Looking for Suggestions: Couple in their early 30's moving to MASS (Boston: condo, crime)

[Balboabride]

I have been reading up on past threads and have seen people ask for advice on the forum...so here goes!

My husband is being considered for a job in Natick, MA and we are thinking about moving from San Diego, CA to Mass. (Brrrr!) I would probaly get a job in the city.

We have family in Danvers, Revere, & Nahant. Other than those areas...I have no clue about living in Mass! Can anyone suggest areas to look?

We are relatively young, and could afford something in the 280-300K range. We have no kids, but we do have a big lumbering dog...so a walkable neighborhood with a dog park would be nice! We are liberal, "artsy" types...lol!

Can anyone please suggest a nice area to settle that is perhaps close to the commuter rail or T...with a liberal/artsy feel (street fairs, museums, farmers markets, cool eateries & boutiques) and a "community" environment...that we could settle into a little house somewhere?

Thank you in advance for any advice!

[scarletfire]

Re: looking for a liberal and artsy community I'm thinking that you might be happier in Cambridge or Somerville than in the burbs close to Natick. Your husband could certainly reverse commute from Cambridge or Somerville and it wouldn't be bad and you'd be closer to the city and have more things to do and easier T access. The price range could be a challenge but I have seen townhomes in that range. My cousin lives in Somerville and it's lots of a fun and great for a young couple - plenty of things to do and nice places to eat and good access to parks. I can't advise you on particular neighborhoods but if you need a reco of someone to help you find a place please feel free to PM me & I can ask her the name of her agent. They were happy with him and felt he was a standup guy. He found them a great place in a duplex walking distance to tons of restaurants and some really nice parks.

Best of luck!

[redpanda]

I would say either Somerville or Jamaica Plain (JP), although you're probably looking at a condo in JP for that price. Medford also has a few smaller homes in that price range, and is close to Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington.

[Balboabride]

Thank you for the reply...although I did a search on ZipRealty and could not find anything in Somerville in our price range...and it looks like even a condo will be a stretch in the surrounding area. I want to stay out of JP because of crime and resale value.

Boy! I was hoping to find a few bargins when moving from San Diego to Boston

Our family in Lawrence ( the nice part, apparently!) tells us there are cute homes in Haverhill..and they have a Farmer's market, food co-op and extensive parks...any feedback on that area and the commute?

[Valerie C]

You could almost definitely find something well within your price range in Haverhill, but you really have to watch the neighborhood. As with any small city, there are areas where drugs and crime are well known. But once you leave the inner-city areas, there are some really great neighborhoods. The downtown has a nice mix of restaurants & lounges, an arts district, a micro-creamery (mmmm!!!) and yes, plenty of parks, green space and walking trails. My favorites are the areas around Kenoza Lake/Winnekenni Castle, great for biking or walking the dog The commuter rail is downtown, along the banks of the Merrimack River. Speaking of, Haverhill has been working on a plan to develop the area along the river into something similar to Newburyport. While many people scoff at this idea, I believe that this little city is going to be on the map for a turn-around with the right leadership and citizens who care!

[fescue]

Hm, San Diego to Mass. Big culture shock maybe. First make a list of the five most important things about where you would live. Like length of commute..Size of community...Amenities, Whatever is REALLY important to you. Then search for towns that meet that criteria as well as offer housing within your price range. I really like Westborough, MA. Commuter rail goes right through. Easy access to MA Pike. Lots of clean industry in the area if you don't want to do the daily into Boston. About 40 Minutes from Boston, 30 from Foxboro (for sports fans) About an hour to the shore or 2 hours to the mountains. In center of town you can walk for groceries, bank, restaurants, etc. Not quite as much traffic as closer to Boston. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to know more.

[scarletfire]

Yikes, Haverhill to Natick would be a rotten commute.

I live right next to Natick and while there are lovely communities here, they're mostly pretty quiet communities and don't have a ton to offer in terms of museums. You could live near to Natick and just hop on the train to get into Boston for museums and such but it sounds more like you're looking to live in a place with more of a city feel. Parts of Waltham would offer the great restaurants and a movie theatre or two, and not too bad a commute to Natick, but not the arts so much.

[KellyCrash]

I would move to Southboro just for commuting reasons. I love that little town. There's a farm stand on Rt. 30 that's awesome. I wish I could remember the name of it. It's not a farmer's market per se, but it's close enough. I dunno about arts in that town, but heck you're close enough to Boston to go see do whatever there for culture.