Is Weston Overrated? (Boston, Newton, Framingham: real estate, property taxes, houses)

[canbonbon]

We are looking to move to Weston, MA and have tried to go and look around the town. It looks like an overgrown village. We could not find a single grocery store (Stop & Shop or something) to get some water. No one on the road to even talk to. Thought we were in Vermont for a minute. The houses looked over priced, even the ones that were literally built on the ledge. Are people snobbish in the town or is it that folks with young kids avoid this town. I spoke to a real estate person, what a mistake that was, she was the worst. It was all about money you can spend and not about facilities that the town provides. They charge most tax in the state and don't have a sewage system. Schools is the other topic. Would like to know if they are *really* that good. Is there any way to find out? They are rated amongst the top 100 in US in the latest USWeek survey and were given Gold rating. What I am looking for is some statistics on how many high school kids go to Harvard, etc. I mean I would like to know what makes it get Gold rating. I called the school and as usual got no proper response Oh they have the whole town digitized so that you can see plot plans online. Excellent spending of the collected tax dollars. I am just short of dropping the town from our list unless someone can help me understand why it is considered the best town in MA (or is that relative?)

[CaseyB]

I don't know who told you it was the best town in the state. I do think that Weston is overrated. Dover is rural too, but it has more character in my opinion. Are you looking in Wellesley?

[pondhopper]

Best town in MA??????
Most expensive, sure; highest per capita incomes, definitely; best - not by a long shot!!

[brightdoglover]

I believe Weston has the highest per capita income in Massachusetts, or some sort of financial high standard. That might account for its reputation.
If you can afford it there and like it, then go there. I'm sure the schools are good, as good as any other very wealthy town. But it's not anything special of its type.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by canbonbon

It looks like an overgrown village. We could not find a single grocery store (Stop & Shop or something) to get some water. No one on the road to even talk to. Thought we were in Vermont for a minute.

I've always found it somewhat snobbish and homogenous. Part of the charm for residents is that it looks unspoiled by things like Stop & Shop, but is quite close to Boston. It's pretty but I wouldn't personally want to live there.

It's true that it's very high income, as are a number other towns. It would depend on if you prefer a town like Wellesley or Winchester, which are, relatively speaking, denser towns with more stores and such.

[ogre]

Maybe I can give you some lowdown on Weston, being that I grew up there and still have family there. Whether Weston is a good place to live or "overrated" depends on what kind of town you like. Since growing up there, I've seen the town go from being a solidly affluent suburb with many successful professionals, a few old-money types, and mixed in with this a small but significant population of regular folks who remained from a time when Weston had been more of a genuine, non-suburban small town, to being a truly wealthy community today.

As stated in an earlier post, Weston is often regarded as the wealthiest town in MA, largely because it has both the highest average income and the highest median house price. It's a favorite residence of Boston-area celebrities, such as professional athletes and television news people, though most of these people maintain enough privacy that you're hardly likely to be aware that they are around, unless one of them happens to live next door to you.

Is Weston overrated? That depends on what you want in a town. Weston grew up as an affluent suburb during the '50's and '60's, and reflects the preference for big yards and plenty of open space that people at that time sought as the ultimate suburban utopia. Weston is not "walkable" in the way that many people today are looking for in their preferred community. It does in fact have a grocery store--large enough to be considered a supermarket, but much smaller than Stop & Shop. You definitely could have bought some bottled water if you had known where to look. There is a small town center, where pretty much all the businesses in town are located. In addition to that small supermarket, Weston Center has a convenience store, drug store, dry cleaner's, a hardware store, a barber shop, travel agency, several banks, some small office buildings, and a a couple of small eateries. The town is "walkable" in the sense that all the stores are in that one area, so once you arrive downtown you can walk around to various businesses, but not so "walkable" in the sense of having much of a neighborhood feel across the town as a whole.

As for some pros and cons . . .

Pros:

1) Location. Of any of the less densely populated Boston suburbs, in any direction from the city, Weston is probably the closest to Boston, with the easiest commute ("easy commute" being a relative term in the Boston area).

2) Woods, fields, open space, walking trails through town forest land.

3) Safe and quiet.

4) The school system. I'm not familiar with the ratings for school systems, but I can tell you that the Weston schools are essentially public prep schools. The school system is geared toward the single purpose of preparing the kids for college. That has its down side, but if you are interested in knowing whether the kids are well prepared to attend elite colleges, the answer is yes. Every year, graduates of Weston High School are admitted to Ivies, Little Ivies, Southern Ivies, Western Ivies, Public Ivies, Sisters, MIT, etc., as well as a bunch of those highly regarded liberal arts colleges scattered all through the Midwest, upstate New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. In addition to the quality of classroom instruction, Weston's schools provide some serious opportunities for high-quality experiences in extracurricular activities. This is particularly true in the artsy activities (music organizations, theater, etc.), which annually produce numbers of students who win statewide or regional awards.

5) Though there's not much more in the way of shops and entertainment than those basics found in the center of town, the nearby towns of Wellesley and Waltham provide more variety, though you do need to drive there.

Cons:

1) Elitist, in a way. This depends on your own preferences. I don't find Weston residents to be snooty when they deal with their own crowd. If you can afford to live there, you'd probably find it to be a reasonably friendly community, though maybe more in the sense that people are pleasant than in the sense that they'll give you the shirts off their backs. For some people, Weston may seem too detached from the real world. That depends on you and your preferences.

2) Spread out. Not very "walkable" in the fullest sense.

3) Expensive. If you're looking at Weston, perhaps cost is not a major issue for you, but it's fair to warn you that there's a lot of money floating around Weston, and that can cost you in ways other than the basic price of a house, and the high property taxes this generates. For example, Weston tends to vote in favor of Prop. 2-1/2 overrides frequently. Be prepared to pay for town projects that various residents, wealthy enough not to be overly concerned with the cost, promote without a lot of attention to whether these facilities are really vital, or what would be the most frugal way to provide them.

4) Houses. As your original post indicates that you have discovered, the town is not filled with mansions. There are some big fancy houses around but most are not. The occasional new house usually will be what you might imagine finding in a wealthy suburb, but Weston's population has been fairly stable for a few decades now, so people tend to move into already-existing houses, most of which date back to before the town was the wealthy place it is now. The desirable features that drive up property values in Weston are the schools, the big yards and open spaces, and the proximity to Boston moreso than the presence of many large, fancy houses.

If you want an upscale town in the same area, which has a greater variety and number of shopping possibilities, and more densely populated and "walkable" (though still very suburban) neighborhoods, you might look at Wellsley. Depending on your preferences, you might also take a look at Wayland, which is similar in appearance to Weston, but with a little more in the way of local shopping. Wayland's so-called center is a small strip of businesses along a highway, but in the Cochituate section, in the southwestern corner of town, there is a shopping distirct similar to the downtown area of most small towns. That part of Wayland is also very close to the big-mall areas of Natick and Framingham. Wayland is an affluent town in general, with some blue-collar enclaves, and a school system that is highly regarded in the area, overall, though I believe it has less of an elite-level extracurriculars program than Weston.

If you're feeling that Weston's New England country town look may not be what you want, by all means stay away from Lincoln, Conord, Stow, Acton, or Sudbury (or most towns in the vicinity of any of these). Those towns are more country than Weston. While Weston is woodsy, it's decidedly suburban, while these towns are exurban.

Okay, I've gotten a little long-winded here, but I hope this helps. Best of luck in your search.

[smarty]

It is best because... location location location

1. Close to Boston with all major highways within minutes.
2. A place not disturb by big commercial stores
3. No McDonalds for teenagers to hang out..
4. No outsiders to disturb the town.
5. Lots of privacy, trees, ...
6. Great school with great facilities... swimming pool, tennis courts, track, football field, ... for half the number of kids in other town.
7. Real estate value almost never go down.... fast increase when coming out of a downturn.
8. Best snow removal
9. top rated police.
10. Has one of the lowest car insurance rate.
11. Very low crime.

Btw... not everyone in Weston likes Harvard. It's too easy to get in. I think they'll still like you if you drive a Volvo..

[canbonbon]

Thanks Ogre and Smarty for your responses, appreciate that. I knew some Westoners would chime in and give me the inside info. And I thank you for that. We are moving in from Cupertino, CA and are looking to buy home in 2.5 mil range, which is about how much we are selling our home there for. We are currently renting a 3 bedroom apt near Boston Commons, until we find something good to move in and are scouting various towns to find one that would suit us. We are a family of five with one toddler, a preschooler and a dog. So as a parent of 2 kids, school district is most important to us, other town amenities come second. It would be nice to be in a town where there are families with young children so that our kids don't have to travel a few miles to play with other kids. Weston was recommended to us by folks in our offices, etc. and was in the money magazine as the 9th richest town in the whole of US (25 top-earning towns - Weston, Mass. (9) - Money Magazine), so we decided to focus on it right away.

I found Ogre's reponse very informative, but I would like to respond to Smarty first, mostly because I think it would be fun

-->> A place not disturb by big commercial stores
Buying bread, milk and eggs from a grocery store for your children is considered commercial? You must be out of your mind. We did ask an old guy if there is grocery store around, he said he did not know Personally I think it is a bad design if you have only one store in town to buy basic essentials. What happens in a snow storm? Especially if they go out of essential stuff like milk? Should I knock on the Mayor's home to get milk for my toddler?

-->> No McDonalds for teenagers to hang out..
This is fine, and most parents, including myself, would be OK with that.

-->> No outsiders to disturb the town.
Well .... I am OK with this one too. Although you have roads that lead to other towns (or provide access to highways), so you do have unecessary traffic on 20, North Ave and South Ave.

-->> Lots of privacy, trees, ...
And no walkways to walk your dog, no fences, some houses are so close to each other that talking about privacy is a joke.

-->> Great school with great facilities... swimming pool, tennis courts, track, football field, ... for half the number of kids in other town.
I think Ogre answered this one well. And would be one of the reasons we would continue to look there if we don't find anything comprable. Although in CA, every decent school has that.

-->> Real estate value almost never go down.... fast increase when coming out of a downturn.
Will see about that and hope for the best.

-->> Best snow removal
Again, let's hope 'cause they really need it.

-->> Has one of the lowest car insurance rate.
Boy this one cracked me up. I agree with you 100% that I should definitely spend Million$$ to save $20 on my car insurance.

-->> Btw... not everyone in Weston likes Harvard. It's too easy to get in. I think they'll still like you if you drive a Volvo..
There is no such thing as Volvo anymore (it ceased to exist in 1999), it is called Ford now. I think they still have that label though and maybe that's what your are talking about. And you are right, we were there this past Sunday and we hardly saw any high end cars. We kind a looked awkward in a 7 series driving around on those narrow roads. Try it yourself and you'll see. And as for getting easily in Harvard, LOL )) you are funny. As a doctor, I would love both of my kids to *easily* get in Residency at a Harvard Med school. Maybe I will use your reference )

Thanks once again for your responses, however, some of my concerns in my original post still stand and we continue to look.

[ogre]

One suggestion: People are likely to have a better idea which towns to suggest if you give some details on what you're looking for. A bit of discussion about why one town in particular made a bad first impression, along with some mention of why you had that town on your list of possibilites in the first place, gives some picture, but people could likely make more suggestions if you provided a detailed, succinct list of the qualities you seek in a town (as well as specifics on what you'd like to avoid).

[smarty]

Since Cupertino is more like Lexington/Newton/Wellesley, I think you'll like those towns better. You'll find Weston too rural (no sidewalk). Also, coming from one of the most expensive area in US, it is like comparing apples to oranges. People here likes BIG lots... 1-10 acres.

Buying bread, milk and eggs from a grocery store for your children is considered commercial? You must be out of your mind. We did ask an old guy if there is grocery store around, he said he did not know Personally I think it is a bad design if you have only one store in town to buy basic essentials. What happens in a snow storm? Especially if they go out of essential stuff like milk? Should I knock on the Mayor's home to get milk for my toddler?
In a snow storm, you stay home. Don't worry. Storm is usually over within 24 hours. Beside, you can order online and have them deliver nowadays. I'm not sure if you been to a supermarket just before a storm. By the time you pay for your grocery, the storm is over. Just think longgggggggggg lines. I cannot understand why people get 2-3 loaves of bread. Anyone loss electricity for more than a week? Will you starve or die without milk/bread for 1-2 days?

Well .... I am OK with this one too. Although you have roads that lead to other towns (or provide access to highways), so you do have unecessary traffic on 20, North Ave and South Ave.
Yes. But, they don't usually stop. The south side near Rt30 is more desirable location in Weston.

And no walkways to walk your dog, no fences, some houses are so close to each other that talking about privacy is a joke.
You're looking at the North side only. Try the other side. Just like Cupertino... The funny thing is people are willing to pay $500K for a shack to live in the zip code.

School Facilities... Although in CA, every decent school has that.
Yeah. CA can use it all year round... have you tried an outdoor sport in January around here? Weston I believe only have 180 kids per grade (2400 kids total K-12). I think Cupertino high school has 2x kids in the system when compare to Weston and with 50% Asians. (umm.. I wonder if they have Chinese New Year off vs Jewish New Year.) The whole district is probably 5-10X bigger than Weston.


There is no such thing as Volvo anymore (it ceased to exist in 1999), it is called Ford now. I think they still have that label though and maybe that's what your are talking about.
Btw.. volvo is BIG is new england. Just look around. Mercedes was a Chrysler... Now Ford just sold Jaguar, Land Rover to India's Tata Motors. BMW will become ??? China motor?

As a doctor, I would love both of my kids to *easily* get in Residency at a Harvard Med school. Maybe I will use your reference )
I was talking about undergrad... May be your kids wants to go to San Francisco, Stanford or Johns Hopkins for Med School instead of Harvard.