Quote:
Originally Posted by hong konger
After 20 years in Hong Kong my Japanese wife and I are moving back to the USA with our 5 and 7 year old girls.
For various reasons we have focused our search on Tyngsboro and Westford. We are not rich but are looking for a comfortable and safe community with good schools and low crime (who is not). Any comparative views on these two communities?
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In many ways both towns are fairly similar. Suburban/rural, somewhat conservative, with pretty easy access to Route 3, which goes north/south from Boston to Manchester, NH. You couldn't call either town unsafe. Tyngsboro borders Lowell, but that part of Lowell is the most outwardly suburban part of the city. Westford's perceived as the more upscale place, and it's per capita income is a bit higher, but there are a few areas of town that are older and bear little resemblance to anyplace where you'd find new money. A drive through the main roads in Tyngsboro will lead you to believe that the town is relatively downscale, but there are several homes in the southwest part of town that look exactly like the homes you'd see in neighboring Westford or Groton. The fact that there used to be a strip club in Tyngsboro doesn't help it's image, even though it shut down years ago. Also, Westford's school system has a better reputation than Tyngsboro's, though again that might have something to do with Westford's overall reputation.
Westford has one huge advantage over Tyngsboro in my mind. Westford's amenities, such as shopping and its secondary schools, are located close to the geographic center of the town, which makes them easier to access even though Westford covers more land area than Tyngsboro. Traffic can be a problem on Rte 225 on Saturday, but you won't have to go too far to get to where you need to go. In contrast, Tyngsboro's shopping plazas and its secondary schools are close to the New Hampshire border, making them relatively far away from some of the newer homes in town and relatively far away from Tyngsboro center. If you live in Tyngsboro you're closer to the mall in Nashua (and there's a Trader Joe's!) but brace yourself for some traffic on a Saturday morning.
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