Question About the Bridgewaters (Boston, Brockton: for sale, foreclosure, houses)

[JECL2000]

My wife and I are currently looking for a home and have seen some potential properties in West Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, and Bridgewater.

What are people's opinions of these towns? Do they have good reputations? Are they nice areas? Good Schools? Is there one to avoid over another? etc

Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Ragdoll Kitty Lover]

I moved to Bridgewater from Brockton in 2001 after spending many years WANTING to live in the Bridgewaters. There are the usual school problems - never enough money - but never regretted making the move. They are each different in their own way, but I wouldn't hesitate to live in any of them.

East Bridgewater is closer to Whitman and is slowly becoming more urbanized. West Bridgewater is smaller in population, and the high school had 100% of the students passing the mcas tests. Bridgewater has a very active police force, which made me feel safe. The college traffic can cause some delays at peak times, but the traffic was ok considering the rest of Mass.

I sold my beautiful home on Summer Street in Bridgewater last May to take a job in NC. It was a perfect move for me, but I still miss my neighborhood. Great feeling of community and still countryish. My home sold in 5 days for $2000 less than the asking price, so the homes still have a good value if they are kept up-to-date.

All in all, I still say that if I were going to live in Eastern Mass, it would have to be the Bridgewater area. It's a great location - close to Boston, the Cape, and RI.

[cxray73]

Personally, I live in Bridgewater, and I must say that it is a very good town.
School system is great. I attended Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School and the education was great. Two years ago the new high school was opened, making the old high school the junior high (grades 7 & 8). B-water has the Mitchell (k-3); The Williams Intermediate School (4-6); Bridgewater Middle School (7 & 8); and Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School (9-12).
Bridgewater is a nice town. We got a library, like a zillion Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Burger King, etc.. The Campus Plaza (home of Roche Bros, The 99, Game Stop, Radio Shack, Rite Aid, subway.. etc) is mostly where the teenagers flock after an early release or on a Friday. The teens in B-water are not extremely rowdy. They're good kids; they come from good families. Most of the people in B-water are Townies, but not to worry.
B-water has a library, but budget cuts have cut its hours down to I believe 15 hours a week.
There are a few houses for sale in a reasonable price range. I happen to live in a nice little neighborhood (Tons of children. All very sweet and pleasant.) and on the street adjacent to minem I believe that there are two homes for sale. On the foreclosure, the other is too small to accomidate the growning family that currently lives there. On plymouth street (a main road in B-water) I believe there are still plans to build 2 family homes. There is property to be had everywhere. You will probably find just what you are looking for.
B-water is big into sport. We have Legion Field (baseball, football, basketball courts). Flagg Steet (soccer fields) they are very large; i played soccer there. The Dome (indoor sports complex) for basketball, soccer, softball/baseball, field hockey, and i know for a while there was a dodgeball league. B-water is in the process of consturcting softball fields on the other side of town.
As for reputation... well, budget cuts everywhere, but that's to be expected. B-water is mostly run by Townies, though it is sad to say. Mostly everything is political, even sports. It's sort of a "who knows who" thing, if you will.
Otherwise, B-water is a very nice town. I grew up there, and I loved everything about it. The pros of b-water outweigh the cons.
I hope that helps you in the slightest bit. If you have any other questions, just post.