Needham, Westwood, or Newton??????? (Boston, Worcester: houses, neighborhoods, buying)

[ukwoman]

Hi. i am moving from england to the metrowest area and i am looking for a safe town to live in and send my kids to school in.

We are looking for a good downtown with restaurants
nice downtown
good schools
and safe living

We are looking for a house from 700k- 2mil

We just want a safe place to live and raise kids and have been looking FOR A LONG TIME!!

PLEASE! ANY help is so greatly appreciated!

which town do you think is best

[scarletfire]

Newton, MA or Wellesley would be my first choices. When you say you've been looking for a long time, can you share a bit more about what you're looking for and what the issues are with the places you've seen so far? That might help folks on the list better share advice.

[leapoffaith12]

You should move to Needham. We have a very safe town. Buy a house where the kids can walk to all schools. The good houses move quickly in great areas. Get a Needham agent.

[jayrandom]

All three towns are safe and have good schools. Westwood doesn't have a very nice downtown, or really a downtown at all, so you'd probably prefer Newton or Needham. Newton is a lot closer to downtown Boston; Needham is less dense and slightly less expensive. In your price range, you should be able to find something in either place.

As for Westwood, it is a nice town, but no real center. Norwood has a pretty center with restaurants and shops, so you would be close, but probably not within walking distance. Wellesley is another option, as mentioned before. You might also want to consider Belmont, Lexington, and Winchester, depending on where it is you will need to go for work. All three are safe, have highly ranked schools, and have nice town centers.

[1979]

Well it sounds like money is not a factor, and you might need a solid 1M if your looking in Newton or Wellesley. Westwood is clearly more rural. Newton and Needham are more citified, with Needham being the lesser of the two. Westwood has an outstanding school system, but so does Newton. Newton a believe does have access to the "T" (which is the term for the subway in Boston). Needham and particularly Newton have a bit more snob appeal. If you want to up it even more, and go closer to 2M than consider Wellesley, Weston or Brookline. If you want an ocean view, then checkout Marblehead or Swampscott. You will love Boston, everybody else does...

[ukwoman]

Wow thanks guys. I will be working in Boston. so i would like to take the T.

I have heard that wellesley is quite snobby. Needham seems quite nice. So in terms of safety, yard space, good schools, and nice people. would you choose Needham or Newton?

[jayrandom]

I've heard the same thing about Wellesley, but I don't know how true it is. It might just be something people say so much that it becomes true. Wellesley is certainly rich.

As for Newton vs. Needham, Newton is a lot better for getting in to Boston. There is both the green line and the Worcester/Providence commuter rail. The commuter rail is faster, but it comes less frequently. Newton also has some express buses. Needham only really has the commuter rail. It is a relatively slow line, so it will take 30-40 minutes from South Station.

As for safety, good schools, and nice people, I think you'll find both in abundance in Needham and Newton. The nice people is harder to say--you can find nice and mean people just about anywhere and depends more on your immediate neighbors than anything. As for yard space, Needham is the clear winner there, hands down. You'll be able to find yard space in Newton, but it will be easier to find and probably cheaper in Needham. In your price range, though, you should also be able to find a reasonable yard in Newton.

So, to conclude, choose Newton if you want an easier and faster commute and choose Needham if you want a less dense living experience. Newton, it should be said, is a lot bigger than Needham (about 3 times bigger) and consists of 13 villages, each of which has its own characteristics. If you choose Newton you then have to consider which village you want to live in. If you're coming to visit houses, I would recommend looking at some in both Needham and Newton--that's the best way to see which you like. I really don't think you'll go wrong with either town.

[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.

[1979]

Needham vs Newton, are both expensive. Newton is a bit more citified. Choosing between the two is like saying to yourself, "I want to buy a very dependable car, and I'm thinking of buying either a Toyota or a Honda, which is better?" Well, there both good. Newton is a city, and does have denser population; both areas have high taxes, Newton's are even higher. Not that it matters, but Newton does have a considerable Jewish population.

It is really going to come down to where you find your dream house. If you tell a realtor what your looking for, do not stick to Newton vs. Needham parameters. If you have a good realtor, (and many here are struggling right now), and your price range can go as high as 2M, their probably going to show you many beautiful homes in Brookline, Wellesley, Milton, or Belmont as well---and be delighted to do so. And it doesn't stop there, Lexington, Arlington, Winchester, Westwood, Concord, Carlisle, Marblehead, Swampscott are all pretty upscale as well. Mediocre towns in this area also can have high end neighborhoods.

Rent first if you can, and take your time. Massachusetts may appear pretty small on the map but while travelling inside the route 128 loop you'll realize it is actually a large area.

[alanaxt3]

I would no doubt say Needham. I mean, if your trying to choose a school to send your kids to, I'm a junior in high school and recently moved but went to Needham school systems for all off my life. I also lived in both Wellesley and Newton before and went to the school systems there. Needham is so much easier to make friends in, the downtown is so fun and big and nice to walk around in although yeah, you might here that the education in Newton and Wellesley is way better, Needham's is just as good. I found the people in newton and Wellesley to be extremely snobby! needham was just the perfect town and i have moved a LOT! i have been tryingto get back to school there ever since I moved. The people living in the town are generally really really friendly. i think you would really enjoy living there and your kids definiately would appreciate it!