Your opinions on Seaside towns for a family...please (Boston: house, neighborhoods)

[Brooke05]

Hi,

We are trying to decide where to settle and would like some opinions on coastal towns with a decent commute to Boston. Ofcourse, schools are our main priority with two small children. We need children friendly neighborhoods, lots of parks and activities for children. We would like to be able to walk to shops, restaurants, etc.....if possible. We like a bit of an urban feel and not such a "sleepy" town. We have a budget of about $750,000. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Thanks!

[Beachcomber4]

When I think of seaside, urban and walkable, I immediately think of South Boston. Most people I know who lived in the area send their kids to parochial school. I am not sure if it is quality of schools or just preference.

Quincy is another. Again, not sure about schools but certain areas, like Wollaston are walkable and very close to the ocean.

Finally, Weymouth. I've heard people say good things about the schools on here. There are areas that have small downtowns and restaurants that have close by neighborhoods.

Hingham, is not urban, but has everything else you are looking for. In order to be in walking distance to shops and restaurants, you would need to live in the area of the square. Cute shops, great restaurants and the Fruit Center, a well stocked, small (read a bit more expensive) grocery store. Lots of activities for kids through the community center. That also would put you close to the beach.

Your budget will get you something very nice in Quincy or Weymouth. Southie and Hingham are pricier but you are paying for convenience in Southie and great schools and programs in Hingham.

Obviously my knowledge base is south of Boston. I know some will chime in about north.

[holden125]

I will chime in about north of Boston, which tends to be more urban than the South Shore.

Not sure how urban and non-sleepy you want. Unfortunately to some extent there's a tradeoff between urban and good schools, and pretty much any town outside of Boston can be "sleepy" once you hit 8 or 9 pm. Once you get past Revere and Lynn, which are not all that desirable, Salem is the most urban of the towns, but the schools are not great generally. While there are some wonderful parts of Salem, other parts have poverty and some crime.

Marblehead is a very charming old New England coastal town, the kind of place you really don't find anywhere else. It's not completely urban, but much of the older part of town is quite walkable. That part of town can be expensive and has a lot of smaller homes that are 200 years old. The schools are considered strong and there's a pretty good community. It's a fairly affluent place but there are plenty of old-time locals who are not so rich, and some down to earth local restaurants to go along with the newer galleries, etc. Marblehead is a tougher commute as it has no train station (closest is Swampscott), and the drive in and out requires extensive travel on busy local roads since it's not that close to the highway.

Swampscott is a nice town just to the Boston side of Marblehead. A bit less "unique" than Marblehead, but it has a train station and is fairly walkable, if a bit on the quiet side.

Beverly is not "urban" per se, but has a train station, highway access (though 128 in the rush hour is no picnic, it's generally OK the rest of the time), well-regarded schools, and a couple of downtown areas. It's generally a nice town but there have been a couple of incidents relating to a snob factor.

Manchester is a fairly well-off suburban town, with a small (but charming) center. The schools are supposed to be good, but the town is pretty sleepy.

Gloucester is more urban, but like Salem has pockets of poverty and the schools are so-so.

Rockport, way out there, has something of a downtown (and a million tourists a year or so) but a lot of the town is pretty spread out.

The only other place is Newburyport, way up there. I don't know about schools, but there is a pretty decent sized center. It's really a nice town to look at, but the train ride to Boston's a bit over an hour and I think, door-to-door, it ends up being just too much commute.

[clevedark]

For the South Shore, I would say Hingham. If you can get something near the village center all your needs will be satisfied, but your dollar won't go very far.

[Citizen08]

My parents have a house up in Rockport so I know the north shore area resonably well. A friend of mine grew up in Marblehead and that town is beautiful with good schools but expensive. However, it is very isolated from the highway and commuting to Boston and getting out of there in general is difficult. It takes 20-25 minutes to get to 95 from there.

Swampscott is quite nice; I'd check it out. The schools are good and it's a vibrant place. Salem is also coastal, but it isn't as nice and it's farther away from the city. Forget about Gloucester, the schools are bad. The downtown is worth a visit though. Rockport is very isolated, even moreso than Marblehead and it is very small.

Beverly and Peabody aren't on the coast, but they are more urban than most of the towns we're talking about.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by Citizen08

Beverly and Peabody aren't on the coast, but they are more urban than most of the towns we're talking about.

Beverly's as much on the coast as Salem is. It has a harbor and a pier, and Pride's Crossing is also in Beverly.

[brightdoglover]

Manchester has a commuter train stop, not far from Singing Beach. Lovely town.