Beautiful areas on South Shore w/ artsy vibe? (Boston, Plymouth: renting, loan)

[KateEatsPlants]

Hi,

My husband and I moved to Boston about 6 months ago and are currently renting in Jamaica Plain. We really love JP but we're beginning to think about leaving the neighborhood so we can buy a home.

My husband is an outdoorsy person who dreams of living near the ocean so he can kayak. I love the artsy vibe of JP, it's beautiful architecture, its greenery, and its bike-friendliness/walkability. We're hoping to find some place that meets what we're both looking for, preferably on the South Shore as my husband works near South Station.

Our max budget is about $600k, though we certainly would love to spend less. We aren't planning on having kids any time soon, if ever, so schools aren't a concern. We'd like at least three bedrooms as I plan to use one as my art studio where I'll be working from home.

Like I said, we haven't lived in MA that long so we aren't too familiar with the South Shore towns and which ones would be best to begin our search. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Beachcomber4]

That's a really tough one. I don't think any place on the south shore has an "artsy vibe". But it's definitely an art and artisan friendly area. I know, it's a total contradiction.

My first thought was Cohasset because of the very well supported South Shore Arts Center South Shore Art Center. It is also a stunningly beautiful community, coastal and takes pride in their history and preservation. It's a very affluent community that appreciates art and their artists. The arts festival in early summer is fabulous as is the aforementioned SSAC. The 600K price point won't get you much though.

Hull could be a contender. It's definitely more laid back than Cohasset, but close by and has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years. It boasts a more eclectic population and there is still a little bit of a beach bohemian vibe to some areas. Your budget would be well suited for Hull. There is a boat to and from Boston that your husband might enjoy for the commute.

Good luck. I am interested to hear other suggestions.

[konfetka]

If you could consider driving into town, or taking a train to the North Station and walking or taking a T to the South Station, you would find a lot of culture on the North Shore.

Beverly recently received a grant from National Endowment for the Arts to develop an Art District in downtown, because of the presence of Montserrat College of Art and many art-related businesses. You can find more info on Beverlyculture.org.

The monthly Art Walk in Beverly was started to highlight these resources in the city:

Beverly, MA – A number of artistic and cultural assets call downtown Beverly home: Montserrat College of Art, LPF Studio, Cabot Cinema, Clay Dreaming, Porter Mill, Wallpusher Guitars, Blue Box, Mingo Gallery and Frame Shop, the Atomic Cafe, Sea Change Theater and 17 Cox are a handful, not to mention the hundreds of professional and student artists working in the city, maintaining both public and private studios. First Thursday Beverly Art Walks will take place each month. The route will span from Montserrat College of Art down to 17 Cox with more than ten stops in between. Each location will offer extended hours, refreshments, special exhibitions, or other incentives for citizens to attend and to return each subsequent First Thursday.

Therefore, you will definitely find a community of artists here which has spurred because of Montserrat College of Art. Many of them live and work at Porter Mill Artist Studios.

Other towns that attract artists would be Salem, Marblehead, Gloucester and Rockport, because of their beautiful coastline and historic architecture.

Salem is home to Peabody Essex Museum, one of the best in the Northeast, which collected $550 million for a future expansion.

Gloucester is also home to the Rocky Neck Art colony:

One of America's oldest continuously working art colonies, Rocky Neck, in Gloucester Massachusetts, has attracted some of the nation's most illustrious artists including Milton Avery, Nell Blaine, Stuart Davis, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, John Sloan, and many others. Today, this picturesque waterfront community is home to dozens of accomplished working artists.

Overall, the North Shore is a region with so many historic and cultural resources, that Essex National Heritage commission was established to take care of all of them. You might find this area very inspiring.

[lrfox]

Beachcomber and Konfetka make good suggestions.

I agree with Konfetka that the North Shore (specifically the communities in Konfetka's reply) is generally better for the type of community you're looking for. I'd add Ipswich and possibly Newburyport to the list of North Shore communities to consider. Potentially even Amesbury though it gets a mention due to its relative affordability and proximity to Newburyport (and Portsmouth NH which is great to have nearby). The problem, of course, is that it's a much bigger pain than it should be to get from North Station to South Station. Still, it's doable (transfer to Green or Orange at North Station, then to Red at either Park or Downtown Crossing to South Station... or just walk on a nice day). My personal take is that in order to justify the obnoxious North- South Station transfer, you would have to find the North Shore much more to your liking than the South Shore. That may or may not be the case which is why it would be a good idea to at least look into it.

In addition to what beachcomber suggested on the South Shore, I'd add Scituate to the list. It's similar to Cohasset in many ways. It has a nice small town center (right on the harbor) with some nice shops, restaurants and galleries. It has a number of little coves, estuaries, marshes and inlets which make for great kayaking. The drawbacks would be similar to Cohasset as well. It's not quite as affluent as Cohasset, but it would be a stretch to say it's more than just a little bit more affordable.

Aside from that, I think I have to make an obligatory mention of Plymouth. Plymouth fits most of your criteria, but it lacks a lot of punch in terms of having an artsy vibe. That's not to say there isn't an artsy crown in Plymouth. There is. You'll find some galleries and local artisans; but for the most part, it lacks the bohemian vibe that makes JP so cool. On the bright side, Plymouth is very walkable in near the center. I say "near the center" because Plymouth covers a huge geographic footprint ranging from forest (one of the largest in the state) to rural, to suburban, to an urban historic town center. Plymouth would be heaven for your husband and his kayak. Plymouth harbor combines with Kingston and Duxbury Bays to create a huge protected bay with countless rivers, tributaries, marshes and streams to explore. I don't think one lifetime is enough to cover that area on kayak. Plymouth sports some good restaurants downtown, a decent nightlife (I don't know if that means anything to you, but it's there), a scenic harbor, decent shopping (both box retail and smaller boutique shops in town), and access to the outdoors (Myles Standish is a great place for walking and biking or swimming in fresh water). In terms of price, your money will undoubtedly go further than it would in Scituate or Cohasset. Hull might be comparable.

It's worth noting that Scituate, Cohasset and Plymouth are technically on the commuter rail network but all three suffer from questionable station placement and planning. Scituate and Cohasset are on the Greenbush Line which is the newest branch of the commuter rail and was terribly designed with stations quite a ways from each town's center (nowhere is this more apparent than Hingham where the historic village was literally tunneled under so the station could be placed out where fewer people live). It's frustrating for those who enjoy walkability since you have to drive (or at least bike if you can) and park at the station. While the commuter rail literally passes through the center of Cohasset (and a mile or so from Scituate's center), the stop is quite a bit further out. Plymouth's station is not part of the Greenbush Line but it is in North Plymouth, miles from downtown Plymouth. So even though you can find a home in walkable parts of each of these communities, you'll likely be driving to the commuter rail station since they're all outside of the town centers.

[KateEatsPlants]

Thank you all so much! These are really helpful and informative suggestions.

I wish the North Station-South Station transfer weren't so inconvenient! It would really broaden our possibilities.

[konfetka]

Kate, from Marblehead or Swampscott on the NS there is also an option of driving to the Blue Line in Revere (15-30 min drive), and in 15 minutes it would take you to Aquarium station in Financial District (and close to South Station).

[KateEatsPlants]

Hm... that could work, right? What about the bus that leaves from Marblehead or Swampscott? The drop off point is right near my husband's office. If it is a good option, that would be fantastic because from what you all are saying, the North Shore sounds like it would better fit what we are looking for.

[konfetka]

I have never tried the bus, may be someone else could comment, but I know it goes to right around that area.