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Yes, Virginia, there are affordable and family-oriented places in Massachusetts.....if you can drop your nose a bit out of the stratosphere and bother to take the time and seek them out.
Children playing outside? All the time. Structured? Sometimes. Town activities, etc. But when it snows? Snow Day!!!! All the kids congregated on a hill near my house. I started the fire in the morning, made gallons of hot cocoa, coffee and tea, and my clothes dryer ran all day. I had a stack of shovels necessary to clear off the local pond. You can skate, if you want to clear the snow. The shovels were also necessary to build huge jumps on the hill and luge runs. All kids (and parents) were welcome at the fire.
But, as soon as you and your attire were dry, your butt was kicked back out to the hill or the pond!
There are plenty of ways to "Make it in Massachusetts".....if you're not lazy.
We New Englanders don't like lazy. Maybe that's why we're overpriced? We're just weeding.
I look forward to your cards and letters.
OK, capecodcathy,
I will drop my nose out of the stratosphere and lower myself to a level where my reply to your post will be:
Blah, blah, blah (this is about K-2nd grade level).
The part about how you, NE-enders don't like "lazy" and this is your way of "weeding out" is particularly erudite.
Yes, I'll send you my grasshopper cards to your ant mail box.
Hopefully it will be all in all piece.
syracusa, plenty of kids still play outside. As I remember, you are renting and so perhaps didn't have the opportunity to look for those types of neighborhoods as a potential buyer would?
I haven't figured out how to "quote" multiple posts into my response, so I'll just make a few comments and hope that the folks I would like to quote know to whom and what I am responding to.....
First, the OP did not ask about school systems in the original query. I will say that I would put most of our public school systems up against most private school systems any day. I honestly forget which national magazine reported this (I want to say Newsweek, but not sure) but in many areas, sending a child to a private school and having them graduate in the middle of the class is more of a detriment in the college admissions process than having a child attend a public school and graduate in the top 20-50 of their class. Public schools have more obstacles. A student graduating at or near the top of their class is viewed more favorably.
Second, I've lived in Massachusetts most of my life, North Shore to SouthCoast to Cape Cod, and have yet to meet someone who inherited a house, never mind WEALTH! I must be missing that boat.
Or yacht, as the case may be.
As far as buying a house with plumbing or other issues..........where do you think you are? This is Massachusetts. One of the oldest states in the nation. We have homes built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Even those built in the 20th century are going to have issues. Do you actually know when in-house plumbing, electricity, etc. were incorporated into private housing? It wasn't all that long ago, relatively speaking. Homes built in the 1970's and 80's are NOT up to current code. You want to walk into a house and do nothing in Massachusetts? Buy a lot in a rural area and build.
Hotlanta has a lot of older, stunning, antique homes, as well. I don't think any refugees from Massachusetts will be buying those either.
You have to WANT to live here. You have to WANT to preserve and protect the history of New England. If you're not up to it, we wish you well in your next adventure. Bon chance.
Can it be done here in MA? Sure....you just need more money and realistic expectations. Is it harder......you bet.
...
The bottom line is that if there is not any reason you are tied to a higher cost of living area, I'd recommend leaving! (to the OP)
I agree with NY'er 100%. This is exactly what I tried to convey myself. It certainly CAN be done - but with lots of money.
Most people don't earn lots of money and apparently the OP is one of those "most people".
However...regarding this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by NY'er lost in MA
You can't compare things from the 70's to things in 2011. As silly as it sounds, kids are much different these days.
I disagree, also 100%.
I sure CAN compare things from the 70's to things in 2011; and you know why? because this is the only sane thing that anyone can do to put in perspective the insanity this generation of parents has chosen to call "normality". Kids in 2011 are absolutely NOT different from those in the 70's. Their genetics didn't just change in a few decades.
It's still the same 'basic animal we're talking about.
What changed is the environment in which they are raised, the mind of adults doing the raising (brainwashed by decades of "expert-advice") and the way said adults choose to constantly organize and micro-manage every minute of their offsprings' lives, to the ultimate detriment of everyone's quality of life: children, parents, community.
syracusa, plenty of kids still play outside. As I remember, you are renting and so perhaps didn't have the opportunity to look for those types of neighborhoods as a potential buyer would?
We are renting in a neighborhood that should be the embodiment of "kids playing outside". We rent in a town touted for its great "sense of community" and great school district (so many families with children here), very safe, end of cul de sac, the jazz.
At Halloween we could not believe how many children there actually are in the neighborhood because you can never see a soul outside the rest of the year. The neighborhood is literally DEAD the entire year: spring, summer, fall or winter.
The only way children do something is with a parent in standby: dragged to play-date, organized activity, or park.
Absolutely NO free neighborhood play is EVER happening outside.
EVER.
So much for great "sense of community". It sometimes amazes me to see what our contemporaries understand by the word 'community'.
Kids themselves may have not changed since the 70's but semantics sure have.
Wow! I didn't realize my OP would engender so much debate (and a bit of controversy too it seems).
As far as being tied to MA, my whole family is here (which is my mom, two sisters, brother, and four nephews and two nieces) but it is mostly my mom that I am close to and would give me pause of leaving. I think we would leave to save more money if a really good job opportunity came up in another cheaper, desirable state so that it wouldn't make financial sense to stay. For now we'll stay put because there's no sense doing anything without a job and work on increasing our take home pay either here or elsewhere.
Unless I were to find something considerably cheaper to rent in Massachusetts, I probably wouldn't change apartments because we like the flexibility of not being on a twelve month lease. If we could rent something nice that had a comfortable living space for a reasonable amount that wouldn't eat our whole salary, I would like to rent for a while. If I could afford to rent a 1000 square foot 2 bedroom apartment, I don't think I would ever want to leave. But with some people all I ever hear is when I'm going to buy a house or a condo because renting is like flushing money down the toilet (according the people) and you are building equity in a home.
Also, I don't think I have extravagant expectations. When I had been looking at houses on the internet, I was looking at houses priced up to $250,000 that are in the area of 1200 sq ft+. I would like to have 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths but could compromise to 2 bedrooms and 1 bath if it was in reasonable shape and reasonably priced, but that hasn't been my experience. I've also heard said that there's no real starter homes now, just condos to fill that void (which make me nervous too because of mortgage + condo fee).
Weeding out lazy people is nonsense.
Mass is so expensive because of the size of it's population and the fact that the average working class tends to over pay for their houses.
And when the economy is flowing with money up goes the housing prices.
They tend to act like their legislature does.
Quote:
Originally Posted by syracusa
OK, capecodcathy,
I will drop my nose out of the stratosphere and lower myself to a level where my reply to your post will be:
Blah, blah, blah (this is about K-2nd grade level).
The part about how you, NE-enders don't like "lazy" and this is your way of "weeding out" is particularly erudite.
Yes, I'll send you my grasshopper cards to your ant mail box.
Hopefully it will be all in all piece.
Such posts can only beget such answers.
KUDOS !
May I add that the socalled experts are being proved to be incompetent on a regular basis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by syracusa
I agree with NY'er 100%. This is exactly what I tried to convey myself. It certainly CAN be done - but with lots of money.
Most people don't earn lots of money and apparently the OP is one of those "most people".
However...regarding this:
I disagree, also 100%.
I sure CAN compare things from the 70's to things in 2011; and you know why? because this is the only sane thing that anyone can do to put in perspective the insanity this generation of parents has chosen to call "normality". Kids in 2011 are absolutely NOT different from those in the 70's. Their genetics didn't just change in a few decades.
It's still the same 'basic animal we're talking about.
What changed is the environment in which they are raised, the mind of adults doing the raising (brainwashed by decades of "expert-advice") and the way said adults choose to constantly organize and micro-manage every minute of their offsprings' lives, to the ultimate detriment of everyone's quality of life: children, parents, community.
There are plenty of us who have found ways to survive on far less than 100K per year or even less than half of that, myself included. No I do not have a palace, but it is mine and a roof over my head and have no real need for anything more extravagant (although some more land would be nice). Massachusetts has plenty of flaws but it is home and probably will be till my death. I don't need where I live to make me happy but all I need is right here. I can have peace and quiet, little crime to worry about, woods, ponds, malls, the ocean not far and despite the high population density you are without the feeling of being overdeveloped and shoulder to shoulder like NY, LA, Tokyo, etc. It's more on a personal scale here and the people give you space as well. But then again I am not bothered by not living in a McMansion in a desirable school district.
Syracusa I have read many of your posts, and I think your problem is that you need "the place you live" to make you happy. Instead of constantly dwelling on what is wrong with everything about Boston or Atlanta or the USA, try and find enjoyable activities for yourself. Volunteer, maybe work to improve the places you feel are so mediocre. Don't retract and say that wasn't your intention, since day one all you have done is over-analyze what deficiencies your eyes see in every location you have resided in. Work on becoming a better person yourself. I think one thing you have learned is that the grass is not always greener... Maybe by going back to Atlanta you will adjust your focus a bit.
And I repeat: It is not my or anyone elses job to make you happy. You understandably miss your native land, but as you've said you cannot be there right now. Deal with it.
Wow! I didn't realize my OP would engender so much debate (and a bit of controversy too it seems).
Also, I don't think I have extravagant expectations. When I had been looking at houses on the internet, I was looking at houses priced up to $250,000 that are in the area of 1200 sq ft+. I would like to have 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths but could compromise to 2 bedrooms and 1 bath if it was in reasonable shape and reasonably priced, but that hasn't been my experience. I've also heard said that there's no real starter homes now, just condos to fill that void (which make me nervous too because of mortgage + condo fee).
You can get a very nice townhouse with more square footage and less cost, but seeing as how my daughter just took an awful bath on hers I don't know if I would recommend a condo. House prices will probably fall 5-10% this year, so renting is still a good option for you. It just seems that you are paying exorbitant rent for a tiny apartment with few amenities. Quite a few landlords allow tenants at will. I would look around for a better one. $250k will only buy you a fixer (small) or a small cape in a place like Carver. Good luck!
There are plenty of us who have found ways to survive on far less than 100K per year or even less than half of that, myself included. No I do not have a palace, but it is mine and a roof over my head and have no real need for anything more extravagant (although some more land would be nice). Massachusetts has plenty of flaws but it is home and probably will be till my death. I don't need where I live to make me happy but all I need is right here. I can have peace and quiet, little crime to worry about, woods, ponds, malls, the ocean not far and despite the high population density you are without the feeling of being overdeveloped and shoulder to shoulder like NY, LA, Tokyo, etc. It's more on a personal scale here and the people give you space as well. But then again I am not bothered by not living in a McMansion in a desirable school district.
Syracusa I have read many of your posts, and I think your problem is that you need "the place you live" to make you happy. Instead of constantly dwelling on what is wrong with everything about Boston or Atlanta or the USA, try and find enjoyable activities for yourself. Volunteer, maybe work to improve the places you feel are so mediocre. Don't retract and say that wasn't your intention, since day one all you have done is over-analyze what deficiencies your eyes see in every location you have resided in. Work on becoming a better person yourself. I think one thing you have learned is that the grass is not always greener... Maybe by going back to Atlanta you will adjust your focus a bit.
And I repeat: It is not my or anyone elses job to make you happy. You understandably miss your native land, but as you've said you cannot be there right now. Deal with it.
Oh and don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Massnative,
I completely understand where you're coming from and I appreciate your desire to stay in Mass. because this is home to you and you are content with what you have, where you are. (To be fair, the fact that you don't need or care about a solid school district goes a long way in ensuring your contentment). Either way, I would never question your wish to stay exactly where you've always been.
However, this was a thread started by a person who is clearly experiencing pressures about "making it" in Mass and achieving the same level of contentment you apparently have.
To argue that anyone who is not content with whatever life they can have in Mass just needs to "work on themselves" or "volunteer to make things better" is not only misguided and trite but also unfair and confusing to those who struggle to get by in this very expansive, clearly over-priced, not-at-all-easy-to-live-in state, and who often barely have the time to tie their shoe strings, let alone turn into volunteeristas just to make all that "crazy stuff" in their heads disappear.
I am not imagining "negatives" in the places I reside, but I sure as Heck am able to identify the negative when the negative is there, and call it as such without blushing. I find this preferable to functioning exclusively on "positivity" - "gently" made possible by the addictive substance of one's choice: alcohol, drugs, prescription meds. Last time I checked, a scary percentage of the population was on one of those.
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