I want to move to Mass but not sure where (Boston: sales, crime rates)

[dannydice21]

Hello everyone, My wife and I have been thinking of moving to mass for quite some time. One problem: we dont have a lot of time to explore and would like to find a beautiful coastal town that is affordable from 400-500K. We love new homes and historic homes as well so the style of home isn't all that important, looking for your typical new englander.

We need help finding the right spot, atleast to visit instead of driving around aimlessly without any set destination. We are obviously looking for good school districts, a nice downtown with entertainment but quiet and clean! its hard to explain but areas where everyone cares about their house and going to the supermarket isnt a madhouse!

are there any small towns that resemble Newport, RI but without going up that far?

we need the experts help!

[JBTD]

You don't want to move here. The state legislature voted just today to raise the sales tax to 6.25%. While they were at it, they lifted the ban on taxing beer and wine. This state is completely corrupt, from Cadillac Deval to the lying Barney Frank. Most of us would get the hell out if given the chance.

[scarletfire]

Danny, Marblehead comes to mind as a lovely seaside community with strong schools and lots to do, although you'd certainly need to contend with tourists in the summer. Manchester by the Sea is another very nice option with good schools but it's a smaller community and less draw for tourism. Please feel free to pm me if you'd like more info on either/both. :-)

[holden125]

Originally Posted by JBTD

You don't want to move here. The state legislature voted just today to raise the sales tax to 6.25%. While they were at it, they lifted the ban on taxing beer and wine. This state is completely corrupt, from Cadillac Deval to the lying Barney Frank. Most of us would get the hell out if given the chance.

That was not the question, and I for one would not "get the hell out." Keep your political agenda out of the equation when it's not at issue.

As for the actual question, I'm not sure I follow it. You want something like Newport but not as far up. That would eliminate Massachusetts, all of which is farther up along the coast than Newport. Unless you mean not going up that far in price? A lot of Mass. coastal towns are fairly expensive, and many of them south of Boston (both South Shore, running from Boston down to Sagamore, and South Coast, running along Buzzards Bay from RI to Wareham) are not all that urban, except for New Bedford, which is waiting for some renewal but has a lot of problems for the moment.

To the north, you might find something good in Swampscott, which is not far from Boston and right next to Marblehead, a beautiful New England coast town but a little more expensive than Swampscott. Farther north are towns like Beverly, Manchester, Gloucester (more urban) and Rockport which might be worth looking into. Newburyport, farther up near N.H., is a nice small city with a more active downtown.

[Coolhand68]

Cape Cod is loaded with towns as you described. I'm not a big fan of the northern Mass coastal towns like Revere, Lynn or Salisbury Beach. Ipswich is nice though, as is Marblehead, Manchester and Rockport.

I like Centerville on the Cape. It's near Hyannis. Craigsville Beach is right there and it's a nice clean beach.

[clevedark]

Scituate might meet all your requirements.

[mason12]

15th highest tax burdren in the country, among the highest homeless populations, among the highest crime rates in new england. And really high violent crime rates compared to the rest of the country, but low property crime rates/ So instead of a vandalized car you'll be mugged or attacked!
Also you will realize you're a sucker, your one of the few who have actually decided to move to mass instead of move out. But if you do want to move to mass I would say move to gloucester. It's a famous fishing town!

[holden125]

Originally Posted by mason12

15th highest tax burdren in the country, among the highest homeless populations, among the highest crime rates in new england. And really high violent crime rates compared to the rest of the country, but low property crime rates/ So instead of a vandalized car you'll be mugged or attacked!
Also you will realize you're a sucker, your one of the few who have actually decided to move to mass instead of move out. But if you do want to move to mass I would say move to gloucester. It's a famous fishing town!

What nonsense. Among the highest crime rates in New England. Which is only six states, half of which are very rural and sparsely populated.

Mass. does not have high rates of violent crime or homelessness compared to many states.

Nobody asked you to badmouth the place every chance you get. Plenty of us love the place and there are plenty of people who do want to move here, including the OP.

[mason12]

Look it up it' a fact according to statemaster which gets its stats from the federal and state governments. And yes plenty people love the place, but plenty more hate it and moving it, which is why its the sixth
slowest growing state!! http://www.therealestatebloggers.com...-or-declining/ according to the us government census. If you were to research the stats for 2008, I'm sure that magically mass didn't become more likeable. And even your legislature convened on the issue and attempted to address the problems of our crappy state!
Hey I'm just trying to help you out buddy.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by mason12

And really high violent crime rates compared to the rest of the country, but low property crime rates/ So instead of a vandalized car you'll be mugged or attacked!

No. In fact, according to the latest statistics (2008), Massachusetts ranked right in the middle of the pack in overall violent crime by the census bureau . That's REALLY good considering that it's one of the more urbanized states in the nation and is home to one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. In fact, Boston is considered by many to be one of the safest large cities in the country. Massachusetts' murder rate is also extraordinarily low for a state with a similar population density (you'll note that rural states like Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, etc make up the "safest" places). Not bad considering that you have access to far more amenities in MA than in just about any "safer" state. Also cities like Cambridge, Quincy and Newton Massachusetts rank among the nation's safest cities (I believe Newton is first or second on most lists). I don't have a list handy, but a quick google search for "America's safest cities" (yes, copy and paste) will show you what I'm talking about. Like any area with large numbers of urban areas, there are places to avoid (and they're WELL documented in these forums), but given the number of urban places here, the list of places to steer clear of is relatively short in Massachusetts

Enjoy your "utopia" (wherever that may be) but I'll take my chances here on the "mean" streets of Massachusetts. I love this place.

Originally Posted by mason12

Look it up it' a fact according to statemaster which gets its stats from the federal and state governments. And yes plenty people love the place, but plenty more hate it and moving it, which is why its the sixth
slowest growing state!! http://www.therealestatebloggers.com...-or-declining/ according to the us government census. If you were to research the stats for 2008, I'm sure that magically mass didn't become more likeable. And even your legislature convened on the issue and attempted to address the problems of our crappy state!
Hey I'm just trying to help you out buddy.

It's an old and established state. It's not going to have the same growth numbers as the states in the sunbelt or out West (which without looking at the list I'm willing to bet are the fastest growing). It's common sense and no one's shocked. Just because it's not growing as fast as Arizona doesn't make it a bad place. It just means it's better established (and it is). Even Boston is showing positive growth according to recent census estimates. Personally, I'll take Massachusetts and Boston over the desert any day. When that population starts SIGNIFICANTLY declining, I'll worry. Until then, it doesn't mean anything.