Lesbians w 2 small boys confused on which MA city to relocate to. (Boston: relocation)

[Larach]

Ok, so here is the deal. We have two boys 8 and 7, and oh yeah a 5 month old pup. We are loading our clothes into our truck, and heading for an accepting culturally diverse community. We currently live in Or. in which we are in constant state of shame among other things. We have researched to find MA would be the best to fit "our" family. Now after hours of reading we are lost on which city. We are not rich coming with 150k annual income or 50k to put down on a house like most people post on here. I have a degree in social work and plan to continue in that field. My sexy wife has a degree and business here in dog training, but wants to go back to school for grooming. We are literally selling EVERYTHING and heading east in search of peace for our family after years of harassment. Any suggestions on a small lesbian, family friendly, affordable town, that would have dog grooming school, and last but not least a group home for teens near by. That is where my current income is derived from and I would like to continue as previously stated. Thank you.
Here is a list of what has been recommended
Provience town
Arlington
Sherborn
Littleton
Maynard
Manchester

[NadjaBreton]

I'm not sure where you might find a dog grooming school. I did a search on "dog grooming school ma" and found a lot of places that might be helpful for you. I suggest you try that search or a similar one.... Commuting might be the only solution for that.

Province Town is definitely well-known for being gay-friendly. As is Northampton, Ma... which is in the Western part of the state. I haven't been to P-town, but you would of course be living in a place that is very touristy during the summer months. As for Northampton, it's a very pretty and lively town with lots to do for families. Smith College is there (also very supportive of alternate lifestyles). Not sure about the group home for teens... perhaps someone else will have that info for you.
Good luck.

[wickedripeplum]

Okay so Provincetown is obviously a really great lgbt community (especially in summer) and the schools are good (though tiny), but you might find there's less for your children to do in the off season. Also, because it is a resort town real estate is through the roof. Still if total acceptance of your family is far and away your first priority then you will find that in Provincetown.

Arlington, is safe and has good school. Homes are in the more reasonable $400k-$500k range. There is a strong lesbian presence and social scene (or at least there was when I lived there), though nothing percentage wise that could compare with Provincetown. I think you would find it to be accepting progressive town. Germaine Lawrence, the school for wayward teen girls is in town, but that doesn't really sound like what you're looking for and I think there's also an alcoholic teen shelter. But if there isn't anything in town, there has to be in Cambridge, Somerville, or Boston which are all close.

I don't the other towns well enough to comment on.

[brightdoglover]

First, I am so sorry your family has endured ignorance and hostility.

Provincetown is very expensive, not close to much else (at the tip of the Cape) and has no work. Great for gay men with money in the summer.

I live in Littleton. I think it might have been mentioned to you because there is an adolescent residence in town. It's neither here nor there for a lesbian family. There are certainly some gay families here, and there is sort of a known bunch of gay people who are from the town (usually involved in conservation, historical society and library).
Arlington is very near Cambridge/Boston, has great public transport, and likely was mentioned to you because of the Germaine Lawrence School for Girls. There are plenty of teen residences in most towns in and near the city, but housing is likely expensive.
Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of Boston that is wall-to-wall gay families/women. Plenty of public transport, OK for rental but too expensive for buying. Plenty of social service stuff, but you have to pay attention to what neighborhood you're living in- there are some sketchy areas.
Northampton is known as the lesbian capital of the state. Beautiful town and area, a somewhat developed economy (not a small rural town). There's a hospital with a psych service and I'm sure there are rezzies to work with.
I think dog grooming schools or internships would be harder to find than rezzies to work in, so maybe you could start with that.
Not sure why Manchester or Sherborn were recommended. Beautiful towns, not overly noted for gay families, and very expensive to live in.
I'd venture to say that most of eastern Mass. is very cosmopolitan regarding gay families.
Oh, the Dorchester neighborhoods of Boston are also very gay-friendly. Similar to Jamaica Plain, there are sketchy areas and better areas, but many gay families and landlords.
I am hard-pressed to think of any place in metro Boston where you would encounter what you've described in Oregon, but maybe I'm too accustomed to this environment and my decades of having gay male friends.
Best wishes on your move to a peaceful environment with your pooch and family. Please post again if you have more specific questions.

[brightdoglover]

P.S.Maynard is two towns over from Littleton. More of a working-class presence. It's a former mill town that now has more high-tech workers, etc. Lots of Brazilians. I'm not sure why this would have been recommended to you as anything special.

[skytrekker]

Provincetown is basically a seasonal town- with the winters boring and isolated- the summers are wild and busy- great for rich gay men. But not much work after the high season ends.

Northampton is your best bet- very liberal and tolerant- the 'Pioneer Valley' of western Mass is one of the best places in the country to live if you are counter culture, GLBT, not a republican etc.

Northampton offers a very nice Main Street, with arts, culture, book stores, cafes coffee shops and great places to eat. There lots of Lesbians and gay men- in a beautiful setting with several very liberal and iconic colleges nearby.

Greater Boston is tolerant, and offers everything you could ever want- as is very gay friendly Providence, Rhode Island, Connecticut; (greater Hartford, especially 'West Hartford', New Haven and Fairfield county all very liberal) Also consider very bohemian Brattleboro Vermont- about an hour north of Northampton.

Good luck and I hope you Find some peace.

[Exit14]

We are gay women and have been a couple for 16 years - we were both born and raised in Massachusetts. On May 30 2004 - we were legally married!!

Provincetown is VERY expensive! You're looking at close to $750,000 for a 1 bedroom condo. It's a nice place to visit - but not alot of people can afford to live there - not mention it's seasonal so work in the winter will be hard to find.

Also anywhere in or around Boston (617 area code) will be very expensive.

I would say avoid the Plymouth/Carver area like the plague! They are very bigoted in that area. Picture a guy with an old pick-up truck and a shotgun in his back window - that's the Plymouth area. Even eating in a restaurant in Plymouth will get you stared at, pointed at and you'll most likely hear rude comments made, etc.

I would think you'll find any other area in MA to be accepting.
Just use your head --- I think anybody anywhere (including me) would shun neighbors who make a spectacle of themselves - i.e. practically having sex on their front lawn, loud arguing, loud parties at all hours, acting rude, etc.

Keep in mind there will always be bigots spattered around every state but for the most part gays can live happily here.

We live in the suburbs just south of Boston and have never had an issue.

Check some Massachusetts real estate listings to get a better idea of what you're getting into price wise.
for instance an older 2 bedroom house w/1bathroom that probably needs minor work like paint -on a 1/4 acre lot-
will most likely be priced in the $270,000 range.

Also, apartment rents are NOT cheap either. If you can afford it - buy a house and put your money toward something you own.

Check out Stats about all US cities - real estate, relocation info, house prices, home value estimator, recent sales, maps, race, income, photos, education, crime, weather, houses, and more to get a rundown on towns in Massachusetts.

Good luck & please post again when you decide what town you like.

[jayrandom]

I think one of the biggest issues you'll face in Massachusetts, at least if you try to rent, is that 5 month old pup, especially if it's a larger breed. Landlords are not particularly welcoming of dogs in this state, so that is something to keep in mind. You might not have the luxury of picking one community and then finding an apartment, you may need to consider a number of places and then trying to find a dog-friendly apartment among them all.

[skytrekker]

Real estate in eastern CT is very reasonable
a New home 1800 square feet 3 bedrooms 2 baths, double garage on at least 1 acre-under 290K.

[scarletfire]

I live in Sherborn and it's a very welcoming community with one of the best regarded school systems, large lot sizes, beautiful trails & a nice pond for swimming and sailing. We have a UU church here and lots of same-gender families.

Are you looking to buy or rent? Homes and taxes here are very expensive but I do know of a cute rental down the street from me. I think it's 3 bedrooms. The only downside is that it is on the corner of Rt 16/Washington St. If you'd like the number please feel free to PM me and I can grab it when I go out in the morning.

Also, I'd check with Sherborn Pet Boutique - Sherborn, MA about dog grooming schools. The owner is so nice and I'm sure she could point you in the right direction. Also, a friend of mine also does social work in Framingham (which is adjacent to Sherborn). I'll PM you with her contact info.

I don't know much about the other towns you mentioned except my impression of Provincetown from periodic visits is that it's overrun with tourists and lots of partying in the summer. But then again I've only really visited in the downtown area so it may not be like that through the whole town. I've also heard mixed things about the quality of school systems on the Cape but perhaps someone else on the forum who lives there can chime in with the real scoop.

Best of luck with your journey!