Neighborhoods in Winchester/Lexington/Belmont (Boston, Cambridge: real estate, motel, houses)

[airedaly]

Many younger mothers today work outside the home, at least part-time. Their children attend day care, so they are not out with strollers except on weekends. Lexington is known for it's high number of PhDs living here (highest per capita in the region, I believe). It's a politically left-leaning town with a lot of support for the schools from parents. There are so many groups to join, depending on what your interests are.... I don't know much about the new-mom clubs. The Newcomer's Club is very active and it's a great way to meet people from all over the town.

Once people pay for yard service, there isn't much reason for them to be out in their yards, so you won't see too many neighbors raking or mowing. The kids are pretty much scheduled 7 days a week, so they aren't outside playing like before, although the center playground is always busy in the good weather. Neighborhoods can look very empty on weekdays.

All in all, Lexington is a terrific town, especially if you are politically active or volunteer in the schools. The LHS music dept is one of the finest in the state, and the high school produces some pretty neat kids who go to fine colleges.

It's good that you're looking at limiting your driving; there is a very active global warming committee in town that advocates lowering your carbon footprint and the town seems to be more aware of 'green' issues than before. The bike path is a wonderful benefit and is used frequently by commuters and families. There are lots of conservation areas to explore with your family, too.

[TheWereRabbit]

I'm not sure where exactly monroe hill is but I am familiar with the other 2 areas and they are both very nice. Belmont hill is more spaced out than the Flats- narrower, windier roads and house spaced further out. The flats is the one area of Winchester that is laid out in a grid and has big old homes for the most part- that are much closer together than in Belmont hill. there are TONS OF KIDS IN THE FLATS. tons. It's not my personal favorite section of Winchester but I know a buuuunch of people who grew up there and liked it. Kids would go to either Ambrose or Lynch but there is a decently high private school population in the flats too. One word of caution about the flats: 10-15 year olds congregate there on Halloween to stand around in mobs. You'll know what I mean if you ever see it.

[smarty]

unsolicited advice is rarely valued and almost never followed...

I find most people in Lexington do not walk everywhere. They drive to downtown to shop. Rarely walk from one side of downtown to the other side. This whole walkable downtown.... is just someone's imagination.

Franklin has an active mom club because most people have not live there for more than 10 years. Population increased dramatically due to more affordable housing and with a MBTA stop. There were so many new houses, new neighborhood, new streets, new school. I think there were average of 400+ new houses built every year. Franklin is a much younger town.

Belmont.. pop-24K school population - 3759 median_age:40.4
Lexington pop-30K school population - 6253 median_age:43.7
Franklin.. pop-29K school population - 6236 median_age:34.8

I'm a guy and not sure why "mom club" is so important. May be it is a way to be sane after looking at kids and at an empty house for hours. My friend had a theory that men on purposely create suburb to jail their wives... As long as there is a Marshalls, TJ Max, Target, Macys and shoes... many will be happy.

[smarty]

airedaly is right. I was at Lexington High School science fair a few years ago... there were more drs. and phds in a room than I can count. Lots of very very smart kids... I guess if you don't take calculus by 11th grade, you're just average.

[jayrandom]

I'm can't afford to actually live in Lexington, but I've been through on bike enough to know that the downtown is very walkable, even if many don't. It's actually one of the nicer town centers I've seen in the area...almost too nice to be real in my opinion. The other thing I like about Lexington center is that the crosswalks are enforced and it doesn't feel like a game of chicken to cross the street. That is not true in Belmont.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

I'm can't afford to actually live in Lexington, but I've been through on bike enough to know that the downtown is very walkable, even if many don't. It's actually one of the nicer town centers I've seen in the area...almost too nice to be real in my opinion. The other thing I like about Lexington center is that the crosswalks are enforced and it doesn't feel like a game of chicken to cross the street. That is not true in Belmont.

It's very nice and while it is walkable, it is rarely actually walked. So it's hard to think of it as an active, urban-style downtown. The crosswalks being enforced is actually my least favorite thing about Lexington. After this many years of city living I don't have the patience and I always have the vague sense of needing to be on my best behavior there.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by holden125

It's very nice and while it is walkable, it is rarely actually walked. So it's hard to think of it as an active, urban-style downtown. The crosswalks being enforced is actually my least favorite thing about Lexington. After this many years of city living I don't have the patience and I always have the vague sense of needing to be on my best behavior there.

It's too bad people in Lexington aren't taking advantage of their beautiful downtown! My wife and I would take long walks around Waverly (which isn't as pretty by half) and really enjoyed it, even in the winter.

As a more frequent pedestrian than driver, I'm glad that somewhere in this state people will stop for pedestrians. I don't mind it so much that cars don't stop for me---I'm young and still quick enough to sprint out of the way of cars---it's when someone nearly clips an old lady or little kid trying to cross the street that it really bothers me.

[elisemarie]

Originally Posted by TheWereRabbit

I'm not sure where exactly monroe hill is but I am familiar with the other 2 areas and they are both very nice. Belmont hill is more spaced out than the Flats- narrower, windier roads and house spaced further out. The flats is the one area of Winchester that is laid out in a grid and has big old homes for the most part- that are much closer together than in Belmont hill. there are TONS OF KIDS IN THE FLATS. tons. It's not my personal favorite section of Winchester but I know a buuuunch of people who grew up there and liked it. Kids would go to either Ambrose or Lynch but there is a decently high private school population in the flats too. One word of caution about the flats: 10-15 year olds congregate there on Halloween to stand around in mobs. You'll know what I mean if you ever see it.

The WereRabbit -

At last - someone who knows the Flats!!!

I understand your comment about the teens at Halloween but what else about the Flats makes it not your "personal favorite"? Also - would you consider Winchster Center walkable or do most people drive there like the pp's say about Lexington Center?

Finally - are the two elementary schools you mention - Ambrose and Lynch - just ok or are they good by Winchester standards?

Thanks -

[TheWereRabbit]

Originally Posted by elisemarie

The WereRabbit -

At last - someone who knows the Flats!!!

I understand your comment about the teens at Halloween but what else about the Flats makes it not your "personal favorite"? Also - would you consider Winchster Center walkable or do most people drive there like the pp's say about Lexington Center?

Finally - are the two elementary schools you mention - Ambrose and Lynch - just ok or are they good by Winchester standards?

Thanks -

The reason the Flats isn't my favorite is for 2 simple and superficial reasons: A.) It's flat (obviously)- I like hills
B.) It's laid out in a grid.
Basically the same 2 reasons I don't like suburbs of western cities compared to suburbs in New England. But, don't get me wrong. Being flat is very convenient for kids. And the flats is an area where playing in the street is a possiblity (except not on wildwood st).

I think Winchester Center is VERY walkable. I would go so far as to disagree about Lexington center too. Most people drive downtown but once they are there they walk from one spot to another. If you are living in the flats you will be a 10-15 minutes walk from downtown and it is a very pleasant walk right down Church St. On a nice day you will definitely see a lot of people walking downtown, not so much in the winter or when its rainy obviously.

As far as schools go both are definitely up to par with Winchester standards. Lynch definitely has the lowest test scores of the 5 elementary schools but a lot of that is because they have the best facilities for learned-disabled students who therefore go to Lynch instead of the school they live in the district for. When I was in the system the facilities at Lynch were better than Ambrose but they built an entirely new Ambrose a few years ago and from what I've heard it is amazing. Lynch is a little more diverse economically and racially since you have kids from the flats on one extreme and the areas of cross and main street on the other (not to say that solidly middle class areas can really classify as an "extreme"). Ambrose is like 97% white. Both are walkable from the Flatts, I think Ambrose is a bit closer. Basically, depending on where you live you will be in one or the others districts and it's not really worth trying to switch. They redraw the districts a lot and it may even be that the whole area is in the Lynch district now even though parts of the flats are juuust down the hill from Ambrose.

Have you visited the area yet? If not I definitely would. It's a short easy trip to Winchester Center. right near 2 ponds (Winter and Wedge...and pretty close to the Mystic Lakes too), the Packer Tennis courts, 2 Train stations (Wedgemere and Winchester Ctr- closer to the center), and a reaaal short walk (depending on where in the flats) to bus stops on Cambridge st that can take you the Burlington Mall and to Alewife to catch the T.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by TheWereRabbit

The reason the Flats isn't my favorite is for 2 simple and superficial reasons: A.) It's flat (obviously)- I like hills
B.) It's laid out in a grid.
Basically the same 2 reasons I don't like suburbs of western cities compared to suburbs in New England. But, don't get me wrong. Being flat is very convenient for kids. And the flats is an area where playing in the street is a possiblity (except not on wildwood st).

I like hills as well and grew up on one in a couple of different places but I think the Flats is a beautiful area. I don't like endless grid-based suburbs sprawling across western deserts either, but I don't see the Flats in the same way. The grid is only 6 blocks long or so and the architecture and flora alone make it different from something like Phoenix.

There are similar areas in New Haven that I've always liked a lot.