Interested in MA

[lrfox]

I like the North Shore communities that others have mentioned. They're all very nice.

I also Second the Fairhaven suggestion. Absolutely beautiful. It's also affordable and little known. If you can spend a little more, Marion and Mattapoisett may have something to offer you. Fairhaven is a small town, but it's not too tiny at all. It has a nice Main St. and it's directly across the Harbor from New Bedford (a 5 minute ride on route 6 or I-195), a city of just under 100,000. New Bedford has a tough reputation, but it's in the earlier stages of revitalization and there are a suprisingly large number of cultural attractions and restaurants in the charming city center (more info on stuff to do New Bedford in a thread here: Massachusett's Most Underutilized Attractions ). Fairhaven allows you to be close to the city (but far enough away) without having to rely on city services or schools.

In Fairhaven, be sure to look at Sconticut Neck homes and West Island homes... they'll provide the best water frontage/ water views (YES! there are waterFRONT homes in Fairhaven for around and just under $500,000). Two listings from a quick google search i found are here:
Homes for Sale in Sconticut Neck, Fairhaven, Massachusetts
and
Homes for Sale in Waterview, Fairhaven, Massachusetts $399,000


*Edit* Also check out South Dartmouth, MA- http://www.zillow.com/homes/map/dart...95_rect/14_zm/ . Good schools, reasonable prices and great beaches.

[DreamworksSKG]

Manchester by the sea, Ipswich, Newburyport (all have commuter raill access). Scituate, Hingham, Cohasset, Weymouth, Hull, Nahant, Swampscott, Salem, Beverly, Rockport.

--Jeff--
Winchester, MA

[Valerie C]

X, I posted almost the same exact response to another poster just a few minutes ago--the info still might work for you though

If you're looking for ocean access, you might consider the Beverly/Beverly Farms area? Great location, and I'm told very good schools, by folks that live there. I don't have direct knowledge of Beverly, but consistently hear good things about it (guess I should make it my business to learn more about Beverly! )

Another place that you might consider is Newburyport, another north shore small city. Downtown area is very family-friendly for walking with a wide variety of locally owned specialty shops, a small playground with climbing structures for kids, boardwalk where you can sit and watch the sailboats, lobsterboats, pleasure boats. You can go on a cruise, whale watch, or fishing trip. If you have a boat, there are public docks, and the state boat ramp is a reasonable price to put your boat into the water. No direct ocean access (for swimming) from the main town of Newburyport, but Plum Island is just a few minute's drive (or a slightly longer bike ride) for local beach access. In town, there's a tremendous variety of restaurants from Indian (the name of the restaurant escapes me, it's right on the corner of the Route 1 S exit ramp) to great seafood (Captains Quarters, Michael's Harborside) to upscale steak house (Black Cow), a Martini Bar, (Glenns Galley) to clubs (downstairs at The Grog has great blues bands on weekends). Maudslay State Park, right on the banks of the Merrimac River, is one of the most beautiful areas you can imagine. It's a former estate property, with plenty of walking & biking trails, tons of gardens that continue to bloom through the years... rolling hills, wonderful trees that kids can climb, and a busy schedule of performances. Some kid-friendly (Wayne From Maine, etc) to jazz concerts... these run from late spring through early fall. Newburyport has become an upscale small city in it's own right, very attractive to families with a wide variety of home styles available, right now there are 3-BR homes in the 300's, and a couple of modest 4-BR's in the 400s. Also very easy access to Rte 95 to get to White Mountains of NH for skiing, or heading north to Maine.

You might also consider Ipswich (with wonderful Cranes Beach, events of all sorts (concerts, plays, etc. taking place at Castle Hil. Downtown area is active, not as upscale and walkable as Newburyport, but plenty of business and things to do. I know several people who live there and love it. In fact, have been renting there for a number of years and are now considering buying since they can actually afford to be homeowners in some of these seaside towns that they were priced out of before.

Hope this helps...