Easton-New Bedford Commute (Boston, Brockton, Brookline: low crime, homes, neighborhoods)

[vic2006]

Will be Working in New Bedford but looking at the Easton/Stoughton area for living.Is the commute too much especially in the winters?Have 2 small kids ,wondering what the schools and health care is like in that area?Thanks.

[lrfox]

You'll be commuting in the reverse direction of the "rush" traffic (assuming you work relatively normal hours) which is good. You're looking at around a 40-45 minute commute each way.

The "winter" commute is exactly the same as the summer commute with the exception of the handfull of days where there's a disruptive snowfall. It's all highway (24-140) which means that they'll be the first roads cleared. You're looking at MAYBE 8-10 days all year where the weather is going to be an issue during your commute and that's only if it's snowing while your driving. Massachusetts is well prepared for snow so it's not nearly as crippling here as it is elsewhere. My parents had 23 inches of snow Saturday/Sunday and Route 24 was clear by Monday morning. Even if there are 2 feet of snow on the ground, the primary roads are clear almost as soon as the snow stops falling (they also plow while it's snowing). I wouldn't worry about your commute in the winter.

I don't the the commute is terrible, but I'm wondering, why are you looking to live so far away from work? I wouldn't suggest putting kids in school in New Bedford (city schools are bad), but towns much closer to New Bedford offer the same quality schools and quality of life that you'll find in Stoughton or Easton. Lakeville is 15 minutes from the center of New Bedford and has good schools as well as commuter rail access to Boston, and wonderful suburban neighborhoods. Fairhaven is on the ocean and is 5 minutes from New Bedford and is a great place to live. Same goes for Dartmouth, Marion, and Mattapoisett-- ocean front, great schools, close to work, great neighborhoods. Healthcare in Eastern MA is excellent. There are a number of decent local hospitals (in Brockton, Taunton, New Bedford, etc) for minor emergency room visits and Boston is nearby and has some of the best healthcare facilities in the nation. Providence also has some great facilities. In terms of healthcare, you'd be hard pressed to do any better than Eastern Massachusetts.

[KathyMA]

I agree with lrfox. There are some nice towns closer to New Bedford like Westport, Marion, Fairhaven, and Mattapoisett. I have always found Lakeville to be a bit rednecky-YMMV.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by KathyMA

I have always found Lakeville to be a bit rednecky-YMMV.

I've heard this sentiment echoed before (mostly from people who spend very little time there). I don't see it. Maybe it's all those years I spent living in Maine that makes it hard for me to classify too many towns in Eastern Massachusetts as, "Rednecky" (there are some). However, I think the town has changed quite a bit demographically in the past decade. The commuter rail (and proximity to Boston-- less than 35miles) has really reshaped the town. Its average household income is $92,000 which is a lot higher than it was even 10 years ago, and higher than many towns considered to be more affluent (i.e. Easton, Mattapoisett, Franklin, etc). It's home to some elite country clubs (Lebaron Hills, Poquoy Brook, Lakeville CC, etc) and waterfront homes.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I would urge anyone who thinks Lakeville is a bit on the "Redneck" side to look again.

[KathyMA]

Originally Posted by lrfox

I've heard this sentiment echoed before (mostly from people who spend very little time there). I don't see it. Maybe it's all those years I spent living in Maine that makes it hard for me to classify too many towns in Eastern Massachusetts as, "Rednecky" (there are some). However, I think the town has changed quite a bit demographically in the past decade. The commuter rail (and proximity to Boston-- less than 35miles) has really reshaped the town. Its average household income is $92,000 which is a lot higher than it was even 10 years ago, and higher than many towns considered to be more affluent (i.e. Easton, Mattapoisett, Franklin, etc). It's home to some elite country clubs (Lebaron Hills, Poquoy Brook, Lakeville CC, etc) and waterfront homes.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I would urge anyone who thinks Lakeville is a bit on the "Redneck" side to look again.

I am basing it on experience from many years back. I had friends who lived down there before they relocated to CA. Lakeville sounds like it has changed for the better. It is hard to classify most things in Eastern Mass as 'redneck' because of the affluence factor. When I was younger, those 'redneck' towns were Carver, Kingston, Halifax, Plymouth, Wareham, etc. Of course, now these towns have probably changed too.

[lrfox]

^I'm not calling you out, nor do I doubt your experience. Like I said, I've heard it before. I spent a good number of years growing up in Freetown (right next door to Lakeville) and when I was younger, the towns were very similar (they still share a school district). Since then, Lakeville has grown by a lot more than Freetown (my parents are still there) and has become quite a bit more affluent. Lakeville really has gone from a non-metro town to exurb to suburb. I still see Carver, parts of Wareham, Freetown, Middleborough and a few other communities as having some sort of "redneck" characteristics. Don't know enough about Halifax and Kingston to judge and Plymouth covers such a large area that it's hard to categorize it.

Redneck is a relative term and these towns are a little smaller, rural and slower paced than those super affluent towns in the metro area (I'm thinking Duxbury, Hingham, Weston, Brookline, etc); but even the most redneck of them all isn't as bad as most places (like I said, I lived in Maine for a few years... I've seen some redneck towns). But they're still there... Lakeville's just sort of evolved a bit more than the rest in recent years.

[vic2006]

Thanks for the input to you both.My interest in Easton area was primarily to have more proximity to Boston,good school system,low crime but the communities you mentioned on the southcoast seem quite good.Is Raynham another possibility?

[lrfox]

^Easton's a nice area, there's no question about it. I'm just thinking it may be a bit of a hike to do daily when you can find all of those amenities nearer to New Bedford. Much of the New Bedford area is still within an hour's drive from Boston (only 25 minutes or so from Providence) and Lakeville is on the commuter rail line (New Bedford is in the process of getting commuter rail service) so heading into Boston for an evening or a day (work or play) isn't a problem.

Raynham is an option. It's closer to NB than Easton, but not by a ton. You're looking at about 1/2 hour each way which isn't bad (easy roads to commute on). Raynham is close to Bridgewater which has a commuter rail stop too. The schools there are decent, but I wouldn't call them stellar (certainly not "bad"). The housing selection in Raynham is odd. There are a lot of older, smaller (1950s, 60s, and 70s style) single family homes and Raynham is right on a relatively busy suburban retail strip in Route 44.

Is there any way you can get up to the area and explore the area before moving? If you're considering Raynham, Lakeville is right next door and really might be worth a look. I don't mean to push a town on you, but it seems to be a good fit with the direct rail and highway access to Boston, good schools, and easy access (directly on 140 and Route 18) to New Bedford.

Either way you decide to go, the commute shouldn't be bad for you. Easton's a great town if that's where you settle. I just want to emphasize that by moving a bit closer to New Bedford you aren't going to sacrifice quality in terms of schools and Boston is still very accessible as is quality healthcare.

[DreamworksSKG]

You can live anywhere in the area, and still get into Boston via commuter rail - Even Plymouth has a commuter rail to Boston



If you're working in New Bedford I would suggest
you look into

Westport - you could live down near Horseneck Beach and still be within a reasonable drive to New Bedford

Another couple towns to check out would be Fairhaven and Mattapoisett both are great communities and Fairhaven has a bike path between Fairhaven and Mattapoisett for recreation

Wareham, berkley, Somerset, Dighton, Rehoboth, Taunton,
Middleboorugh, Lakeville, Carver are all worth looking at

Lakeville/Middleboro both have commuter rail to Boston

Oxford and Acushnet might be possibilities to look into as well

You coudl also live on the western or Central part of the Cape from Say Falmouth to Bourne to Sagamore to Barnstable if you didn't mind the cape traffic, and the commute would be a bit longer, esp in winter.

My number one choices would be Fairhavne, Mattapoisett, Oxford, Acushnet, Lakeville/Middleborough

[Lowerdeck]

Oxford? Me thinks you're thinking of somewhere else.

Oxford would be like an hour and a half from New Bedford. Nice town, but way too far out.