S Shore vs N Shore (Boston, Lynn: homes, to live in, shop)

[missionhill]

I'd say the debate or the disagreement has to do with old animosities. The North Shore with its scenic rocky cliffs and peninsulas was the favorite of the upper class Bostonians for country seats and seaside homes. The South Shore is the route of outward migration from the old ethnic Irish Catholic neighborhoods in Boston, especially South Boston and Dorchester, hence the term Irish Riviera. So the dispute goes back to the old Yankee vs. Catholic sentiments. The South Shore has some socially prominent towns with plenty of Yankees but nothing like the North Shore.

[sherylannfoster]

I live in Hanover which is right next to Marshfield, and Hingham. The town is nice and small, and the schools are great. I have a daughter with special needs, and they are great with her. The home prices are in your range also. As for whether or not I prefer the north shore or south shore.....I really don't mind as long as its a safe town with great schools!
Good Luck

[tbdowork]

Well i would say the south shore has more friendly people and is safer, but the north shore holds some very nice towns like Lynnfield, Nahant, Swampscott, Marblehead, etc. so it really depends on which city you'd rather drive through, Lynn or Quincy?

[kaioak36]

If you have $800,000 to spend, you don't want to live in Lakeville!!! IT's a poorer/rural town. IT's also going to be very close to the new casino.

Duxbury, Hingham, Cohasset, Norwell, Scituate, Hanover and parts of Marshfiled would all be better choices!

Sorry but Lakeville would be a place if you had little money or were just starting out.

Originally Posted by surfingatwork

$800,000 will buy you a lot in Lakeville, mass (south eastern mass). 5 of those golf courses are in lakeville (2 are private, 3 public) and it's 20 minutes (by way of back roads) to the bourne bridge and there is also 3 public beaches (lake not ocean) in lakeville. for $800,000 you could probably get waterfront property. the town also has a commuter station (middleborough/lakeville line) that goes to south station in boston.

one of the biggest differences between north and south shore is the commuter rail. if you live on the north shore the commuter trains go to north station in boston. if you live on the south shore the commuter trains go to south station in boston.

[kaioak36]

You don't want Plymouth either!! Duxbury, Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate, Hanover, Norwell and parts of Marshfield are the towns to pick on the South Shore.

[Zipperhead]

Personally .... I lived on the North Shore 48 years. So I do have a little knowledge of that area. True ... some great towns there. Danvers Mass is small in size but with a big town feel. Beverly, Topsfield and on and on ..... but ..... what I didn't like up there after a number of years was the congestion. Pretty much, every small town (and large town) is congested. Not to mention greater amounts of snow than the South Shore. In the Cape Ann area (where I grew up) ....Beverly, Salem, Danvers etc. It averages 46 inches of snow per year. And believe me!! Those were low numbers. I can easily remember 100 inches of snow many years there!! And after a 6 month long winter? Filled with snow? Well ......guess that's why I moved from the North Shore. The South Shore has half that snow!! According to Sperling.com the Bourne, Sandwich area averages 19 inches of snow fall per year. I'll take that anyday .....lol.

I currently live in Virginia, but just did a trip to the South Shore this past week. I agree with some of the other "commenters" on here. Duxbury, Hingham, Hull and that area are very nice. Plymouth, Kingston, Halifax, Carver and Middleborough (Middleboro) were not to my liking. No offense .... but much to rural for me. I think with your $800,000 dollar range, you can pretty much choose where you want to settle down.

I then went over the "bridge" to areas like Sagamore Beach (LOVED IT THERE!!), Sagamore, Bourne and Sandwich, Mass. And again, its a matter of taste; but I liked those towns much better than the North Shore. Less population, but not deserted by any means. Super beaches, a short commute to Plymouth to catch a train into Boston. The close proximity to the Cape beaches. Plus all these towns had pretty much EVERYTHING you need - right there. Golfing ......yep. Ferry's to Boston from the Cape .....yes again.

If you love the ocean? Theres ton of things to do on the South Shore. And to be that close to Boston and the Cape.......is not a bad thing at all.

[capecodcathy]

Having lived both North and South, I prefer South. More spread out once you get past Weymouth. I find traffic to be worse on the North Shore. But I still love the North!

[brightdoglover]

I am a bit more familiar with the North Shore than South Shore. I think the water is a bit warmer on the South Shore (it certainly is cold on the North!) and I think the South might have more subdivision-type development, with the North having more of the charming/overpriced towns and stuff.
I have always preferred the North, as it's then easy to go further north, like to Maine and such.
For $800K, you can live anywhere you want!

[cousinsal]

I live in Salem, on the north shore. But, Salem is a lower middle-class tourist town. There is not a lot of wealth. We have our low-income housing in a couple of areas, and I live in a neighborhood with Victorian houses - I own a condo in one of them. There's also Federal Street with very old beautiful houses from the 1700's. And, it's nice downtown with little shops and restaurants. Of course, because of the witch history, there's all sort of "witchy" stuff all over. A lot of history in general in Salem, and some beautiful architecture. But, it's a bit of a "funky" town, which suits me fine. I don't know about you. I've lived there for 26 years.

If I had the money you have, I'd probably go to Marblehead, next door, which is right on the ocean (Salem has a harbor). Although, they say it's pretty congested now - it was "discovered" at some point, and a lot of affluent people moved there, pushing out some of the original residents who now can't afford the taxes and kids who grew up there can't afford to live there. I like Hamilton, which is quite rural, or Ipswich, or Newburyport. Those schools are probably good, too.

I know nothing about the south shore.

If you could find Boston Magazine (online, maybe), the last issue is all about every town in Massachusetts and all the statistics - median income, house price, schools, etc.

[holden125]

I like both for different reasons but I'd have to say I prefer the North Shore, partially from greater exposure. But I also like the rocky cliffs and don't like the SE Expwy. It is better to come into South Station than North Station for most downtown commuters, but the ride on the Greenbush line is slow and the other lines often don't run as many trains as say, the Lowell line. It's also nice to be closer to the Cape and MV ferry, but I think there are more towns to the north with an attractive classic town center. The towns from Hingham to Scitutate are lovely, but always seem too far from any major highways, though that is also true of Marblehead.

If you're going out as far as Lakeville, you could do fine in many north shore towns like Andover also.