Easy commute to Haverhill (Boston, Andover: crime, home, neighborhoods)

[jwtaylor21]

Hey, everyone.

My wife and I are moving from the Twin Cities in MN to MA for a work relocation, which will have me working in Haverhill.

We don't know much about the area and would love some suggestions on where to live that would keep my commute under 30 minutes one way. We would love to be near the ocean and tentatively have our sights set on Newburyport, but don't have many restrictions other than not wanting to live downtown Boston.

Your thoughts, insights, and questions are appreciated!

[brightdoglover]

Newburyport is a lovely town, as you know, but a somewhat clunky commute to Haverhill, as are all the towns on the North Shore near the ocean. If you're working normal business hours, I do think any commute reasonably close to the ocean would still be congested and more than 30 minutes.
Reality being, how often will you actually visit the ocean/beach if you are working normal business hours, and cannot manage to live right on it? Maybe it would make more sense to live closer to Haverhill (Andover? Tewksbury?) to make your daily life commuting sane, and go to the coast on days off.
Regardless, welcome to the North Shore and Massachusetts. It's a lovely part of the state.

[Valerie C]

Funny, I wouldn't consider Nbpt. to Haverhill a 'clunky' commute... it's actually very easy and depending on which part of Haverhill you'll be working in, my guess would be 20-30 minutes, max. I lived in Haverhill for a number of years, and my pediatrician's main office is located in Newburyport, which I went to for all of those childhood dr. visits for 2 kids. Come to think of it, I delivered both of those kids at Anna Jacques Hospital (also in Newburyport).

Which exit off 495 would you be using to get to work (Haverhill has 5 exits). On paper, it might appear to be a haul, but seriously, it's not. However, if you're liking Newburyport but concerned about the commute, you might consider some of the towns in between, with easy access to both. Amesbury, Merrimac, West Newbury, Groveland & Georgetown are all towns that are very easy to both Haverhill and Newburyport.

You could consider Andover, but seriously, why get further from the coast? Tewksbury would be even further from Haverhill than Newburyport... Amesbury and Newburyport are also so close to Rte 95, making a drive to the white mountains (via Rte 16) or Maine easy as well.

Besides the commute factor, I have to ask what's important to you? Are you looking for a place with a downtown (Haverhill has one, as does Amesbury and of course Newburyport)? You didn't mention if you have children or not, but if schools are not a huge issue (or if you might be going the private or home school route) you might consider Haverhill itself. While the most interior sections of the city have crime & grime issues, the outskirts contain some very nice neighborhoods. I know the Haverhill area, and all of the towns that I mentioned very well, so if you have Q's on a specific area, just post here for answers. Oh, and welcome to city-data Massachusetts