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My husband and I have been looking at Boston suburbs for a year, planning to buy new construction and move in the Spring so it is crunch time for projects getting started. For town size, location and school quality, we have narrowed between Bedford and Concord. We can basically get a great new house in Bedford for $200k/$250k less than cost of living in Concord. Both homes we are considering are walk to town or in Bedfords case, walk to shopping mall. We are divided, my husband thinks Bedford is a great buy and the schools are currently ranked higher than Concord. I love the concord neighborhood we found, walk to train (neither of us commuting to Boston but a nice option), shops and the charm of the town. Can anyone make a case for one or the other? Are kids graduating from Bedford high going to good colleges/same as Concord? We know people in concord school system, none in Bedford. Are there great community camps, programs, etc in Bedford? Concord has a more organized school and Rec website. Would there be more/less stay at home moms in Concord v Bedford? Any thoughts on people, schools, lifestyle would help. Thanks!
Mme:
I've said it in other posts: I simply don't understand bedfords fantastically high price tag. Obviously others do, but ive spent plenty of time in town and i dont. Bedford is an ex down-and-out military base town that has seen an eye popping run-up in prices in the past 10 yrs. It's a car-centric town with limited town center, no commuter rail, and sketchy housing aesthetics.
Concord/Lexington however are stalwarts of American history architecture & Boston real estate. They both have walkable, thriving, historic town centers, tons of old money, and strong schools.
Spend the extra 10% to build in Concord.
I lived in Bedford for a couple of years. While the town has much to offer, the feeling that I took away is that the town has a chip on it's shoulder. Bedford is the little brother to Concord and Lexington and no matter how hard they try, they'll never be an equal.
That being said, it's a great bargain when compared to Concord and IMHO a tremendous value in comparison.
I will preface my opinion by stating that I have never lived in either Bedford or Concord. I have visited and drove through both on numerous occasions and base my opinion on my experience.
People are willing to pay the big bucks in Bedford because they think there is value there. I am certain that the schools are fine and the kids that graduate get into comparable colleges as the kids that graduate from Concord/Carlisle.
Bedford never appealed to me because there were too many industrial areas and strip malls. The housing stock (aside from new construction) is also not to my liking. It seems like getting across town during the day would be difficult due to the congestion.
Bedford does have some attributes like the rail trail, and it is in a great location with easy access to 128. In short, Bedford is a typical suburb-good schools, but not much else to offer.
With that said, I would prefer Concord. Concord does have congestion, but it is a much older town that is more established. It also has history and culture, something that is lacking in many towns. From the town Web site "Within walking distance of Concord Center are The Concord Museum, Orchard House, the Old Manse, the Old North Bridge, Minuteman National Historic Park, Emerson House, and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Walden Pond, which served as the inspiration for Thoreau’s Walden in 1854, is nearby and offers a variety of recreational opportunities and hiking trails. The Concord Free Public Library, Concord Art Association, Emerson Umbrella studios for visual and performing arts, and the Performing Arts Center (which is home to the Concord Orchestra, the Concord Band, and the Concord Players) are all in the downtown area."
People who live in Concord and Lexington go into Bedford for shopping. It is also a highway to other towns like Carlisle. Traffic is a killer. If you can afford Concord and you like it, then choose Concord.
New construction in these towns near the town centers almost always means McMansions on small lots that smaller homes torn down which were originally there. That is a very contentious topic in Concord and conservation is important in that town.
Concord has always had higher prices. Concord is the sort of town with a lot of people who've lived there for generations. A lot of people will purposefully drive a hybrid or regular car rather than something else as to not make a big deal of things.
The schools in both towns are good, and the difference between the two schools systems is not going to determine where someone goes to college. That will depend on the student. Yes, they send people to similar colleges. Really, any of the nicer suburbs in the Boston area have pretty good schools.
Both towns are nice, if you like the house in Bedford more move there. Many of the shops in Concord cater to tourists. Both towns are generally nice suburbs with similar cultures except that Concord has a lot more people who've lived there for generations. Most people in drive to neighboring towns to do most of their shopping, even if they live in walkable neighborhoods. Concord might have nice centers but it's basically just as much of a driving town. The historical locations in Concord don't really have much of an daily impact on people who live there anyway. Bedford has much more convenient shopping in it's town.
I haven't been in Bedford long enough to know it when it was down and out and yes, the part of town that used to be base housing has bad architecture but it's a wonderful small town full of unpretentious good people
The schools and town foster an amazing positive community and many neighborhoods (near Lane school/Fawn Lake for one) are really beautiful.
I live on the Bedford concord line and I spend just as much time stuck in traffic in both towns. Actually I prefer Bedford during rush hour because I know the back roads better.
Anyway, concord has better cache and great history. Concord is obviously the better real estate investment and the downtown is really charming, but Bedford is not without its charms
Thank you all for your opinions and thoughts. I am sure there are thousands of Concord residents that are first generation concord residents; I know some and they love the town. I choose not to live in a 1500sqft house with no garage (with our three children), so I hope our offer on a gorgeous McMansion is accepted. I know we would be happy there; thanks again and fingers crossed.
You asked for opinions about the towns and how they differ. The somewhat defiant comment you made about the bigger house you wanted to move to versus undesirable smaller homes wasn't really necessary. Yes, there is a big debate about teardowns and builders cramming much homes on small lots due to the impact it has on abutters, neighborhood crowding, and the trees being cut down. It is also true that it's very common to find people that have multiple generations living in that town, much more so than other towns in the area, as well as plenty of new people. It's definitely a much less transient town than some others in the area. Other people have pointed this out. There are people who can trace their roots back hundreds of years even.
It sounded like you were trying to get a general sense of the feel of the town that you couldn't get from reading data and that's what people are trying to give you. The area you described sounds a lot like the Elsinore/Belknap area, which is definitely walkable with small lots. That said, you will still have to drive to Bedford or other towns to do most of your shopping. As someone else said, there's of an understated established feel to Concord despite the affluence, which is different than some other suburbs. The reason for mentioning the cars people drive (a lot of hybrids and ordinary cars) was because for some people that also describes a lot about the lifestyles and culture of the town which you asked about.
The Route 2 corridor (Concord, Lincoln, Lexington, Acton) attracted a lot of professors and scientists because of it's easy access to the universities. The suburbs further south have had a more corporate feel. These are just generalizations, but you can even see it in the voting patterns on various state bills.
If your primary concern is schools, Bedford and Concord are both good, so where someone goes to college will be determined by the student. Both towns have the usual suburban activities. Bedford you get more house for less money, but it's still very desirable.
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