looking for information on Groton, MA

[llbh]

I appreciate everyone's response. As for the slaughterhouse, it is not something I would want to live next door to, however it does not deter me from researching the town. I am an animal lover, but I am also a meat eater and I look at it as the circle of life.

brightdoglover- thank you again for the very helpful info on the different towns. I did take a ride up to Boxborough, Stow and Bolton and was not "wowed". Bolton was a little too rural for me. Stow was not what I am looking for. Boxborough had some nice neighborhoods, but it lacks the town center I like. I have not yet seen Groton, but I will keep it on the list along with Littleton.

[OneSillyDeb]

If you're commuting from Groton to Littleton, the ONLY road to get there is 119. And its bumper to bumper between 7AM until around 8:30AM. I live in Pepperell, and a drive to see my parents in Littleton normally would take me 15 minutes, but in rush hour traffic, it would take me upwards of 30-40 minutes. If there is an accident on 119, look to be sitting for upwards of an hour (and get to know the long way through Ayer - just in case you have to take it.)

[allykat623]

Hi, I've lived in Groton for 15 years, so I know the area quite well. We started out here as a young couple, no kids, now old married fogeys with four young kids. We have been very happy here. I'd say it is a great place to raise kids. My oldest is not into team sports which is kind of a shame since nearly every kid we know is constantly busy with soccer, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, track & field, and of course hockey. There are also good art programs through the Groton Center for the Arts and wonderful nature programs through the Nashua River Watershed Authority and at the newly restored Williams Barn (which also hosts a farmer's market in the summer). The Grange regularly hosts family contra dances.

Groton is a pretty town. The town center is cute -- small, but cute with a local hardware store, restaurants, art gallery and gallery shop, a small natural food store, a small grocery store, and a wonderful library (which looks tiny from the front but is much larger from behind). There is a nice park behind the library with a newly rebuilt playground. Along Main St as you approach the town center, there is a local restaurant/ice cream stand, a public country club/golf course (with tennis & swimming in the summer), a CVS pharmacy, and a medical clinic (peds, internal med, dentist - affiliated with Emerson Hospital in Concord). The Gibbet Hill Restaurant is very popular and is a nice scenic place to dine.

Groton is very scenic and seems to have a more cohesive community feel than many similar towns, like Stow, Boxborough, etc. The grounds of the 2 private schools are gorgeous. Groton has a mixed character -- it's an old farming community with a lot of newer growth but has maintained it's charm. Growth is quite controlled, esp compared to places like Westford. This is a major horse area, btw, if you're into riding or just enjoy seeing the barns and pastures.

There is still a nice apple orchard in town. Septemberfest every fall is always fun. There are a good number of community activities (parades, etc).

The public school system is highly rated and considered very good. We have experience with the preschool & elem school (Florence Roche). We've been very happy with both. The preschool is a wonderful, wonderful school. One of our kids has special needs and it has been the perfect place for him - warm, inviting, supportive of him & us beyond measure. There are also several popular private preschools/day care centers/kindergartens in town.

Groton is pretty central to everything in the area -- yes, you will do most of your shopping in Nashua, about 20 min away. But there's also a lot of retail being built on Rt 2 west (Leominster) and I find myself going that direction almost as often these days.

I will agree that 119 toward Littleton/495 has gotten pretty bad in the mornings. But maybe if your commute hours are a little flexible, it won't be a problem. If you're on the west/south sides of town, you can snake around to Rt 111 to Rt 110 into Littleton. There are some tricks that will get you where you want to go! Also, the commuter rail stop in Ayer can take you all the way into Boston.

I hope I haven't babbled on too long. Groton doesn't come up too often here so I thought I'd give extra info for anyone doing a search later on. It really is a nice town, very livable. It tends toward being more conservative, like most of rural NE, but I, as a liberal non-church goer feel right at home too.

I hope this helps with your decision!!

[allykat623]

Just wanted to add this separately.. when I read the comment about the slaughterhouse, I was momentarily confused. Gee, news to me! Then I realized that the poster is talking about Blood Farm. BTW, it's named after the Blood family, which is probably one of the oldest families in Groton, going way back to the earliest days. I drive by this place all the time and .. well, really, it looks like a little family farm. Nothing offensive about it unless you are abolutely opposed to animal consumption in any form (if you are, I respect that - just want to give a more accurate visual picture of what's being talked about here).

[MovingForward]

How a slaughterhouse looks on the outside hardly represents what goes on on the inside. And it makes no difference who owns it. Animals are not slaughtered today in the humane way they used to be slaughtered on family farms. Not even on "Blood Farm."

[amyalta]

Allykat, thank you so much for your detailed and helpful comments. We too are looking at Groton and Littleton, and wonder if you'd mind answering a slightly awkward question?

We are looking for a community which could best be described as unpretentious - that is, to be blunt, where we will not be looked down on because of things like - buying our son a 'beater' and not a BMW for his birthday / living in a house which will cost $500,000 and not $1.5m, because we want to be mortgage-free / buying a family car for $25,000 and not $60,000... and so on and so forth. My question is, would you say Groton is unpretentious in that way?

You know, it's all a revelation to us - husband was raised in idyllic Chicago suburb where everyone earned about the same, and our kids have been raised in a similar London suburb where, although our £600,000 house is near £3.5m homes, and we drive a 6 year old Citroen as opposed to our neighbour's new Jag, we have never felt 'looked down on.' However, our house hunt in Mass. has shown that the US is not the egalitarian place I'd imagined - in one town, we were told (in a friendly spirit) 'If you can't afford to live east of the highway, you'll be miserable here' and in another, when we decided that we couldn't run to the $650,000 it would cost for a home in the wonderful town, 'Well, yes, with your budget you'll need to settle for ********** which is of course a rough working class town.' Great.

So - any comments? Your view is much appreciated!

[brightdoglover]

I can say for sure that Littleton is not the materialistic misery that you describe. People are largely blue-collar prosperous, (lots of tradesmen, people who live in the houses they grew up in) and an old car for a teenager would be more than a lot of 'em have.
I think in general old New England towns might have a touch of Yankee pride in them- not to be ostentatious or flashy.Now, of course there are some suburban areas where that's gone out the window. I don't know about Groton, but I suspect the former, not the latter.
For the record, I've never seen a Jag out here, new or otherwise. In fact, the antique car club is centered here in Littleton, and you see wonderful Model-As and all on Sundays only.
There are no "rough" parts of Littleton. There are more modest houses in the Long Lake area, but as I live here, I hardly think any of it's rough at all.
I guess I'm partial to Littleton, especially if the husband is working right here. The only thing missing for the family is that charming downtown, which Groton has more of (although none of it's cute, like a seaside tourist town or anything).
I still vote for Littleton.

[amyalta]

brightdoglover, thank you for this concise reply, which really helps give a 'feel' for the area. Well, I'm 'biting the bullet' & coming over for a house hunt trip next week, hoping to stay at the Lyttleton Inn ? and take a look at houses in Littleton & Groton. Rather daunted as I have to do it alone & don't feel confident enough to drive in US yet so it'll be cabs all the way, but realtors seem keen to drive one about...wish me luck! I'm very taken with the sound of the area & think it might just suit us & the dogs.

[brightdoglover]

Please feel free to direct mail me. I live less than a mile from the Lyttleton Inn (a lovely place, but not on a quiet street) and I'd be happy to meet you, say hello, and show you a bit of Littleton.
Just so you know- there are no taxis of any kind around Littleton, Groton, etc. It's cars all the way. You could, of course, take a taxi or shuttle from the airport to the town, but there's no public transport aside from that. Realtors will have to be your way around.
It's a real pain, especially for someone who lives alone and has one car.

[allykat623]

Amyalta, I would say Groton and Littleton both are pretty unpretentious. I don't think you'd have a problem fitting in in either town. Yes, there are expensive newer subdivisions and McMansions, like most of the greater Boston burbs, but the overall character of the town (speaking of Groton here) is the old frugal, pratical, down-to-earth Yankee -- like brightdoglover said. There is a healthy mix in town, tending toward the upper middle class but not snobby. Most people live comfortably but I'd say they don't rub your face in it. Does that make sense?

Let me know if you have any other questions. Feel free to send me a private message. I'd be happy to help you with your long-distance search.