Framingham, MA - tell me about it. (Boston, Taunton: best neighborhood, sales)

[sheltered81]

Could you tell me about Framingham, MA. Thanks in advance.

I'd like to know about:

Cost of living
Is it safe
Are there a lot of young people/old/families
Are there fun things for young people to do
Is there public transportation or do you need a car
Commute to Boston

Anyone work at TJ Maxx headquarters?

Thanks in advance

[CaseyB]

Framingham is a very large town which should really be classified as a city except that the residents like their town form of government. It's a great place to work/shop. Lots of restaurants.

There are buses and you can get the train into Boston but you probably would need a car to get around. The development is mostly along the rte 9 area (and the traffic, too.)

There are lots of apartments for rent, you didn't mention your budget.

The downtown area is fairly seedy, sorry to say. Illegal immigration is a hot topic there.

[sheltered81]

I'm 25 and trying to pick a career path. I would want to work in the corporate headquarters and not the retail store. I just got layed off so I have no idea what my budget would be, it would depend on my salary. But I can't imagine wanting to pay much more than $800/mo for an apt.

[smarty]

Cost of living
- It is not cheap but not highest in MA. Natick/Framingham has one of the highest sales $$ per square ft (I think that is a retail metric?) in the area. Things just fly off the shelves. People with lots of $$ to spend. It used to be Burlington Mall. Hence, all retails have a store there. Neiman Marcus will be opening a store at the Natick Mall in 2007.

Is it safe
- I would say, Yes. It is fairly safe for a city of that size. Mostly shop lifting. North Framingham is the best neighborhood. Many Brazilian moved into the area looking for work around downtown. They are very friendly people.

Are there a lot of young people/old/families
- It is a big mix. However, due to the high number of resturants, shops and apartments in the area, it is cater to the 20-30 something crowd or anyone with money.

Are there fun things for young people to do
- Not sure how young and what you mean fun. In any case, Just name it! There is probably a store there. Pottery, Dance, sports, ... etc.

Is there public transportation or do you need a car
- You will need a car to get around.

Commute to Boston
- You have commuter rail and Logan Express Bus (to Logain Airport). Rt90 is a straight ride into Boston. Non- rush hour can be an easy 25 minute ride.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by sheltered81

I'm 25 and trying to pick a career path. I would want to work in the corporate headquarters and not the retail store. I just got layed off so I have no idea what my budget would be, it would depend on my salary. But I can't imagine wanting to pay much more than $800/mo for an apt.

You probably want to find a roommate with the budget.

[Tina888]

City is active, fun, lot of shopping options etc but not so good public school

[Parsec]

I believe Framingham only has 1 high school now -- they all go to Framingham North. That change was to bring more unity to North and South Framingham. Also, I don't know why everyone says the public schools are terrible. I recently read Framingham's school system was rated #68 in the Greater Boston area out of 151. That's not top-notch, but it's certainly respectable especially for the affordability of the town. It's also much better than many other towns I've seen recommended on these forums such as Randolph, Dracut, Taunton and on-par with towns like Chelmsford, North Reading, Dedham, and Burlington. Also, you can send your kids to any elementary school in the town, so many parents prefer to send their kids to Hemenway, which is one of the top elementary schools in the state.

[sheltered81]

Sorry I forgot to mention that I don't have any kids, so I don't need to worry about school systems.

[Nicnaz]

I live in Marlborough, work in Framingham. Framingham is fine - the downtown really is Little Brazil, but that's cool because frankly no one shops downtown anymore with all of the malls. There is local nightlife. There's the Big City 20 minutes away. There's the Cape an hour south and skiing less than an hour. North Framingham has the newer homes and some condos. South of downtown has the older and multi-family homes with lots of rentals. $800 might get you a floor in a 3 family in the southern end.

[maggiekate]

Originally Posted by sheltered81

Could you tell me about Framingham, MA. Thanks in advance.

I'd like to know about:

Cost of living
Is it safe
Are there a lot of young people/old/families
Are there fun things for young people to do
Is there public transportation or do you need a car
Commute to Boston

Anyone work at TJ Maxx headquarters?

Thanks in advance

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