Woburn? (Boston, Andover, Lexington: home builders, job transfer, neighborhoods)

[WinterWonder]

Originally Posted by Debi1957

I love MA!! My husband sorta got offered the job up there...those of you that know me...LOL....hubby had put in for a job transfer. The boss up there said yes, only trouble is now there is a hiring freeze and we are on hold and the biggie...with everything as it is here in "beautiful" (hate it) Florida....our house will never sell.

What do you guys think is a good income to have for living up there comfortably? Woburn or any area between Andover and Boston that is Woburn like...suggestions?????

What is Woburn like? That is one MA city I have never visited. We are trying to pick a Boston suburb to live in. What are some things that make Woburn special relative to other towns nearby?

[brightdoglover]

Nothing special. It's somewhat more affordable, has more of a working-class history/population, and is infamous for being the town featured in the pollution-disaster movie "A Civil Action."
It's an OK livable suburb, nothing fancy, nothing real bad. Nothing to do, but most suburbs are like that.

[airedaly]

I guess it depends on where you're from and what you can afford. In my opinion, Woburn has nothing that would make anyone want to live there unless they had family there. It's not charming and the housing stock is just ordinary. There is a nice pond to walk around and lots of shopping, but they constantly build on every square inch of land, so it is very congested. Their history (as mentioned above) of pollution and cancer has left an impression about Woburn among many Mass. residents.

If you're concerned about location, it is located right between Rtes 128 and 93, so it's convenient. But, there are other towns that would be more desirable (in my opinion). What is it that attracted you to Woburn?

Reading is nice - and Andover is much more desirable and attractive than Woburn. Winchester and Wakefield are nice, too. Have you looked at those towns?

[LSatie]

It's a costly area, mainly because it's very centralized... You have route 93 and 128 right there. Lexington is one of the more expensive areas nearby. Reading is a nice town, and if you head a bit further north to North Reading or North Andover (where I grew up) you get more land and a nicer suburban feel. Look around and don't limit yourself to one town, but keep in mind that traffic can be dense at times so you probably don't want to live too far from work. If you can afford it, best of luck to you! We moved to Central NY because there was no way we were ever going to afford to own in NE MA.

[TheWereRabbit]

Welcome To The Wu

[WKearney]

Well I think I might have some answers for anyone thinking about moving to Woburn. I was born here and I have lived in Andover, Lexington, Boulder Colorado and other more "desirable " towns. The whole pollution issue of the past has tarnished the town and I think that is why property values are somewhat depressed. But I don't think there is any current or future danger here more than anywhere else in the area. The cleaned up super fund site is over in East Woburn and the water flowing by it goes right through "highly desirable" Winchester square.
Woburn's city government is well run. Woburn has $12 million in the bank while our surrounding towns are broke and laying off town staff. This is because the north-eastern side of Woburn where rt 95 and Rt 93 intersect has a huge commercial tax base. The public schools are very good and only look less than those of surrounding towns which tend to be the top in the entire state mostly because they are bedroom communities for Boston's elite.
While the south end and much of north woburn is 'working class' (read older duplesxes and small lots), there is much stability in even these neighborhoods. I live right on Horn Pond and it is like living in a vacation home, just beautiful. Woburn is friendlier than many of the surrounding towns and if you have kids there are a ton of sports and other organized activities that are very well supported. One important point .. Woburn is home to many many professional contractors, like plumbers, electricians, home builders etc. So these are deemed "working class" but they are mostly very well off owning their own businesses and they live very well in beautiful homes, and you will find them volunteering as youth league coaches as well as members of the Woburn CC.
One last point , Woburn is becoming aware of the need to preserve open space and recently purchased 75 acres of pristine land in West Woburn which along with existing conservation land gives it the tenth largest preservation of public land inside the Rt 128 belt. I think the future of the City is very promising and buying a home here is a very good choice if you are planning to stay for ten or more years.

[gf2020]

This thread is 3 years old, but well put WKearney. There are some great restaurants in Woburn center too!