Plymouth? (Wareham, Hingham, Duxbury: homes, buy, elementary schools)

[rmh1]

What is the vibe in Plymouth? Family with 3 preschool/elementary age kids moving from NJ. Looking for good elementary schools (we will move back in 3 yrs)- high schools not a concern. It seems like a big town, where is the best for us? Beaches and close to town a plus.

[RLCMA]

Plymouth as a whole is not a great town. However, if both the beach and being close to downtown are important to you I would say Manomet is your best bet. North Plymouth is also nice but it's not "beachy" if you know what I mean.

[rmh1]

Why is it not a great town?

[RLCMA]

Just in general, it's not considered a great town. First of all, it's not an upscale town as a whole. It's just a basic town with high property taxes. I guess it depends on the person though. Some people may think it's great. I do like the downtown area but that's about it.

[surfingatwork]

Originally Posted by rmh1

Why is it not a great town?

I personally love plymouth. i live outside plymouth in lakeville and enjoy visiting the town. years ago hubby and i looked there to live but i was commuting the boston for work and it was just too far (no commuter rail at that time). downtown is really nice, there are some great restaurants, outside of downtown you have access to many every day stores like home depot, lowes, home goods, target stuff like that. i can't really tell you much about living there but i can tell you if i wasn't moving out of state i would love to live in plymouth. it has a good feeling to me. i enjoy walking around downtown and have never felt unsafe.

[rmh1]

Thanks for your insight. We've lived in many upscales areas, as we have moved quite a bit and this time around we're looking for a nice town, with nice people. We dont care if its not as upscale as say Hingham or Duxbury, as long as its safe and has down to earth, friendly people. We are considering private school for our kids regardless. I've only been there once and obv. need to spend more time there, but I liked the vibe I felt. I appreciate all the feedback.

[RLCMA]

Well nice people are hard to come by in New England but they do exist. The thing I don't like about Duxbury is how fake the people are there.

[rmh1]

Originally Posted by RLCMA

Well nice people are hard to come by in New England but they do exist. The thing I don't like about Duxbury is how fake the people are there.

Isnt that so sad? Well, Ill keep looking...

[RLCMA]

Well Duxbury is the type of town where people will buy a 5 bedroom colonial and can't afford to furnish it but they want a Duxbury zip code. It's just sad. That's my take on Duxbury but it may be different now. I hate to say nice people are hard to come by in New England. In all reality, there are genuinely nice people and unfriendly people no matter where you live. I just find people in NE to be reserved and fast paced. Maybe they're in too much of a rush or have too much on their mind to be friendly. Who knows?

[Hurrah]

I've lived in Plymouth for 4 years now. We moved here from Cape Cod after 19 years (mid-cape). I grew up in Northern NJ (Bergen County). We homeschool so I couldn't tell you about the schools, but from what I've heard, I'm not impressed (for what that is worth). There has been a recent surge in new businesses moving here, so shopping choices have improved. Exit 5 at ShopsatFive in particular is relatively new (BJ's, Petsmart, Kohls - to name a few). Since we live in Southern Plymouth, we shop in Wareham as well as the mall up in Kingston. Hyannis is 30 minutes away (Cape Cod Mall) as well, though I don't think there is anything here that compares with the great shopping choices you have in NJ.

There are ponds and lakes here, the complex we live in (Ponds of Plymouth) has a few... including one with a very small sandy beach area. It is small, nice and clean - the kids can play in the sand. My friend from NJ loves it (she's a real beach fan).

As nice as it is, it is getting more and more expensive to live here. I don't want to rail on the politicians, but my biggest complaint is their lack of fiscal responsibility and poor planning. (See the implementation of the new Pay-as-you-throw trash disposal plan voted into effect by the selectman - but I digress - sorry). I know that NJ tends to have higher taxes, so the expense issue may not be a consideration for you. And in that case, you will find it a pleasant place to live.

Oh yes, your love for beaches can always be fuflilled with a trip to Cape Cod (known for it's beautiful sandy beaches) if you don't find anything in the immediate area satisfying. Just beware that tourists in the summer jam up the traffic on the Cape. (Not so bad here in Plymouth).

I highly recommend you read the online paper - do a google search for Wicked local Plymouth. It will give you a feel for what's going on here.

I hope this helps. Good luck.