Relocating to Danvers Area (Boston, Peabody: real estate, 2011, apartment)

[pbloew]

I have been recently offered a position in the Danvers area. I am looking for some assistance. I currently live in Dallas, TX and really don't know where to start in looking for a home -to rent or buy. Could someone be kind enough to get me started...I don't need to live in Danvers but would like to be in a position of not a long commute. I have no children - it is just me. I would like the opportunity to visit Boston on the weekends. Is there a "train" nearby that can take me into Boston, if so, what kind of timeframe are we looking at getting into town? Any additional information would be greatly appreciated...I am sure this will be an eye opening experience. Thanks!

[bost09]

Hey-

I live in the next town from danvers, Peabody. You should consider it. You won't have a commute, it will take you ~10-20 min to get to work.
Peabody has easy access to 128, it will take you ~30 min to go to boston on the weekends. If you want to go to Newburyport beach it will take 45 min. Peabody is very walkable, it has many nice restaurants, two malls : Northshore mall and Liberty tree mall, it is closer to many state parks: Salem willows, Halibut Point park in Rockport, and also historic salem.

There is a commuter train station in Salem, from peabody it use to take me 8 min to get to the station, you can park you car for two dollar and go to Boston, it takes about 45min to get to boston by commuter rail. There is also bus line that go to boston, it takes about an hour.

Other cities you could consider: Beverly (high end), Reading, north reading and Salem (not as nice as Peabody).

I am planning to move to Plano after i finish my MBA in 2011, i am a pharmaceutical Scientist, can you give me some info about Plano real-estate, school, people and life in general? and also jobs for scientists with MBA?

Let me know if you have more questions, i will be glad to answer them.

[pbloew]

Thanks so much for the reply...I appreciate the quick response. I, personally, am not moving to Danvers, my boss is and he is extremely short on time before moving...so I put the question out there for him.

HOWEVER, I live in Lewisville, TX which is about 30 minutes West of Plano. Plano is an wealthy community North of Dallas. Plano has two DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) light rail stations which will give you access to the Dallas area without taking your vehicle into the city. Plano is bordered to the East by 75 (aka Central) where the "HIGH 5" Interchange gives commuters a hickup when the weather gets icy down here, the West by the North Dallas Tollway (aka theTollway), the South by President George Bush Turnpike (aka Bush), and the North by SH 121 which goes into McKinney, TX. Three out of the four freeways are toll roads. However, there is a Toll Tag system and at least you see those dollars at work on the roads here! Communities here are a little different from up north. Texans are friendly and a lots of transient people live here. It is very rare you will find someone who was born and reared in Texas...we are all primarily from out of state...myself, originally from New Orleans. Plano Independent School District is known for their outstanding schools and nationally recognized students. Regarding Real Estate, Texas has not been hit as hard as other parts of the country in this sector. Homes are pretty much holding steady. I would go to Zillow.com and get an idea if you have selected an area in Plano. That should give you the information you are seeking. If you are a foodie - you are not in luck here. This is not NYC, Boston, San Francisco or Chicago. However, if you like Tex-Mex and Beef and lots of that you will be quite content here. Actually there is a Whole Foods in Plano and a Central Market - both grocery chains. Similar in styles...but for those who prefer to shop a more healthy lifestyle! Lastly, regarding your profession...I have no idea on that. I am not sure if cosmetics would be an area for you, but Mary Kay and Beauti Control both have corporate offices in the Metroplex (greater Dallas area).

I hope this helped you as much as you assisted my boss. Thanks and let me know if you have any further questions too!

[quadrabay]

Hi Pbloew,

New England is very beautiful to look at pretty much anywhere you live. New England folks can be very nice and "down homey" but can also be a little uptight. You'll notice a HUGE difference from Texas folks I guarantee! (whether you like it or not can go either way, so don't fret - it could be the greatest move you ever made...)

If you're looking for an easy train commute, I'd try to be as close to Beverly or Salem as possible - although both Beverly and Salem do NOT have as great highway access as say, Danvers, which has EVERY highway going through it. (Also a SAFE LOW CAR INSURANCE town!)

Good luck with your choice.

Take Care,
Erik

[bmak57]

Hi. Even though Danvers does not have a train it is a short (20-30 minute) drive into Boston on weekends. On weekdays during rush hour that can stretch out to an hour or more. You can catch a train from the next town over (Beverly) which is just a short ride. If you want to live in a town with train access Beverly or Salem would be a better choice. My advice to your boss would be to move somewhere temporarily (Residence Inn in Danvers) for a few months and scope out the area; each town has its own flavor. Depending on if he wants a high end property in a quiet community or a moderate accomadation in a more urban setting there are lots to choose from.

[DreamworksSKG]

I might suggest looking into Ipswich. Ipswich is a nice coastal commuinity with a train station right in town into Boston's North Station it is also very close to the North Shore beaches, and Cape Ann --(gloucester-rockport area)
which are also nice communities with beach and commuter rail access. -
though 128 can be a pain of a commute from gloucester-rockport in the AM-PM rush

That is why I suggest Ipswich. - since you'd be in a nice small town feel, close to the ocean with access to great beaches like Crane beach
and great shops and restaurants in town. The Clam Box is to die for ..theres also a cool place called Wolf Hollow in Ipswich where you can learn the truth about wolves and see a real wolf pack in action. "Downtown" Ipswich has a suburban feel, but just outside the downtown you feel like you're in the country-

There are some nearby communities such as Essex--Hamiton-Wenham that are even more rural ish--but you'd have to drive to most services -
Though Hamltion-Wenham does have a train station as well

The reason I suggest Ipswich is that I think you could probably find an apartment , condo or home for a reasonable rate, near the downtown part - and be able to walk to the train station and have your car for when you wanted to explore the area.--or take weekend trips up to Maine or NH..or down cape (Cape Cod)

If you need to get to Logan Airport there's a Logan Express commuter bus from Peabody that drops you off at the terminals they even have long term parking (pahhkin)

The key to the ipswich location is its a nice town, there's a lot to do in the area, people are friendly, and it has a smaller town feel than most communities in the metro Area. Also you'd have a resident sticker option for Crane beach and other Ipswich beaches so that would help in the summer-time

The Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary is very nice as well with miles of hiking trails and the ipswich river is great for kayaking-canoeing etc.

Appleton Farms is another hiking area and a rural farm in the more rural part of ipswich with hiking trails, cross country skiing etc.

The Crane Estate near Crane beach is also a nice area.

As far as Danvers commute goes you'd be about 5-7 miles from Danvers in Ipswich and could probably stay off the highways on the commute to work - you could cut through the back roads--to get to work--

Hamilton-Wenham you'd be in a more countryish community but
it does have commuter rail access.
and you'd be one town closer to Danvers- more like 3-5 miles from Danvers

For the most part from Ipswich-Hamilton-Wenham it would be an easy drive on back roads which would take the pressure off your commute, and relieve the stress. Trust me you dont want to go on the highways if at all possible in the rush periods.

You'd probably be about 20-30 minutes from the Mall (North Shore Mall in Peabody) which is a large shopping area.

The only thing about that section of Mass is there's less services as some areas, but you can find services if you look--around the downtowns and along the highways- I think Ipswich-Hamilton or Wenham would be a perfect fit for you if you dont want to live in a pure suburban area with built up industry and densely populated homes

Here are some links on Ipswich-Hamilton-Wenham

IPSWICH

TOWN SITE:

The Official Town of Ipswich Web site - USA

IPSWICH PUBLIC LIBRARY
Ipswich Public Library

IPSWICH VISITOR BUREAU
Ipswich Massachusetts, Visit Historic and Scenic Ipswich MA Today

THINGS TO DO IPSWICH
Ipswich - Things to do

ipswich arts
Official Ipswich Arts & Culture Web Site, Ipswich, Massachusetts

I love ipswich
Ipswich Massachusetts - Find Hidden Treasures in Ipswich, MA

Mercury Brewing Co. Ipswich MA
Mercury Brewing Company - Ipswich, MA

Russel Orchards Ipswich MA
Russell Orchards - Ipswich, MA

Choate Bridge Pub Ipswich
Choate Bridge Pub, Ipswich MA |

Appleton Farm and grass rides
Appleton Farms - The Trustees of Reservations

Dining in Ipswich
Ipswich - Where to eat

Clam Box Ipswich MA
Clam Box of Ipswich MA, North of Boston Restaurant, Fried Clams

Ipswich Arts cooperative
Ipswich Arts Cooperative

Tee time driving range and ice cream
Tee Time & Ice Cream: Home

River Gallery
River Gallery

The Fin and Feather shop
The Fin and Feather Shop, Inc.

Captains Fishing Charter
All Day Deep Sea Fishing Charters

Narby Parks
Ipswich, MA Parks

FLy fishing essex river Ipswich MA - PHOTO
Fly fishing Essex River Ipswich MA, sunrise 4:30am on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Crane Beach
PHOTO

Panoramio - Photo of Cranes Beach 2008 sunrise Ipswich ma. Fishing & view of one of the more fished places at crane beach.

Crane beach fishing report
Crane Beach Fishing report

Castle Hill at Crane beach
Ipswich - Castle Hill / Crane Beach

Yelp.com - REVIEW Crane beach
Crane Beach - Ipswich, MA

Crane beach ipswich
Crane Beach, The Crane Estate, Ipswich, Massachusetts - The Trustees of Reservations

Logan Express bus from Peabody
MASSPORT: Logan Airport: Type of Transportation: Logan Express


Ipswich Commuter Rail
MBTA > Schedules & Maps > Commuter Rail > Ipswich


Ipswich River Wildlife sanctuary
Ipswich River | Mass Audubon | Nature Connection

Ipswich River Watershead Association
Ipswich River Watershed Association

Canoeing on the ipswich river
Canoeing on the Ipswich River - Ipswich - Massachusetts - New England - ExploreNewEngland.com

Essex River cruises - Essex MA
Essex River Cruises & Charters, MA-Narrated Cruises, Clambakes & More

Wolf Hollow
Ipswich MA
Wolf Hollow Ipswich, MA Non-Profit Organization Dedicated to the Preservation of Wolves.

Antiquing in Essex MA
Essex Antiques Dealers Association

Cape Ann Antiques
Cape-Ann.com: Cape Ann Antiques, Essex, Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester

Hamilton-Wenham Commuter rail station-schedules
MBTA > Schedules & Maps > Commuter Rail > Hamilton/Wenham

HAMILTON-WENHAM

GREEN MEADOWS FARM
Hamilton
Green Meadows Farm

Town of Hamilton MA
Welcome to Hamilton

Town of Wenham MA
Town of Wenham Massachusetts

Wenham museum
Welcome To The Wenham Museum, How we lived, worked, dressed, and played

Gordon College
Christian College, Christian Colleges in America & New England - Gordon College

[DreamworksSKG]

Here's route map I did for a back-road route to Danvers From Ipswich-Wenham-Hamilton

from Ipswich center its 10 miles
one way so 20 miles round trip

from Hamilton Wenham it would be about 3-7 miles one way so 6-14 miles round trip

either way its much better than getting stuck on the highways, less stress and you dont have to worry as much about getting to work on time

MapMyWalk.com | View 07/05/2009 Route in Ipswich, Massachusetts