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We are looking to buy a house in one of these towns. Hopkinton seems to have the best rated schools but is also slightly more expensive than Ashland and Medway, although they definitely have schools that have high ratings too. I guess my question is for people who have personal experience with these school systems, as sometimes there are other things, like extra-curricular activities, extended school program, parent involvement, etc, that don't get captured in ratings. Is there one school system that stands out? Or are they all pretty much the same?
One thing to be aware of in Ashland is the superfund site. It's been discussed a million times here so a quick search of the forum or even a Google search will yield plenty of information. Yes, there are superfund sites all over this former mill economy state but the Ashland site is one of the more notorious ones.
Hopkinton is a nice town. Medway is a bit isolated and has less than ideal highway access IMO.
Thank you Mike. I had no idea about Ashland. Well, I guess Ashland is off the list then. Medway seems to straddle Rt 109 that leads to 495. Is 109 a busy road? Why is highway access harder from Medway?
Casey, thank you for reminding me about Holliston. I took it off the list for some reason, but now I don't remember why. It's back on!
Thank you Mike. I had no idea about Ashland. Well, I guess Ashland is off the list then. Medway seems to straddle Rt 109 that leads to 495. Is 109 a busy road? Why is highway access harder from Medway?
Casey, thank you for reminding me about Holliston. I took it off the list for some reason, but now I don't remember why. It's back on!
Medway has easy access to 495 from Rt-109 but where are you commuting to? It's a good 10-15 miles longer to the Mass Pike towards Boston than Hopkinton is.
Thank you Mike. I had no idea about Ashland. Well, I guess Ashland is off the list then.
I wouldn't cross the entire town off, just do some research into where the site is and don't buy in that neighborhood or downstream if a waterway is involved. e.g. Woburn gets a bad rep for having a Superfund site, but there are areas of bordering towns (Stoneham, Reading) that are actually closer to it than other areas of Woburn. Acton and Concord also have Superfund sites but are very desirable towns. Sometimes it depends on how far they are in the rehab process and how the town's water system is designed.
Parsec, we'll be commuting to Boston and Middleboro. I would prefer Hopkinton because it's closer to get to Boston, and the traffic is worse on the pike vs 495, but we'll just have to see what we can afford in Hopkinton.
Masshawk, from what I found on line, it seems that the eastern half of Ashland and the part to the north towards Framingham would be the areas to avoid. The west side of Ashland is closer to 495 so that would work better anyway.
Thank you to all who took the time to give their input. It is very helpful! I think we defined the area now, we'll just have to start looking!
I can't give advice on schools but I can honestly tell you of the three towns you mention, Hopkinton is the best town to live and raise children. I live in a town boardering Hopkinton and I wish my condo were there instead of here lol. Hopkinton also has a beautiful state park that I visit frequently.
Are you looking at these 3 towns because you think it will give you the best combination of commute to Middleboro and Boston, or for other reasons? Where in Boston will you be commuting to? Have you thought about living in or near Middleboro? It actually has a commuter rail stop that goes to South Station and it's also the quickest of all the commuter rail lines because there are very few stops. It's about 10 miles further from Boston than Hopkinton, but it's actually about 15 minutes faster to get into Boston by train. Also, the spouse who works in Middleboro will have an extremely short commute time. If you don't plan on taking the train at all, then I would still recommend Hopkinton over Middleboro as that commute is better by car.
Have you looked at Franklin? Two commuter rail stops and kind of a cute town, much better commute to Middleboro.
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