Hingham's not working for me anymore... (Boston, Wellesley: house, luxury, top schools)

[hingham-x]

I moved to Hingham, MA 20 years ago and for the most part I’ve been happy here. It’s a historic town and absolutely beautiful with a lot of parks, open space, a great school system, and easy access to Boston.

Recently, however, I am feeling a need to leave and go find somewhere else to live. The many million dollar homes seem to have brought in a glut of shallow, self-centered, snobby kids and adults with appearance and money being the two top priorities here now. Conspicuous consumption seems to be the game of the day while everyone tries to outdo their neighbor with cars, travel, boats, second homes, etc. The Facebook posts are nauseating.

My family is on the introverted side, nerdy, green, down to earth. We like history and nature. The Trump/Clinton debate here doesn’t interest us. We’d be your basic Bernie fans if you get my gist. We love the ’townies’, people who grew up here. But basically Hingham is no longer a fit for us.

The question is: What town can we move to that is safe and clean where if I say hi to a stranger on the street they’ll say hi back. That won’t happen in Hingham - unless you are in that person’s social circle and know them. In the land of social climbers Hingham is a breeding ground for mountaineers.

Is there anywhere that’s more laid back, less competitive, but still has a great library and maybe a Starbucks? Maybe on the North Shore? We would be looking for a contemporary house with lots of windows. Has to be within an hour of Boston. Sorry to dump on Hingham. I'm just so tired of it and I don't know where to go next.

[Parsec]

Although not on the North Shore, Concord was the first town that popped into my head. Is proximity to the beach a requirement? No salt water beaches in Metrowest, but there are many local swimming holes.

[jan0105]

I'm a Bernie fan and I live in Hingham! Don't gooooooo!

Just kidding, I totally get you. I agree that Concord would be a great choice.

[mwbms28]

I think the towns in the Wayland/Lincoln/Concord/Sudbury zone would serve you well. I have never been to Hingham so I don't know much about it (other than that it's an affluent town), but the "style" of money in the towns I mentioned is different than from what you are describing in Hingham, even though these towns are just as wealthy (more or less).

Terrific nature options in Concord - many preserves and hiking trails.

[jan0105]

I think Wayland and Sudbury are pretty similar to Hingham. I mean, Wayland has a Maserati dealership

[Partial Observer]

What you have described in Hingham is precisely what every City-Data poster with a $600K+ budget is looking for in a Massachusetts town (although they'd probably use euphemisms like "top schools" and "affluent," instead of "conspicuous consumption").

To find what you're looking for in another town, you would have to sacrifice virtually everything that binds the Hinghams, Wellesleys, Westons, Southboroughs, etc., together in yuppy solidarity. The people who value parks, good schools, large homes, and educated neighbors are the same people who spend their ample funds on luxury SUVs, European vacations, and personal trainers to whip them into "Facebook selfie" shape. To get away from that stuff, you will have to find a town where people simply cannot afford it. I see that two people have recommended Concord already. It certainly checks the "history" and "nature" boxes, but in what universe is Concord considered a respite from the snobbery that the OP has described?

[jan0105]

Originally Posted by Partial Observer

but in what universe is Concord considered a respite from the snobbery that the OP has described?

Any where that there's money, there's going to be snobbery. But I think you're going to find more, say, liberal academics in a place like Concord than you do in Hingham. Hingham is lots of private equity type people (except for me ).

[vtecluder617]

Have you considered Hanover, Norwell, or maybe even Marshfield? They have their fair share of wealthy "snobs", but definitely not on Hingham's level. I think Hanover has a more "blue-collar" feel to it, schools are still good, and you would still be somewhat familiar with the area since it's close by to Hingham. Probably more conservative than Hingham, but I've seen some Bernie bumper stickers around town.

[massnative71]

How about Scituate? Pretty seaside town, but imho friendlier that Hingham or Cohasset.

[traffic_lover]

I lived in marblehead for 2 yrs & was shocked how friendly & laid back the community is. It's not flashy at all. Lots of townies & just regular nice ppl. We have a theory that b/c the rich folk in marblehead are OBSENELY wealthy they have nothing to prove or flash around. In fact the opposite, stay obscure. It's the wannabes that play the Jones act. Highly recommended marblehead