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We are relocating to the metro-west area and want a semi-rural town with good, small school system. Husband's job is primarily at Hanscom Air Force Base with a commute into Brigham & Women's 5 days a month. We've looked at Sudbury, Carlisle, Harvard, and most recently Bolton. Bolton seems to fit the bill and be a little more affordable than the other towns on the list. We are looking for opinions on the new construction at Century Mill Estates (where we can afford the cheapest homes in the neighborhood), and experiences with the schools. I have elementary aged kids now, but we plan to stay put through their school career. Does Nashoba Regional publish a list of colleges their graduates have been accepted into, or plan to attend? I've been digging through their website but haven't found it. Are there pre-schools in Bolton? Thanks.
I think Bolton is a wonderful town, I live in Stow but we primarily looked at both towns when we moved (Spring 2014). My husband works in Lexington and wanted Stow for an easier commute but Bolton would have worked as well I think. As for the schools, any top (level 1) school in MA, in my opinion, is what the child brings to the school. If they apply they can get into great colleges, if the child doesn't apply themselves then they won't. I teach middle school, I also went to a "great" school district, very varied career paths of all graduates. I'm pretty sure there's public pre-school but call the district. Might be a crazy lotto system. If you are only going to be happy with the BEST schools and can afford it, I'd move to Carlisle. Lol...I would have!
You need to factor in property tax when looking at price. Bolton has close to highest rate in state @ $21/1k. For a 500k assessed value this is over $800/mth. Enormous expense. So really Bolton isn't any cheaper
Thanks for your replies - especially Peabody99 and traffic_lover. I didn't realize that Bolton's taxes were close to the highest in the state! Too late though, we just signed a purchase and sale agreement for an existing home there. The taxes aren't as bad as where we are coming from near Albany, NY.
Some more questions about Bolton, now that I am going to be living there.
- summer camps for kids ages 6-11? (2 girls, 1 boy)
- pre schools for 3 year olds (anyone have experience with Children's Horizons in Bolton/Stow?)
- places to meet other moms with little kids (playgrounds, indoor play areas, etc.?) is there a bolton mom's group?
- is there a bolton running group for middle aged recreational athletes like me?
In a week you went from not knowing if you want to live in the town to having a signed purchase and sale? That seems awfully fast. Are you sure you didn't just sign an offer contract?
Thanks for your replies - especially Peabody99 and traffic_lover. I didn't realize that Bolton's taxes were close to the highest in the state! Too late though, we just signed a purchase and sale agreement for an existing home there. The taxes aren't as bad as where we are coming from near Albany, NY.
Some more questions about Bolton, now that I am going to be living there.
- summer camps for kids ages 6-11? (2 girls, 1 boy)
- pre schools for 3 year olds (anyone have experience with Children's Horizons in Bolton/Stow?)
- places to meet other moms with little kids (playgrounds, indoor play areas, etc.?) is there a bolton mom's group?
- is there a bolton running group for middle aged recreational athletes like me?
Thanks!
...all are questions that should have been asked prior to 'signing a contract'
wow! thanks for your insights! I was looking for answers to my questions, not judgements.
My real estate search has been going on longer than one week. We've been looking at houses for months. Having relocated about 12 times, I find that no matter where I live, I will find a community. My questions were not so much, "does Bolton have these things (I'm sure it does)?", but more along the lines of - "which camps should I look into".
For camps, I have heard good things about Pompo Farm Home | Pompositticut Farm Day Camp | Summer Camp. If you're willing to travel out a bit further to Concord, we like Camp Thoreau and Fenn. Camp Sewataro in Sudbury also seems to get high marks.
Unless things have changed a lot in the 4.5 years since we moved from Bolton to Sudbury, there aren't any mom's groups or running groups in the town. Stow has a fairly active parents group, and there is a running club out of Maynard. I found it difficult to meet moms in Bolton because there aren't really places in town where you'd be likely to meet up. There is a decent playground in Stow near Bose. For preschools I drove to LEAP in Sudbury. In Bolton there is a preschool available through the elementary school. Good luck with your move!
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