How is living in Sandwich, MA? (Bourne, Forestdale: rentals, condos, home)

[missgolightly]

As far as the school systems go, I was in the Bourne school system for elementary school and was very happy, and had cousins and friends that graduated from Bourne High School and received great educations and went on to prestigious colleges.
I moved to Sandwich when I was 10 and remained in the school system until I graduated. The elementary schools are okay, but the high school is going rapidly downhill. They continue to raise fees, cut fine arts programs, cut classes and teachers. Both towns are nice, but I think Bourne is the better buy.

[Atlantica]

Originally Posted by missgolightly

As far as the school systems go, I was in the Bourne school system for elementary school and was very happy, and had cousins and friends that graduated from Bourne High School and received great educations and went on to prestigious colleges.
I moved to Sandwich when I was 10 and remained in the school system until I graduated. The elementary schools are okay, but the high school is going rapidly downhill. They continue to raise fees, cut fine arts programs, cut classes and teachers. Both towns are nice, but I think Bourne is the better buy.

I have to respectfully disagree and agree. Sandwich schools are excellent. They are one of the top school systems on the Cape and will continue to be so. They have innovative new programs and continue to offer excellent programs. They still do offer (and REQUIRE) excellent art programs from elementary to high school.

No doubt about it you can get an good education in Bourne too.
Bourne is definately a better buy in regard to lower taxes, lower housing prices (in certain areas) and you do get a decent education for what you pay. Bourne unfortunately has some very undesirable areas mixed in with some GORGEOUS areas. Buzzards Bay has always been a bit rough around the edges and that continues. The efforts to revitalize downtown have failed and it's sad. It could be a beautiful area. The only other negative I can say about Bourne is THE LANDFILL. The smell is atrocious and hopefully someone can fix that quickly. I haven't read the Times lately- anyone know if there is a plan in place?

Bottom line: the education and overall aesthetic of Bourne is not as good as Sandwich but it's definately "good enough" if you don't want or can't afford the housing prices and taxes in Sandwich.

[GMarcan920]

Beautiful town, really gorgeous but very high real estate taxes. We live in Cotuit (a lovely little village) and our house in Sandwich would be close to 2x what we pay. But it is lovely there.

[Atlantica]

Cotuit is a beautiful, quaint town. I love it.

I hear alot about how high the taxes are in Sandwich. They are definately higher than most places on Cape but having come from off Cape, it's not bad at all. I think it's all in where you're coming from and what you're looking for. For our family, we wanted great schools and the cost in property taxes was far less than the cost of private or even parochial high school. To make the point even further, my brother moved to upstate NY from a Boston suburb and his taxes are 2X what I pay in Sandwich and his house is valued at 1/2 of what mine is. He too moved to the town he is in for the schools.

On a happy sidenote, I feel pretty darn good about my tax bill. But please don't show me yours from Cotuit.

[Annemieke Roell]

Originally Posted by Atlantica

On a happy sidenote, I feel pretty darn good about my tax bill. But please don't show me yours from Cotuit.

My tax bill on my 2-acre place in Falmouth is in excess of $2K. The tax bill on my 10 acre farm in OK is around $200. Guess which one I prefer?

[Atlantica]

Originally Posted by Schousse

My tax bill on my 2-acre place in Falmouth is in excess of $2K. The tax bill on my 10 acre farm in OK is around $200. Guess which one I prefer?

Aaah but it sounds like you are truly enjoying the best of both worlds.

[capecodcathy]

Must enter the Bourne v. Sandwich banter!!! : )
As a Bourne resident for 12 years, I prefer Bourne over Sandwich. Sandwich schools have, unfortunately, lost a bit of their lustre over the past several years. Exhorbitant property taxes and no services such as curbside trash or recycling. Housing prices, even in this market, are still outrageous. The in-season traffic is horrible. Sandwich is a lovely town that I pretty much avoid in-season.
Bourne is more residential (fewer tourists and traffic). My daughter is graduating from BHS next week and has received an excellent education. My son is a Freshman. Both have been in Bourne Public Schools since K and 1st grade. Bourne also is opening a new Elementary and Early Childhood Education Center in September of this year (on time and under budget, I believe). Schools are very responsive to parents and encourage parental involvement.
If you think Buzzards Bay is strictly Main Street (which has quite a bit of revitalization going on) you are wrong. You need to expand your horizons into other areas of the village.
Property taxes are on the lower end of the Cape Cod scale and homes are more affordable.
All landfills have an "aroma" at certain times of the day and even then, depending on the wind direction. Most often only noticeable from the highway or Waterhouse Rd. Avoid living on Waterhouse Rd and you're fine.

[Atlantica]

Originally Posted by capecodcathy

Must enter the Bourne v. Sandwich banter!!! : )
As a Bourne resident for 12 years, I prefer Bourne over Sandwich. Sandwich schools have, unfortunately, lost a bit of their lustre over the past several years. Exhorbitant property taxes and no services such as curbside trash or recycling. Housing prices, even in this market, are still outrageous. The in-season traffic is horrible. Sandwich is a lovely town that I pretty much avoid in-season.
Bourne is more residential (fewer tourists and traffic). My daughter is graduating from BHS next week and has received an excellent education. My son is a Freshman. Both have been in Bourne Public Schools since K and 1st grade. Bourne also is opening a new Elementary and Early Childhood Education Center in September of this year (on time and under budget, I believe). Schools are very responsive to parents and encourage parental involvement.
If you think Buzzards Bay is strictly Main Street (which has quite a bit of revitalization going on) you are wrong. You need to expand your horizons into other areas of the village.
Property taxes are on the lower end of the Cape Cod scale and homes are more affordable.
All landfills have an "aroma" at certain times of the day and even then, depending on the wind direction. Most often only noticeable from the highway or Waterhouse Rd. Avoid living on Waterhouse Rd and you're fine.

Please join the banter!

1. Yes, you are right, there is much more to Buzzards Bay than downtown. Unfortunately it is a horrendous first impression. As far as revitalization- I drove through last week and have not seen any changes so I'm not sure what you are referring too.

2. Just as I shouldn't judge BB by the downtown, you can't call Sandwich "busy". The downtown is definately bustling year round. It's a great destination for shopping,dining and sightseeing. But you can drive a short distance in either direction and find beautiful, natural settings that will take your breath away and leave you feeling at one with nature. So call downtown busy, but the entire town? Not by a long shot.

3. Sandwich schools lost their lustre? Not sure where. I'd love to hear your opinions. Sandwich is adding programs next year including an innovative high school transition program and foreign language classes in lower grades.

4. Exorbitant property taxes- it's all relative. I've addressed that on other threads. If someone buys in Sandwich, they know the tax rate and plan accordingly. For many people, it is not a deterrant.

5. Housing prices- there are bargains to be had. I looked in Bourne but felt I got more bang for my buck in Sandwich- both in the house, services and opportunities for my children.

6. The LANDFILL. Thankfully, the situation seems to have been fixed. Yes, landfills have odors but the situation in Bourne was covered in various news outlets and the BOH was forced to have air quality tests conducted because it was sooo bad. When people say "Traffic on 28 stinks, they really meant it last summer in Bourne". It sounds like the problem was identified and fixed. Funny story though- when I first moved here I thought there was a problem with my septic system. It took me awhile but I realized it was at predictable intervals. It ended up we were smelling the marsh! Funny how suddenly the smell was "healthy and briney" rather than sewerage.

7. Supermarkets. Bourne doesn't have one! HUGE inconvenience. Heck I have to drive to get to one of the two in Sandwich and find it inconvenient. I love the Mom and Pops but they dont' always have the best quality, selection or prices. And as we know, I have to save all the $ I can to pay my taxes.

I'll give you these:

8. The water over at Bassett's Island (is that part of Bourne?) is glorious! The Bourne Braves are a great cheap outing and dinner at the Lobster Trap is great cheap eats and a great spot to entertain throngs of visitors.

[twiggy]

Originally Posted by hank c.

How much do you guys in the Cape pay for your average heating bill in the winter? Just trying to estimate cost. Thanks

I would like to know this too? Is it too bad to mention? lol

[Atlantica]

Depends. I have oil heat. My company estimated I would use 1,000 gallons of oil in 2008. There budget plan had me paying monthly for 10 months based on oil costing $5 per gallon. Fortunately, it stayed around $2 per gallon so I saved quite a bit and by February, my "budget payment" was amended and I was paying significantly less.

One thing I did find is that even with the lower prices, il ran .35-.50 per gallon higher on Cape than it did off.