City/Town Advice (Boston, Taunton, Braintree: rentals, schools, college)

[DTM8]

Looking to possibly move to the areas between:
95 and rt 24 and
rt 140/123 and rt 27

Stoughton, Sharon, Easton, Mansfield, Raynham, Taunton, Rehobeth, etc...

Possibly only for 1 year and will be renting. We're a couple in our mid 20s that don't always want to just stay at home. Don't need anything as busy as the city but are interested in having outlets to decent restaurants, bars, malls, etc.

Any advice!?

Thanks!

[AandD]

Originally Posted by DTM8

**will be renting.
**in our mid 20s
Any advice!?

I would cross Sharon off due to those criteria.

[lrfox]

That's an interesting list... most of those places aren't highly sought after by younger couples. Can I ask why you chose these places? If you're working in Boston, some of these may be a bit of a hike. Sharon, Mansfield and Easton are WONDERFUL communities if you plan on having a family. They are safe, quiet and have excellent schools. However, for a couple in their mid 20s, it can get dull (I'm 23 and grew up in the South Coast area near a few of these towns) quickly. These towns are close to a good deal of retail areas including Patriot Place and the wonderful Wrentham Village.

Do you mind my asking what constitutes a "decent" restaurant to you? Many of the towns you've listed are well known for having an abundance of chain restaurants, but not necessarily many of their own unique eateries. Same goes for the bar scene in most of those towns. The reason for this is that these communities are really sandwiched in between Boston and Providence and as such are really suburban and exurban and have little (again for the most part) to offer in terms of independent bars and restaurants.

Taunton used to be a thriving manufacturing city. Today, it's an exurban city/town (population of about 55,000 spread out over a large area centered around a nice downtown). Taunton has some nice areas, but a lot of it around the core of the city (with a small exception on the Southeast Side of Downtown), is sort of run down. There's hardly a slum or ghetto area of Taunton, but there are some unattractive areas. On the edges of town, particularly along 140, 44, and 138, there is a good deal of suburban retail and restaurants (on the eastern portion of 44 this suburban retail stretches into Raynham). There's even a decent mall in the Silver City Galleria. You'll find plenty of groceries in this area (Trucchi's is my favorite, Hannaford is good too) as well as all of your retail needs. More upscale retail is available in and around the areas closer to Boston and Providence. You'll probably find some good rental deals in Taunton and there is bus service to Boston as well as a mediocre local bus, but you'll be dependent on your car here.

Rehobeth is really rural and sort of out of the way (though it IS close to Providence). It would be very quiet for a young couple looking to be near any sort of activity.

Stoughton is a reasonable bet. It's not too far from the South Shore Plaza Mall is a wonderful retail center. There is a lot of suburban retail in and around the town along route 138 as well. The downtown is nice, but it's hard to walk given the volume of traffic passing through the area. You do have the commuter rail to Boston too which is nice.

Raynham is nice too. It's close to Taunton and shares a lot of the same retail as well as the Galleria Mall. Like some of the other communites mentioned, it may be a little dull.

If you're set on this area, I would like to suggest that the best bet for someone your age would probably be Bridgewater. Due to the college in town, there are more independent restaurants and bars that serve to entertain a younger crowd. You're still close to the Silver City Galleria Mall and retail in Taunton and not too far from the South Shore Plaza Mall in Braintree. Bridgewater also has a commuter rail stop for easy access to Boston's South Station. There are also a number of rentals that are available in Bridgewater.

Again, I'm not sure what it is that has you set on this area, but if you need to be along this section of rt. 24 and want some nightlife, retail and dining, Bridgewater is probably the best bet. Stoughton would be a second choice.