Impending relocation from New Jersey and need guidance with complicate commute! (Boston: theatre, school district)

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

The OP is coming from north Jersey. Massachusetts has prop 2 1/2. The property taxes aren't sky high. And your socioeconomic class envy is bleeding through again. The OP has an $800K+ housing budget.

Highest property tax rate in mass
https://www.masslive.com/news/g66l-2...tax-rates.html


Seriously your lack of insights and logical thinking is bleeding. Next time make a logical argument

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by CJSR10

<SNIP> The taxes are insane ($27K on $859K purchase) so we will save there regardless.

Originally Posted by mdovell

Highest property tax rate in mass
https://www.masslive.com/news/g66l-2...tax-rates.html


Seriously your lack of insights and logical thinking is bleeding. Next time make a logical argument

The Longmeadow tax rate is 2.42%, or about $21k on a $859k house. Even Longmeadow would be a reprieve for the OP.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

I lived in Northampton for a while with the townhouse condo I still own at Killington. I telecommuted a job at the exit 2 industrial park in Salem NH. I had that couple of days per week thing. I had an apartment in the barn by the swimming pool at my father's house to use in the summer for beach/sailing. The local golf is pretty good so I did some of that. Maybe I have a different lifestyle but I'd rather do that than live in some dreary metrowest town at the Pike & 495 belt with four days of big commute per week. If I had kids, I'd want them in the Killington hopefuls program all winter. That's what all my friends did.

We sold that company and I had to buy a house in Winchester to be closer to the office when the new owners wanted me there more often.

This is all nice and interesting, but I don't really see how it's relevant. It doesn't strike me as really at all the same situation as OP's. And yes, if my top priority were skiing, my whole calculus would be different.

Originally Posted by Lampert

When I say that I don't find myself needing to go to Boston I don't mean that I want to go but I really don't want to drive. I just don't need to go at all because I can find what I usually need much closer to home than Boston. That said, yes, if I want to take my kid to a museum, I go to Boston. If I want to enjoy the waterfront I go to Boston and so on. But those are 1% of my needs. When I was in Boston I wasn't going to the Common all the time anyway.

That said. Definitely living in the Worcester area is not the same as living within the city of Boston. There is a lot less going on, no doubt about it. But to me the difference is really only if you consider the urban core, where you can get with good transit pretty much. From Wellesley is already a hassle to get to downtown Boston.
Had OP said, I want to live in a big city in New England I wouldn't even have considered Worcester over Boston. But if you care about having enough amenities around rather than city-vibe I think Worcester does the job pretty well.

I'm actually kind of surprised by how nice some parts of Worcester area. I've been one of those people who has thought for a long time that Worcester is on the cusp of becoming a real powerhouse, but so far, it hasn't made it. There certainly are some good things to say about Worcester, but here, OP is commuting to Springfield and Boston, so I personally don't see the assessment here in the same way. A regular Boston to Worcester commute doesn't sound fun to me. It's a different story if one doesn't care at all about Boston and has little need to ever go there.

[massnative71]

At the end of the day, Worcester-Shrewsbury-boros meets the everyday needs of 90% of families more than adequately. The other 10% are hardcore urbanists who only Boston would satisfy, or shopaholics (Natick). OP probably knows what category they fall into, and has been given enough information here to decide which applies to them.

[huff100]

Originally Posted by CJSR10

Thank you! I will check out Wayland as well. You’re right now matter what we will see an improvement in our insane property taxes and general congestion. Any thoughts on Bolton?

I love Bolton! (I live in Stow-right next to Bolton and they share a regional high school)
My first town pick was Bolton but we were selling a starter home when searching and couldn't find anything at the time that we got an offer.
I am from Long Island and LOVE Stow/Bolton! Very New England, so pretty, mostly friendly down to earth people. I would recommend it if you like suburban/rural and want that feel from the town!
We have lived in Stow for almost 6 years and have two kids (5 and 1.5 years), great towns for kids!

[CJSR10]

Originally Posted by massnative71

At the end of the day, Worcester-Shrewsbury-boros meets the everyday needs of 90% of families more than adequately. The other 10% are hardcore urbanists who only Boston would satisfy, or shopaholics (Natick). OP probably knows what category they fall into, and has been given enough information here to decide which applies to them.

OP here - we are firmly in the 90% so I think we're in great shape. I may shop a lot - but more online than anything sadly. We live 10 minutes from Short Hills Mall currently, one of the nicest high-end malls around and I almost never go.

I'm happy to say my husband received the job offer today accompanied but a decent relocation offering so I am glad I've started to gather all this information because it's happening.

[CJSR10]

Originally Posted by huff100

I love Bolton! (I live in Stow-right next to Bolton and they share a regional high school)
My first town pick was Bolton but we were selling a starter home when searching and couldn't find anything at the time that we got an offer.
I am from Long Island and LOVE Stow/Bolton! Very New England, so pretty, mostly friendly down to earth people. I would recommend it if you like suburban/rural and want that feel from the town!
We have lived in Stow for almost 6 years and have two kids (5 and 1.5 years), great towns for kids!

Does anyone really commute from Bolton to Boston? It seemed like if there was a train in a nearby town, you'd be directed into North Station or am I incorrect? I lived on Long Island 9 years myself!

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by CJSR10

Does anyone really commute from Bolton to Boston? It seemed like if there was a train in a nearby town, you'd be directed into North Station or am I incorrect? I lived on Long Island 9 years myself!

Yes and yes. But it's a lot easier to commute into Cambridge from there. It's a pain to get to Back Bay though. Everything north of Route 9 goes to North Station. The Framingham/Worcester line is the furthest North line that goes to South Station. And then the other three(+) stops in Boston are serviced by different lines.
I don't think the Plymouth line goes to Back Bay. I think the Worcester train is the only one that goes to Langsdown/Yawkee. The Needham and Providence trains go to Ruggles after Back Bay. The Franklin train goes to none of those

Lots of companies in Seaport have shuttles to North Station.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

Yes and yes. But it's a lot easier to commute into Cambridge from there. It's a pain to get to Back Bay though. Everything north of Route 9 goes to North Station. The Framingham/Worcester line is the furthest North line that goes to South Station. And then the other three(+) stops in Boston are serviced by different lines.
I don't think the Plymouth line goes to Back Bay. I think the Worcester train is the only one that goes to Langsdown/Yawkee. The Needham and Providence trains go to Ruggles after Back Bay. The Franklin train goes to none of those

Lots of companies in Seaport have shuttles to North Station.

Kind of a tangent, but I don't know if anyone has said this before:

In general, for folks moving in from out of state, those who work in Seaport/the Financial District live south and southwest/west of the city. The commuter lines go into South Station.

Those that work in Cambridge, Somerville, North Station/West End generally live north and northwest as the commuter goes directly into North Station.

Others may disagree, but it seems to make a material impact on what kind of person lives where in Greater Boston. I find the South Shore towns, less Quincy and Weymouth, to be more law, finance, consulting in makeup.. You can almost feel it. To the north/northwest, it does seem like there is a largely contingency of tech employees, robotics, defense, and folks that work in Higher Ed and R&D. Not to mention, the areas between Waltham and Woburn make up a substantial % of tech and healthcare jobs along 95/in the suburbs. Biotech/pharma is all over the place, so all areas of Eastern Massachusetts are littered with these guys.

Inner suburbs to the West, like Newton, have a lot of both.. Easy access to Back Bay inbound, commuter access to South Station, even driving distance to Cambridge if needed.

I do realize this is very general, and over simplifies all areas, but I bet employment data would support some of what I'm saying.

[huff100]

Originally Posted by CJSR10

Does anyone really commute from Bolton to Boston? It seemed like if there was a train in a nearby town, you'd be directed into North Station or am I incorrect? I lived on Long Island 9 years myself!

Yes, but my husband and I would never want or do that commute. I just love the area so much, thought I would mention it because Bolton came up. People in Stow do work in Boston (but not a good commute) Train in Concord/Acton or drive.
For the money you have I would look in Concord/Lexington and I love Lincoln/Wayland/Sudbury/Carlisle but not good for commuting to Springfield.
I would check out the towns and see about the commute because it is not daily.