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I was born and raised in West Roxbury and lived there until I went to college. Long story short, I moved to Arkansas where I have lived until now. I am contemplating accepting a position in Westford, MA so I can be closer to my parents who still live in West Roxbury.
I am looking for an affordable place to rent (and maybe someday buy) somewhat close to work and kind of in between Westford and West Roxbury. I'm a single 38 year old man who likes to have a little fun and enjoys the outdoors, but my days of wild partying are over. I also have a dog that I want to have a little yard space for.
I have been looking at Maynard and Marlborough pretty hard. I would love to hear other people's opinions though. Thanks!
Whoops! good catch tiger. i wrote this before lunch. blood sugar was low. Thanks for the advice.. you have much experience in marlborough? what's the rental market like?
It can be tough to find a rental with a dog and yard. Maynard and Marlboro sound like good options. I'd suggest getting each town's local edition of the Community Newspaper Group (comes out on Thursdays, in convenience stores, dunno about online) and the rental ads and all are often small landlords, like a two-family house or such, not big complexes or property management with a blanket "no dogs," and I think you'd have a better chance of finding a suitable apartment through the local ads.
There are plenty of dog-walk services and doggy day care in both towns, too. Best wishes.
Maynard was the first town that came to mind as I read your opening post. One point I'm not sure about is how many rental properties are available in Maynard. If you can find some good rental options, Maynard is worth a look. The town is a bit of a small urban island surrounded by orchard and truck farm exurbia. Unlike the semi-rural towns nearby, Maynard is an old mill town, with a revitalized downtown with some restaurants and such, and a mix of blue collar and young professionals/young families in its populace.
Depending on whether you'd prefer to be closer to either Westford or W. Rox., and how close to either you'd like to be, you might check out downtown Waltham. While the rest of Waltham has a suburban character, downtown has a young professionals crowd, some ethnic variety, a bunch of restaurants, and a sort of out-of-the-mainstream movie theater (not necessarily purely an artsy theater, but not your run-of-the-mill big hits megaplex theater either). It would be a reverse commute to Westford, and, outside of rush hours, an easy ride down 128 to W. Rox.
I thought about Waltham a little. My uncle and aunt lived there until they both passed away relatively recently. It seems just a little too far from where I might work, even with the reverse commute. The rental market is a little more competitive there though, so that's something to consider. Thanks for putting it back on my radar.
Yes, Waltham is probably worth keeping on the list of possibilities at this point. What is about the maximum you'd prefer to have to deal with for a commute?
Maynard may be a better option than Marlborough in regards to places to walk your dog. (Large tracts of conservation land on the south side of town.) Marlborough is a little more congested -- it could add 10 minutes to your commute just getting out of town and onto 495. From Maynard, you have a lot of very pleasant 2 lane options for getting to Westford. (They'd be pretty, too.)
There are rentals in Maynard -- most of them close to the downtown. They can be quite reasonable, considering the area.
Don't count out West Concord, either. Yes, I know, Concord real estate is insane, but they do have some rentals, especially on the west side of town, that could fit your needs.
Another backup to Marlborough would be Hudson, MA. Not quite as congested and a bit closer to Westford.
Realistically, about a half hour commute or less to work is what I would prefer- 15-20 minutes would be ideal. I'd go a little bit further if it meant finding somewhere that was super dog friendly though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ogre
Yes, Waltham is probably worth keeping on the list of possibilities at this point. What is about the maximum you'd prefer to have to deal with for a commute?
Hadn't considered Hudson, honestly. Anybody care to chime in with their opinions?
Thanks for all the great feedback everybody.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LivingBeyond495
Maynard may be a better option than Marlborough in regards to places to walk your dog. (Large tracts of conservation land on the south side of town.) Marlborough is a little more congested -- it could add 10 minutes to your commute just getting out of town and onto 495. From Maynard, you have a lot of very pleasant 2 lane options for getting to Westford. (They'd be pretty, too.)
There are rentals in Maynard -- most of them close to the downtown. They can be quite reasonable, considering the area.
Don't count out West Concord, either. Yes, I know, Concord real estate is insane, but they do have some rentals, especially on the west side of town, that could fit your needs.
Another backup to Marlborough would be Hudson, MA. Not quite as congested and a bit closer to Westford.
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