Towns within hour commute to Logan Intl Airport (Boston, Framingham: middle-class, crime rates)

[FlyWife]

My husband is a pilot and will be based out of Logan. We are looking for a family friendly neighborhood (with homes around 500K) within a 1-2 hour commute to the airport. We like old homes, old trees, town squares, great public schools, and no crime. Anyone have suggestions? How is Salem or Marblehead? Can you please provide some towns to consider with brief descriptions and commute times. Thanks.

[nate14ri]

well boston has excellent suburbs that meet your requirement on the North Shore, South Shore and Metro West. So you will need to decide what area you would like to settle in first.

[scarletfire]

Marblehead is lovely and I think would fit your description well. Will send more info shortly!

[FlyWife]

Originally Posted by nate14ri

well boston has excellent suburbs that meet your requirement on the North Shore, South Shore and Metro West. So you will need to decide what area you would like to settle in first.

The last time I was in Boston was 25 years ago, when I was 10. Do the different areas (North Shore, South Shore, Metro West) have different qualities/flavor?

[scarletfire]

Hmm...A few things I can share:
- Metrowest tends to have larger home lots. A lot of the towns have quite pretty neighborhoods and quaint town centers, but the downtowns are not particularly vibrant or have much to walk to, except in Wellesley, which is very pricey (although it does have everything you're looking for in terms of excellent schools, etc). You'll find a mix of new developments and older homes.

- North shore has pretty beaches and lovely walking/hiking trails. lots of pretty antique homes. (The ocean water is freezing, just a word of caution!) Some of the towns in that area have more to offer in the downtown areas. My faves are Marblehead and I also love Manchester by the Sea, which is small but very attractive with good schools.

[missionhill]

But 500K won't go far in M'head, Manchester, or Wellesley. Franklin, Millis, Wrentham, Mansfield, Norfolk--those may be more your price range assuming you want the single-family house, yard, and off-street parking. But they're southwest: in years past getting to Logan from south or west was much more difficult than from north and east because of the tunnels. You'd want to know whether that's changed with the third harbor tunnel; otherwise look only north and northeast.

I'd say metro west is generally more upscale than south of Boston. The shore towns are pricier but as a whole the southern sector is more affordable, the more so the farther out you go. West has most of the high-end suburbs and exurbs and some middlebrow ones like Natick, Ashland, and Framingham. North is a mix--the north shore (northeast of Boston along the coast) can be very expensive; north (e.g., Wilmington, Tewksbury) more developed and middle-class, but there are lots of exceptions.

Salem is not a suburban town at all but a city in itself, and quite dense in the historic areas. Newburyport is one of the nicest towns in Mass--a small city, gorgeous, historic architecture in both houses and commercial blocks, a very lively town center, right on the water, and now has commuter rail service into Boston. About an hour into Logan without too much traffic. You might find something there for $500K in the present market.

[maggiekate]

Bedford, or Arlington may work.

[clevedark]

The South Shore has a "country" feel to it.

Hingham has a nice rah rah old-timey feeling downtown, but it's a little pricey for your range.

Cohasset is gorgeous, but again is pricey. It also has a classic town square and a cute downtown. It's on the coast.

The next town, Scituate, also has good schools, and it more within your price range. It has a funky downtown on Scituate Harbor.

Marshfield doesn't have the old-fashioned downtown you want, but it's on the coast, with large lots, and good schools. Def. in your price range.

Inland is Norwell, which is more country, and it has a beautiful little antique main street with stately colonials and a couple of little stores. Good schools. You'll probably find something decent in your price range.

There's also Hanover, but I haven't seen the downtown beyond the commercial big-box strip. However Hanover has good schools and you'll find something nice in your price range.

[DreamworksSKG]

You might consider Winchester or Arlington (Arlington Heights area)

Both towns have good schools, and transportation options.

Winchester has easy access to route 93 which would be about a 20 min drive into logan maybe 30 with traffic

[scarletfire]

I think you can also find crime rates by towns at Massachusetts Town Information- MA Community data - Boston.com and type in the town and click on demographic info.