Newton, Lexington or . . . Winchester? (Boston, Cambridge: real estate, lawyers, houses)

[lorisheepdog]

Hi,

Dh and I and our 2 children will be relocating to Boston at the end of the summer. About a month ago, Dh and I visited there for the first time in many years. We were there for a very short time and it rained all weekend. We were armed with a list of suburbs we might like, given to us by friends who had previously lived there. We will be coming back in 2 weeks for a more in depth look. We will probably visit a few schools and look at some actual houses, not just drive. So I am trying to make sure we have correctly selected the suburb(s) we want to live in.

So these are our thoughts. Remember, we only drove through these in the rain and got out periodically to check on the ambiance, maybe get something to eat. We found Brookline to be too urban. We have lived in urban environments for 15 years and have enjoyed it immensely. But in our elder years (ha), we are ready for a somewhat slower pace. We liked Newton very much. We liked the housing stock--we prefer older homes, e.g. built in the 1920's and 30's. However, we are also willing to go new if necessary. We liked the fact that there was some retail. It would be nice if Newton had had a real downtown as opposed to several downtowns, but I could deal with it. We very much like the idea of living close to a town center, even if it has just a couple restaurants and boutiques. For years, we have lived in such an environment and loved it. Newton, of course, also has excellent schools and nice mix of people.

We found Needham to be pleasant but just not as nice as Newton. And Wellesley . . . well, I had read and heard that it was very snooty and that does not appeal to me. I understand elitism, but prefer that it not be based on acquisitions, appearance, or family pedigree. We eliminated Weston for similar reasons--plus, it is very spread out. Although beutiful, there was no way we could walk anywhere.

Lexington was our second choice. The town center was larger which was nice. But there didn't seem to be as many older homes surrounding it. So, I think in Lexington we might very well have to go with a house built in the 80's or newer. I understand that there are lots of academic types. This is great--I'm from a academic type family and dh and I are education oriented. I didn't like the fact that it seemed kind of separate from Boston. Newton was so close--a straight shot, whereas Lexington seemed more like a true suburb, distinct from Boston. We drove through Waltham and didn't care for it nearly as much. Then, we got lost and didn't know where we were, but it turned out to be Winchester! A lovely little downtown, more quaint that the others even.

When we returned home, colleagues of dh told him that we might like Winchester and we might want to look at it more closely.

So, my real question, is what are the subtle differences between these places? Where I live, there are many suburbs adjacent to one another that look identical. And yet there are differences in terms of ethnicity, snobbiness, etc. I want to make sure I end up in one that is affluent, yet down to earth as much as possible, with open-minded, smart residents. My 2 children require good schools for various reasons. Currently, we are in an iffy school system and are looking to upgrade for my oldest. My youngest is handicapped and will be in a separate situation anyway.

Thank you all so much for weeding through this long post!

[FellsMom]

All three towns are wonderful.

Newton and Lexington are bigger and have more a tax base, so they have more money for schools. That said, Winchester is indeed more quaint than any other towns near Boston. A beautiful place to call home.

Subtle differences....... Newton schools have Jewish holidays, Winchester schools have Good Friday, Lexington schools have neither.

[Coolhand68]

Concord is another place to look. Lot's of older colonial homes. Somewhat snooty, but good schools and right next to Lexington and Bedford. Lincoln is nice too.

[Rosanero10]

Originally Posted by FellsMom

Subtle differences....... Newton schools have Jewish holidays, Winchester schools have Good Friday, Lexington schools have neither.

That about sums it up.....also, over time, you may find Newton to be more like Weston than you may think initially. If an attitude of "entitlement" isn't something you enjoy, eliminate Newton.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by lorisheepdog

We found Needham to be pleasant but just not as nice as Newton. And Wellesley . . . well, I had read and heard that it was very snooty and that does not appeal to me. I understand elitism, but prefer that it not be based on acquisitions, appearance, or family pedigree. We eliminated Weston for similar reasons--plus, it is very spread out. Although beutiful, there was no way we could walk anywhere.

This is just too funny...

Wellesley thinks they are better than Newton...
Newton thinks they are better than Needham...
Needham thinks they are better than ....

I'm not snooty... I just think my town, my neighborhood, my house is better than yours

[holden125]

Winchester is a very nice town with many beautiful homes. I lived there for a year and a half as a kid in the 1980s. It always struck me as a kind of pristine and prosperous place. There are a lot of executive types there, and though it's not as liberal as Newton or Lexington, it voted for the Democratic nominee to the tune of 60% in the last two Presidential elections. Not everyone in the town is wealthy, but there is no part of town that appears run down. The schools are excellent but I understand the high school building has some physical plant issues (same thing at Newton North until the new school building opens). They have a pretty good sense of community in Winchester, including things like Town Day where a lot of people come out, and a long Thanksgiving football rivalry with Woburn.

Newton has always felt to me more part of Boston and Winchester more a self-contained prosperous suburb. It's hard to put my finger on it, because Newton is also a prosperous suburb, but I think Newton has more academic and Prius type people, while Winchester seemed more the home of business types and lawyers, though Newton has plenty of those too. Newton is physically closer to Boston, on the Green Line (though it's actually far quicker--only 15 mins--from Wedgemere station in Winchester to North Station by commuter train), more commercial activity, and denser for the most part.

On many sides Winchester is kind of isolated. To get there, you kind of have to intend to go there. For example, there's an exit off 93 but you have to follow South Border Rd along the Fells for a couple of miles. Entering town from Medford, Lexington, or Arlington is generally done via roads that are not as heavily traveled as those passing through Newton. Even the Route 3 traffic often ventures through the west side of Winchester without ever venturing toward the center. For that reason, a lot of people are not as familiar with the town as with other area towns. For residents it's the best of both worlds, since the property values are high and the town is very nice, but they're not overrun with visitors as in Lexington Center and kind of fly under the radar. Not quite the best-kept secret around, but almost.

Here's a long quote on Winchester posted in another thread by a resident:

Originally Posted by DreamworksSKG

Simple, look into Winchester
we have the best schools in the state.
2 commuter rail lines right in town
ENKA Fair every year (Carnival) in May
Town Day in June
Tree lighting where Santa Rides around on a fire truck in December
Two Town swimming beaches - At the Mystic Lakes, and Broggard Beach (Wedge Pond)
Town Tennis Courts
Kidstock--(and the Next Door theater) a theater program for kids
a Great Music Department in the elem. school , middle school, and HIgh School.
A Television production program for kids offered through our local access station (WinCAM)
The Middlesex Fells Reservation is nearby with hiking trails, dog walking, mountain biking, etc.
Mystic Lakes has a Boat Club for boats in Medford and Winchester
Sailing lessons, etc. ,
Medford Boat Club right across the line off Mystic Valley PKWY
has access to Boston harbor for larger boats.
We have a great recreation department with adult and youth activities alike.
And after school programs
We have great youth sports programs and a good high school athletics program
We have a Haunted House in October.
Townspeople are involved in local elections and town meeting etc.
politics, etc.
We have a neat library and a quaint little mill pond
we also have a neat little town common with summer concerts on the common on Wednesdays in the summer-time, and movie nights on the common. Ice cream trucks come around to the neighborhoods in the summer time.
There's a small bike path through town and plans are in the works for a new bike path connecting Woburn-Stoneham and Winchester.
Nearby is the Minuteman Bike Path to Arlington, Lexington, Bedford,
Stone Zoo is right next door , a small neighborhood zoo in Stoneham, MA.
Drumlin farm is a short drive away in Lincoln, great for kids.
You are only 40 min or so from the North Shore-Salem, Ipswich beaches, Cape Ann.
and Salisbury /Hampton Beach NH about 40-50 min.
2 commuter rail stations in town - offer a hassle free commute into town.
Or a short drive to Oak Grove station in Malden/Medford for the Orange Line.
Eventually there'll be a station at Rte 16 in Medford as well.(Green Line)
we also have
there's an old movie theater in Arlington called Capitol Theater
a old theater in Somerville (Davis Square)
There's a movie theater in Woburn (Showcase Cinema)
and a mall in Burlington and Woburn.
We have a small neighborhood but high quality neighborhood hospital right in town with a variety of medical service and an emergency room.
The police and fire department in town are great and you get to know many of the officers.

there;s a lot of great community volunteer organizations like the Mahoneys Garden club, WinCAM our community tv studio, Sustainable Winchester (Environment), Friends of the Fells, Freinds of Winter Pond, The Winchester players, Winton Club etc.
We have lots of services in town such as a Supermarket (Stop and Shop) a 24 hour convenience store (Town Pantry)(cash only, but they do have an ATM)
China Sky Restaurant (Chinese)
a Thai restaurant (I cant remember the name of)
Fen Yang House (Chinese)
Pinkys Pizza
Joe's Main St. Pizza
Andrea's Pizza (excellent)
Bill and Bob's roast beef (Woburn)
Walgreens Pharmacy (Woburn Route 38)
CVS Pharmacy (Winchester Center)
a great little toy store called TO Catch a Falling Star
Karol's Ice cream
Dunkin Donuts
Burger King
Wendy's (Woburn)
Gulf Service Station (Woburn, Montvale Ave.)
Hess Station (Cambridge, St. Winchester - Horn Pond Plaza)
Shell-(Horn pond plaza)(Winchester)
We have a couple banks in town
Sovereign I believe, Winchester Co-op, and Winchester Savings bank
we have lucia's italian ristorante
Mailboxes etc for office stuff
Nelson's Bakery and Cafe
Winchester Drugstore
True Value Hardware
Moda's Cleaners and Tailors,
Fresh touch cleaners
Anton's cleaner
Video Horizons video store
A couple wine shops
the News Shop
Bruegger's Bagels
Bagel Land
Century Bank
A great little breakfast place called Frannies.
a italian restaurant Pastazza
There's also a cool bookstore Bookends with a great children's book section.
The library is pretty cool as well and has a lot to offer...
There's lots of little boutiques throughout winchester center
Winchester center is walkable and has a unique small town charm to it.

Come down , take a look at the real estate offices in the center of town and ask people about the town. People are friendly in Winchester and I think you will come to love it here if you decide to make Winchester your home.

Hope this helps.

[dognh]

Originally Posted by lorisheepdog

I want to make sure I end up in one that is affluent, yet down to earth as much as possible, with open-minded, smart residents.

Very few affluent, intelligent, down to earth people live in any of these towns (if they do, they probably keep to themselves)

Most of the population is showy rich folks, who think they're smarter than everyone else and go around preaching about how "open-minded they are" (as long as "those people" don't move in)

Of the three, I'd go with Winchester.
The other two have been Uber-pretentious for a lot longer.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by dognh

Very few affluent, intelligent, down to earth people live in any of these towns (if they do, they probably keep to themselves)

Most of the population is showy rich folks, who think they're smarter than everyone else and go around preaching about how "open-minded they are" (as long as "those people" don't move in)

Of the three, I'd go with Winchester.
The other two have been Uber-pretentious for a lot longer.

I'd choose Newton because it's so large that you can avoid that type there if you want to. Just choose one of the villages that has a more down to earth feel. There are still plenty of blue collar folks who live in Newton.

[lorisheepdog]

Thank you, thank you! Lots of great information. We will be there Friday, the 22nd through Sunday. Wish us luck!

[camer]

Originally Posted by lorisheepdog

Thank you, thank you! Lots of great information. We will be there Friday, the 22nd through Sunday. Wish us luck!

I think all affluent communities will have "that" sense of entitlement; there's no escape; comes with the territory; one just has to ignore it and find the down-to-earth folks: there are plenty of them in Newton, Wellesley, Weston, etc. Winchester is a lovely town too. But I'm sure they have their share of entitled folks too. ANYWAY, goodluck with your search. All are GREAT options.