Needham, Westwood, or Newton??????? (Natick, Wellesley: real estate, rent, to buy)

[maggiekate]

why not look at Milton or West Roxbury they both are safe. Winchester and Concord are real nice also. Hingham which is near the water
might be a place to look at. You would be wise to rent for a year before you buy. I did know people who were well off lived in Newton and did relocate to Wellesley, and just did not adjust well, the same with Dover. Big money, and people who have lived there along time. Rich or not who does need that.

[lz1982]

West Roxbury is nice and safe, but then the public schools would be a problem.

[JBTD]

Needham, without question. Westwood is booooooooring. Real pretty, but boring and the people are beyond snobby. Newton is too big for me. Needham is perfect, imo.

[clevedark]

I've been to all three towns for various things, and Needham has a great downtown with the train. It seems like an ideal bustling suburb.

Newton is big, and if that's not what you want skip it.

Westwood, ehh, not much character. I thought it was kinda depressing.

I have to put a plug in for Brookline. We're very close to Boston, very international, have the T or you can drive, great schools--eight k-8s where you truly are in a little village, the kids can walk to all their friends' houses.

You can get a yard with your budget in Brookline.

[molbio]

I'm not sure but if efficient public transportation is an issue, I think Newton on the C line is massively different from Newton on the D line. The D line (more to the south) is faster and doesn't stop nearly as much or for nearly as long. The C line runs through 2 colleges and goes down Commonwealth ave which is one of the busiest streets in the entire city.

As for W. Roxbury, if your kid(s) can test into Boston Latin, you don't have a school problem. It's also nowhere near the T.

[lz1982]

The C line runs through 2 colleges and goes down Commonwealth ave which is one of the busiest streets in the entire city.

Actually, that's the B line--it's a little confusing because the B line runs on Commonwealth while the C line runs on Beacon! (They're labeled north to south). The B line stops just before the Newton border; only the D line actually runs through the city. I agree that it's definitely the best of the green branches.

[molbio]

Oops. Yes, you're right, that is the B line.

I think the best thing to do is to rent a car on a visit and drive through these towns. Have a list of homes for sale and their asking prices, spend a few hours driving through the neighborhoods with that list in hand, then spend some time in the town centers.

While you're at it, take a look at some other towns. Concord strikes me as being a reasonable fit for your criteria. So does Carlisle, Weston and a bunch of others.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by ukwoman

yard space is a BIG factor for us. And i have heard that Newton is A pretty big city and that's not really what we're looking for. We aren't really hooked on the whole "13 villages scene".

So if we went with Needham, would we be able to get: Yard space, good schools, and relatively safe living?

we will be visiting both Needham and Newton and any of your advice on this really really helps.

Without getting into issues of snobby or not snobby, I would seriously recommend that you check out Newton in person. When you describe it is as "a pretty big city," particularly right after saying that yard space is important to you, it gives me the impression that you're thinking of Newton as an urban place on par with Boston, Cambridge, or even Brookline. And that's simply not true. While there are some more densely populated areas in Newton, much of the town (particularly for someone looking in your price range) offers quiet suburban streets with significant yard space. If you want a few acres you'll have a harder time, but it's not all packed together.

I don't know exactly what you mean when you say you "aren't really hooked on the whole '13 villages scene.'" I know people sometimes say of the City of Boston or even Manhattan that they're no different from small towns because they're just collections of small neighborhoods or villages put together. In significant ways there's truth to that, but if you want a smaller town because you seek open space it's no comfort. Newton, however, is nothing like Boston. Boston is a real city, while Newton is for the most part a comfortable and spacious suburb. Newton offers as much space as any town inside 128 (considerably more than most). It's not like the UK where being in the village might mean an attached house with a small garden surrounded by a brick wall.

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[clevedark]

Newton is more like the city than Westwood and Needham in terms of ethnic diversity of the population. Newton is more international than Westwood and Needham, and UKwoman's family will be one of many from overseas, while in Westwood and Needham they'll be a bit more exotic.

I think UK woman has to come and visit as many towns as possible. She might be shocked at how much she gets for her money. She might be like let's move to Sherborn and get some horses and pigs, man!

[ferdy024]

I live in Needham. Have never locked my door, still don't. The soccer mom's are always voting for an override in the taxes so the schools are well provided for financially. I don't know if the taxes are really cheaper here in Needham. We have plenty of Jewish people here as well as a synagogue but it is a much smaller town that Newton and that is probably why. Why Jewish people were mentioned I have no idea as I don't notice what nationality people are. I only know that we have lots of churches of all demonations here. I would think Newton would be more diverse as many more people. We have a sister town which is somewhere in the UK. You can also go to the subway in Newton if the train schedule in Needham does not fit your priorities.

Definitely rent for awhile before you decide to buy to get the feel of the place.