****Should I Move to RI or MA?????***** (Boston, Worcester: middle-class, sales)

[Nighthawk213]

I have lived in Ct my whole life, but I have an opportunity to relocate to Mass. I also have a choice either Walpole or Milford. I don't know anything about either. Now if I take Walpole I'd live in Mass, Probably around Easton or Tauton Area. If i take Milford i've been told its cheaper to live in RI. So my Questions are:

1.)What are the differences between the Walpole and Milford areas?

2.)If i take Walpole is the Easton or Tauton areas ok?
a.)Is that a bad commute?

3.)Is it cheaper to live in RI or Mass?

4.)What are taxes in Mass like for Property and Car?

5.)Is there a penalty for working in Mass and living out of state?

6.)If i take Milford but don't live in RI what areas are good around there to live?

Any help anyone can offer will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[goyguy]

Milford is also in Massachusetts. It and Walpole are some distance apart. Without knowing where it is you'll be commuting to, I/we can't be of much help.

But the towns are markedly different in character. Walpole is by far the more upscale of the two. It's largely middle- to upper-middle-class, essentially all White, and bears the unfortunate distinction of containing Massachusetts' maximum-security prison. (The jail's been officially known as "Cedar Junction" for a decade or so, but everybody and their mother still say things like, "Whoever killed that poor little girl should get sent to Walpole for life.") Milford, OTOH, is historically blue-collar dating back to its days as a mill town. Of late the population of immigrants, Brazilians in particular, is on the rise. A few generic suburban-style subdivisions have sprung up.

Milford is adjacent to I-495, allowing for easy access to the Providence and Worcester areas. Route 16 cuts through town, making for a quick commute to Natick, Wellesley, etc. Public transportation is nil. Walpole has a commuter-rail station on the Boston-Providence route, is bisected by Route 1, and has an I-95 interchange.

RI's sales tax is higher, but beyond that I remain blissfully ignorant. You could get much more housing for your dollar on that side of the border.

Taunton's counterpart is Milford, while that of Easton is Walpole.

There's no penalty for working in MA and living elsewhere, per se, but you'd still have to pay MA income tax.

[Suericio]

walpole is defintaley a nice area. only downsize is the traffic during football season. upside is that it is closer to boston and more things to do. also it would help to kinda know what ur lifestyle is like. ive only been to milford a few times but i just thought it was way to far from boston to me. walpole is closer to boston and has a decent center pretty small though. but like i said its only about a 1/2hr drive to boston where u can get a feel for the arts and culture of the city....

[Nighthawk213]

what can anyone tell me about the taxes? Is there a Car tax?

[CaseyB]

There is a car tax, $25 per $1,000 of value. The formula is something like 90%, 60%, 40%, 25% ,10% . So by the time your car is 4 years old, it's not that much.

The income tax rate is 5.3%. The property tax will vary by community, if you are thinking about buying.

As stated by the other posts, Walpole would be the more desirable area of your choices, but while Milford has some problems right now, I don't consider it to be unsafe - there are still some nice areas there. If you decide on the Walpole location, you don't want to have to commute from Taunton.

I noticed in your other post you were inquiring about Walgreen's. There are 2 Walgreen's that are in towns adjacent to Walpole - Norwood and Foxborough.

[Nighthawk213]

What kinda problems are is Milford having as of late?

[Nighthawk213]

anyone know what kinda problems milford has been having?

[AprilCostello]

Don't move to Taunton...Too much violence and Drug Abuse in a city that used to pride itself on the fact that it was nothing like Brockton. Now I'd have to say its right on par, if not actually a little worse, as Brockton at least has been trying to clean up its image.

[ScituateAl]

Along with the initial car tax, local towns have annual excise taxes. They vary by town, I believe, and also can start in the hundreds-of-dollars and work their way down to $50/yr.

[ScituateAl]

Oh, and others can comment in more detail, but yes, if you live in one state and work in another I believe you may be on the hook for state taxes in both and then prove & request a refund (?). Not sure if MA or RI is better in this regard.