Help us decide where in MA is the safest, nicest, least expensive, best place to live from this list or any other places (Boston: real estate, to rent)

[staytru2urhart]

Hi everyone!

I am from S.C. and my boyfriend and I are looking to move up to MA. We are 24 and 27 and will be getting married in the next couple years and a couple years after probably start a family. We are looking for our next home to be in a safe, nice area that we can afford. I am a home child care provider as well so a family oriented area would be great. But we also are young, and enjoy going out on the town and shopping and such. I pulled some listings for MA and have found these citys to be in our price range but I want to make sure that they are places where I will feel safe as a young female and when I have a family I don't have to worry too much about something bad happening. Below is the list of towns I found, I'd love to get your input on each and any other places that would be nice for us. I also want to make a smart investment with the property and area I buy in.
Thank you so much for your time and I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say.


-CLINTON
-HAVERHILL
-WARREN
-PITTSFIELD
-WESTMINISTER
-LEOMINSTER
-FITCHBURG
-LAWRENCE
-W.BROOKFIELD
-WESTFIELD
-CHESTER
-CLARKSBURG
-N. ADAMS
-LYNN
-MONSON

[brightdoglover]

You didn't say what your husband-to-be does for work, which would really direct you to one area or another. You've mentioend places all over the state, and the availability of work varies a great deal, and/or commuting time and distance to work.
Curious- I assume life in SC is much, much cheaper than Massachusetts- why are you moving here?

Offhand, from your list, skip Fitchburg, Lynn, and Lawrence. Nothing safe or much nice about them. Haverhill has a few nice spots, but is overall not what you're describing. Clinton is quite downbeat, but not particularly unsafe. Leominster has nice areas (especially the areas further from the Fitchburg line). Westminster abuts Leominster, and I think it's a pretty nice place, although far from Boston- about 50 miles west. Pittsfield is way out in Western Mass. I think overall work is an issue in the Pittsfield area (GE used to be there and then left). I'm not familiar with the other towns.
Are you thinking to rent or buy? With several years lead time, there's no way of knowing how prices will be, although I think it's fair to say they'll likely always be higher than most of SC.
More precise info would be helpful. Also, maybe you could move somewhere without buying/having kids/staying home, and get to know more areas as possible family areas.
None of the towns are particularly close to "going out on the town," even if "town" doesn't have to mean Boston.

[staytru2urhart]

My boyfriend is a freelance graphic designer who works from home on the computer. Life in S.C. is a lot less expensive then the Northeast. We want to move up to that part of the country to be close to Long Island b/c that's where he's from and his family lives. We want to be closer to them. Also, though he's working from home and we hope that continues to do very well it would be nice to be up in the Northeast as I am sure there is a lot more going on in his field job wise then here in the South. That is another smaller reason why we want to move up that way. I possibly will be getting a job when we first arrive for awhile as well, until I have my clients and things situated for my home child daycare. I would probably get a job in a office in the area or surrounding areas. We are looking to buy that is the goal. I think we would be looking to move in anywhere between the next year or 2 I'd say, maybe slightly sooner or later. We are watching the market as we own a home here and we are also resolving some things wrong with our home here. As far as going out on the town as I mentioned I simply want to have something to do. I am used to being 45 min. from the beach, 15-20 to the nearest mall, and I have a gas station right outside the neighborhood. Downtown here is a good 1/2 hour or so drive. So I am not used to being way out in the country persay but I am also not opposed to having to drive a little to get anywhere in particular. Thank you for your help. I hope this is a little bit more info. that is helpful. I look forward to hearing from everyone more.

[brightdoglover]

Leominster is the Mall Central for its area, or maybe it's just a lot lotta outlet stores. I don't know, I never shop, but there's big shopping buildings. I don't know if they have food courts and upscale-type stuff.
If your hub-to-be works freelance from home, would he still need easy access to clients? That might include living somewhere convenient to Route 128 (even if you are sustantially west of it, say, on Rt. 2 in Leominster or something). Also, far more offices strung along Rt. 128, some along I-495, of course, the most being right in town- Waltham, Boston, Cambridge, and so on.

[litlux]

I am familiar with the Berkshire towns mentioned - Clarksburg, North Adams and Pittsfield. They all have acceptable crime rates, though there is really no place that is immune to problems. Of the three Clarksburg is probably the safest, but the furthest from Long Island and it is at a higher elevation (more snow) than Pittsfield or North Adams.

North Adams is right next to Clarksburg, but mostly in the valley, so the weather is less severe. There is some drug activity, but for the most part it is safe. There is a college (MCLA) and a lot of cultural-arts activity. There is a small node of computer designers and such as well. It is slowly outgrowing its factory dependent past. People with skills seem to do ok, those without are still struggling for work. Houses are still very reasonable, more so these days. I bought mine for $50,000 albeit a small one I had to fix up.

Pittsfield is also recovering from its industrial past and making progress. The crime there is modest, slightly higher than the other two. You can compare crime rates on line, you know, sorry I don't have the link but I suspect you could enter something like "Clinton, MA crime rate" and get some idea.

The Berkshires are at the far western part of the state, equally distant from NYC and Boston. Albany is actually closer than either. OTOH you are in a part of New England in which the farms are coming back to life, and gorgeous Vermont is just a short ride away. The Berkshires are also very beautiful, though you will have to get used to snow - about 60" a year for the region. That is about what you will find anywhere in Massachusetts except possibly the coast and Cape Cod which is moderated by the ocean.

My family was on Long Island, and in my 20's the drive from Massachusetts was something I did at least once a month. Lots of good roads though the Berkshires may require a little bit of a drive to the Turnpike or Interstates.

[Eric H.]

You mentioned West Brookfield. This is a classic, beautiful New England town featuring old homes with front porches, and a stunning, large village green that serves as a community events meeting place and where little league baseball is played. The downtown is small, but has a breakfast/lunch place, pizza restaurant, a holistic health store, hardware store, amazing used book store, variety store, furnishings/antiques store and, wow, a Dunkin' Donuts!. West Brookfield also has the historic Salem Cross Inn, a New England dining landmark with hearty New England fare and seasonal events. Right off the downtown is Lake Wickaboag, a great place to swim in the summer. The seasonal Howard's Drive-in has been a favorite place for ice cream, lobster dinners and BBQ chicken for generations, and there are several winding country roads leading to nice apple orchards in the fall.

Most of the downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, I believe. There's real charm in the library and well maintained Colonial, Federal and Victorian homes.

West Brookfield has a safe, community-oriented feeling. People seem so friendly there. It's a beautiful walking town.

West Brookfield is pretty remote, however, unless you don't mind a 20 minute drive to Sturbridge (home of the famous Sturbridge Village and lots of shopping and dining options), and a half hour to Worcester. It's not the greatest place, but Worcester is the second largest city in New England and has fine museums, several colleges and universities, some terrific restaurants like O'Connor's and Maxwell Silverman's, and seems poised for a rebirth with several ambitious projects going on.

Hope this helps. Good luck in your search!

[professorsenator]

Originally Posted by staytru2urhart

-CLINTON
-HAVERHILL
-WARREN
-PITTSFIELD
-WESTMINISTER
-LEOMINSTER
-FITCHBURG
-LAWRENCE
-W.BROOKFIELD
-WESTFIELD
-CHESTER
-CLARKSBURG
-N. ADAMS
-LYNN
-MONSON

This is an unusual list, with an abundance of run down mill/industrial towns. How did you assemble this list?

[staytru2urhart]

I assembled the list based upon properties that were in my price range in the state.

[1979]

Originally Posted by staytru2urhart

I assembled the list based upon properties that were in my price range in the state.

The Tauton, Fall River New Bedford areas are also inexpensive, and near the ocean. Fall River has a relatively low crime for its size. Route 24 runs through it which can take you to Boston; south to Newport,RI, it is also close to Providence,RI. Another advantage of this area is that it typically does not get hit as hard with bad snow storms. Lynn, Leominster, Fitchburg, Pittsburg get hit hard. Also some of the choices on your list are pretty remote. Most of your western Mass choices are quite rural..i.e. not as much to do. Truthfully, I think Fall River is one of Massachusetts best kept secrets.

Truthfully, your question to decide "what is the safest, nicest, least expensive area" is something native bay staters are constantly in search of

[Xenos]

I would think a graphic artist would benefit from being in a town with a strong arts community. North Adams might be a good fit, then. It may remind you of a SC mill town that is down on its luck, but it seems to have started what will be a long-term turnaround (it has only taken about a century to get going). I don't know if there would be enough middle class clients to make an at-home childcare profitable, though.

I repeat myself to the point of being obnoxious on the issue of buying real estate... It can distort your choices in unproductive ways. For example, you could probably rent something affordable in Easthampton, and be closer to an active, thriving arts scene that is much better developed, in terms of successful artistic enterprises, than what you will find in any of the cities on your list.

Nowhere in Massachusetts is really close to Long Island (which might be a good thing, wanting to be close but not too close).