlin/Bolton are significantly more expense than comparables in Leominster. I'm going to assume that if OP is considering Leominster, then their budget is limited (<$350K). If so, that pretty much excludes Berlin and the Nashoba towns (except Lancaster). As for Littleton, the RE market has become an extension of Acton's ... pricey.

I think you are getting confused and jumping to conclusions, in this instance. I was replying to Cannuck's inquiry not the original poster who is long gone. If you go back and read Cannuck's post, he is working in Leominster. He did not specifically say he was looking to live in Leominster.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Firefly1217

You might like Littleton. Not that far down route 2 for commuting, still somewhat rural but more access (IMO) to things to keep the kids engaged.

ETA: I grew up in Leominster...and I have taught in the towns near Littleton. If you can afford to move closer to 495, I would.

Also, consider Boxborough. I live in the next town and go to Nashoba Valley Olympia for recreational skating. Boxborough still retains some rustic elements. You can go to Steele Farm and cut down your own tree during the holidays. The school system is fully regionalized with Acton's as of this year.

[NYPatsFan]

I work in Concord but live in north Leominster. We moved here last November and are very happy with our choice. Leominster is stable and affordable and it's easy to get to Boston, Worcester, Providence or NH. Even though Leominster is a city you can find suburban developments in the north and south. We did and it's a very open and friendly neighborhood.

I can see Leominster being the next thing in the Real Estate market as more people who work in Boston get pushed out of the more pricey towns to the east.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by NYPatsFan

I can see Leominster being the next thing in the Real Estate market as more people who work in Boston get pushed out of the more pricey towns to the east.

Perhaps in the very long term; however, current trends show the opposite. The most recent census data suggests young families are fleeing the city at a fairly rapid rate. More anecdotally, I have observed a number of couples in their early/mid 30's sell their homes in Leominster and transition to better school districts - typically Nashoba or Wachusett towns if their jobs are Leominster or Worcester based. For the Leominster real estate market to improve, I believe it would require a few relatively momentous changes:

Create a true destination downtown (Lowell and Northhampton are great examples). Start encouraging high value inde/local businesses and limit the commercial sprawl ... no body seeks out a town/city because they built a new Applebees or are hosting a casino. This is no easy task for Leominster as the city doesn't have a Tsongas funneling federal money like Lowell did/does.

It's neighbor Fitchburg needs to get it's sh_t together. The city regularly competes with destinations such as Brockton and Taunton for "places in MA I absolutely don't want to live". Sure, it has some reasonably nice sections but the only incentive to live there is its cheap, cheap, cheap.

Every neighboring town with a better school system (whether real or perception) would have to boom first. As it stands now, the price differential between SFHs in Leominster and towns like Lancaster, Sterling, Lunenburg, Townsend, Princeton, Westminster, etc. is not that great. Most buyers in MA buy on school district first and so long as young families can afford access to better school districts nearby, Leominster's real estate will stagnate.

What Leominster does have going for it is the continued investment in nearby Devens, a fair amount of desirable housing stock, a beautiful surrounding landscape, and a seemingly well run local government. It could change, but it will take a significant change in inertia.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Perhaps in the very long term; however, current trends show the opposite. The most recent census data suggests young families are fleeing the city at a fairly rapid rate. More anecdotally, I have observed a number of couples in their early/mid 30's sell their homes in Leominster and transition to better school districts - typically Nashoba or Wachusett towns if their jobs are Leominster or Worcester based. For the Leominster real estate market to improve, I believe it would require a few relatively momentous changes:

Create a true destination downtown (Lowell and Northhampton are great examples). Start encouraging high value inde/local businesses and limit the commercial sprawl ... no body seeks out a town/city because they built a new Applebees or are hosting a casino. This is no easy task for Leominster as the city doesn't have a Tsongas funneling federal money like Lowell did/does.

It's neighbor Fitchburg needs to get it's sh_t together. The city regularly competes with destinations such as Brockton and Taunton for "places in MA I absolutely don't want to live". Sure, it has some reasonably nice sections but the only incentive to live there is its cheap, cheap, cheap.

Every neighboring town with a better school system (whether real or perception) would have to boom first. As it stands now, the price differential between SFHs in Leominster and towns like Lancaster, Sterling, Lunenburg, Townsend, Princeton, Westminster, etc. is not that great. Most buyers in MA buy on school district first and so long as young families can afford access to better school districts nearby, Leominster's real estate will stagnate.

What Leominster does have going for it is the continued investment in nearby Devens, a fair amount of desirable housing stock, a beautiful surrounding landscape, and a seemingly well run local government. It could change, but it will take a significant change in inertia.

Well said. It's just so sad. 10 years ago both Leominster and Clinton had nice indie town centers with design firms, eating places, other little businesses. The malls and the long recession closed the doors on those businesses. The Natick Mall did the exact same thing to Natick's town center.

Lesson to be learned people in other towns. Approve a mall and say goodbye to Main Street.

[Humphrey]

Malls killed main streets back in the 50s/60s/70s/80s. The damage was done a long time ago. Nowadays if you approve a mall it's only going to kill off other sprawl - e.g big box stores out-compete the giant malls of the 70s. The successful downtowns are the ones which can provide an experience the malls can't and succeed on their own terms.

I don't go through there that often but Leominster downtown doesn't seem terrible (bar the gaping hole where the hotel which burned down used to be). There a couple of genuinely nice places to eat and there don't seem to be too many empty storefronts.

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

It's neighbor Fitchburg needs to get it's sh_t together. The city regularly competes with destinations such as Brockton and Taunton for "places in MA I absolutely don't want to live". Sure, it has some reasonably nice sections but the only incentive to live there is its cheap, cheap, cheap.

Pretty great incentive though! (it was for me anyway)