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Sorry to be a bit redundant to a similar post I made a while back...I can't seem to find that thread now. My wife has received a great job offer in Woonsocket. We are both white collar finance types and I'll have to find work as well. We are early-mid 40's with our only child just out of college, so not concerned about schools. We would really prefer to be in Providence and take advantage of dining, culture, etc. But I'm hedging my bet that I will likely find work closer to Boston vs. Providence (I don't see much around Providence besides insurance). Therefore I'm thinking we'll have to bite the bullet and live in the dreaded burbs. We know very little about the area, but I'm thinking taxes are generally lower in RI vs. Mass. Are there any higher end suburbs that would be close to Providence, Woonsocket, and under an hour from greater Boston? Looking to spend $500 - $600K on a home. We are moving from Ohio. How are Lincoln, Attleboro?
Sorry to be a bit redundant to a similar post I made a while back...I can't seem to find that thread now. My wife has received a great job offer in Woonsocket. We are both white collar finance types and I'll have to find work as well. We are early-mid 40's with our only child just out of college, so not concerned about schools. We would really prefer to be in Providence and take advantage of dining, culture, etc. But I'm hedging my bet that I will likely find work closer to Boston vs. Providence (I don't see much around Providence besides insurance). Therefore I'm thinking we'll have to bite the bullet and live in the dreaded burbs. We know very little about the area, but I'm thinking taxes are generally lower in RI vs. Mass. Are there any higher end suburbs that would be close to Providence, Woonsocket, and under an hour from greater Boston? Looking to spend $500 - $600K on a home. We are moving from Ohio. How are Lincoln, Attleboro?
thanks!
Some places to consider are Lincoln, Cumberland, North Attleborough, Mansfield, Foxborough, Wrentham and Franklin. Attleboro is a mixed bag (Cumberland and Lincoln have a few rougher areas as well). In most cases you will pay higher taxes in RI.
If you'll be working in Boston, you may want to try to look for a place on the commuter rail lines as traffic (and parking) are atrocious during the morning rush hour to Boston. The Providence or the Franklin lines would be relatively close to Woonsocket. Also Providence is 1 hour and 10min by commuter rail to Boston
You may want to consider towns along the MBTA Commuter Rail line if you think there's a decent chance you'll be working in Boston. Mansfield is a terrific choice. You're half an hour from Woonsocket, and there's an express train from Mansfield every morning that makes no stops until Boston -- it's only about 25 minutes to Back Bay. Honestly, I don't know much about it, but I've heard good things and there are some nice places in your price range.
Attleboro has two MBTA stops but is a city with some neighborhoods near downtown that are not very nice. This greatly impacts the schools. While you do not have kids in that age group now, schools have a big impact on home values and resale. It would likely have the lowest house prices of any MA town in the area.
I live in North Attleborough. It is a more suburban town. It has no MBTA stop (not far from stops in Attleboro or Mansfield) but has routes 95 and 295 running through it. It is also not far from route 495 up either route 1 or 1A. North Attleborough has a low tax rate for the MA area. RI towns tend to have higher taxes and some communities such as Cumberland and Lincoln also have a separate fire district tax. North Attleborough has higher home values than Attleboro.
Plainville is a bit smaller town that is part of a regional school district (King Phillip) along with the higher income towns of Wrentham and Norfolk. It has the casino and harness horse race track. No real bad part of town. Mostly residential.
Towns such as Wrentham, Foxborough, Mansfield, and Norfolk are much pricier for homes and a bit closer to Boston. Mansfield and Norfolk have MBTA stations. All are close to the 95/495 junction.
If you dislike the suburbs you really should at least look at the east side of Providence for a house. You should be able to find something in your price range. It is a walking neighborhood with cultural amenities and many restaurants, libraries, the arts, etc. You could commute to Boston from the S. Attleboro train station if necessary. Nothing wrong with the above mentioned towns but they really will be the burbs. I was in Mansfield the other day and found little to like about it. Lincoln is very pretty but the nicer homes are definitely suburban. Wrentham is very rural. Definitely spend a day or two driving around to these places. Expect that you will pay more for much less house than you would in Ohio, so start now to curb those expectations!
On the plus side, a world of culture will be available for you between the cities of PVD and BOS.
Sorry to be a bit redundant to a similar post I made a while back...I can't seem to find that thread now. My wife has received a great job offer in Woonsocket. We are both white collar finance types and I'll have to find work as well. We are early-mid 40's with our only child just out of college, so not concerned about schools. We would really prefer to be in Providence and take advantage of dining, culture, etc. But I'm hedging my bet that I will likely find work closer to Boston vs. Providence (I don't see much around Providence besides insurance). Therefore I'm thinking we'll have to bite the bullet and live in the dreaded burbs. We know very little about the area, but I'm thinking taxes are generally lower in RI vs. Mass. Are there any higher end suburbs that would be close to Providence, Woonsocket, and under an hour from greater Boston? Looking to spend $500 - $600K on a home. We are moving from Ohio. How are Lincoln, Attleboro?
thanks!
Franklin #1, beautiful bucolic friendly town, great highway access, train station right in Franklin with direct line to Boston. Otherwise, I'd suggest Stoughton, Foxboro, Neponset, pretty towns with easy access to I95 and train stations -- shorter commutes. Remember, the northeast can get blasted with snow storms and you could get stranded on any commute from Boston to RI or to the So Attleboro station. Speaking from experience. Massachusetts also has the best schools in the country; and, the best healthcare.
RI has great healthcare that is much more accessible than Boston's. The Op doesn't care about schools. Anyone from Ohio knows snow- sure we get less than they do.
Since you don't know for sure whether you'll need to commute to Boston- maybe rent for a year first?
Schools are a big issue on resale, especially in the OP's price range. Agreed that RI has very good healthcare, but RI also has a problem with physicians not taking on new patients. Then there is the issue of RI's poor economy, high taxes, corruption. Surely the OP is astute enough to read all of the RI threads on this forum. However, if the OP's wife has landed a great job in Woonsocket, then Cumberland or Lincoln would serve them well. Franklin MA also, very close to the RI border with a 'real' downtown.
Franklin #1, beautiful bucolic friendly town, great highway access, train station right in Franklin with direct line to Boston. Otherwise, I'd suggest Stoughton, Foxboro, Neponset, pretty towns with easy access to I95 and train stations -- shorter commutes. Remember, the northeast can get blasted with snow storms and you could get stranded on any commute from Boston to RI or to the So Attleboro station. Speaking from experience. Massachusetts also has the best schools in the country; and, the best healthcare.
No such town as Neponset. And Stoughton's not pretty.
I agree with Franklin, though. It seems the best location for him and his wife.
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Massachusetts also has the best schools in the country; and, the best healthcare.
