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Hi everyone.
I truly hope somebody can help me pick a great place for my family to check out.
My husband will be working in Raynham and would be fine with commuting up to 40 min.
What we are looking for is a warm family friendly town.
-Our first priority is top elementary/middle and high schools.
-Nr. 2 on the list would be of course housing. We are looking to spend no more than $450.000 for a good single family home.
-Low crime rate would also be really good.
Hi everyone.
I truly hope somebody can help me pick a great place for my family to check out.
My husband will be working in Raynham and would be fine with commuting up to 40 min.
What we are looking for is a warm family friendly town.
-Our first priority is top elementary/middle and high schools.
-Nr. 2 on the list would be of course housing. We are looking to spend no more than $450.000 for a good single family home.
-Low crime rate would also be really good.
Thank you so much
Easton immediately comes to mind. Also consider Mansfield and Norton. Bridgewater would have been a choice up until a few years ago but at the time there was a possibility of severe cuts to the schools and everything else. Not sure if they ever materialized, but you should be advised. Anybody else with more info feel free to chime in.
Raynham shares the same HS as Bridgewater (B-R, which again has been considered good), but I would say the town itself is less desirable being it closer to Taunton.
I'd add Sharon (25 minutes) and Lakeville (about 15 minutes away) to the list. Potentially even Freetown (10-15 minutes depending where in town you settle). There are a number of communities within 15-20 minutes that should easily fit the bill. You'll find most communities around Raynham to be semi-rural to suburban with few urban pockets (namely Brockton and central Taunton) here and there. If you want coastal location, Marion (my top choice so far due to the seaside location, excellent schools and relatively simple commute- 25 min- 1/2 hour up 495), Dartmouth and Fairhaven (each about 30 minutes away) may work as would Duxbury or Kingston (35-40 away).
If you could think of think of more detailed preferences, we could probably narrow it down further. There are so many towns within 40mi that fit. Would you prefer newer construction or historic homes? Walkable center or not? Rural, wooded, semi-rural, suburban, etc? Would you like to have ocean or lake views? Rail access to Boston or no?
Wow thank you so much for all those info. I was feeling so stressed out about the move, but this board is helping a lot.
Irfox, I would prefer the Suburbs and newer constructions vs historic homes. Both ocean or lake views are wonderful and a rail access to Boston would be great but not necessary.
Both my kids come from a high rated excellent school system, one is now in a gifted student program so the top schools would have to be my number one concern.
If these info help you narrow it down for me that would be wonderful.
Thanks again for all your help Irfox and Massnative71.
-Fnatz
Sharon has the best schools in that area. Marion's are very good too (It's the Old Rochester Regional School District in case you want to look it up). You'll find more newer construction in Sharon than Marion which has more of a historic seafaring village feel. Sharon also has rail to Boston while you have to drive from Marion to Lakeville to get the train.
Mansfield, Easton, Norton and Lakeville's schools range from good to very good; but I don't know if they're in the same tier as Sharon or Marion. Mansfield and Lakeville have commuter rail service while Norton and Easton do not (both aren't far from towns with stations though).
As far as aesthetics go, most of these communities are low density suburban. Easton has some beautiful architecture and a historic town center (really North Easton) with newer, low density neighborhoods around it.
Lakeville has a number of newer developments as the town went through a growth spurt from the mid-90s to present. As the name implies, there are two large lakes in town (Long Pond and Assawompset Pond) with neighborhoods surrounding them. Most of the homes right on the lakes are a little older.
I honestly don't know much about the layout of Mansfield and Norton. Route 140 can be a bit busy through both of these communities. Wheaton College is located in Norton. Mansfield has a bit of a town center where the commuter rail stop is located. I'd avoid living near the Comcast Center as it can be congested and noisy during the summer months.
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