Family friendly towns South of Boston (New Bedford, Plymouth: houses, private school, prices)

[tlcdgilmore]

Hello,

I am looking for seaside, family friendly towns South of Boston - looking for good school systems and housing in the low to mid 300's. We have 3 elementary aged children. Any input is welcome! Thank you!

[CaseyB]

How far south of Boston are you willing to consider? Seaside towns with good schools are usually very expensive.

[tlcdgilmore]

I am not really sure - we are in the beginning phases of looking. A few miles from the ocean is fine. Plymouth has been suggessted....

[brightdoglover]

Plymouth is about 50 miles from Boston, I think, and a bad commute during summer seasons. Do you need to be nearer to Boston?
Part of Plymouth is right on the ocean. Of course, nearer the ocean is more expensive, even within towns. Best wishes.

[CaseyB]

Maybe start your search in Kingston, Marshfield, or Pembroke. You can do a search on this forum for information that has already been posted about any town. Also check our City-Data home page for data on the schools and housing prices.

[tlcdgilmore]

We do not need to be near the city - my husband's job covers the entire state of Mass....I just prefer to be relatively close to the ocean/bay.

Thank you so much!

[maineprep]

personally i really like scituate. it's on the water, with a great harbor and several beaches. it also has a great downtown right on the harbor, good schools, and an extremely friendly atmosphere. plymouth and marshfield are also good options, but i think that scituate is more quaint. the flip-side is that you won't get as much house for your money in scituate compared with plymouth or marshfield.

[lrfox]

Check out Fairhaven, South Dartmouth and Westport.

Fairhaven is wonderful. It has good schools and a great location. I would look particularly around Sconticut Neck Road and on West Island (connected to the mainland by a causeway). Fairhaven has plenty of amenities nearby (it shares a harbor with the city of New Bedford) and is about one hour from Boston and 25-30 minutes from Providence RI.

The Best part about Fairhaven is the cost. It's far more affordable than most seaside communities in MA. This is in part because no one really knows much about it. It has a gorgeous town center, one of the prettiest public high schools you'll ever see (search flickr for "fairhaven high school") and wonderful beaches and a nice state park. You'll get a LOT more for your money in Fairhaven than in most other seaside towns in MA.

South Dartmouth is part of the town of Dartmouth. Dartmouth is one of the largest towns in MA in terms of land area (could be the largest, actually) so it has varying landscapes from agricultural inland near the Westport town line to suburban along Route 6 to gorgeous New England coast on the Southern part of the town. South Dartmouth, particularly around Padanaram Village (a wonderful little area) is stunning. It has wonderful beaches and waterways and excellent schools. Like Fairhaven, it's also more affordable than most seaside towns in MA.

Finally, Westport is a nice bet. Westport has WONDERFUL beaches. IT's a beautiful town that's a mix of seacoast and rural New England. Westport has a large meandering river that flows to the seashore on the Southern portion of town. Along the way it passes rolling hills dotted with gorgeous historic farmland, houses and stone walls. Near the Southern end of town, the river winds through a large estuary and into a small harbor which has a picturesque New England Fishing Village right there (called Westport Point). the harbor rounds a corner and meets the ocean right in between two gorgeous beaches (Horseneck Beach State Reservation is on one side with a whole segment for Westport residents only). Acoaxet is a small village on Westport's Western side of the river. It's lined with stunning homes and views.

Westport is near perfect. What makes it even better is how little known it is. It's a relative secret. If you weren't bringing up kids in public schools, it would be ideal. However, the school system is weak. In fact, Westport's is one of the worst in the area. If you don't mind sending your children to private school (there are plenty around), then Westport's great. However, the public school system in town is not widely regarded.

If you don't mind getting a little less for your money (but still more than the coastal towns close to Boston), check out Marion and Mattapoisett. These towns have excellent schools and the same wonderful coast as Fairhaven, Dartmouth and Westport.

[kaioak36]

If you want to find something affordable and still be near the water, I'd try parts of Marshfield. You can't touch Marshfield Hills if you're only paying in the mid $300's but other parts of Marshfield will have options. Marshfield is a lot nicer than Plymouth and has better schools.