In search of: Friendliest town in MA??? (Waltham, Woburn: transplants, mortgage)

[smarty]

Originally Posted by johnycakes

And I've done the commute on the commuter rail for quite a few years, too. That half-mile on a nice, sunny day may not seem like such a big deal but... what I found usually happens is I'm so darned busy during the day that I delay getting out of the office for as long as possible. Before you know it, you're getting later and later and cutting it closer and closer. Basically, the error factor gets minimized the closer you are to the station. So going from Berkeley Street to Back Bay really is a fairly short walk. Also, what may be a nice walk on a sunny day in the summer may not be so pleasant when the rain is blowing sideways or when the snow is flying. Then that half-mile jaunt may become a real nuisance. My feeling is the closer you can work to the actual station, the better. And I've done both.

So true. That is why I drive from one end of shopping mall to the other end nowadays. I think I drove from Bestbuy to ToyRUs the other day in Natick. That's just 50 parking spots away.

[puffle]

I have to say that one of the scariest things about looking at parents comments at greatschools is the terrible spelling by both parents and students! I know I must make mistakes, but come on! Once I see that, the test scores fly out of my head

[lorilou]

Originally Posted by smarty

Yes. It is true. Your hubby probably need to go to the financial district that is why you want South Station. However, North Station is only 0.5 miles away from South Station. It is amazing how lazy we become... haha... I used to walk 0.5mile to school. Now, I drive from one side of the mall to the other side 0.1 miles away.

Also, from the North, you can also get off at Alewife station and take the red line to downtown.

I've heard it's "harder to fit in" the further north you go, aka, blueblood snobbery to the highest degree. Might me a misnomer, you tell me?

[lorilou]

Originally Posted by JAH

If your husband will work in Boston I suggest looking northwest of the city. Try looking in Westford, Littleton, Chelmsford, or Acton. I know Westford has an orchestra program and Littleton has Indian Hill Music which is a wonderful center for the arts. My son studies the violin there. Littleton and Acton have commuter rail stops in town and provide parking. There are other suburbs northwest of the city that are closer but the price of homes is high although now is a good time to buy with the market softening. Prices in Littleton are down about 10-13%. There is a lot of information on the internet that you can obtain regarding the public school systems. I have two children one in the high school which was built in 2001 and one in the middle school which is brand new. It will be opening in about 2 weeks.
Good Luck!

Ditto, keep lookin'!
LL

[lorilou]

Originally Posted by smarty

Franklin is a great choice! If you decided on Frankin, just beware that there are significant difference amongst the elementary school scores. The newest and prettiest building may not be the best choice. There are also more than one middle school.

If you have not decided on Franklin, but like the general area, look into Mendon/upton, Holliston, Bellingham, Medfield and Norfolk as well. They are close and similar. Each town has its own character. You may like one town a little more than the other just because ..... how straight the road is.

We only have to deal with the remainder of 8th grade for middle school, and my son is in 9th. So, I'm well past the elementary days. Thanks for the info. LL

[2KidsforMe]

lorilou, no problem. Just thought I would offer my opinions on where we live. As I said before, we had to stretch to move here and buy something nice, which is especially hard since I stay at home with the kids. Southborough is a weird mix. You have multi-million dollar mansions, and homes that really look like glorified shacks that should be torn down. I guess that is one of the things I find sort of charming, the mix if you will. Westford is beautifull. You might like it there. I personally prefer to be a bit closer to shopping, dining, the mall, target etc...I guess you can take the girl out of Orange County but...
I also wanted to let you know that we lived a year and a half in the Dallas area. We had a 5000+ sq ft custom home, 6 bathrooms, 3 car garage, 3 fireplaces, a gorgeous home, and we paid under 460k for it. Such a sticker shock comming to MA. But here we have a huge yard, and trees, trees, trees! Best of luck to you wherever you land.

[puffle]

Originally Posted by lorilou

I've heard it's "harder to fit in" the further north you go, aka, blueblood snobbery to the highest degree. Might me a misnomer, you tell me?

I heard when I lived there that the "blueblood" factor is closer to Marblehead. Families go back for generations all over Ma. but much more conservative in those parts and not showey being old money. Very bad taste to discuss money or show that you have it. I have heard that when a formal event or even a wedding comes up, some of the ladies in Marblehead shop at the local thrift stores to buy their clothes. I suppose that is one reason it is "old money", they know how to keep it. Good luck on your search and maybe we will see each other someday, LL.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by lorilou

I've heard it's "harder to fit in" the further north you go, aka, blueblood snobbery to the highest degree. Might me a misnomer, you tell me?

No Comment! You just have to find out for yourself. As someone says generalization is never good.

Originally Posted by 2KidsforMe

5000+ sq ft custom home, 6 bathrooms, 3 car garage, 3 fireplaces, a gorgeous home, and we paid under 460k for it.

Consider yourself lucky. In San Francisco and Manhattan, $460K is just a 500 sq ft 1-2 bedroom Condo.

Originally Posted by puffle

I have to say that one of the scariest things about looking at parents comments at greatschools is the terrible spelling by both parents and students! I know I must make mistakes, but come on! Once I see that, the test scores fly out of my head

Are you being snooty? That was the way we were brought up. Whole Language versus Phonics. Teachers told us not to worry about spelling; just keep writing. Those parents just did not have Google spell check toolbar on their computers.

[lorilou]

Originally Posted by puffle

I heard when I lived there that the "blueblood" factor is closer to Marblehead. Families go back for generations all over Ma. but much more conservative in those parts and not showey being old money. Very bad taste to discuss money or show that you have it. I have heard that when a formal event or even a wedding comes up, some of the ladies in Marblehead shop at the local thrift stores to buy their clothes. I suppose that is one reason it is "old money", they know how to keep it. Good luck on your search and maybe we will see each other someday, LL.

I love old money people who have that kind of refinement. I have always believed that if a person has money, we'll know, you don't have to keep telling us. It's the new money you gotta watch out for...
Puff, I hope we run into one another as well. Let me know where you are headed, when you know, and I will do the same. We are having such a strange turn of events here. We haven't even listed our house yet, but a realtor friend asked us if we would show it to a couple looking for a house like ours. They've looked at it 3 days in a row now, and they are supposedly bringing us an offer tomorrow. They own a business in China and want to close in early Feb. I would love to sell the house like that, and save myself the misery of showing it every day for 3 months. On the other hand, that puts us into overdrive. I know it'll work out, but we haven't even gotten our relocation package yet! Ain't life fun? LL

[puffle]

Originally Posted by smarty

No Comment! You just have to find out for yourself. As someone says generalization is never good.



Consider yourself lucky. In San Francisco and Manhattan, $460K is just a 500 sq ft 1-2 bedroom Condo.



Are you being snooty? That was the way we were brought up. Whole Language versus Phonics. Teachers told us not to worry about spelling; just keep writing. Those parents just did not have Google spell check toolbar on their computers.

I hope you know I was not referring to you, Smarty. I've just noticed in a variety of posts all over the country, how the most basic of words are mispelled. As I said, I'm not perfect and I'm sure I have goofed, but not in basic words like their and there, etc. Where did you grow up by the way? Just curious about where teachers told you spelling didn't matter? I didn't have spell check either...I had parents that double-checked my work as I do my son.