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Old 05-19-2015, 12:29 PM
 
9,783 posts, read 7,038,871 times
Reputation: 11373

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Quote:
Originally Posted by vtecluder617 View Post
There were a few factors. Right around the time we were looking in Tewksbury there were a couple of Heroin busts in the area, and a prostitution ring was caught at area hotels (5 women arrested on prostitution charges in Tewksbury - Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston) and while taking a break from open houses one day we went and had lunch at the Papa Ginos on 38, and just didn't get the greatest vibe from the people in their at the time. And to top it all off, we were told that the schools weren't exactly the greatest either. It was truly a shame, because the neighborhood we almost bought in was beautiful and quiet (I still remember the street, William G Drive) We even saw a fox in the trees near the back yard at dusk, when we were viewing the pool area (I thought that was actually pretty cool) Again, some people might come on here defending Tewksbury, and I guess for some people its a good place to live, but it definitely wasn't for us.

Wilmington and Andover are very good alternatives in the area. It will cost you more though.

Keep in mind that if the town has a hotel, it probably has prostitution issues. The police often run stings using craigslist to target the prostitutes or run an reverse sting targeting the johns. The important thing is for the police to be active and visible in dealing with it. Many towns know it's an issue and perform these stings and publicize them. The reverse stings seem to be more effective.
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Old 05-19-2015, 09:32 PM
 
10 posts, read 17,594 times
Reputation: 11
We currently live in Tewksbury with our 3 young children. We have found it to be very family oriented with a ton of sports/activities for the children. Two of our children are currently in the elementary school here and we have had all positive experience. Education is very important to us and we are very happy with the school so far. As far as the drug issues that I have seen posted, drugs are a problem everywhere. The Tewksbury police department has been working hard and doing a very good job in catching the people bringing drugs into this town. If you read the headlines you will see it's almost always people who are not from town...unfortunately, 495 makes it and easy location for people to get off and on the highway quickly. Overall, I think Tewksbury is a good option to consider given your criteria. We are very involved in the community and schools, we also coach multiple sports so we have met a lot of wonderful families who have to same values as us. Good luck with your house hunt!
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Old 05-20-2015, 12:52 PM
 
11 posts, read 29,682 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mgil4 View Post
We currently live in Tewksbury with our 3 young children. We have found it to be very family oriented with a ton of sports/activities for the children. Two of our children are currently in the elementary school here and we have had all positive experience. Education is very important to us and we are very happy with the school so far. As far as the drug issues that I have seen posted, drugs are a problem everywhere. The Tewksbury police department has been working hard and doing a very good job in catching the people bringing drugs into this town. If you read the headlines you will see it's almost always people who are not from town...unfortunately, 495 makes it and easy location for people to get off and on the highway quickly. Overall, I think Tewksbury is a good option to consider given your criteria. We are very involved in the community and schools, we also coach multiple sports so we have met a lot of wonderful families who have to same values as us. Good luck with your house hunt!
Thank you - that was the feedback I was hoping to hear!
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Old 05-27-2015, 02:39 PM
 
4 posts, read 6,684 times
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Well, you have stuff like this to contend with at the local library...and it wasn't the first time:

Man booked on charge of offering sex at library in Tewksbury - Lowell Sun Online
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Old 05-27-2015, 03:11 PM
 
1,768 posts, read 3,218,252 times
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Most elementary schools follow came curriculum and most parents are feeling fuzzy about those first couple of years in any given elementary and in any given town. Problems often start later, middle and high school. That is where great school districts and mediocre one are easier to distinguish.

Before fully committing to any particular town, speak with people who have much older kids, some history in school district. Their insight is very valuable. On the surface every town is great.

Good luck.
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Old 07-17-2017, 03:28 PM
 
30 posts, read 105,399 times
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I just moved to Tewksbury from the NH sea coast area. Not my idea but I had to find a dog friendly place fast, so Tewksbury it is! The town is a tale of 2 cities. The southern Wilmington side seems like a nice area for the most part. The Lowell side not so much. No need to go into the why's here. The contrast between the roads in Tewksbury vs Wilmington is noticeable. Wilmington has nice smooth roads with a well marked shoulder painted on the sides. Tewksbury not so much. A lot more abandoned run down shopping plazas on 38 in Tewksbury vs Wilmington I'm single and have no input on the school system.
A couple of gripes: no dog park. No non resident access to silver lake. The one pond Tewksbury has just reported to have bacterial counts so no swimming there. The town says they need to 'study' the matter. Hey Tewksbury, you don't need to be a scientist to know its human sewage

All Inall not a bad place. That's the best I will ever say about this miserable state. At least for me I'm not near lowell��The commute to Boston is tolerable. Plenty of pizza places. And nail salons WTF with all the nail salons
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Old 07-17-2017, 03:48 PM
 
4,998 posts, read 3,843,232 times
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I'd recommend making a sacrifice on the house and buy in Andover/North Andover in that area. To be honest, Tewksbury is a pretty unnapealing town to me as compared to most in eastern MA. Schools are meh, and the nice neighborhoods are all cookie cutter homes off of strip mall ridden main drags.

One town that flies under the radar is Chelmsford. Nice little downtown, good schools, and great bang for your buck. The commute to North Reading would be a bit of a headache, but the commute to Tyngsboro would be a breeze.

As always, I'll recommend Westford if you can find a house that's suitable in your price ranges. It's expensive, but you can't say enough good things about the towns schools, aesthetics, facilities, etc. Such an amazing community for kids, and a much much better investment than a Tewksbury or Billerica.
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Old 07-18-2017, 06:20 AM
 
Location: Massachusetts
82 posts, read 77,233 times
Reputation: 118
We bought our first home in a Tewksbury and my in laws live there, we only sent our oldest to the integrated preschool at the Dewing school and then we moved, but I thought it was a great program and they do have free full day Kindergarten. Livingston park complex is great for kids. There is no center of town, and no shopping aside from a Market Basket (grocery store) and Walmart at the edge of town near Lowell. The elementary schools are in need of serious updating, but they recently built a new high school complex. . The town is trying to get new elementary schools passed into the budget, I am not sure if it actually did pass, as I just moved out of Tewksbury last year. $550k is a nice budget and you'll be able to afford something really nice. Andover has better schools and a nice town center, I am limited on what I can say in regard to the demographics, because of my job, but I'm sure you can look up the median income and figure it out. Your budget of $550k won't go as far as it will in Tewksbury, but if schools are important to you, you'd have to decide between school system and house. Stay away from the pig farm on south street! It smells so bad in the summer. I'd say anywhere within a 1,5/2 mile radius and you can smell it. Lately it seems that they are building condo complex after condo complex and it's contributing to a traffic problem on the main drags at rush hour.
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Old 07-18-2017, 07:54 AM
 
15,692 posts, read 20,188,881 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sarahmccoy View Post
Lately it seems that they are building condo complex after condo complex and it's contributing to a traffic problem on the main drags at rush hour.

Seems like construction has picked up the last few years in building new apts and condos. The Caswell is gone, replaced by Wamesett Lanes. A few new housing developments have spring up in the last year or so (I know of a couple being built), but honestly, for $600K+ you'd be better off putting that money towards a different town vs buying in Tewks.


I loved the town in my younger years, but in the last decade or so it seems like it's gotten a bit more congested around the strip and losing that small town vibe.
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Old 07-19-2017, 05:59 AM
 
Location: Massachusetts
82 posts, read 77,233 times
Reputation: 118
Yes I agree with you. It's a common complaint on the Tewksbury residents page on Facebook as well.
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