Need to know towns with easy commute to both Leominster and Worcester... (Holden: insurance)

[naport]

...with great public elementary schools...help!!

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

I grew up part of my life in Sterling which is right in the middle of both cities. I am not aware of the schools but having Lake Washakum there was wonderful. My favorite years were spent there, ice skating in the winter and swimming in the summer, playing in the woods with my dog and cat chasing after me.

Those were the days.

[KellyCrash]

Another vote for Sterling.

[neil0311]

What about Leominster? The schools are good...not great...but the city is very well managed and very safe, with a large variety of housing stock and retail close.

[Rhaven]

Westminster, Princeton, and Templeton are also nice towns with fairly easy commuting to both cities. I lived in Templeton for over 6 years, worked in both cities and the commute was not bad at all: 20 minutes for Leominster, 35 for Worcester.

[LeavingMA]

I would say Holden, Sterling, Lancaster, and Bolton would be the best suburb choices. All are within 15 minutes of both places. Paxton is a nice town, a little further from Leominster (closer to 20 minutes), but might be worth looking into.

Bolton is the most expensive of all the towns I mentioned. The others all have similar property values. Living in Leominster would be cheaper than the rest and has a little more of a city feel to it. Leominster has just over 40,000 people while the remaining towns are smaller, between 8,000 - 15,000 people.

[lrfox]

I have family from both Leominster and Sterling and would vouch for both places.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by LeavingMA

Bolton is the most expensive of all the towns I mentioned. The others all have similar property values. Living in Leominster would be cheaper than the rest and has a little more of a city feel to it. Leominster has just over 40,000 people while the remaining towns are smaller, between 8,000 - 15,000 people.

Lancaster is very small and has almost nothing in regard to services. Volunteer fire dept (Lancaster made the news a couple of years ago when one of its volunteer firemen was killed and had no insurance), part time cops, no trash pickup, etc.....and high taxes. There is no business at all and little tax base besides homes. Atlantic Union College and the Adventist Church are all tax exempt. Many of the other towns like Bolton and Sterling are in the same boat.

Leominster does have more of a city feel and has a business tax base. Residential property taxes are reasonable, and you get professional services like fire, police, sanitation, recycling, etc. Leominster also has a city form of gov't with a Mayor and City Council, while the others have a town gov't with Selectmen and those miserable town meetings where 10 old people show up and vote down everything in the town.