Monterey to Rockport? (Boston, Peabody, Gloucester: low crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[lippo57]

My husband and I are considering moving from Monterey Ca to Mass. He got a really good job offer in Peabody. Rockport looks very nice. I myself have never been back east. I'm a california girl. So, any comments or ideas would be appreciated. Thank You!

[scarletfire]

The North Shore is a lovely area - lots to do outdoors (biking, hiking, parks, etc), beautiful rocky shores, nice quaint shops, good restaurants, a few fun bars, and historic places. There are even people who scuba in Gloucester. I like to bike in the area and check out all the pretty little antiques and gardens. My favorite areas of the North Shore are Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Marblehead.

But I have to warn you, the water here is pretty freezing!

ps. I have some PDFs with lots of info on that area. If you want to PM me with your email I'd be glad to forward them along. For some reason I can't figure out how to do attachments here.

[lippo57]

Thank you! Email is luvupug1@juno.com. Where do YOU live?

[TomDot]

Lippo,
Rockport will be a very pleasant tradeoff for leaving Monterey.
The ocean water temp is actually comparable, the difference being no cute CA sea otters and no kelp. Oh, and no Great White Sharks either.
A few more differences are that it will be more affordable, fewer golfing options, and the weather here is the same at the coast as it is inland.

[goyguy]

I've never been to Monterey, but Rockport is awesome. The commute to Peabody would take less than half an hour.

Here are some things about Rockport to know. There doesn't seem to be any municipal water/sewer system, given the number of septic-service trucks I've seen when I go there. A few years ago the laws concerning septic tanks were made stricter, and many people got caught having to pay big money to bring theirs into compliance. For cooking and heating, similarly I've noticed a lot of propane containers attached to houses, leading me to believe there's no natural-gas pipeline into the town either.
Aside from a small IGA and a couple of convenience stores, you have to do necessity shopping in neighboring Gloucester. That's the downside of living in a "historic" community - the commercial zoning or lack thereof. Seafood restaurants (which for the most part are closing for the winter as we speak), art galleries, book stores, and boutiques are nice for tourists to have but don't go far in day-to-day life.
Rockport's public schools are OK. With the town's physical setting being what it is, and the strong presence of art and music societies, a lot of worthwhile non-classroom education is there for the taking. The absence of cinemas, much in the way of outdoor recreation areas (aside from the beaches), and so on makes for packs of kids waiting for something to happen during the evenings. They tend to hang at Dock Square - a hub for visitors - or outside the Rockport Market and the nearby pizza parlor but don't appear to be "up to no good," just bored. Better that than hours parked in front of computer games or Facebook, I s'pose. I think a Rockport-raised child would go on to positive things.
Much the same can be said for these other coastal towns close by Peabody: Marblehead, Swampscott, and Ipswich. Dollars would play a part in your decision-making, of course; Marblehead is by far the most affluent of the four communities, with Swampscott not far behind and Ipswich and Rockport being unquestionably the cheapest. Peabody itself shouldn't be ruled out entirely. It has some nice older neighborhoods along with its most affluent corner (West Peabody) but definitely doesn't have the appeal of a seaside village that the other places can boast of. The big plus of that city is that work would be a hop skip and jump away, and so would a big shopping mall and megasupermarkets. Peabody and Danvers are, in fact, the locus of retail for the entire North Shore.
So, if art and music appreciation play a major part in your lives, and the charm of an 18th- or 19th-century home outweighs the aggravations of bottled gas and no town water, Rockport would be the place to move.

[scarletfire]

Lippo - I'd recommend removing your email address from the public forum because it can be suceptible to spamming. I hope you got the info sent ok.

To answer your question, I live in Sherborn, which is a lovely small town west of Boston but much of my family is in the North Shore and that's how I've gotten to know the area so well over the years. We got married in Gloucester. There's something special about that area I'm drawn to.

[sbradley86]

My family has lived in Gloucester since I was born, and I'm currently living here to take care of my grandparents. It's a good town(neighbor to Rockport). I'm not sure what your specifically looking for as far as info is concerned.

Night life depends on your age. It's not the greatest for a guy in his lower 20s like myself, but there is things to do.

Lots of outdoorsy kind of things you can do in the area. Hiking, fishing, boating - all the fun stuff.

If you still have questions, get a bit more specific and I can try to answer them for you.

[goyguy]

Originally Posted by sbradley86

Night life depends on your age.

Good point. I mentioned the idle youth of Rockport in my last post, but it can get pretty boring for grown-ups at times too - if those grown-ups are into nights out that don't involve recitals or art shows. Only in recent years has the town not been completely "dry." The only revision to the "blue laws," though, is that restaurants can serve beer and wine *with meals*. Full liquor licenses are still unheard of, ditto for bars and package stores. Gotta go to "Glosta" for all that.

[BubbyBu]

Rockport is an awesome town....especially in the Summer
as someone said you want nightlife excitement though...it is not the town for you

but if you want a clean, beautiful, seaside town with low crime and amazing seaside views...Rockport is the place

I try to go up there every summer

it is only an hour away from Bosotn by commuter train

[Las Vegas Mommy]

Hi Lippo,

I dont know anything about Rockport..........Just wanted to say hello From one Monterey girl to another!!
I live in Las vegas now.......but I try to get back to Monterey at least 3 times a year to see the family!