Moving to MA for job in Burlington. Woburn? Chelmsford? (Boston: real estate, house)

[relocatingtoMA]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Welcome to the area. Where are you coming from?

Thanks. Seattle.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by relocatingtoMA

Sorry - job is in Burlington. My apologies.

Then just move to Burlington, if you can afford it.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Then just move to Burlington, if you can afford it.

I agree with this. I work in Chelmsford, but bought in Woburn. No regrets since no kids in school, but if you do, Burlington is the better choice.

[495neighbor]

If you are looking for suburban rather than urban, it would be Burlington or Chelmsford, then Woburn. Burlington has the mall traffic but is quieter and more woody in most of the town than Chelmsford. Chelmsford has an actual town center, with some neighborhoods to the north of the center where you can actually walk to the center. Burlington does not; however, Chelmsford has route 3, 495, 27, 110, 4 busy highways and main roads near or intersecting that center and that crazy 6 way intersection which ruins some of the enjoyment. Burlington will be a better location should you need to change jobs in the future. Look at Wilmington and Reading too. Better access to commuter rail and there are some cute suburban parts off of the main road 62.

[robr2]

If you can bump your budget to $650K you can get into an older (60's-70's build) but updated home in Burlington. Keep in mind that taxes are reasonable here so you might be able to spend more when compared to other towns.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by robr2

If you can bump your budget to $650K you can get into an older (60's-70's build) but updated home in Burlington. Keep in mind that taxes are reasonable here so you might be able to spend more when compared to other towns.

Ah, I didn't see the earlier OP's budget of $575-600K. Burlington would be tough and involve lots of compromise. In that range and given the taxes, if schools are not a priority, Woburn would offer much more space. Elementary schools, especially in the west part of town, are quite OK from what I understand.

[gf2020]

With a sub-$600K budget and a job in Burlington, the town of Wilmington would be on my short list.

[ramaka]

If you don't mind taking the back roads that would result 30-40 mins drive, Westford would be a good option as well with your budget.

[Missmoose]

Avoid the Woburn school system like the plague. Woeful lack of training for teachers and professional staff. Systemic bullying problems.

Poke around on the MA DOE website. Read over the assessment of each town's public system. I've found them to be dead on.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by Missmoose

Avoid the Woburn school system like the plague. Woeful lack of training for teachers and professional staff. Systemic bullying problems.

Poke around on the MA DOE website. Read over the assessment of each town's public system. I've found them to be dead on.

Here's the link. Not sure what you're referring to exactly. The Woburn district scores above state avgs on the CPI, and rates a "2" (where "1" is the highest) on accountability.

Contact Information - Woburn (03470000)