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Wondering if anyone has anyone moved to Hingham or Cohasset from DC. We'll be visiting in a few weeks to look around, but I'm trying to get as much information (anecdotal or otherwise) before our trip. Hoping to paint a picture of a our situation below -- sorry in advance that it's a little long, but am hoping it will prompt people's comments on any number of issues we're grappling with.
* If we move, we'll be leaving the DC area (we used to live in the city and are now just over the line in Chevy Chase, MD). Besides the great schools and kid-friendliness of our current neighborhood, we also love our close proximity to the city and all of the cosmopolitan / cultural benefits that affords.
* One of our main reasons for considering a move however, is that it's been a life-long dream to live by the water (and we love New England, vacation on the Cape, ski, etc). Neither of us is from there -- I am from MD and my husband is from NY, but I cannot overstate how happy the beach/ocean make me as a person and I would love for my kids to grow up with that. (i.e. summers taking them to the beach vs. the heat, humidity and mosquitoes in DC.
* Kids: We have four little ones (a 5 year-old and 3-yr-old triplets). Looking for great schools and great activities (sports, children's library, museums, nature, etc.). Also, friendly parents open to transplants.
* Conveniences: Looking for good access to the city (though we know it will take longer than where we live now). Would also like some nice local restaurants and pubs -- a great local sushi place would be great! I think I'll like the access to certain shopping I'm used to here -- (Jcrew, Whole Foods in Hingham). These conveniences are the reason I think we'll end up ruling out Duxbury, though I've heard it's a lovely town as well. The water is why I think we'd rule out Newton or other metro West neighborhoods, though I think we'd like closer proximity to the city. I'm elated that there's a ferry in Hingham, and glad to learn that they built a train station too.
* Weather -- realize that winters are longer in Boston, but I really love snow and am sad that we don't get a lot here. (Does Cohasset really get half as much snow as Hingham? (Avg. number of inches differed greatly in the city profiles). Would also really like cooler, less humid and buggy summers than in DC.
* Misc: Our budget should be fine for the towns I listed. Commute is TBD at this point because I don't know where my husband will be working (though presumably Boston). I'm home with our kids, but am an artist and would ideally like an area that has an art community, or at least regular access to the arts in Boston. I'm also very involved in the kids schools -- founded and chair a Green Committees at our preschool, am on the Board, working on a school-wide nutrition project, etc. We're politically active (typical DC political junkie) Democrats, co-hosted an Obama fundraiser, etc. Would like to find like-minded people.
* Most nervous about: the culture shock of leaving DC to go to a much smaller town. I have nothing against small towns -- am just not used to it at all and not sure what it would be like compared to here. I know it will be harder to get the diversity (our immediate suburb isn't very diverse either, but we get into the city a lot living so close. I think some of the metro West towns could be a better fit from that regard, but with water being a main reason we'd be leaving DC . . . it doesn't seem to make us much sense to go west of the city. Opinions?
* As far as Boston as our city -- we love sports, so I know that's a plus, but neither of us have a fantastic sense of the Boston social, restaurant, art gallery scene, etc. If anyone has lived in both DC and Boston recently (and not just for college) -- would love to hear from you.
I was recently imagining my own Chevy Chase friends finding a similar community in metro Boston--of course my mind wandered through Brookline, Newton, Belmont-- areas of small lots, older houses, close into the city, rather than to Hingham and Cohasset. Those are probably good choices for you given your seaside dreams. Just not right in the thick of it, like CC. And not as cosmopolitan. I can't really help you much as I don't know those two very well. Both are beautiful towns. Both have lots of parks and conservation lands--much more open space than where you are now. Boston has a pretty good restaurant scene, probably better than DC's. There's always a gallery scene too. Boston is very much of a music city--gobs of classical, folk, choral, rock performances. Boston area is very conservative when it comes to real estate development--none of the towns allow anything remotely like what happened in Bethesda or Silver Spring or Tyson's Corner-- no edge cities. Having said that, Hingham has a nice, walkable downtown; Cohasset's has fewer shops but it's a real beauty spot. Hope someone else has more of the info you're looking for!
I agree with Mission Hill entirely. I would think more Newton/Brookline but Hingham and Cohasset are good choices on the water. Both are very woodsy compared to Chevy Chase, except in the heart of the village centers. Hingham, I know, has at least a couple of galleries and I believe Cohasset does as well. I'm biased because I'm allergic to long commutes, but I'd probably focus more on Hingham just for relatively greater ease of getting to the city.
Getting to Boston from that area can be tough. After fighting tooth and nail the T finally got its Greenbush line and then decides to run no trains from South Station to Hingham and Cohasset between 6:38 and 8:25 pm. Many a night I'd get out of work just in time to miss a 6:38 train, which is why I never moved down to that area. I also find the roads in and out of there to be pretty slow. Hingham at least is a bit closer to the highway (though that particular highway is a nightmare at rush hour) and 10 minutes closer on the train. The boat is a quick and generally nice ride--check the situation with parking at the ferry, though.
As far as South Shore v. MetroWest, even a place like Newton is considerably closer to the water than Chevy Chase, but if you're making a move just for that reason you might as well go right to the coast. Any interest in North Shore towns like Marblehead? A bit farther from the Cape, but very nice.
Oh those towns are incrediblel--Cohasset especially. We lived there for five years when my kids were about your kids' age and every day I was astounded by its beauty.
Cohasset and Hingham tend to be pretty conservative both politically and culturally. And you are leaving one of the best, progressive school systems in the nation (that's true, isn't it?), so expect some differences there.
You and your children will have endless opportunities to make friends there--the communities are extremely child and sports oriented. All the new crops of moms are eager to form new friendships. Lots of newcomers from Mass. towns and beyond. And summers are easy because you just pack up in the morning and spend all day at the beach. Three kids per family is about average in those towns, four isn't unusual, so people won't look at you weird with your brood.
We moved to Cohasset from a diverse and liberal suburb of NYC--five years later we moved to Brookline which turns out to be a better fit for us. I have really nice memories of our Cohasset years, but as our kids get older we prefer what a town like Brookline has to offer. If we were more outdoorsy we might have stayed in Cohasset, who knows. For sure I'm glad to get out of the d*mn car. I racked up an unbelievable amount of miles in those five years. So much driving!!!! It took about a half hour to get anywhere outside of Cohasset. Not very green....
Maybe check out the north shore, too? Marblehead like someone mentioned above, or Beverly Farms????
Hingham and Cohasset are more conservative than some other Boston-area towns, but that's not to say that they're overwhemingly conservative. For example, Obama carried both towns, but by much narrower margins than in other suburbs with similar demographics. In places like Newton, Wellesley, Belmont, Lexington, Concord, Winchester, Obama's margin was closer to 2-1 or even 3-1.
Yes, even longtime Republicans like my husband voted for Obama.
But in my *personal* experience of living there for five years coming from a firmly liberal town, yes, the towns are conservative, politically and culturally. Even sartorially! (If that means what I think it does--the way people dress.) Maybe things have changed drastically in the three years we've been gone...
Yes, even longtime Republicans like my husband voted for Obama.
But in my *personal* experience of living there for five years coming from a firmly liberal town, yes, the towns are conservative, politically and culturally. Even sartorially! (If that means what I think it does--the way people dress.) Maybe things have changed drastically in the three years we've been gone...
Very true that 2008 was a year even Republicans didn't necessarily vote Republican!
I think pretty much every town in greater Boston is conservative sartorially! Almost as many are fairly conservative culturally (the only exceptions that come to mind outside of Boston and Cambridge/Somerville are Brookline, Newton, and perhaps Arlington). Politcally, most are liberal. Relatively speaking, Hingham and Cohasset are politically conservative. In 2000 Gore took Hingham by a margin similar to Obama's 2008 margin while Bush won in Cohasset. So compared to Brookline or Lexington, there are more conservatives. Hingham and Cohasset are not as conservative as places up in Essex County like Boxford and Topsfield, though. That's one Cadillac- and Lincoln-driving part of the state I'd keep my lefty self from moving to.
So A., this is the first time I've ever posted here and I can't believe how helpful it is!! Thank you (everyone) for taking the time to reply. This is exactly the type of info I've been looking for.
Second, you've definitely convinced me to at least take a look at Brookline and Newton while we're there. (It's true that they would be a lot closer to the water than we are now!) But that said -- a couple quick follow-ups: Do people actually go to the beach a lot from there? If so, where would be the best place to go? Clevedark said, "And summers are easy because you just pack up in the morning and spend all day at the beach." This sounds *sooo* great to me, and I also love walking on the beach off-season. It's just my zen place. (If I could actually see water from my house, I think I'd be the sanest person I could be).
But, we do need to consider all factors and that the kids won't be little with buckets and shovels forever. And, I can see the relative conservatism being a possible issue. (Though I'd LIKE to think I don't need to surround myself only with people who agree with me!). But still -- the politically-like-minded thing is something I probably take too for granted here. You can almost always make a comment, whether in a store or the playground, and be assured of seeing eye-to-eye with a stranger. This was *particularly* helpful after Palin emerged! And also, it's just the issues in general -- really caring about the environment, equal rights, etc. etc. --- it's how I want my kids to grow up (and of course, live in general).
The satorial aspect, on the other hand, won't be a problem. (Recall I was quite interested in the proximity to J Crew!)
I'm so torn about what would ultimately make us happier -- this is all very good food for thought and I guess we'll just have to really look around and think. I know we can always move if we blow it, but with the kids in school, etc. . . . I'd really like to minimize disruption.
If you think of anything else to add -- and/or can give me more details about going to the beach from Brookline, etc. that would be fantastic.
Thanks so much again! The kindness of others always amazes me . . .
I hear you on the political aspect. Personally my comfort zone is about 70% for the liberal Democrat on a very regular basis. In a lot of towns near Boston there's a bit of a liberal "consensus" on the major issues of the day. To go from Brookline or Newton to the beach would be about 40 mins to an hour or more (there are closer beaches in Boston itself though some people find them less attractive than the ones farther afield). People do go from Brookline and Newton but I'm sure they don't go to the beach as much as people in Hingham do.
Especially if you're going on a weekend, parking is a bigger problem. A lot of the beaches in Massachusetts have access problems due to tight parking, particularly the more local beaches along the South Shore. There are some beaches on the North Shore in state or federal reservations that have more ample parking but they are a bit farther from town. If you're at all interested in this kind of thing, there are some honky tonk kind of beach towns farther north (e.g. Salisbury Beach, Hampton Beach, NH, Old Orchard Beach, ME).
The Boston Harbor Islands are an overlooked part of the area, maybe because it's a bit of a hassle to get to them. You have to take a boat, and the schedules are somewhat limited. Lovell's Island has a beach (nice but without too many amenities) and also has an old fort. Thompson and George's Islands are also interesting.
There are a lot of beaches in Massachusetts. Some are overcrowded, some are very quiet. Some are very rocky, others are long and sandy. Upscale, downscale, you name it. After a while you'll stumble upon some favorites.
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