Hingham's not working for me anymore... (Cambridge, Somerville: townhome, gated communities, living) - Massachusetts (MA) - Page 8 - City-Data Forum

495neighbor · 01-13-2016, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hingham-x

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.

Good places to find the crunchy, politically progressive, techie community you are seeking -- Natick, Acton, Lexington. Natick and Acton won't have as many pretty streets and contemporary style homes as Lexington, but you will likely find a beautiful contemporary style townhome in all three towns.

Concord and Lincoln are green but not very nerdy. Lincoln has been home to several pioneers of the contemporary mid-century modern architecture. Custom homes designed by Marcel Breuer, and Walter Gropius, and of more recent history Earl Flansburg are to be found there.

Wayland is green and a little bit nerdy.

Here's a beautifully preserved and updated home for sale in Wayland designed by Breuer.
68 Moore Road, Wayland, Massachusetts 01778 | MLS 71832756 | Gibson Sotheby's International Realty

It almost pains me to see it still on the market for almost the same price as a hideous McMansion.

495neighbor · 01-13-2016, 12:45 PM

[quote=hingham-x;42611031]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

Hingham wasn't always this way. It has evolved over the years and since I've lived here. The train came, the commuter boat schedule increased, the shipyard was developed, Derby Street shopping area was built, the harbor was developed, and a number of high-end housing developments were built. It became the place to live if you're on the way up.

Your kids can try to fit in by wearing Lululemons, North Face, and Vineyard Vines. But the Hingham kids are very savvy: they know each season's styles immediately by color and design, so unless you can keep up your child will be humiliated and told they belong in Weymouth, not Hingham. Electronics? Recreational activities? Forget it! There is no limit to the snobbery.

If you make it through middle school, great, but you've really just begun: the high school kids have TONS of cash. Drugs and alcohol are everywhere here. Parents look the other way. Older kids buy for all the younger ones. Most Hingham kids don't work and they look down on kids who do. They have multiple activities such as ski team, sports, dance, their tutors (every one has one), so there is no time to work and they don't need money. They all have cars. Everyone has SAT prep classes and college coaches. The college competition is beyond belief. State schools? Don't even think about it. And when they finish their '4-year vacation', guess what? They are all living back at home as soon as the credit cards are pulled because they haven't the faintest idea how to fend for themselves or live on their own.

Some of the girls will go to grad school but most will get married within a few years of graduating from college to the man they think has the best looks and highest earning potential. They will never work outside the home again except as a volunteer, but will strut around with an exaggerated respect for their own high social position and evident wealth only seeking to associate with those above them socially, barely able to contain their dislike for people, activities, or possessions they regard as lower-class. And everything they do and say on social media will reflect these values. This is Hingham.

That is, WITH THE EXCEPTION of the people whom I consider my friends and most of the townies. And this group is by far only a tiny, tiny percentage of the population. I guess in all fairness, I could be considered a reverse snob. Now I need to find someplace that I feel comfortable living, if it even exists.

This sounds more like nouveau riche materialism than snobbery.

sal1181 · 01-13-2016, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

Good places to find the crunchy, politically progressive, techie community you are seeking -- Natick, Acton, Lexington. Natick and Acton won't have as many pretty streets and contemporary style homes as Lexington, but you will likely find a beautiful contemporary style townhome in all three towns.

Concord and Lincoln are green but not very nerdy. Lincoln has been home to several pioneers of the contemporary mid-century modern architecture. Custom homes designed by Marcel Breuer, and Walter Gropius, and of more recent history Earl Flansburg are to be found there.

Wayland is green and a little bit nerdy.

Here's a beautifully preserved and updated home for sale in Wayland designed by Breuer.
68 Moore Road, Wayland, Massachusetts 01778 | MLS 71832756 | Gibson Sotheby's International Realty

It almost pains me to see it still on the market for almost the same price as a hideous McMansion.

Wow what a beautiful home! I would totally buy it if I could