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Oh, I just realized another town that hasn't been mentioned... Hull!
I feel like people either love Hull, or hate it. Most residents (I guess former residents) I talk to complain about it more than anything else. The major negatives is some of the visitors it attracts. It's by no means Atlantic City or Coney Island or anything, but it certainly is the closest to it we have on the south shore at least in Hull's Nantasket area. People looking for a place to cruise on tehir motor cycle, or drive in their sports cars to meet up in the summer often target this location. The beach is nice, but it is public and there is a pay lot, which is a rarity on teh South Shore, so it attracts 'all types'. I mean that in that it attracts 'all types', not nessarily all bad, but... you catch my drift.
That said, the housing stock is remarkably inexpensive for ocean front or close to ocean front property. The peninsula also offers limited commuter boat service to Boston, and isn't that far removed from the commuter rail to South Station. Is it convenient to Boston by car? Despite being geographically so close, frustratingly, it is not. Because of the layout, you have to drive from one end to the other on very slow roads that are strictly policed by traffic cops. There's one way in, and one way out.
I've heard that Hull schools have gotten much better, but 20 years ago were not so hot. They do have a modern highschool, and based on what I've heard, the town has genetrified to some extent in the past 2 decades. Preivously and still to this day, it does have a strong core of blue collar residents. That said, the Kennedy's at one time had a summer house here. IE, It's pretty diverse economically.
If nothing else, Hull is an extremly interesting town with tons of character and idiosyncracies.
So where you're pinched is the $450K budget vs. the school district. Do you and/or your husband work downtown? If so, I think commute should be taken into consideration (eliminating Duxbury/Pembroke/Marshfield, in my opinion).
I agree that your best best is probably Scituate or Norwell. Hingham and Cohasset are too pricey for the budget.
Scituate is fantastic--I love it and we even put in a couple of offers on houses before we decided that we liked the privacy/acreage in Norwell. Scituate has a good school system, a great downtown area, a great "coastal" feel and you can find something in the budget. The commute can stink, but it's not unbearable.
Norwell does have a slightly better school system, but I'd say it isn't quite as charming as Scituate. Most houses sit on at least an acre, which is nice, and it's closer to the expressway (and shopping/restaurants), but really it just comes down to personal preference. I really love both towns.
but I'd say it isn't quite as charming as Scituate. Most houses sit on at least an acre, which is nice, and it's closer to the expressway (and shopping/restaurants), but really it just comes down to personal preference. I really love both towns.
I think you're spot on here, the divide between the 2 is minimal. One more quaint/interesting, the other more practical.
FWIW, I think I read somehwere that in this recession, Norwell has had the least depreciation in housing values than anywhere else in the region. IE, you probablyi can't get as good a buy, but whatever you did buy, would again, be very practical.
thank you Chaxey for all your input, also to everyone else who has posted. We are more than likely going to check out of the places since we are there, however I believe Weymouth is definitely out per talking to my husband. Norwell seems to be a potential option now. I am wondering if will be a mix between what we were used to and where we live now, so it is not too busy, but also not so isolated. The beach is going to be a big kicker though. I dont know if we can live too far from it now that we have been away for 4 yrs now. It is like air to us, however it is not the end all be all if we find the right house and environment for the family.
Gypsymama, I completely understand--it may just come down to finding a house you love, regardless of which town it's in. We lived in Scituate for a little while (among other south shore towns including Hingham and Weymouth) before buying in Norwell and I really loved it. There are things I like about Norwell more and things I like about Scituate more, but could have easily lived in either town. Good luck to you!
1. how are the schools there from elementary to highschool? I've had great experiences with the elementary schools. I have to add that due to the size of the town that the schools will vary. We live in north weymouth which has limited apartment building/ multi-unit dwellings which other parts of the town have which affect the schools in those areas for the negative. You can check town by town mcas score on greatschools.org , weymouth is generally above average.
2. are there safer parts to live in than others? There are no truly unsafe parts of town, we do have a "projects" and I wouldn't suggest moving to that area but in no way would I be scared walking past there at night.
3. town feel? markets walkable, parks walkable in a certain area? We have some great parks in the area, most notably Webb Park and Great Esker. There is a farmers market in the summer time at the Town hall.
4. time to commute to Boston? the beach? Commute to Boston will vary by part of town. Far south weymouth would take the expressway to boston and living in the north part of town as I do means you do not take the highway. I drive to the city at 6am in the morning and it is a 25minute drive.
5. Ethnic diversity? Very little, Weymouth is known for its Irish heritage as is most of the south shore. I would note that there is a newer wave of Brazilian immigrants but this is all of eastern massachusetts and may not last that long with the strength of the brazilian dollar/ weakness of american.
Some of the towns you listed just aren't comparables to weymouth: Cohasset, Hingham, Newton, Winchester, Lexington are what I would consider the top 10% of the state. A $400 home in weymouth probably starts at $750 in these towns. As someone stated before Weymouth's benefits are its great location to Boston and its location on the water. As for the the person who wrote about Weymouth being full of drug dealers, Scituate has 4x the state rate for overdoses, heroin is rampant across all of Massachusetts right now and the drugs aren't just affecting the middle and lower class towns.
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As an update to this thread: the town is getting worse! The only thing going for Weymouth is its proximity to Boston. Schools are not stellar. People are not nice. People don't know how to drive. There is little to do. The parks are garbage compared to neighboring towns. Great Esker is dirty. Webb park is o.k., but there are no decent parks geared for kids. The town can be wonderful, but I believe the locals and officials can care less. The town could be worse, but that's just making excuses. There is no reason Weymouth should not be nicer.
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