Considering Duxbury Ma to relocate to (Quincy, Newton: 2009, foreclosure, vacation home)

[Brena16]

Can someone please give me a bit of feedback regarding the town of Duxbury. We are a family of 4 and are looking to get out of the snow belt area of Mass and relocate to the coastal part of NE. I myself grew up in the lovely town of Lexington, and enjoyed it immensely. I have been peeking around this site and have read bits and pieces about Duxbury, and sadly it's been quite negative.
We are by no means wealthy. I'm an at home mom and my husband is an engineer. We won't be able to afford anything extravagant, but there are a hand full of houses in Duxbury that we can afford. So far we like what we have read about the town and it's amenities via their website. I guess we just want to be sure there is a "normal" balance in the community. Help me out won't you?
Thanks

[Beachcomber4]

Duxbury is a very pretty town with top rated schools.

[baystater]

see links below.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/massa...uth-shore.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/massa...t-me-hear.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/massa...h-shore-2.html

[Brena16]

Thanks for the links...I have read them before and they don't answer my most pressing concerns.
Can anybody be more specific please?
My main concerns are:
- Aside from it's fluency, is the town socially diverse? We are looking at another non-ocean front town that is also quite affluent but is also "down to earth".
- Will my children be outcasts for not coming from wealth like the supposed majority of children in town?
- Commuting by car from Duxbury to Newton (right off route 9), ballpark travel time under morning rush hour traffic. (I don't trust what mapquest.com says for example)

[Atlantica]

Originally Posted by Brena16

Thanks for the links...I have read them before and they don't answer my most pressing concerns.
Can anybody be more specific please?
My main concerns are:
- Aside from it's fluency, is the town socially diverse? We are looking at another non-ocean front town that is also quite affluent but is also "down to earth".
- Will my children be outcasts for not coming from wealth like the supposed majority of children in town?
- Commuting by car from Duxbury to Newton (right off route 9), ballpark travel time under morning rush hour traffic. (I don't trust what mapquest.com says for example)

The silence here is deafening.

There is Duxbury and there is Deluxbury and the 2 don't mix.

[Brena16]

Thanks for the input. I never understood how civilized people can approve this weird division. It is certainly something that I'm not interested in been part of. Life is way too short...

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by Atlantica

The silence here is deafening.

There is Duxbury and there is Deluxbury and the 2 don't mix.

I have a friend who lives in Duxbury. The first house they bought there was fairly modest. Although they live in a much nicer one now, I don't think the group of friends they socialize with is any different. She's a very outgoing person, though.

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

I have a friend who lives in Duxbury. The first house they bought there was fairly modest. Although they live in a much nicer one now, I don't think the group of friends they socialize with is any different. She's a very outgoing person, though.

That's great. Sounds like she has her priorities right and has found a group of likeminded friends.

It's hard when people as general questions. There's good and bad in every town.

To the OP, you'll find class warfare in every town- the south shore is hyper competetive. I laughed at the postings from one of those links. The talk of "kids in training" and "moving to a southern state for football"- those are not exaggerations. Everyone is trying to find an "edge" for their child. Private coaches make big $ to ready 9 year olds for the big leagues. It's nuts.

[clevedark]

I have a dear friend with a lovely family who lived in Duxbury for a few years. This family is super outgoing, nice, active, funny, generous, educated, attractive and down to earth. What they are not is snobbish, social climbing, or competitive.

They had many unhappy moments there as a family and were delighted to move out. It seemed like a few people in town, adults and children alike, enjoyed socially humiliating their neighbors, co-workers, and classmates. They did make some nice friends eventually, but it was after much unnecessary heartache.

If you want South Shore coastal, try Scituate or Marshfield. You will not find much ethnic diversity in these towns, but the social atmosphere is much kinder and gentler.

[baystater]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber4

That's great. Sounds like she has her priorities right and has found a group of likeminded friends.

It's hard when people as general questions. There's good and bad in every town.

To the OP, you'll find class warfare in every town- the south shore is hyper competetive. I laughed at the postings from one of those links. The talk of "kids in training" and "moving to a southern state for football"- those are not exaggerations. Everyone is trying to find an "edge" for their child. Private coaches make big $ to ready 9 year olds for the big leagues. It's nuts.

Trust me this whole thing of get ahead is far far worse in Northern New Jersey. I can't wait till I day I can get the fook out of here and back home the Irish Riviera.

Originally Posted by clevedark

I have a dear friend with a lovely family who lived in Duxbury for a few years. This family is super outgoing, nice, active, funny, generous, educated, attractive and down to earth. What they are not is snobbish, social climbing, or competitive.

They had many unhappy moments there as a family and were delighted to move out. It seemed like a few people in town, adults and children alike, enjoyed socially humiliating their neighbors, co-workers, and classmates. They did make some nice friends eventually, but it was after much unnecessary heartache.

If you want South Shore coastal, try Scituate or Marshfield. You will not find much ethnic diversity in these towns, but the social atmosphere is much kinder and gentler.

You know should have more against Duxbury. I mean I did come from the wrong side of the track, that would be marshfield. But I really don't.
Look it's like an earlier poster said you got good folks and you got jerk-offs that you have to deal with in every town in MA. Duxbury is a pretty down with a nice beach and good schools. From memory on the times that I went to duxbury. The people I meet there where nice enough and treated me with respect and dignity. Granted I wasn't like I hung out much there. I use to just drive through most of the time to get to Kingston for the mall or Plymouth for the vibrant waterfront. So basically for me there was not much of an attraction to go or stay there.
As for Marshfield. It's kind of strange there right now. Now let me admit that I don't live there full time anymore, but visit my parents monthly who live by the number roads as of current. But from observation since the housing bubble popped the town seems alot emptier than a couple of years ago. I remember when the bubble was at it height there was a lot of new blood coming in and pushing out a lot of kids that grew up there. Trust me even though a lot of us complain about the town alot, we still loved it there and I feel most people that grew up there wanted to stay but couldn't. I think the housing bubble did change the towns attitude a little bit, from more of a blue-collar culture where earning a honest days pay mattered most to more of a white collar culture where education and cultural experience was prized. Overall actually it would say that the transition/mixing of the new blood probably made the town more appealing to the masses and personally think it widen marshfield horizons. But right now with this.........and let me say, I don't say this lightly.........this economic mini-depression and foreclosure rate sky rocketing in the state as a whole. I think the town culture is kind of in limbo right now, I really can't put a finger on it at this moment. Which is disturbing, but also kind of exciting. because you really don't know how things will end up. We could go back to more of a blue collar town, we could change over to more of a white collar one, Or we could have something that I completely haven't thought of yet. We will have to see. All I know is that for all it problems, I still love marshfield and I'm still drawn to it's beaches and the sea. I can't wait to eventually get back, even if it only a part-time (vacation home).

Duxbury dominates Marshfield - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger

BTW I would like to congratulate (even though it's late) publicly the Duxbury football team for beating marshfield 28 -0 in the thanksgiving day game. But.............2009 is the Ram's year. And we're going to win, win, win.....GO RAMS! GO RAMS!