Fitchburg/Leominster/Ayer (Boston, Billerica, Watertown: 2010, living in, rail)

[meltinjohn]

I dont know what it is, but this general part of MA has quite a homey feel to it unlike some of the other parts. Is this part of MA gaining people lately I wonder?
Also, I notice the T goes right from Ayer to Boston. That like an hr ride?
It seems kinda convenient to be there seeing its like the country + not too far access to Boston area especially from route 2.
Thoughts?

[Lowerdeck]

T goes to Fitchburg, stops in Leominster and Ayer. No clue on the times to North Station.

I been up to Shirley a few times in the last couple of months, nice little town. Been to Leominster a few times also, doesn't seem bad either.

[brightdoglover]

Ayer is about 18 miles closer in towards town on Rt.2 from Leominster, and Fitchburg is a few miles even further west from Leominster.
Ayer is an OK town, recovering from the loss of Ft. Devens. Pretty quiet, decent housing, and the T. Leominster is about 18 miles west of there, with a T stop. Some of Leominster is rural-ish and very nice. A lot of low-riders roar through Leominster on main roads to Fitchburg.
And most of Fitchburg is very sketchy. A lot of drugs/welfare/poverty and so on.
I lived in Leominster for almost a year, and thought it was quite OK except for proximity to Fitchburg. I live five miles from Ayer now and think Ayer is quite nice, and yes, you can live semi-rural and still get into town easily by T or Rt. 2.

[DreamworksSKG]

For times check the mbta webpage and click on commuter rail
click on the Fitchburg Line
MBTA.com > Official Website for Greater Boston's Public Transportation System

I would say forget about Fitchburg

Leominster is all-right

Ayer would be your best choice if you can afford the area.

otherwise I'd say Lemonister. next

You should definitley check out Littleton As well, there's a littleton/495 station into Boston as well
nice town

Also Acton and South Acton. there's a commuter rail stop in S. Acton

and again Concord is pretty cool too
(commuter rail stop right in downtown)

[meltinjohn]

This is seriously an area I wouldnt mind living in especially for a place far from Boston, although Im more of a city guy so Watertown is a place Id like to be. The feel is just comfortable out that way even in Littleton too. Westford people actually dont have too far of a drive to catch the T either.
I'm currently in Billerica, but like that area to a degree as well as the Hollis/Nashua area.

[LeavingMA]

Originally Posted by meltinjohn

I dont know what it is, but this general part of MA has quite a homey feel to it unlike some of the other parts. Is this part of MA gaining people lately I wonder?
Also, I notice the T goes right from Ayer to Boston. That like an hr ride?
It seems kinda convenient to be there seeing its like the country + not too far access to Boston area especially from route 2.
Thoughts?

Really no parts of MA are gaining any significant amount of people. They are already saying that MA will lose another representative after the 2010 census. The T takes about an hour from Leominster, a little less from Ayer. Leominster has around 43,000 people, Fitchburg around 40,000. Fitchburg isn't as bad as people make it out to as long as you stay away from certain areas. I know many people who live on the Fitchburg-Leominster line and never go anywhere near or need to go near the bad parts of Fitchburg.

Leominster has all the amentities you would need on a daily basis. You can get to Boston from Leominster in about 45-60 minutes without traffic. With decent traffic it will take about 1 hr 15 minutes to 1 hr 30 minutes. Ayer is smaller than Leominster and Fitchburg and is different because it used to rely on Fort Devens. Ayer is a little closer but also more expensive and doesn't quite have all the amentities of Leominster. All those towns are far enough from Boston that you don't get the "Boston mentality" as much.