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Old 01-25-2010, 10:25 PM
 
108 posts, read 263,459 times
Reputation: 70

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We are moving to MA next summer and need to commute to both Framingham/Natick and Worcester. We are looking for a quiet, not super congested town with a really good public elementary school (ie: a warm, welcoming school that offers art and music and fosters kindness and a love of learning...not just top test scores,) good preschool options, a fairly walkable place that is open to newcomers and has activities for kids/families and easy access to open space/the great outdoors! We'd like to find a 3 bedroom house (1800 sq ft +) on at least .5 acres or so...not sure yet if we'll rent or buy. (If we buy, we hope to stay under about 600k.)

Our short list includes:

Southborough
Northborough
Westborough
Hopkinton
Shrewsbury

We are coming to visit the area in February. Any advice on where (towns and/or neighborhoods) to zero in?

Any info regarding colorful details of life/schools in the above towns would be most appreciated. Also, please feel free to compare/contrast the vibe from each of them.

Thanks very much in advance!!
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Old 01-26-2010, 08:23 AM
 
Location: Revere, MA
294 posts, read 1,104,535 times
Reputation: 213
Southborough-definitely has all those things. My daughter will only be entering kindergarten this year, so I do not know too much about art and music in the curriculum. There are no public preschools here. There are three private preschools located here that I can immediately think of. We always have lots of town activities going on throughout the year for both children and adults. Here's a link Recreation (http://www.southboroughtown.com/recreation/recreation.htm - broken link) The public library has a toddler reading time as well as seasonal activities-i.e. christmas, valentines party etc. I really love living here because it's so quiet, yet we have easy access to the main highways. One thing to consider about this town is that we have no grocery stores, movie theaters, etc. 15 min. drive to the nearest grocery store. About the same for the nearest Target, Walmart, etc. We have some conservation land as well as walking and nature trails here. There is also Hopkinton State Park nearby, which has beaches, hiking, camping, boating, and horse trails. The state park would be easily accessible from Sbro, Hopkinton, Westboro or Northborough.

Northborough and Hopkinton are also quieter, less congested areas. I don't know too much about Hopkinton. Northborough is larger than Sbro but not huge. It is next to Westborough and Marlborough, so you are very close to the movies, shopping, restaurants. Northborough has some restaurants, a cvs, and some farms there that offer seasonal fruit picking and other traditional farm stand fare. I don't believe that Northborough has a grocery store either, though. I believe there is a skiing area in Northborough as well. If it's not in Northborough I think it's just over the borderline, in Shrewsbury.

Westborough and Shrewsbury will definitely be more congested than the other areas. I don't really know too much about these places either. Westborough has plenty of shopping options, but I don't know about outdoor space. Shrewsbury is the largest, and most diverse. You are next to Worcester so there are plenty of options there as far as dining, museums, etc. Also outdoor recreation.
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Old 01-26-2010, 10:30 PM
 
Location: North of Boston
3,672 posts, read 7,366,225 times
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I grew up in Westborough but I'm not sure I would recommend it these days. It still has an attractive downtown and top ranked schools, but from my understanding, the tax rate is very high and the traffic on Route 30 and 9 is very bad.

Shrewsbury is a very well run town and offers better value than the other towns on your list plus you can jump on the Mass Pike to get to Natick and avoid Route 9 traffic.

If I was looking in that area again, I would probably also consider Boylston, Stow, Bolton and Berlin for a bit more rural feel.
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Old 01-27-2010, 11:16 AM
 
Location: Red Sox Nation
675 posts, read 2,677,822 times
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I second Southborough. I have kids in K and 1st grade, and couldn't be happier with the public schools. FYI, Southborough does have a pre-K program at Mary Finn school. I would look into that.
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Old 01-27-2010, 02:14 PM
 
Location: Revere, MA
294 posts, read 1,104,535 times
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Yes, Finn school does, but although it is offered by the public school you still have to pay for it. I think that they offer a bus for the pre-k,though.(?) I'm not sure.
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Old 01-27-2010, 08:23 PM
 
Location: Quiet Corner Connecticut
1,335 posts, read 3,292,853 times
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I can't speak much for Southboro or Hopkinton, but the other three are pretty nice towns. Northboro is a bit more quiet, and not as big as Westboro or Shrewsbury. Westboro has a lot of traffic and a lot of office parks. Shrewsbury is conv. located next to Worcester, which is a perk. But it is a suburban town at heart. So if you was looking for quieter, Northboro would be a start.

Can't speak of the schools, but I would assume all of them are above average.
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Old 01-29-2010, 07:58 AM
 
108 posts, read 263,459 times
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Default thanks for your input!

Thanks so much, everyone. Very helpful!

I will look into the Finn School pre-K, and I've also heard good things about Southborough Village Preschool. It seems like schools are starting their application processes for next year around now. Any ideas about other area preschools to take a look at?

Last edited by naport; 01-29-2010 at 08:28 AM..
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Old 01-29-2010, 08:41 AM
 
Location: Red Sox Nation
675 posts, read 2,677,822 times
Reputation: 458
Both my kids went to Southborough Village PS. We had a great experience, and I personally know several of the teachers there. Several people in town send their kids to Miss Tanya's in Westborough, and are very happy there. Good luck and bundle up!
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Old 01-31-2010, 11:46 AM
 
48 posts, read 109,355 times
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every town you picked is good. shrewsbury would be the least desired...
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Old 02-01-2010, 05:59 PM
 
100 posts, read 294,322 times
Reputation: 55
Quote:
Originally Posted by naport View Post
We are moving to MA next summer and need to commute to both Framingham/Natick and Worcester. We are looking for a quiet, not super congested town with a really good public elementary school (ie: a warm, welcoming school that offers art and music and fosters kindness and a love of learning...not just top test scores,) good preschool options, a fairly walkable place that is open to newcomers and has activities for kids/families and easy access to open space/the great outdoors! We'd like to find a 3 bedroom house (1800 sq ft +) on at least .5 acres or so...not sure yet if we'll rent or buy. (If we buy, we hope to stay under about 600k.)

Our short list includes:

Southborough
Northborough
Westborough
Hopkinton
Shrewsbury

We are coming to visit the area in February. Any advice on where (towns and/or neighborhoods) to zero in?

Any info regarding colorful details of life/schools in the above towns would be most appreciated. Also, please feel free to compare/contrast the vibe from each of them.

Thanks very much in advance!!
Well without revealing the biggest secret in the Western suburbs, the only town to consider is Sherborn. I live there now, however have lived in Westborough, Marlborough and Marblehead previously. I really do not care for Westborough, Southborough because even Southborough is 27 miles from Boston. Hopkinton has water problems and town government issues.

The commute from Sherborn to Framingham/Natick is 10 minutes and you have a reverse commute to Worcester, which is quite easy. There are only 1100 house in the town of Sherborn where the roads are quite narrow with many completely canopied by trees in the Summer. Also there is Farm pond, open only to residents.

The schools are in the top three if not #1 in the state. Town is quite rural with no streetlights, city water or city sewer. Everyone has wells and septic systems.

I am not from MA, and have been to almost every town in Eastern MA. Even if you do not like it, you need to see Sherborn before you buy.
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