Moving from Brooklyn to Hingham (Boston, Cambridge: environment, estate, budget)

[jasonblend]

My wife and I are in our thirties with a 3 year old and a 1 year old. We are entrepreneurs living in Brooklyn (we run a small interactive agency and co-own a coffee shop and cheese shop).

We love the cosmopolitan lifestyle of the city and the city has been great to us business-wise, however, we are ready to get out of the rat-race and find a good community with great schools. We aren't prepared to face the high cost of private schools or the gritty "urban" schoolyard experience for our girls.

We've looked at New Jersey, Long Island and Westchester and they just don't click with us so now we're thinking of the burbs of Boston and have read good things about Hingham, Brookline and other commnuties that are close enough to the city but have a strong "village" community and great schools.

I'm wondering if there's anyone else on this board who can weigh-in on the pros and cons of such a dramatic lifestyle change and a community like Hingham in general. Could we open a small business there? Could we get involved in the community, stay connected to boston and create a rich environment for our girls? Or will we be longing for Brooklyn?

Looking for advice...

[redsoxwalking]

i actually know a young couple that moved from brooklyn to hingham! they LOVE it. i think they're involved in 'welcome wagon' so you may meet them! it's a high-end suburb with a strong country-club type culture. your shop may fit right in. you should definitely visit. boston is a smaller town than nyc, but everything here is easier to visit, so it's more useable. it's usually at least 10 degrees colder up here than down there... and people in new england are generally more private/slow-to-warm-up (probably because it's so cold, har har). it worries me a bit that you are thinking of so many potential places to relocate, visit each one if you can! i recommend hingham, good luck with your decision!

[Patapsco]

Hi -

My 2 cents is you may be happier in Brookline than Hingham, just b/c it's still on the more urban side than Hingham... Hingham might be a little too much culture shock, but I agree that a cheese/coffee/good schools, etc. criteria is achievable in both towns.

Good luck!

[jasonblend]

Thanks for your replies. I didn't mean to suggest that we would want to re-create Brooklyn in Hingham. (I grew up in Natick and have relatives in Duxbury so I'm familiar with metrowest/south shore). Really what we're looking for is a first and foremost a good school system, followed by a nice house with a back yard, followed by a "village" feel with a walkable downtown area where we could potentially get involved not only in the community but perhaps open up a business (like a cheese shop/coffee shop/wine shop/irish style pub (relations from Ireland :-)), followed by proximity to Boston.

I know it's a lot to ask, but any insight into the community or experiences that the local denizen have had would be appreciated. We're keen on moving to Boston area and want to pick the right community...

[MovingForward]

It would really help to know your budget range.

[jasonblend]

Our budget range is between 1M and 1.5M. We are hoping that we could get a fairly nice place for that budget. Surprisingly it doesn't buy much here in NYC (2 bedroom 1100 sq ft that we're in now) but we're assuming we can get a 4 bedroom in hingham and have a bedroom for the girls, possibly one for a 3rd kid and a guest bedroom for the in-laws from Ireland---looking at real-estate section of boston.com suggest it's realistic.

The house isn't really the concern. We're just looking to hear from other people who live there to get a sense of whether it's the right fit for us and what it would be like. Our top priority is the schools and the community.

[elisemarie]

I am interested to read how others respond to your question regarding Hingham in particular and other towns in general that fit your description. Minus the coffee/wine/cheese shop/pub requirement, we too are looking for a town with a similar set of requirements - great schools, vibrant town center, and a real community.

I don't know much about Hingham personally other than I've heard it described as the "Wellesley of the South Shore" which may or may not be meant as a compliment. Other towns that you may want to look at that meet your requirements are Lexington, Wellesley, Concord, Winchester, Andover, Newton, Brookline and Belmont. All have town or village centers, strong public schools and seem to offer varying degrees of "community".

Have you looked at any of these?

[jasonblend]

Hi Elisemarie:

We have been thinking about Brookline, and having grown up in Natick, I'm very familiar with Wellesley. My parents actually lived in Wellesley for a brief stint. As an adult, I find myself trying to remember what towns like Concord, Lexington etc. were like. I only remember driving through these places as a bored teenager--I certainly wasn't looking at them for "village" community feel and great schools.

When the weather gets better we plan on visiting some friends in Cambridge and exploring these communities a bit more, but it's difficult if you don't know anyone there, all you can do is judge it by driving around which is like judging a book by its cover. That's why I'm hoping to hear from folks on this forum.
What's more, it's difficult to really visit and drive around with a 1 year old and a 3 year old in tow.

Where are you looking to relocate from?

[jasonblend]

Update: We know friends of friends who have moved to the burbs in Connecticut and report that it's like the "Stepford Wives"---that all of the men leave for their hour long commute to the city, and return twelve hours later while all of the woman stay at home. Can someone from Hingham please rebut and tell us that there is a community of like-minded active and entrepreneurial folks where we'll fit in and where we can get involved--if it's not Hingham, then where? That's what we're looking for...

[RESouthShore]

Hingham is a wonderful town with a charming downtown area, a beautiful harbor, great restaurants (Tosca is an award winning one), and nice shopping areas (Derby Street Shoppes is a new outdoor shopping plaza with lots of boutiques and also larger stores such as Whole Foods, Barnes & Noble, etc.). There is a great arts community there with activities throughout the year. They have a huge 4th of July parade which goes down Main Street and into the Harbor area and there are a lot of activities, concerts, art festivals and more during the holiday season and throughout the year. The schools have always been considered good but they have had an overcrowding problem which they are trying to remedy through Prop 2 1/2 overrides which were just voted on in Town Meeting last week. For 1 - 1.5 million you can buy a beautiful home and there are around 140 homes on the market right now. Living in Hingham you can also take advantage of the beach strip in Hull and also the Arts in Cohasset such as the South Shore Arts Center and the South Shore Music Circus. Nearby in Norwell you have the award winning Company Theater.

As far as opening a business, the downtown area would do well with a wine & cheese shop or something of that sort. There is a restaurant called the Square Cafe, a coffee shop called Brewed Awakenings, and old fashioned Brighams Ice Cream and small, one screen art house movie theater, a Talbots & some other cute clothing stores. There was a business called Bowl & Board that sold upscale home furnishings and decorations that has just left the center of town and it had a beautiful location in the Square. I'm not sure if another business has come in there but it is a great spot and will be convenient to the new train depot.

Hingham in general is great for walking. There are sidewalks everywhere. The ones on Main Street are set off of the road with a nice large grassy area separating you from the street. The library is older but nice. The recreation center is great and the summer rec programs are also wonderful. There is a beautiful playground in behind the town hall which is always crowded. You are not far from Norwell where you have your basic grocery store, chain restaurants & in Hanover you have the South Shore YMCA which has just been expanded and is very nice.

[Moderator Cut: Advertising]

Good luck!
Katie