Can you tell me a little about Billerica? (Lowell, Arlington: middle-class, renting)

[Melissa927]

I grew up in the area, but don't know anything, really, about Billerica - except that we're moving there next month. We will be renting a house that we love, just over the Burlington line off of 3A. We have a pair of 2-year-old twins. We hope to stay in this house for several years, but we don't have to (which is why we were more concerned about the house than the community, schools, etc. when we made our moving decision - we know we'll be happy in the short term, but could move before our kids are in school, for example, if it seemed necessary).

I am curious about the town. Is it a good place for small children? How are the schools? I will stay connected to friends and family in surrounding towns (we live in Melrose now and I grew up in Winchester), but I'd like to have a better sense of what the town is like, what activities it has to offer, etc.

Any tidbits you want to share would be much appreciated!

[goyguy]

A little is all I can tell, LOL, but Billerica is pretty much "average" on all counts from what I've seen and from what the few people I know who live there say. It's your average hodgepodge of post-WWII and post-60's subdivisions, with an average school system, populated by average Caucasian middle-class folks. And there's nothing wrong with any of that. The town's only claim to infamy is having a state prison within its borders, but that circumstance does no real harm to the desirability of Billerica as a place to dwell. (Last I checked, Walpole + Concord + Norfolk were still nice places too.)
If living near a huge regional mall with scores of satellite strip plazas and big-box stores and chain restaurants is a positive, you've got that deal sealed. What's good about the surrounding areas is that the side streets are a world apart from all that commercial chaos. I'm always struck by how stuck in time residential Billerica looks. People are out mowing their lawns on sunny afternoons while kids play in the yard or the street, the houses are all neat n' tidy and no younger than 30 - it could just as easily be 1969.
But a "step up" to Arlington or Melrose might be in order once your pair reaches kindergarten age.

[Billericares]

I would say Billerica is pretty average as well. Some neighborhoods are better than others. It's not a fancy place but the people seem decent. We've lived here for 9 months or so. It's probably on average better than Lowell, comparable but more humble than Chelmsford. I would say it's probably on par with Woburn or Wilmington. Some of the houses aren't all that well kept up and they're older, others are better. It's quite safe from what I've experienced. It seems like there's a real sense of community here. I think bargain-hunters and frugle, sensible people tend to choose Billerica for it's low taxes and overall cost of living. I don't think the schools are great but I don't think there's reason to be super-concerned about them either. I think the neighborhoods are a mix of white collar and working-class types of people and the town seems mostly white from what I can tell. I've lived in much nicer areas in my life, but for MA (which I consider to be less nice and older and stuff than the other states where you generally get a lot more for your money) I'd consider buying a house here.