Moving to Hopkinton, MA (Boston, Worcester: home, YMCA, schools)

[asifseemab]

Hi,

What are the challenges for someone moving to Hopkinton,MA (Suburbs of Boston)? I am planning to move there with family. One of my two sons is school going. I understand schools are high rated there. I can work from home so no daily commute to Boston.

So in my case, what would be the day to day challenges which I would be facing? Al positive and negative aspects would be good to know. Many thanks

[r_p]

Originally Posted by asifseemab

Hi,

What are the challenges for someone moving to Hopkinton,MA (Suburbs of Boston)? I am planning to move there with family. One of my two sons is school going. I understand schools are high rated there. I can work from home so no daily commute to Boston.

So in my case, what would be the day to day challenges which I would be facing? Al positive and negative aspects would be good to know. Many thanks

It is a good town and there are no downsides. Commute to Boston is actually not that bad. Depending on where you live, you can park at Ashland (ample parking) or Southborough.

[simplexsimon]

What would you consider a negative?

[scorpio516]

Negatives? Um traffic can be a pain at the 85 & 135 intersection. It takes 25 minutes to get to Wegmans. The nearest YMCA is either by Wegmans or near the Natick mall, 25 minutes away.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by r_p

Commute to Boston is actually not that bad. Depending on where you live, you can park at Ashland (ample parking) or Southborough.

I think where in Boston you need to go is more important than where you live in Hopkinton.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by asifseemab

So in my case, what would be the day to day challenges which I would be facing? Al positive and negative aspects would be good to know. Many thanks

As long as you don't care about driving everywhere and not having any sort of city vibe I don't see many negatives in Hopkinton.
Some cities with very good school systems tend to be high-pressure for the kids. I don't know if this is the case in Hopkinton though.

[495neighbor]

It depends on what you might consider drawbacks. Hopkinton is an attractive town. It has a few locally owned small coffee shops, an art center that mostly has children's art programs, a brewery, a garden center that has a huge beer bash for charity annually, a Starbucks with a parking lot that is always full and a decent walking trail system. The town has something of an outdoorsy vibe, a mix of Dell professionals and multi-generational townies. Unlike some towns, there is not much friction between the old timers and newcomers, except some issues over overdevelopment. People living there genuinely care about the town and the people living there. It is car dependent. You might want to check out the very active Facebook group Hopkinton Comes Together for a deeper dive into the town involvement and politic.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Lampert

As long as you don't care about driving everywhere and not having any sort of city vibe I don't see many negatives in Hopkinton.
Some cities with very good school systems tend to be high-pressure for the kids. I don't know if this is the case in Hopkinton though.

True, it is equally distant from Worcester and Boston. So if you like doing city things like Ted Talks, concerts, etc. it might not be for you.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by scorpio516

Negatives? Um traffic can be a pain at the 85 & 135 intersection. It takes 25 minutes to get to Wegmans. The nearest YMCA is either by Wegmans or near the Natick mall, 25 minutes away.

There is a new YMCA being built in Ashland near the Pleasant Street entrance close to the Ashland train stop and the backroad to Hopkinton State Park. There is already an existing family outdoor center in Hopkinton, lots of programs geared to families only and a pool. There is also a large Y in Westborough that many people who live on the West side of town go to.

[MMS02760]

It has the Start Line Brew pub on Rte 85 near the Milford Line.