What's it like to live in Salem? (Boston, Cambridge: rent, crime)

[graham37]

Can anyone share some insights into life in Salem? We're a family of four looking for a walkable town with a community feel. We need to commute to Wellesley and to Cambridge, and we're willing to do this at off-hours, but we're still concerned about whether this is realistic. Ideally, we'd like to buy a two-family and rent out half. Does anyone know whether it's easy to find tenants? We'd love to be by the sea and walkable to train, library, shops, and would value input into whether it makes sense to live right in the center or not. How does the feel of downtown differ from other areas? Do locals think the prices in Salem are heading up or down? Thanks so much!

[holden125]

The commute becomes more realistic, but still long, at off hours. I know someone who commutes from Salem to Cambridge and it's hard.
Wellesley's even tougher.

If you want to walk to interesting things, the center's the place to be. There are other parts of town, like down Lafayette, that are not that much less dense, but are very residential. Not much to walk to.

The Highland Av. area is not really walkable at all. I'm not much of a fan of the Canal St. area.

Being a landlord is a big responsibility in Mass. Even if you find tenants, you have a lot of obligations to them, and it can be hard to get bad ones out, even if they don't pay.

[DJones2010]

Hi. We're a family of 4 that just moved to Salem last summer so that I could attend grad school at UMASS Boston. I commute to school by train & subway (to South Boston) each day and it takes me approximately an hour. I have a friend using public transport. from Somerville and it takes her about 45 minutes. My husband goes by car into Woburn, Cambridge, Boston, etc. and it takes him 30 minutes or so to get in, but a bit longer to get out (near an hour). He's not crazy about it, and would love to be able to take the train as well, but his job requires a car.

It was very important for us to be in a walkable place with a community feel and we have definitely felt that here. We live right in downtown (Norman/Chestnut St) and LOVE it. It was the best part of our move. In a few minutes we can walk to restaurants; shops; several awesome coffee shops; artist's row; a bakery; a couple bookstores; a microbrewery; a coffee roaster; a privately owned movie theater; the Peabody Essex Museum; and more practical things, like our bank, post office, pharmacy. It's so awesome because when we walk into the bank or go to mail a letter the people working know us by name. Both of our kids walk to school (you didn't mention ages, but we have one in middle school and one in pre-k. We've been pleased with the schools thus far, although they do not seem to be quite as rigorous as the schools in Cambridge, which is a bit of a let down for me). And while Halloween here was absolutely delightful, there is much more to Salem than that: for example, in February there's a chocolate and ice sculpture festival, and right now there is a documentary film festival going on. Oh, and from June to October we have an incredible farmer's market a couple of steps from us.

The commute will not be perfect (especially if driving), but the sense of community is definitely here. In fact, I've had friends from Cambridge and Somerville tell me that is what they feel they are missing. I would say if you can find something in the center it might be worth it, otherwise not. I suggest Derby, Washington, Norman, Chestnut, Essex, Church, or Federal St. as areas that would give you what you're looking for. Good luck, and if you decide to move here drop me an email so our families can meet!

DJP

[kmann-sherborn]

Salem to Wellesley would be an hour under the best of circumstances. Salem has some nice parts & plenty to do & reasonable prices compared with many nearby areas. There are lots of students (Salem State) so perhaps would be potential tenants if you bought near the campus.

One other thing to consider re: buying a two-family is that most lenders now require a larger downpayment than if you're buying a single-family home it's a good idea to talk with a lender, discuss these requirements & get a pre-approval letter if you haven't already done so. We have an investor client who has successfully purchased several multis and done well with them but it's not for everyone and it does have its downsides. You just have to know what you're getting into.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

I love living in Salem! I live 8 blocks from downtown and the best thing about living here is walking around town and taking in the atmosphere. There are great Bars (Salem Beer Works, The Tavern, Witches Brew) and restaurants. Engine House has the best pizza on the North Shore. It is one of the most affordable communities on the North Shore. Being near the water is great as I enjoy the Willows and Winter Island Park, and Marblehead/Swampscott beaches are a stones throw away.

Train service to Boston is good and frequent. The State College makes the area youthful and vibrant which you will pick up on in the restaurant/bar scene. The city has lots of history and character (and characters to be sure). What's cool is it hasn't been yuppified or overly gentrified or overrun by tourists and chain stores.

CONS: I can't stand that eyesore that is the power plant. It really makes our waterfront pretty ugly. Aside from Winter Island, Salem wateefront isn't that great, although nearby Marblehead makes up for that.
-Roads in Salem are pretty bad, highway access is rather inconvenient too. There is no rhyme or reason to the road layout here as it was planned by the goats in the 1600's. This makes traffic within the city pretty bad. The arterial streets such as North St, Lafayette, and Highland Ave have pretty heavy traffic even on weekends. There are backstreets to get around them but you take about 5 lefts and 4 rights to do so.

Otherwise those are minor Cons and a lot more pros in my eyes. I love living in Salem!!!

[Dawn917]

I just found this post and thought I'd ask about commuting from Salem, MA to Wellesley College. I'm wondering if this commute is even doable or realistic. Right now I will be renting a tiny studio on Wellesley as I start my new job but ideally I want to live in Salem.

[felix12584]

I went to college at Salem State and now work there. Not by choice. Salem is about 15-20 mins off the highway and 114 is usually a mess. Downtown is nice to walk around and you will see some interesting people especially in October. But come October you have to be ready to add 15 mins to your commute as the people come by the hundreds and don't understand how not to jaywalk. The traffic is my biggest quirk in Salem and the schools aren't doing as well either.

[SuperSparkle928]

Well, to each his own, and I don't want to be a naysayer, but I was on Grand Jury for 3 months in Salem.... I learned a LOT about life and the local crime there. (though there is a great Sushi place near the courthouse).

In terms of all the 'Salem Witch Trial' things there, more alleged witches were hanged in Andover MA than Salem. (just a useless piece of trivia).

[jmeraz]

thanks ,everything ive been reading about salem is bad ,not so good school system ,poverty its nice to read a good post ...im just doing my studies to try a move there so anything u would like to let me knw that would help me would be great thanks..-jessy

[luvmyhoss]

If you're a college student it's wonderful. Excellent night life. Horrible traffic and as someone said rt 114 is a disaster.
What most people don't know - Salem wasnt the original witch city, Danvers is. Danvers used to be part of
Salem and kept the witch village and church.