Near Worcester? (Northampton, Holden, Sturbridge: house, where to live, prices)

[mahn001]

I have found a few prospective jobs in Worcester, but I'm having trouble deciding where to live once we relocate. Can anyone point me in the right direction? We're looking for somewhat rural/affordable (250K or less) and west of Worcester (not the middle of nowhere). Hopefully 45 min or less...

We just want a little bit of land in a peaceful setting. We'd like to be able to get into a town fairly easily, but don't care at all about pubs, clubs, cafes, etc....

[mommytotwo]

That depends on what you mean by the middle of nowhere. Sturbridge is 10 miles down the Pike but very small. However, you are only 10 miles from Worcester, and the shopping in Sturbridge has expanded greatly, Stop & Shop, Marshalls, Gap, Linens & Things, Walmart, and a bunch more in one large plaza come to mind. (This is way more than what is available in the town I currently live in, which can only boast a Stop & Shop)

Anyhow, you need to describe how large a town you are talking about, what you mean by the middle of nowhere, etc.....

I'll do some more thinking on it then....

[scarletfire]

Holden is also a nice quiet locale with reasonable prices.

[mahn001]

I guess by the "middle of nowhere" I mean not in a place where there are no conveniences (grocery stores etc). All we really want is a house with a little bit of land and privacy. We are coming from Baltimore, MD, which is very urban and we are ready for a complete change of pace. We have dogs and would love to live in an area where we can take them hiking and take up some nature friendly activities. We have family that live in Northampton and we love it there (as well as the surrounding areas- easthampton, florence, hadley etc) so ideally we'd like to find places like that.

[blehman]

The up and coming town west of Worcester is Rutland. I would also recommend Sterling and Princeton. As you head west out of Worcester on Route 122 bypass Paxton as it's price structure has gotten out of hand. Consider Oakham and if you could deal with a 45 minute drive to Worcester my ultimate suggestion would be Barre