Affordable areas, decent schools??

[miu]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

I was speaking in the context of Massachusetts. The town consistently votes republican for local and state government. Not saying that is a bad thing, but is indicative of the town's general climate/attitude ... it ain't Harvard, Acton, Groton, Stow, etc. in terms of progressiveness.

In Massachusetts, any town that consistently votes Republican is because the townspeople want reasonable town budgets. All the Massachusetts republicans I know only want fiscal responsiblity, rather than the liberal stance of generous handouts to the needy.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by miu

Pick one, both does not exist anywhere.

You could compromise by instead of buying, instead renting in a town with a good public school system. But even when the schools are rated highly, beware of crowded classrooms.

There are several options for the OP's budget that satisfy all requirements, and have been suggested here in this thread.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Not quite true. Their local state rep and senator are both liberal Democrats. Their congresswoman is Nikki Tsongas, who won by a good margin in Lancaster. Baker did win there, but he is not a conservative.

It is less progressive than those other towns, but they (at least Harvard and Acton) are extreme left even for Mass.

Can we then agree on "mostly true"?

They've voted for Romney, Herr, Brown, Miller, Saint Aubin, Heffernan ... lib candidates like Tsonga and Galvin, while voted in by Lancaster, are general outliers and won by lesser margins than in neighboring towns (we're taking like 5-8% difference).

Regardless, I think there are better options for the OP if she's willing to give on on some of her wants.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Can we then agree on "mostly true"?

They've voted for Romney, Herr, Brown, Miller, Saint Aubin, Heffernan ... lib candidates like Tsonga and Galvin, while voted in by Lancaster, are general outliers and won by lesser margins than in neighboring towns (we're taking like 5-8% difference).

Regardless, I think there are better options for the OP if she's willing to give on on some of her wants.

My point is that those voting patterns generally mirror the state as a whole (ie. Romney, Brown). But forget it, this is getting too off topic...

I do think that Lancaster is still one of the top options. Acton, Groton etc. are considerably more expensive and places like Ayer and Shirley do not do it for the schools.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by massnative71

My point is that those voting patterns generally mirror the state as a whole (ie. Romney, Brown). But forget it, this is getting too off topic...

I do think that Lancaster is still one of the top options. Acton, Groton etc. are considerably more expensive and places like Ayer and Shirley do not do it for the schools.

I agree if looking at purely school systems. West Groton is considerably cheaper than the town center or east Groton; however, the location can add 10-15 minutes to a commute. As you suggest, Acton is a non-starter if the OP doesn't want to go the town house route. While Ayer provides good access and low entry prices, as you also suggest, the school system is not stellar and shows few signs of improving as the town still remains transient in nature. Hard to improve schools when a significant chunk of the populace are low income renters (no ownership). I also think the home values in Ayer have surpassed reasonable thinking, i.e., commuter rail bubble.

Littleton and Stow are also good options, but like Acton, are priced beyond the OP's budget unless she and her partner are willing to settle for a poverty shack.

IMO, Lancaster and Sterling are the only towns I can think of which realistically check most of OPs boxes. I give the edge to Sterling for quality of life and bang for your buck. Lancaster edges Sterling on schools and access to rt. 2/495, but I find the inventory in town to be of lower quality (mostly small sqft post-war stuff or well aged (worn) antiques).

[gf2020]

Can you buy in Maynard for $350K? That's probably the best bet with a commute to Hanscom.