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Can anyone advise me on Concord vs. West Concord? It seems like homes in West Concord cost quite a bit less. Are all the schools in Concord of the same quality? I want high quality schools, but I don't want the pressure cooker environment that I hear Lexington has. Does Concord have a similar school environment or is it less intense? Are Concord and West Concord similar in terms of diversity? Is one area more vibrant or friendly than the other? I'm located too far away to check the area out for myself, so I'd love to hear from someone that lives in the area. We'd be relocating to the area this summer, with a first grader and a preschooler. We'd like to buy a house that costs no more than $1.3. Thank you!
Hi - I don't live there, but I went to HS there so I know the town very well.
A concern about West Concord is the commute - If you are commuting to Boston or Cambridge via Route 2, then you pass through a number of extra lights on your way through town. If you're beyond the rotary, then there will be very bad traffic at the rotary many mornings.
If you're no commuting to Boston or don't go in that direction often, then the location might not matter to you. But if you are going that way frequently, living in West Concord will probably add 10-15 minutes to your drive each way, at least. There are A LOT of lights on Route 2.
West Concord is Concord's "bad side" which is hilarious because it is not bad, just has houses more likely to have been built in the 1960s than 1860s. It is more laid back and hippy dippy and not crawling with tourists like Concord. It is more blue collar than "yankee" but at current price points I imagine that is no longer true, although I think it has a prison and a nuclear materials superfund site which keeps it real.
It has its own little center with some stuff but it is not a full fledged town like Concord. West Concord is also cut off from Concord by rt.2 which a previous poster mentioned. The rt.2 rotary is a clog, as is the wait at the Main St./rt.2 light. Those will affect car commuters negatively. As for train commutes, you can either get to West Concord super early to get a paybytheday space or get on the waiting list for a permit spot in the Concord center lot. You should just plan on walking or biking to the train if possible.
Neither Concord nor West Concord could ever by any stretch be called diverse, at least if it hasn't changed massively since I lived there. West Concord isn't as fancy but it is still fairly blue blood and obviously very expensive, and it is snobby, just to be clear, always has been, always will be -- though fairly liberal. I would say Lexington is more diverse because it is closer to Boston. I went to elementary in WC but that was some time ago, I have fond memories if that helps and the hood I lived in had lots of kids and was very safe and woodsy.
West Concord was always the blue collar section of Concord. The moes there were always smaller and less expensive. Also more multi family homes there than in Concord proper. West Concord also had some old mill buildings. Route 2 was the dividing line. Due to Boston area housing cost that distinction is fading but to some it is still there.
Classic examples of those distinctions can be found in Newton.
The Route 2 rotary at the prison is going to be a traffic nightmare when the state changes it like it changed the Crowleys Corner area. I am hoping to retire out of state before they start because it's the only way I can get to work from 2 or 2a.
I personally really like West Concord and would happily live there if I could afford it. Yes, compared to Concord Center, it is "blue collar" but only compared to Concord Center. Don't know about the schools but if I had kids, I'd be thrilled to have them go to school anywhere in Concord.
I only have experience with one elementary school in town, but I don't think there is any difference in quality between them. Alcott Elementary (on the eastern/Concord side of town) is probably a little more ethnically diverse than the others. About 10% of the kids at Alcott are in the Metco program (African American and Hispanic students from Boston), while the other elementary schools in town have fewer Metco students, presumably due to the longer commute.
The Bedford-bordering side of Concord also still has mostly relatively-modest, circa 1960 houses (though some are getting knocked down and replaced with bigger new ones.) It seems like there are a fair number of people who work in tech fields in the Bedford side of town.
I think that there is some self-sorting by people moving into the area as to whether they choose to seek out or avoid schools with a reputation of high pressure. My guess is that Lexington High school is somewhat more intense in part because of this.
If you're relocating from another area, how is it you've settled on Concord and West Concord? Are you going to be working in Concord?
Actually, I just looked at your posts -- are you still looking at commuting to Weymouth? Originally you were looking at Newton/Wellesley, then it switched to Weymouth, now Concord. Did the job switch again? Do you anticipate it switching again (possibly multiple times) in the future? You might want to consider something more centrally located if there is a possibility your husband might be switching jobs to various places in the metro area.
If you're relocating from another area, how is it you've settled on Concord and West Concord? Are you going to be working in Concord?
Actually, I just looked at your posts -- are you still looking at commuting to Weymouth? Originally you were looking at Newton/Wellesley, then it switched to Weymouth, now Concord. Did the job switch again? Do you anticipate it switching again (possibly multiple times) in the future? You might want to consider something more centrally located if there is a possibility your husband might be switching jobs to various places in the metro area.
I wonder if West Concord thinks it's above the law same as the rest of the town.
Hey, good for Concord. I'm sure both are great towns. I've enjoyed the small amount of time I've spent in the town, but I'm sure either would be a fine place to live. I'm just curious about OP's needs. There seems to be a potential for a lot of job changes and especially with kids, it's a big hassle to move often. I'd try to pick a place where a commute to any potential employer would be at least within the range of bearable. I'm not sure Concord, especially West Concord would be the best pick, especially if there is potential for employment in Weymouth.
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