Recommendations for MA town - Commuting Distance of Woonsocket with Good Schools?

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

However, there is a commuter rail stop in town. So still very commutable to Boston. About a 65 minute train ride according to MBTA.com

2 stops

One, the 495/Forge Park stop is the end of the line and lots of parking. The second, Franklin, is downtown without parking, but if OP were to find a house there, that one is within walking distance to actual houses (unlike Forge Park which is only really walk-able to the Garelick Farms distro center and the BJ's)

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

2 stops

One, the 495/Forge Park stop is the end of the line and lots of parking. The second, Franklin, is downtown without parking, but if OP were to find a house there, that one is within walking distance to actual houses (unlike Forge Park which is only really walk-able to the Garelick Farms distro center and the BJ's)

Yes. Thanks for the correction. Even though I lived next door in Cumberland, RI for a bit Franklin is not a town I'm an expert on.

According to MBTA.com getting on at Forge Park adds about 5-7 minutes to your commute. So now you're talking about 1:10 or so to commute into Boston from there.

[CaseyB]

The stop in Franklin Center has limited parking, just a few spaces.

[G-fused]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

While I'm sure many of the towns mentioned (Franklin, Sharon, Medfield, Newton, Needham, Westwood, and Norfolk) would work for you, based on everything you've said it seems very clear that Sharon or Franklin would likely be the best fits.

Let's start with why Sharon might be the best fit. First, Sharon has FOUR Jewish Temples. That's quite a lot of temples for a town of this size (sorry as a licensed real estate agent I'm not allowed to identify where populations of protected classes tend to cluster however I am able to offer you this information). Sharon by Boston area standards is also pretty diverse. Only about 85% of it's population is Caucasian according to C-D. Sharon also has a very highly regarded school system. Plus, it's about midway between Boston and Providence. So very commutable location to Boston if work shifts up that way and still close to your family in RI. According to MBTA.com it's about a 30 to 35 minute train ride to South Station. Sharon is probably a 30-50 minute car ride to Woonsocket.

Franklin is also a good choice. The town has 1 Jewish Temple. It's not terribly diverse (about 95% Caucasian according to C-D). The schools there are solid (US News has the High School ranked 90th in the state for example). It is closer to Woonsocket and your family. It's further from Boston than Sharon. However, there is a commuter rail stop in town. So still very commutable to Boston. About a 65 minute train ride according to MBTA.com In Franklin, your housing budget will afford you a newer/larger home than it would in Sharon. Franklin is probably a 20-30 minute car ride to Woonsocket.

Neither is perfect so it's going to come down to what's more important to you. The town with the shorter Woonsocket commute but longer Boston commute, the nicer house, and the shorter drive to see your family or the town with more diversity, more temples, more highly regarded schools, and the 20 minute longer Woonsocket commute but the 30 minute shorter Boston commute.

Very good post and I hope the OP appreciates the time and thought.

There is a very active Jewish Community in Sharon. It is also an open minded town and prides itself on inclusion. I am Jewish and multiracial family as well.

Best of luck OP.

[495neighbor]

Just to give the OP another option, I'm going to suggest Holliston. Holliston is only 16 miles from Woonsocket. A 1/2 hour commute through backroads to Woonsocket is entirely possible. There is a temple on Route 16 that the OP may want to explore. Although Holliston is less diverse than Sharon, it is a fairly open minded, liberal town. The trade-off for a shorter commuter, more house and better town center would be the longer distance to downtown Boston and lack of a commuter rail stop in town should the OP or spouse need or want that in the future.

[west_to_east_transplant]

Thanks all. And agree with G-Fused - MikePru's post was extremely helpful - I actually read it to my husband last night. We're about to travel to the area so will do some exploring while we're there - currently narrowing to Sharon, Franklin, (maybe checking out Holliston too), and East Greenwich in Rhode Island. Wishing everyone a happy holiday season.

[CaseyB]

Thank you, same to you!