Where is HOME? finally~ (Boston, Plymouth: real estate, 2010, houses)

[lasttimewemove]

Help! My husband and I moved around a lot due to work for about 15 years. Now we have 2 boys (3 and 6) and want to settle in to a great town to give them some stability, at least a home base that will not change. We were both raised in the Great Lakes region, and want that type of simple childhood for them. Unfortunately, with houses going for $300 in Detriot, and IN, IL and WI not having much growth, moving back there just doesn't seem like moving forward. We have lived in San Diego and LA, too flighty for us, and missed thunderstorms. Lived in Salt Lake City for work for 2 years and really enjoyed the mountains, and the vibe, but missed water. Moved to Portland OR when the kids were really young, and it was just too suburban, postage stamp lots, and again...no water or horizon line. Thought about going up to Hood River since the microclimate there is sunnier, and you get the water element. But then youre over 1.5 hours from any culture and the schools are "ok". Thought about NW Indiana on the lake (family there)..but they are really hit by the economy. We have been in Vancouver BC for a year and adore it, but its just way too expensive. Can't get into our neighborhood for less than 1mill, and thats a fixer. But we love having water all around, and ski slopes within half hour, not to mention great cultural outlets right over the bridge downtown. But still we look out on green. SO! The East Coast, and particularly lower cape has held our interest for 2 years. My contract ends here in July 2010 and then we move. I really want to make it our last move. Please help. What fits? our wish list is: good schools, but not so academically focused that our kids are the ones you hear about in MA-breaking down into tears for fear they will fail, great community feel of like minded 30, 40, 50 y/o parents that enjoy being active, are involved in their kids lives, balance work and play, are eco aware, love getting outside, appreciate the arts. Good mix of political views, appreciate nice things but arent a slave to them. Love Christmas but would really rather spend the money on a family vaca to Thailand or Croatia. House, hopefully with water (pond or river ok!) view and an acre for under 600k? Want a huge garden, small chicken coop. Cultural opps within 1.5 hour drive, slopes within 2 hours, airport within 1.5 hours. want a place where the kids all grow up together. I worry that the East will not offer the kind of community center programs the kids love..skate parks, bike parks, wakeboarding, plus all the other ball sports, dramatic play, etc. Galleries and museums to explore? would love to be able to Xcountry ski from my back door! get a little boat. Listen to the rain coming in from the screened porch, playing board games with the kids. Want to be involved with the community, and help it grow in its uniqueness. Does this place exist? Really appreciate any input, and thanks in advance.

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by lasttimewemove

Please help. What fits? our wish list is: good schools, but not so academically focused that our kids are the ones you hear about in MA-breaking down into tears for fear they will fail, great community feel of like minded 30, 40, 50 y/o parents that enjoy being active, are involved in their kids lives, balance work and play, are eco aware, love getting outside, appreciate the arts. Good mix of political views, appreciate nice things but arent a slave to them. Love Christmas but would really rather spend the money on a family vaca to Thailand or Croatia. House, hopefully with water (pond or river ok!) view and an acre for under 600k? Want a huge garden, small chicken coop. Cultural opps within 1.5 hour drive, slopes within 2 hours, airport within 1.5 hours. want a place where the kids all grow up together. I worry that the East will not offer the kind of community center programs the kids love..skate parks, bike parks, wakeboarding, plus all the other ball sports, dramatic play, etc. Galleries and museums to explore? would love to be able to Xcountry ski from my back door! get a little boat. Listen to the rain coming in from the screened porch, playing board games with the kids. Want to be involved with the community, and help it grow in its uniqueness. Does this place exist? Really appreciate any input, and thanks in advance.

First of all WELCOME! Wow, I'm exhausted just reading your post. All that moving! LOL It sounds like you've really enjoyed your travels and connected with the heart of everywhere you lived. I am sure your final move will be no different.

Everything that you are looking for can be found here on Cape. First of all, the best 2 school systems on the Cape are Nauset and Sandwich. Nauset is lower Cape where you mentioned. Someone correct me if I"m wrong, I believe the district includes the towns of Brewster, Orleans, Wellfleet and Eastham. Elementary schools are not regionalized but middle school students attend school in Orleans the the regional high school is in Eastham. Sandwich is the upper Cape and has 3 K-8 "neighborhood" (I use that term lightly as the town is so big, it can be a multiple mile ride to an elementary school) schools and a 9-12 high school.

There is alot for kids to do on Cape and from the sounds of it, you and your family will make the most of those opportunities.

I only have first hand knowledge of Sandwich so I can tell you there is a skate park, a very active youth sports scene, and lots of clubs and classes etc through the Sandwich Community School. In regard to youth sports, I can only sing praises. My children previously played sports in a town where the values of the programs were backward. The coaches we encountered in Sandwich were wonderful and stressed sportsmanship above all. The programs are run FOR the kids and not for the glory of the adult. Each elementary school has it's own soccer, basketball, baseball and softball teams. There are also theater groups for the elementary schools that kids can get involved in. There is a town pool where kids can join swim teams and take lessons. At the High School level, participation in clubs and sports is huge. I attended the 9th grade orientation last night and was amazed to see 150 student peer leaders ready to help the freshman class transition. The International Studies Club has over 100 members as does the Knights Theater Company- the High School's drama club.

In terms of location, the lower Cape towns are anywhere from 40-60 minutes from the bridge. Boston to the bridge is 60-75 minutes. The closest ski slope (Blue Hills- a bunny hill really but it keeps my kids happy on weekends we can't get out to the Berkshires or southern NH) is 50 minutes from the bridge. Sandwich is located very close to the bridge- at most you might have a 10-15 minute drive depending on where you live in town. If quick access to the city and life off Cape is a must, Sandwich is the better choice, if not, the lower Cape beckons.


The simple life, galleries, museums and activities you crave can be found but now here's the not so great news:

Water views and an acre for under 600k will be tough in any of the towns in the Nauset or Sandwich school districts. Waterviews are coveted - I swear if a home overlooks a vernal pool in spring real estate agents list as "waterview" . With acreage, it will push the price up significantly. It sounds like you are looking for room to roam so the good news is a home on an acre for under 600 k is possible. You can probably even get a home where you can smell or hear the water, just not see it.

IN regard to gardening etc. The one negative I've found is the soil. UGH I previously owned a home on an acre that was once a chicken farm. I could literally drop a seed in the ground and get a giant version of whatever I dropped. I looked like a gardening rock star! Here, my efforts have been thwarted by the Cape Cod soil. I'm going to do some serious soil amending this fall and spring.

Good luck in your search. I have noticed in local papers lots of price reductions on houses. Those people who were on the market for top dollar all summer are trying to rally interest and unload properties before winter. It's a good time to buy.

[capecodcathy]

Beachcomber gives great info. I've heard nothing but good things about Sandwich and Nauset (Lower Cape) schools. Sandwich has a very high tax rate, though, and limited services (no curbside trash or recycle pickup, for example) and home prices can tend to be higher. Next to Sandwich is Bourne. Lower prices and tax rates. Less seasonal traffic, as well. Relatively new Middle School, two elementary schools (one brand new, the other getting some renovations). Newer Community Center. I've had two kids in the school system, 1 still in HS. Both good experiences. Bourne abuts Falmouth which has a lot going on, too, in theatre and the arts.
You may also want to take a look at Plymouth which is just north of Sandwich and Bourne.
All are within 1.5 hours of Boston and Providence airports (I prefer Providence - T.F. Green). Tack on another hour or so for the lower Cape Towns, on good traffic days.
Best of luck!

[CoastalMaine]

My recommendation would be Belfast, Maine.

[lasttimewemove]

Beachcomber4 thank you for thank you for the reply. Very helpful. Sandwich is within our search criteria, so that is all really great to hear. Other rec's off cape? I am mistaken in my descriptions, we wish to live no further out than Barnstable. So lower Cape is too far. What about some up and coming small towns in central or NW MA? Any small artistic towns with good schools, and water around? I have heard about N.Adams, Litchfeild, New London, Charlestown but have not been able to find much info as to the lifestyles there. In other words we are not married to the idea of the Cape, and if we could find what we are looking for inland it would suit. thanks again!

[lasttimewemove]

CoastalMaine, thank you for the reply. I had ruled out Maine for not being warm enough in the summers? And assumed very wet springs also. What are the seasons like there? any town websites/blogs you would recommend?

[brightdoglover]

I don't think the OP means "Charlestown" as in the in-Boston town with the old Navy Yard and Old Ironsides. Is there a Charlestown elsewhere, or maybe you meant Charlton?
The Quabbin Resevoir is in central Mass, and there are arty expensive towns in the Berkshires- lots of second homes and New Yorkers. Maybe a town next to, say, Lenox, or something?
I think North Adams wouldn't come close to your school hopes. How about something like Amherst/Northampton area?
What about work?

[urbie]

Originally Posted by lasttimewemove

Help! My husband and I moved around a lot due to work for about 15 years.

Very important question no one seems to want to ask: What do you do for a living? This will -- contrary to popular belief around here -- have a significant bearing on where you can feasibly live.

Urb

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by lasttimewemove

Beachcomber4 thank you for thank you for the reply. Very helpful. Sandwich is within our search criteria, so that is all really great to hear. Other rec's off cape? I am mistaken in my descriptions, we wish to live no further out than Barnstable. So lower Cape is too far. What about some up and coming small towns in central or NW MA? Any small artistic towns with good schools, and water around? I have heard about N.Adams, Litchfeild, New London, Charlestown but have not been able to find much info as to the lifestyles there. In other words we are not married to the idea of the Cape, and if we could find what we are looking for inland it would suit. thanks again!

I am mostly familiar with the south shore. Norwell is a great old farming town with good schools and the possibility of a home with a large lot. It would keep you close to the water. There is a great theater program in town as well. I do know their recreation department offers lots of things for kids to do and they do book up fast. The South Shore in general (when I speak of the SS I think of Hingham, Cohasset, Duxbury,-true shore towns etc where 600K will not go far) is faster paced and more competitive about pretty much...everything. I would not consider any of them places that would offer appreciation for the "simple life".

If you are still interested in a coastal SS town Scituate, is a good choice as the schools are good, it is a seaside town and there is a great mix of people. I find it very charming and more down to earth than the towns mentioned above. We strongly considered Scituate before our move to Sandwich. In any case, the South Shore Arts Center in Cohasset offers great art programs for parents and kids and is open to anyone interested in their offerings. There are numerous theater programs in Norwell and Hingham and the SS Natural Science Center offers kids programs and a wonderful preschool where the curriculum, while prepares children for kindergarten is nature based and promotes a healthy interest in science and nature. No playgrounds, no swing sets. Play time is spent walking through the woods and enjoying nature- even in the snow.

Pembroke is a sleeper town with lakes and ponds. Large lots are not uncommon. I do now know much about the schools but have not heard anything bad. I have friends who live there and like it very much- no complaints. It's a cute old farming town.

The 2008 MCAS scores are out and can be found online. They are not to be taken as the be all and end all of the measure of education but having worked in numerous systems, I can tell you I do see a strong correlation between quality of education, level of communication between schools and parents and parent interest and investment (time and $) and MCAS success.


I'm sure you will get alot of input from others who know other parts of MA better than I do or can fill in the blanks on towns I mentioned above.

Happy hunting.

[missionhill]

New London, N. H., is a nice town right on Lake Sunapee. I'd think this is to what she refers, rather than New London, Conn. Charlestown, N.H. too--who knows anything about that? Probably post on the N.H. board. Litchfield, Conn, is a small elite town, very nice but pretty rich. Within Mass I would consider the Amherst-Northampton area as very arty/crafty, interesting people, and good schools. Some nice country towns near there are Conway and Ashfield, Shelburne, Leverett, and Pelham--these are really country in look but full of interesting people. North Adams is up and coming on account of the Mass MOCA. Also in the vicinity is Brattleboro, Vt., with a lively downtown, food coop, very progressive. Many other possibilities in Vt. Peterborough, N.H., is a very nice town. Maybe Keene, too.

There is not as much water in Western Mass as in Eastern--not nearly as many lakes and ponds, although you have the Connecticut River. And, of course, no ocean. So if it's water you want, look at Sandwich and around there. Some more conventionally (though low density) suburban towns south of Boston wtih lots of water are Hanson, Pembroke, and Halifax. Lots of fresh water in central and east-central New Hampshire too, and all over Maine. CoastalMaine recommends Belfast, which is really great. A lot of this turns on employment--if you're job hunting you may want Eastern Mass or central Connecticut for relatively good job possibilities.