Work in Concord, live where? (Boston, Worcester: for rent, low crime, townhouse)

[Irena.M]

Actually I have heard good things about Medford. The city wants to beautify the rivers edge and put nice walkways and parks. I do not know much about the schools but would like to find out myself since we are also considering Medford. Hopefully someone would help us out.

[Spindletop]

After talking to my wife, I think we'll actually look for something in West Concord should i take the job, somewhere near the rail station and commercial area. The main reason I had been looking for something closer to Boston would be so she could be closer to activities, but she'd rather we live closer to the job, and made the point that she'd rather just take the T into the city than drive anyway.

Thanks for the recommendations. Before we bought anything, we'd go up for a few days and look around the area. I just think it would be better to move into Concord now than live in Maynard for 3 years and then move when it's time for our first to start school, assuming we don't homeschool.

[brightdoglover]

That sounds very good. Living in Maynard for three-some years, assuming you bought, would certainly not guarantee a houseowning profit to move "up" to Concord. If you can afford anything in West Concord now, it would be ideal. It's a great little area. Let's put it this way, there's still an Italian (or is he Greek?) shoe repair shop on the main street.

[puffle]

There is a nice apartment home complex off Law Brook Rd. in W. Concord called Warner Woods. Very quiet, safe and close to everything including a lovely park that is gated for safety. There is another Avalon in Bedford and one in Acton. I did see a few private rental starting at $1600 up to $2300. West Concord is great!

[ogre]

Spindletop, it sounds as if the compromise you've decided on is one where you're close to work but at least the nearby downtown area has some of the amenities in the urban neighborhood you're moving from. As for activities in Boston, it's a personal preference, but, given the ready availability of commuter rail in West Concord, I would recommend using that means for travel to the city, especially during the day. Outside of commuting hours, the traffic on major roads into the city usually isn't too bad during the day, but once you're right in Boston, the driving is bad any time during the day, even sometimes during the evening.

[MovingForward]

I agree. Littleton, Westford, Acton--and let's not forget Stow!--all great towns.

[BostonYoureMyHome]

West Concord sounds ideal for your situation. It does have a nice little downtown area, and then there is always Concord center for more shopping, restaurants, etc. And no commute is a beautiful thing!! My best friend lives in West Concord (and I live just over the line in Acton), and we enjoy walking around and going into the shops in West Concord. Plus, the schools are leaps and bounds better than the schools in Maynard.

[puffle]

Let's hear it for West Concord! Took a few pictures during a stroll through town a few days ago. It's on this thread for Photography. Feel free to DM for more information. Good luck and let us know what happens!

[Spindletop]

Well, they offered me the job and I accepted, so now we're in the process of getting our house ready to sell. I'll be up and down throughout June, but I get the impression they'll want me there full time come July, so I may end up having to get a 1 BR sublet for a month or two until the wife and kids are ready to come up. I guess that should give me time to look around.

We're still hoping for something in West Concord, but are also looking at all the other towns in a 5-mile radius. There are some nice houses in Acton, but I can't see where there's really any kind of commercial area. Same for Lincoln, Stow, Sudbury, etc. We're not necessarily looking for a shopping mecca, but a few restaurants, maybe a bakery, a wine/beer store and a market would be nice.

We've even talked about renting a house for a year while we figure out exactly where we want to be. I hate to throw money away like that, but it's probably better than buying a house we regret. I may be back here for more advice once I've had some time to look around.

Thanks again.

[Skwidy]

We just moved out of Acton to a closer in location (I work in Downtown Boston and the Mrs. works at home). For commercial areas, West Acton has some retail, as does Kelly's Corner (both near the commuter rail and Rt 2). But Rt 2A has the greatest density of retail (but it's all along 2A, and you'd have to drive to most places). Still, we loved Acton...terrific schools, friendly people, but the commute to Boston was horrid (~1hr15min...I work late so the train service homebound was not as regular as it would be if I worked "normal hours").

What about Arlington? I don't know what home prices are like there, but I think it's got a similar feel to Medford, but closer to Concord (i.e. less Rt 16, more Rt 2).

By the way, congratulations on the job! And welcome to Massachusetts!