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I feel like Belmont would be the perfect compromise. It's walk able, but still has very suburban areas.
Sorry about that. I didn't mean to imply I was dismissing your Belmont suggestion. I think Belmont is a really lovely town and a great suggestion. It reminds a lot of Newton Center. My only complaints about Belmont are (and they're minor ones) the town has 2 commuter rail stations and the main highway running through the area is RT2 which is absolutely my #1 rated highway to avoid (my #2 BTW is I93 North coming from south of Boston).
Midwest suburbs just don't map well to Boston suburbs. Theirs are true suburbs. Ours are nearly all exurban or urban in comparison.
Yah it seems like in Boston you go from urban multi families to acre plus lots very quickly. Though there still are places with smaller single family lots, like Belmont, much of Newton, much of Quincy, Dedham, Wakefield, Melrose, etc.
The comparing of places like Sharon and Newton are pretty silly. Totally apples to oranges. Somebody seeking peace, quiet and woodsy privacy is not going to Newton. Likewise, somebody who wants "walkability" and a connectivity to Boston would not want to be in Sharon.
Like everyone else, I'll throw out my personal opinion. I would live in Needham. I lived in Newton for 10 years and didn't particularly like it. Unless you live close to one of the village centers there's nothing really to walk to. Plus, it can be hard to find parking near one of the T stations if you're using it for commuting purposes and generally I just found Newton to be too big for my taste. I love Brookine and when my kids are gone I could see myself living there. However, I wouldn't be happy with the house I could afford there even if I had a $2M budget like you. Wellesley kind of turns me off because of the conspicuous display of wealth some of the citizens seem to enjoy. Needham on the other hand is just the right size for me. I like bumping into people I know which almost never happened when I lived in Newton. I like that I can easily walk into town and many of my friends easily walk to a commuter rail station to get to work. I like the house I can afford in this town and I would REALLY like the one I could get with your budget. I love the small town feel here with the parades and fireworks and all the family oriented events. People in this town are very civic minded and there are many groups of citizens who volunteer their time to make this a great place to live. The people of the town are very friendly and welcoming and we're about to open a brand new public pool with huge water slides and a splash pad for the little ones
Some people certainly end up where they are because they have no other choice. I have friends who live in Medfield and absolutely love it. However, like any town it's not for everyone.
It's funny -- we made offers on three different homes in Needham. We have friends in Needham. I go to Needham quite a bit, and I like Needham a whole lot. I would definitely be happy to live there and have no reservations in recommending it to most people. But I ended up in Newton and I'm glad I did. I love having access to the T, rather than the commuter rail. Also, I haven't had the same experience in Newton -- I feel like I run into people I know all the time around town. Actually much more frequently than ever happened in the town where I lived before in another state.
I also joined one of the Needham Facebook pages since at one point we thought we were moving there, and I didn't leave the group. So I'm in groups for both Needham and Newton. I have found the groups to have different "feels" -- people in the Needham group complain much, much more about neighborhood types of issues -- someone didn't pick up dog poop, someone drove too fast down the street, someone was snowplowing at 6 AM, and oh, the marijuana issue and the (horrible! Unthinkable!) idea that a dispensary might open up in town. In contrast, I see much fewer of those sorts of complaints on the Newton pages, and the marijuana issue is much more mixed, even tilted toward favorable on that site. Now, these are in no way scientific, and may reflect some other factors regarding who is on those particular pages, but I didn't expect really any difference, given that the towns are next to each other and, in some respects, have much in common.
But I do think that Needham is such an "all-American" town. The July 4 parades, and other civic celebrations are almost unbelievably quaint and wholesome. (And in case there is any question, I do mean that in a positive respect.) It is certainly a wonderful place to raise children.
And my Medfield friends don't think it's a horrible place. Just not as desirable as some other towns, especially those closer to the city. In my prior home, we only lived there because we couldn't afford to live in a nicer town that was closer to the city. I loved the house, and the town in and of itself wasn't awful, but the location with respect to the city was terrible. I was always sorry we bought there. But, there were plenty of people who were happy to live in that town, didn't care about going into the city, and would be happy to live out the rest of their days in that town. I think Medfield would be great for many people, and there are some things my friends like. But if they had a $2 million budget, they would never have bought there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tysmith95
I feel like Belmont would be the perfect compromise. It's walk able, but still has very suburban areas.
I wouldn't think Belmont would have to be a compromise in any respect. Belmont is also a great town. But I think the commute from Newton would be better for OP.
I wouldn't think Belmont would have to be a compromise in any respect. Belmont is also a great town. But I think the commute from Newton would be better for OP.
I was thinking as more of a blend between the urban feeling places like Cambridge/Brookline and the more rural feeling places of Wellesley/Weston etc. So a compromise in that aspect, not really a compromise I should have said blend. It has good mix of accessibility to the city but still having decent sized lots. But yes Newton would be better commute wise, especially by public transport. From Belmont only a car commute would make sense.
Midwest suburbs just don't map well to Boston suburbs. Theirs are true suburbs. Ours are nearly all exurban or urban in comparison.
I don't think the "exurban/urban" description is quite accurate. But yes, it is extremely difficult to compare Chicago suburbs to Boston suburbs. Boston suburbs really are all their own towns. And many, even towns that are fairly far out from the city have a town center and many even offer at least a little bit of walkability to that town center. And within the town center, the shops and restaurants tend to remain small, locally owned places rather than big box stores and national chains. There are a few exceptions, but many of the suburban towns in Chicago are a whole lot like a bunch of other suburban towns in Chicago. That isn't as much the case in Boston.
Chicago's suburbs are really a whole different story, with some major roadways going through multiple towns, and not really looking too much different from town to town. Many towns are more likely to have a big box store and national chain presence. And the towns are, sadly, generally not as pretty as the towns in the Boston suburbs. I love Chicago, and I love many of the suburbs, but I have to give the nod to Boston's suburbs in terms of their look and feel. It could even be partly based on the grid system that I actually love so much -- streets run in parallel for many, many miles, and when you're at, say, 6000 North on one street, you remain at 6000 North for the entire distance of an east-west street. There is no such thing in Boston, and maybe that adds to the way that towns can feel very different from each other, even if they are physically very close.
Another aspect is that the city of Chicago is physically much, much larger than the city of Boston, so when you're talking about suburbs, it actually takes much longer to get to the downtown area from some of the suburbs, even if they border the city. And because a lot of government is county based, there are quite a few suburbs that end up connected to Chicago.
A lot of the housing is even different in physical appearance, too.
I was thinking as more of a blend between the urban feeling places like Cambridge/Brookline and the more rural feeling places of Wellesley/Weston etc. So a compromise in that aspect, not really a compromise I should have said blend. It has good mix of accessibility to the city but still having decent sized lots. But yes Newton would be better commute wise, especially by public transport. From Belmont only a car commute would make sense.
The one thing about having the public transportation option, is even if you most often end up driving, it is so nice to have the public transportation option available.
Having lived for a short while in Chicago, assuming they are looking for a Hinsdale-like suburb, my recommendations would be Wellesley, Needham, Winchester, Lexington, Hingham.
Concord or Acton if they are looking for a Wheaton.
Westford or Westboro if they want a Naperville.
Somerville for an Oak Park.
Natick, Melrose, Arlington for a LaGrange or Elmhurst.
Cambridge or Brookline for an Evanston.
Newton, don't know?
Last edited by 495neighbor; 06-09-2018 at 09:20 PM..
The comparing of places like Sharon and Newton are pretty silly. Totally apples to oranges. Somebody seeking peace, quiet and woodsy privacy is not going to Newton. Likewise, somebody who wants "walkability" and a connectivity to Boston would not want to be in Sharon.
Couldn't agree more. Apples to oranges. When replying to these threads, I find a lot of people have trouble stepping out of their own shoes and merely express what they would want instead of stepping into the shoes of the OP and trying to figure out what would work for them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagoliz
It's funny -- we made offers on three different homes in Needham. We have friends in Needham. I go to Needham quite a bit, and I like Needham a whole lot. I would definitely be happy to live there and have no reservations in recommending it to most people. But I ended up in Newton and I'm glad I did. I love having access to the T, rather than the commuter rail. Also, I haven't had the same experience in Newton -- I feel like I run into people I know all the time around town. Actually much more frequently than ever happened in the town where I lived before in another state.
Interesting! You ended up in Waban, right? I was in Newton Center. So, maybe it was something about the village I lived in. Regardless, Needham has a much more "small town" feel to it and that's a better fit for me personally than the bigger town/city feeling of Newton. YMMV as they say on the internet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagoliz
I also joined one of the Needham Facebook pages since at one point we thought we were moving there, and I didn't leave the group. So I'm in groups for both Needham and Newton. I have found the groups to have different "feels" -- people in the Needham group complain much, much more about neighborhood types of issues -- someone didn't pick up dog poop, someone drove too fast down the street, someone was snowplowing at 6 AM, and oh, the marijuana issue and the (horrible! Unthinkable!) idea that a dispensary might open up in town. In contrast, I see much fewer of those sorts of complaints on the Newton pages, and the marijuana issue is much more mixed, even tilted toward favorable on that site. Now, these are in no way scientific, and may reflect some other factors regarding who is on those particular pages, but I didn't expect really any difference, given that the towns are next to each other and, in some respects, have much in common.
My friend always refers to Facebook as Fake-book. Nothing you see on there has any basis in reality. Half the so called news is fake, the photos of the smiling kids failed to capture the fighting and the crying that occured immediately after the photo was taken, the picture of the happy couple on the beach didn't show the remainder of the vacation which was all rainy days, etc., etc., etc. It's just not an accurate representation of the real world.
I read the Needham Facebook page pretty regularly and without a doubt the complainers are a small group of folks who you hear from over and over and over again about all kinds of ridiculous BS like dog poop, people driving too fast, teardowns, you name it. Those voices are really not representative of what the people of the town are like. In fact, tons of the people who chime in on there don't even live in the town.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagoliz
I think Medfield would be great for many people, and there are some things my friends like. But if they had a $2 million budget, they would never have bought there.
It's not everyday you see a $2M house pop up in Medfield. I totally understand what you're saying though. I had a client once who insisted on buying the most expensive house in Walpole. Not sure why anyone would want to be in the top 1% of home values in almost any town. That makes it really tough to resell.
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