Help us decide where in MA is the safest, nicest, least expensive, best place to live from this list or any other places

[MassYankee]

I would cross Lynn, Lawrence and Fitchburg off your list. Leominster is okay though and Haverhill is kind of mixed - there are a couple of nice neighborhoods but overall it is kind of run down and has a pretty urban feel for a small city.

Real estate prices in eastern MA, as you mention, are quite high... of course that's also where most of the work (and everything else) is... but if you like country living, western MA is definitely cheaper.

On the north shore, towns like Danvers, Peabody, Salem and Gloucester are okay and among the more reasonably priced by the local standard.

[staytru2urhart]

How hard would it be for me to get a office job in these towns when we first get there, at least for a little while until I get established w/my child care business in town?

[MassYankee]

Originally Posted by staytru2urhart

How hard would it be for me to get a office job in these towns when we first get there, at least for a little while until I get established w/my child care business in town?

In terms of the towns I've mentioned on the north shore - Gloucester would have some office work... but you'd be better positioned for that in Salem, Danvers and Peabody. These towns have more businesses, and Salem is an easy shot on the train into Boston, and Danvers and Peabody are an easy shot down Rte 1 and into Boston and Cambridge.

You can also commute in from Gloucester, either by train or driving, but I'd guess it'd be an hour to an hour and a quarter from there. You'd have to decide if Gloucester's unique charms would be worth it.

[lrfox]

A little late on the draw here, but I would also second the suggestion of the Fall River/ New Bedford area. Both should be similar in terms of price to the list you've already assembled, yet they offer a lot of what some of the towns you mention don't. New Bedford in particular is becoming a more and more attractive place to be. It's a city of 93,000 and while there are some areas that you should avoid, there are also some beautiful areas that are far more affordable the most of the rest of Southern New England (Mass, RI, CT).

New Bedford boasts an OK public school system (depends on the neighborhood and school), but there are some wonderful private schools and even some charter schools in the area to look into. Downtown New Bedford has seen a steep increase in the artist community and the city is better for it. A large portion of Downtown (16 blocks, actually) called the "Whaling District," is home to perfectly preserved architecture and cobblestone streets from the city's past as the nation's whaling capital. The whaling distict is centered around the N.B. Whaling Museum which is the largest museum in the world on that subject; and the Seaman's Bethel which is written about in Herman Melville's book, Moby Dick. There's a nice Museum of Art, a nice Zoo, many private art galleries, some fantastic restaurants, and opening this fall, the brand new Ocean Explorium.


The city seems to be faring better than many of its counterparts in this economic downturn, so there are office jobs to be had, and with Fall River (pop 92,000) about 10 minutes away and Providence (pop 180,000) about 25 minutes-1/2 hour away, you could probably find something. UMass Dartmouth, Fisher College, and Bristol Community College all have satellite campuses in the city with the primary campuses nearby.

Again, there are some neighborhoods to avoid, but others that offer great deals on nice homes. I'd look in the Far North End (Sassaquin), West End, Far South End (Rodney French Blvd area), and the area around Buttonwood park and Zoo. The Rodney French area is located in the far south of the city and is on a peninsula surrounded by Buzzard's Bay (an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean) and it can be absolutely stunning. The West End offers some of the city's best architecture and most beautiful homes, and Sassaquin and the Buttonwood Park areas are more suburban (as is Rodney French).

Neighboring Fairhaven and Dartmouth have affordable areas and offer better school systems than the actual city.

I hope you find what you're looking for, but looking at your list, I would HIGHLY recomment researching the South Coast (Fall River-New Bedford area) as well. It's worth noting that it's the fastest growing region in the state. Good luck!

some resources for you:
the city's official site: http://www.ci.new-bedford.ma.us/
local newspaper (contains real estate listings): www.standardtimes.com
wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Bedford,_Massachusetts
Whaling historic park official site: http://www.nps.gov/nebe

[staytru2urhart]

Thank you so much IRfox I really appreciate all the detailed input, its hearing things like that about an area that make someone really interested in checking a particular area out!

[lrfox]

^No Problem. is a good side to check out detailed data on any town in the U.S., and one thing I always do is search for the town (i.e. "New Bedford") on an image hosting website like Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing . That way you can see non-commercial and non-propoganda photos to get an idea of what the town looks like without actually going there (though seeing it in person is obviously important).

I hope you find what you're looking for. I do agree that MA's South Coast is one of the best kept secrets in New England (though not sure it's a "secret anymore").

[blehman]

-CLINTON: There are worse. Good access to Routes 190, 495, 2

-WARREN: Odd, backwards, somewhat creepy
-PITTSFIELD Trying real hard. Has some legitimate charm and value. Close to Albany
-WESTMINISTER Lovely. 45-60 minutes to Boston, Manchester, or Worcester
-LEOMINSTER Not bad, better than Fitchburg
-FITCHBURG Only meritorious thing is the university
-LAWRENCE Dump. Both my stolen cars ended up there. Get my drift?
-W.BROOKFIELD Charming, but isolated. One of the best commons in the area. 30 minutes to the Pike
-WESTFIELD An exit on the pike. College town. Very accessible to Springfield, Hartford, and Amherst


-N. ADAMS Not bad, great scenery. You would have to adjust to the remoteness of it. College in town helps.

-MONSON Cute center of town, but more defined by the industrial waste land on Route 20

[scanz]

You should check Chelmsford. It's a medium sized community (35K) that was voted one of the best small communities to live in by Money Magazine in 2007. It sits at the intersection of Rte 3 and 495. Close to Nashua NH for tax free shopping. Also, access to the commuter rail within 5 miles via the Billerica stop. It also recently was featured in the Boston globe as one of the most overlooked Massachusetts towns worth considering based upon affordability and quality of life. The schools have historically been pretty good and the town has an active community feel. There are a variety of home prices available.