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Thanks, it's that we have been narrowing down to a neighborhood is Sutton now. But noticing how small the schools are, average class size 100, wondering if the town will feel too small? If the schools are truly comparable to Upton/Mendon (realizing they are ranked lower)?
Honestly, Nipmuc isn't THAT much larger than Sutton. Most of the neighboring towns have graduating classes in the low to mid hundreds, anyway. It's just attributable to the size of the town, not school quality. Don't overthink it.
I know this thread is a little old now... one last question.. would you say Grafton or Upton is better for young families? I know Upton schools rate higher, but it seems so rural, where Grafton seems to have more family neighborhoods - (could be just more family neighborhoods in our price range in Grafton). Just wondering if we buy a house in Upton that's not in a neighborhood, will we feel isolated? Not worried for my husband and I, but just want kids to have friends nearby/easy playdates, etc. Thank you!!
I would pick Mendon out of the towns, better schools than Sutton. Still rural feel and more house for the money than Upton. Grafton is too close to Worcester for me.
What's the budget/how big a house do you want?
If you want to stay near Maynard, I'd pick Stow, Bolton, Lancaster, Berlin, Sterling area.
Why no Hopedale? Great history and nice little central area near the pond. Nice old homes left over from every level at the mills - execs down to worker bees. Utopian paradise.
Why no Hopedale? Great history and nice little central area near the pond. Nice old homes left over from every level at the mills - execs down to worker bees. Utopian paradise.
...because OP can seemingly afford towns which better meet their metrics.
"school experiences, vibe of the area, do homes hold their value, etc."
Budget $500K - 3/4 bed. Don't want something that needs a lot of work. Primary priorities as Shrewsburried quoted above - schools, vibe of the area, homes hold their value. Not particularly searching for a rural town, just am willing to go rural for a nicer home, as long as the town is still a good family town, lots of kids, nice schools, etc. (I'm more suburban suited than rural, but our budget is limiting us for our exact dream scenario!)
Maynard is a unique town, it's cute and small town and I will miss a lot about it - it has an interesting mix of population - still a significant born & raised in Maynard group, then lots of young families who have moved in fairly recently, as well as a strong artists community. I don't have bad things to say about it, I just personally don't love the vibe, schools or housing stock available in our price range + very high taxes enough to buy here. And we can't afford to buy what we want in neighboring Acton/Sudbury/Concord - or even Stow unless we got lucky.
I only mentioned Stow because I love the town, I live in a neighborhood setting (not much land). I thought you wanted rural but if you want suburban I would highly recommend the Harvard Acres neighborhood in Stow. The houses are mostly colonials, spilts, contemporary...every house is 4 bedrooms, 2.5-3 baths.
A colonial with a mud room sold in July for $509, and a spilt sold over the summer for $489. I'm not sure if taxes are higher than Maynard but it's worth looking into, the neighborhood really is great.
I would pick Mendon out of the towns, better schools than Sutton. Still rural feel and more house for the money than Upton. Grafton is too close to Worcester for me.
What's the budget/how big a house do you want?
If you want to stay near Maynard, I'd pick Stow, Bolton, Lancaster, Berlin, Sterling area.
Maynard is a unique town, it's cute and small town and I will miss a lot about it - it has an interesting mix of population - still a significant born & raised in Maynard group, then lots of young families who have moved in fairly recently, as well as a strong artists community. I don't have bad things to say about it, I just personally don't love the vibe, schools or housing stock available in our price range + very high taxes enough to buy here. And we can't afford to buy what we want in neighboring Acton/Sudbury/Concord - or even Stow unless we got lucky.
It's not just the "vibe", it's the combination of that and the housing available + high taxes - I shouldn't have included schools in that sentence because so far, I am very impressed with the elementary school. On the vibe... I guess I would characterize the town as being more on the crunchy/liberal/artsy side and it's just not really my style. That's a blanket statement and there are exceptions - the vibe is more of a secondary consideration, the primary one being the housing stock is unimpressive in our price range and because in addition to that I feel like it's not quite the right fit for us socially, there is little draw to stay - and while saying that, I also have to say, I will miss many things - the school, library, movie theater, downtown community events, etc.
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