Moving to MA (Marlborough, Shrewsbury, Hudson: houses, established neighborhood, elementary school)

[mseba001]

Hello, I am hoping you can help. My family and I are moving to MA. My husband will be working in Marlborough, MA-and we are interested in living w/in a 30 min drive from Marlborough. We are looking for a family friendly town for our children-ages 4 and 1. My husband and I are pretty sure we want our children to attend Catholic School atleast from K-8 and for High School we're not certain at this point if we will continue Catholic School or try the Public High School.

Any suggestions on towns that are family friendly and have a pretty good Public High School just in case we go that route? Our price range for housing is about $350,000.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions as this is a difficult task since we live out of state.

[scarletfire]

There are plenty of options nearby. Northboro is a good bet. One of my favorite neighborhoods in that price range is Northgate. It's a lovely area walking distance to the public elementary school. The public schools there have a good reputation. If you decide on Catholic school there are two well regarded private schools within a short drive - Hudson Catholic in Hudson and St John's in Shrewsbury. There's also St Mark's and Fay in Southboro (the next town over), which have excellent reputations & draw students from all over the world but also are very pricey. Please feel free to PM me if you have other questions. I grew up nearby & have family who attended Hudson Catholic. Westboro is also another good choice with well regarded schools. The high school is quite strict (I know, I went there years ago!) There are lots of very pretty neighborhoods (off Rt 30 near the Presbyterian Church the streets Westminster & Old Colony Dr & nearby streets are pretty, family-friendly, established neighborhoods that I really like, except that the traffic getting through downtown now that they added in a shopping center downtown is really a hassle during rush hour.)

You could also find a small home in Sudbury - excellent schools & lots of community activities - but prices and taxes are very high there. Once in awhile you can find houses in the 350s but there are fewer choices than in Westboro & Northboro.

Anyhow, I hope that's helpful! :-)

[NettaJane]

Hi
I also think Northborough would be a good value. There is St. Bernadette's Elementary School and several Catholic high schools in the area. You will get a good value and the town is small and friendly.

[mseba001]

Thank you both for your very helpful information. We are leaning towards Westborough and Northborough. Both towns seem affordable with good schools. I also appreciate your tips on St. Bernadettes. It's so great to hear the advice from people who know the area.

Thank you so much!