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My husband is looking to accept a job in chelmsford, and we are looking to rent a 2 bd/2bath within a 10 mile commute. Our budget is around $1300. I'd greatly appreciate recommendations on nearby towns to search for housing.
We do not have kids yet, so the school district is not a concern. But safety is a major concern . lots of shopping options and restaurants nearby would be nice. How is the public transport in this area?
Thanks, and any input will be greatly appreciated.
I would live in Burlington. Lot's of dining and shopping there, and it's a very safe town. There's an upscale mall (the one they filmed Mall Cop in), restuarants, hospital, and plenty of other shopping and dining in that area. It's right on Rt. 3 which is what you would take to get to Chelmsford.
Southern NH would work. Nashua is on the border. Lots of shopping there.... The $1300 would get you more in NH than in MA. Your car insurance would be lower. Public transportation is minimal in this area unless you are in the city near a subway or enjoy buses....
Thank you Coolhand68 and seamusnh. We are looking at Nashua, Burlington, Woburn and Andover. Does anyone have an idea of Bayridge Apartments in Nashua?Thanks.
There are a lot of mediocre apartment complexes in Nashua.
I live two towns over from Chelmsford. I'd recommend living in Chelmsford, Acton, Andover, any very nice community that you can afford and if you want ethnic restaurants and interesting funky stuff, go to Lowell. You have to get to work five some days a week- you probably only shop or go out far fewer times, so it seems best to livve near work. Chelmsford is a very nice town.
Best wishes on your move.
Add: There is basically no public transport worth mentioning out this way. Unfortunate, but true.
Unless you were going to live in some rehabbed loft right in downtown Nashua, Nashua is a sprawling former mill town. Lots of traffic (at least when there's work), a nice little downtown main street, and miles of suburban strips and un-cute highways. I don't see living there unless you had something specific you wanted there. It's a city, with the attendant urban issues, unlike, say, Andover, which is a town, as is Chelmsford.
Also, the commute down from NH is impressive, that is, half the planet seems to have moved to New Hampshire in search of real estate (without understanding the hideous tax structure there) and you can walk south on the tops of cars over the Mass. border. I used to commute the other way and would see wall-to-wall cars heading down.
I love New Hampshire, but wouldn't want to live in Nashua or commute south, however short a distance. If you want shopping, there's miles of malls and chain stores right over the Mass. line in NH, because there's no sales tax in NH.
Thank you Coolhand68 and seamusnh. We are looking at Nashua, Burlington, Woburn and Andover. Does anyone have an idea of Bayridge Apartments in Nashua?Thanks.
I've lived in Nashua,and thought it was too far from Boston, but has plenty of places to go. though I don't know much about that particular complex.
Burlington is a great town. Close to Chelmsford, close to Boston, and normal people.
Andover is very nice. I don't know how many places will be in your price range.
Woburn has some bad element and might be the highest crime rate of your 4 choices
Thank you brightdoglover and SickOfRevere. Will try to concentrate on Burlington Nashua and Andover. Any idea if Chelmsford would have good apartments in our price range???? Thanks once again.
Thank you brightdoglover and SickOfRevere. Will try to concentrate on Burlington Nashua and Andover. Any idea if Chelmsford would have good apartments in our price range???? Thanks once again.
Both Chelmsford and Billerica will have good apartments in your price range. Both are very blue-collar type towns. But you would find yourself going out of town to enjoy dining out or a descent night-life.
You also asked about public transportation. None of the places you mentioned have any real sort of public transportation. There is a commuter rail that runs from Boston to Lowell with stops in Woburn, Wilmington, and North Billerica. Other than that The Bus goes as far north as burlington and Woburn, but is a pain in the butt to use
Also, the commute down from NH is impressive, that is, half the planet seems to have moved to New Hampshire in search of real estate (without understanding the hideous tax structure there) and you can walk south on the tops of cars over the Mass. border. I used to commute the other way and would see wall-to-wall cars heading down.
I love New Hampshire, but wouldn't want to live in Nashua or commute south, however short a distance. If you want shopping, there's miles of malls and chain stores right over the Mass. line in NH, because there's no sales tax in NH.
I commute every day from southern NH and this is not true. It was bad before they widened Rt 3. Depending on when you go, you may run into traffic at Rt 495 but there are ways around that if you are going to Chelmsford. I worked in Chelmsford for a while.
I don't know what the "hideous tax structure", but NH has no income tax, no capital gains tax, no sales tax. The property taxes are high when compared on a rate ($ per $1000 assessed value) but when you actually compare what you can buy for a certain price in my town to a similar town in MA (ex. Westford) and the actual dollars you would pay, NH is a better deal. BTW, my car insurance cost was cut in half when we moved from MA to NH.
I would recommend renting for a year to see if you like NH. Try Hollis Crossing off exit 6. These are condos but are often for rent. My wife and I lived there with two little kids years ago...
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