middle class jewish community/towns (Boston, Cambridge: middle-class, real estate, crime)

[ggwish]

I am looking for Jewish communinty/town to raise my family in. The problem is most of the Jewish towns I cannot afford. For example Newton, Brookline, Lexington, and Needham. I can spend around $450,000. I am looking for a single family home that is not to far away from Boston. Any suggestions would be great.

[CaseyB]

Try Sharon. You may be able to find something there. Commuter train to Boston, too.

[wivenhoe]

Sharon has a sizable middle-class Jewish population. I think there's some middle-class Jews in neighboring Canton as well. I know there's a Jewish synagogue in Attleboro/North Attleboro, but I don't think the population is large compared to Sharon.

On the North Shore, try Swampscott and Marblehead. Swampscott, at least, has the commuter rail to Boston.

[goyguy]

Although there's no synagogue located within its boundaries, many Jewish families have settled in Arlington (I know some.) Temples are located in neighboring communities in all directions, and are pretty much all degrees of "Orthodox-ness" except for the Lubavitchers. Housing prices typically fall within your range in most parts of town, with the exception being the section bordering Winchester where real estate is somewhat more expensive. (There's really no "bad" section to speak of.) Arlington's schools have fallen on hard times a bit, due to voter rejection of property-tax limit overrides, but are still above par. The town is adjacent to Cambridge and is fairly well served by MBTA bus service connecting to the Harvard and Alewife stations on the Red Line. Even with the relaxation of "blue laws" to allow for liquor service in restaurants, it maintains a definite suburban feel. It's one of those places where "the sidewalks are rolled up at 8 PM." Crime is so low that the cops spend most of their time on speed traps and minor traffic violations. I should know, I've been busted several times on both.

To the north of town, Marblehead tends to be on the "tony" side with prices to match, but Swampscott is somewhat more affordable. I'll let those better informed about the North Shore and north-suburban areas chime in. Ditto for the region to the south, where Sharon definitely has the largest Jewish population but is part of a corridor that stretches north to Milton. Stoughton is another relatively affordable community within that corridor, but its schools aren't quite as well regarded as those in Sharon and definitely not in multi-class (and expensive) Milton. The other town in that sector is Randolph, but its schools are abysmal and that plays a large part in why homes are so cheap. Easton and - yes - Canton have more of what I'd call a Jewish "presence" than a substantial population; then again, that's true of most communities these days. It sounds as though what's sought is a place where Jews comprise at least 15% of the population, and the towns I've enumerated fit that bill.

[unit731]

There are some nice homes in Chelsea.

Melrose, Saugus, Swampscott, Marblehead and on and on.

[kmann-sherborn]

Chelsea? No thanks. We moved my grandmother out of there after their house was robbed three times in a matter of weeks, once when she was home. Terrifying.

Many people will recommend Sharon and Swampscott because they have a larger Jewish population than some other towns. I do think you could find something in Sharon in your price range & the commute to Boston isn't bad.

Also, there are plenty of suburbs with strong Jewish populations. Westborough, for example, has both a Reform & Conservative temple, well regarded public schools & easy highway & train access to Boston. You can get a nice home in town in your price range.

My folks belong to the Reform temple & one of our friends is very involved with youth education at the Conservative temple so feel free to pm me if you have questions about either. Personally I really liked the rabbi at B'nai Shalom& was sad to hear that he's leaving.

[Bruins_Fan]

I believe Marblehead and Swampscott are both approx. 1/3 Jewish. Swampscott values have dropped a fair amount the past few years, so $450k is very doable. Marblehead is a bit pricier, but is a better run town in my opinion.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by kmann-sherborn

Chelsea? No thanks. We moved my grandmother out of there after their house was robbed three times in a matter of weeks, once when she was home. Terrifying.

Many people will recommend Sharon and Swampscott because they have a larger Jewish population than some other towns. I do think you could find something in Sharon in your price range & the commute to Boston isn't bad.

I couldn't agree more about Chelsea. It's not the lovely well kept suburb of Boston that it was when my Grandparents grew up there.

Sharon's a really nice town. The school system is very good. Crescent Ridge Creamery is in Sharon which is a HUGE plus. Best ice cream in MA in my opinion. My only complaints are that it's south of Boston (hate dealing with I93), not too much going on in town (i.e. few restaurants, shops, etc), and the real estate taxes are obscenely high last time I looked which is a big reason why the homes are so much cheaper. At one point, I'm not sure if this is still true, Sharon had the highest RE tax rate in the state.

One other town I would throw in the mix is Natick. A lovely suburb, very easy commute into Boston by car or train, lovely town center, solid schools, new high school approved to be built, easy access to the "golden triangle" (area between routes 9 & 30 with all the malls). As a real estate agent, I could lose my license if I told you where the Jews live (even though I am one and you asked) so I'll just say there is Temple Israel in Natick and also plenty of additional temples to check out in nearby Wayland, Needham, and Framingham.

[Cato the Elder]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

easy access to the "golden triangle" (area between routes 9 & 30 with all the malls).

Ha, I like the somewhat euphemistic term, "golden triangle." It's one thing to get there but another to navigate through the Bermuda Triangle of traffic.

[2KidsforMe]

I was going to suggest Westborough as well.