moving to Beverly, Ma. need information (Boston, Plymouth: for sale, apartment, rent)

[anabelleb]

I am 58 year old woman and disabled. I can walk and drive. I have a chance to move to Beverly, Ma. I'm looking for a small house and is the downtown area walkable. What can you find for 1200 a month in Beverly, Ma. Or other towns in the area of Beverly, Ma. Help Please.

[brightdoglover]

I think a separate house is unlikely where you describe, sorry. I don't know about the downtown but it is a very nice town if you do have the chance to move there. Maybe consider an apartment? Best wishes.

[unit731]

Beverly is an old New England mill and tannery town. With some fishing history. Downtown is a nice walk. But remember much of old time retail has moved to the malls nearby. Beverly Farms is quite nice and expensive. You would need a car unless living right downtown Beverly. Not sure what if any public transportation availble.

[wivenhoe]

Beverly is a city, but it is more suburban in parts where you'd really need a car. There are a number of MBTA commuter rail stations in Beverly and there is a MBTA bus that runs from Salem to North Beverly but it's somewhat limited.

Cabot St is safe and to the coast or Rantoul Street and is walkable. Stay away from Gloucester Crossing area...Bennett/Grant/Mill Street area.

Beverly Farms is an affluent section of Beverly and has a quaint center to it. It's a small neighborhood and you'd need a car.

If you're disabled and need greater accessibility and public transit, I would suggest looking around the downtown area of Salem. There's a number of disabled residents in the center who seem to be quite content. There are a number of restaurants, shops, and a small supermarket (Steve's!) in the downtown area. There's also more MBTA buses from Salem to the malls and other areas. The senior c enter is also active. You might find an apartment for $1200 but not a single-family house.

[anabelleb]

Thank you so much for your answer!!

[brightdoglover]

I agree, Salem is a terrific idea. I have friends who have moved up there and are very happy, including one guy who is a fanatic about public transportation and got a job working in the planning department up there! (In fact, he recently took a trip to Brazil, to work on his Portuguese and to study the transport system there).
When OP said "an opportunity to move to Beverly," I thought there must be something specifically in that town to move for. Salem is a great idea. Best wishes.

[konfetka]

Beverly is one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts. Originally part of Salem, it was a farming and fishing town, although currently it is still a top three largest lobster fishing towns in Mass (after Gloucester and Plymouth), which is celebrated by the annual lobsterfest during the homecoming week in August.

Beverly has a lot of firsts in the country - it had the first Sunday school, the first US Navy ship and the first cotton mill.

In the 19th century it became a fashionable summer destination to the "Golden Coast'' for the wealthy families from Boston, New York and Chicago buying up farmland near the ocean and building lavish summer estates.

Beverly was home to presidents Taft's summer White House. In 1911 Beverly had the highest income in the state of Massachusetts.

In the beginning of the 20th century it became home to the United Shoe Machinery Corporation, which became one of the first three international companies ever founded. It became a monopoly on shoe machinery, and employed half the population of Beverly, paying the highest wages in the country, and offered on-site school, a golf-course and a club house with activities for men and women. It also built a largest skyscraper in Boston at the time as it's worldwide headquarters. It's second president, the son of the first one, even bought the Boston Herald.

After the monopoly was broken down, the factory had to close and it was refurbished into office space and is now a business center for the area with 2 million sq. feet of office space and companies in medical, high-tech and biotech industries.

In the 20th century a third of all the old mansions was demolished and the land subdivided and sold, and smaller homes were build (unfortunately Beverly wasn't as fortunate as Newport). But a third was bought by companies and institutions, like colleges (three in Beverly) and private schools, and another third is still in private hands. If you go to Realtor.com, you can still see some of those late 19th- early 20th century mansions for sale in the $5 million range.

It's hard to find a house for rent anywhere near Boston, and in Beverly, but since Beverly has 5 train stations, you have more options to find an apartment near one and there are a few new apartment buildings coming up in downtown, since condos are not as viable in today's economy. So you might be able to find something near $1,200 that is within a walking distance to train, and downtown.

A place in Beverly Farms or Prides Crossing does come with an access to members-only West Beach, which is not even available to the rest of Beverly residents.


Other Beverly amenities include: North Shore Music Theater, Beverly Airport, brand new high school (built in 2011), several beaches, lots of parks and playgrounds, public golf course, sailing, fishing, boating, kayaking, outdoor movies and concerts in the summer, Beverly Hospital, farms, movie theater, YMCA and a nice walkable downtown with lots of cafes and restaurants.