Would like to hear about Lincoln, MA

[ogre]

Originally Posted by jackshaw

We moved when the kids were 2 and 5. She argued for a town with a town center -- Lincoln's town center is a flower pot. She wanted to be able to walk to a) elementary school; b) library; c) a place that sold cappuccino (we used to live near Dean & DeLuca's in NY); and d) some stores. Moving to a town center, the houses are closer together, but our kids could walk to other kids' houses (or cycle later on). As they got a little older, crossing one "big" street, they could walk to a pizza/sandwich restaurant and a 7-11, which made them feel independent. As they became teens, they could take the train in to Porter Square and the subway to Harvard Square. Again, they were exercising independence. Relative to our friends in Lincoln, we played chauffeur much less frequently and out kids had more social interactions generally and certainly independent of us. Our friends in Lincoln drive their kids to our neighborhood for Halloween. You'd need a car or a horse to go from house to house in Lincoln (and I know someone who did it on a horse one year).

LOL about the description of Lincoln's town center (flower pot), and the picture of trick-or-treating on horseback.

Originally Posted by Amontillado

I have to agree with this. There's "walking" in the sense of going for a walk in the woods, and there's "walking" when it's getting to the places you have to go in town, like the post office and the town hall and the sandwich shop. But really, how many places can you simultaneously feel you're living in the country and be able to do your errands on foot? The two are in conflict.

Amontillado, I agree that it's difficult, or maybe nearly impossible, to find acreage surrounded by woodland and still be able to have the kind of walk-to amenities Jackshaw describes above. I think that maybe people who have cautioned that Lincoln is not the kind of place Jackshaw describes are not necessarily trying to say that one is better than the other, but are just passing on the info to people considering Lincoln that the tradeoff there heavily favors acreage in the woods.

Originally Posted by Amontillado

Maybe what this really means is you drive in from your place out in the trees, park in town and then hope you can stroll around and find what you need before driving home again . . . [That] rules out Lincoln . . .

It is true, though, that there is an in-between situation. A town's residential neighborhoods can be very spread out and woodsy, but there can also be a traditional downtown where you can walk around from store to store once you arrive downtown, even if you have to drive to get there. Depending on the town, and on what features someone is seeking in a town, it can be significant to make the distinction between this kind of leafy suburb and a town where most businesses are located in a commercial strip scattered along a highway. Lincoln pretty much lacks any substantial version of either the commercial strip or the traditional downtown. (If you're willing to drive a little way, though, you can find more substantial downtown commercial zones in nearby towns, like Lexington and Waltham.)

[brienzi]

Lincoln is a nice town with a Rural feel for sure. Only 1 area in town for shopping (nothing major, mom and pop stores), and that's very limited. My company owns 2 houses there, and one is up for sale if your interested..
About raising teenagers there, i guess it depends on what there interests are, as there is not much to do in lincoln, outside of the walking and biking trails. Sudbury IMO offers more, like Shopping and eateries and such. And Lincolns 1 or 2 pizza joints are terrible lol..
There is also Wayland, and Wellsley and they both offer more than Lincoln. Lincoln is one quiet community..

[jackshaw]

brightdoglover, our teens could walk to a town center and get pizza, ice cream or stop at the local 7-11ish store for junk food (ah well). They could walk/bike to the dentist and one even walked to yoga classes. they could walk or bike to some of their friends houses so before they could drive, they were more independent of us than their friends in Lincoln were of their parents. Once teens can drive, under the nearly universally correct assumption in Lincoln, Concord and elsewhere that you get them a car, the towns are probably more similar.

Amontillado, I'd like a more rural feel, but we can walk to trails on conservation land in 5 minutes or less and more substantial trains in 10-15 minutes.

[CliffBeach2001]

Hello,
Since many of the replies were written by people who don't live in Lincoln, I thought it might be helpful to hear from someone who does. First, let me start by saying we ended up in Lincoln quite by chance.
Lincoln is unique. I start by saying that because it is very close to Boston and yet, it is very rural. There is, and has been, a 2 acre minimum in town for many decades. The cost of housing is expensive ( though surprisingly far less than towns like Wellesley and Weston). Most people have at least two acres or many more.

Lincoln also attracts an unusual demographic. Sometimes, I think this is due to its rural character and at other times I think it is due to the fact that people are most comfortable living near others who are like them. So, the parking lot at the public school is filled with Volvos, Lexus, Prius ( mostly grandparents and older people) and also with a Rolls Royce or two. There are many famous people who live in town. Some are very much under the radar ( software entrepreneurs who sold their companies for millions and in some cases billions). Many send their children to public school. There are also lots of highly successful professional couples with no children. There are very few children per grade. ( about 45). This is supplemented by a METCO program where children come from the inner city ( think Roxbury, Mission Hill) to attend school in Lincoln. This program starts in kindergarten and continues through grade 12.
In Lincoln, most people are very highly educated (a Masters is very common and many have PHds). This means that schools are very good. There is an emphasis on education that is palpable. There is also some of the same stream of general competition found in other wealthy towns. That is, I want my child to do extremely well and go to a good college so they can have a good life. It can be competitive but much less so than some other places ( Lexington, Winchester). I think this may be due to the fact that many in Lincoln are "old money." So they are not pushing kids as much.
People often say that many children go to private schools in Lincoln that is partially true. But given the high income in the community that might be said of other wealthy towns as well. Many deep pocketed folks send their kids to public school.
There is a real emphasis on community in Lincoln. There are about 6K people. If you look closely, the demographics count Hanscomm air force base in the population but they live on base and are rarely seen in town. (I have seen about ten soldiers in uniform in 7 years). There is also another grammar school k-8 on the Hanscomm campus.
In terms of comparison to other towns, I would say that Lincoln is most like Carlisle, Dover or Sherborn. I would not compare Lincoln to Sudbury despite its close proximity and shared high school. So while you may be able to get more "for your money" in Sudbury you are essentially comparing apples and oranges.
Unlike many towns in Massachusetts, Lincoln has many people who have lived here for decades. This is the type of place where people settle and raise a family. It is also a place where people raise children who are pretty sophisticated. I have spoken to a few people who were raised in Lincoln. They say it was a good place to grow up. They loved the open spaces and knowing their neighbors. They miss the quiet and they liked the schools. They said it was a bit boring during high school but they made up for it in college. LOL.
In closing, in Lincoln you can swim in Walden pond, pick vegetables at a farm, go to the Decordova, ride your bike on the bike paths, run, take the train to Boston and ride your horse all on the same day. And still be in time to go to the BSO at night.

[495neighbor]

If you seek the densely wooded, intellectually minded town Lincoln offers, lack of shopping is really no concern. Wayland next door is building a new super Stop & Shop and has Whole Foods, Waltham on the other side has all the big box stores including Home Depot, the Burlington mall is only 5 miles up 128 and Lexington town center on the other side has a cute downtown, with boutiques and restaurants.

The DeCordova is a hidden gem with exhibits by famous artists and some of the best art classes in the area, beautiful grounds with sculpture gardens for picnics and walks. Codman Farms has many community activities in the warm months.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by kmann-sherborn

I was just chatting with a good friend of mine who lives in Carlisle who looked in Lincoln & said although they're similar communities that a lot more children in Lincoln attend private school.

If you like the feel of Lincoln but are looking for a better commute to Back Bay, have you considered Sherborn? If you search the forum you'll find lots of info about the town (much of it from me since I live here & love it :-), plus a few videos of the community. We definitely invest in public education here - spend more on education than any town in the state, ranked #1 public high school in the state, and named a Gold Medal School for college readiness three times in a row.

I love that we have a little pond here where you can swim & sail, that the town is committed to protecting open space (more than 40% of the town's land), plus last year we became a Green Community and are making energy efficiency investments that will lower costs and help save energy for the town. I like being out in the woods yet being really close to the Pike & stores. Those are some of the pros.

For cons: Taxes are high. And there's a lack of sidewalks in areas that would benefit from them. It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine. For ex, I could be car-free getting downtown except that the bike lane is too narrow and there's no sidewalk. But otherwise we love it here. Over the years, we've lived in Westborough, Southborough, Sudbury, Holliston, Hopkinton, Wayland & like Sherborn the best (though still love aspects of Wayland, Holliston & Sudbury).

Another town I would consider close in feel to Lincoln is Harvard, MA. It has the same refined quality. Commuting to Andover from Harvard, MA would be a better commute than Lincoln, with just a simple ride up 495 North.

[Parsec]

naport: I sent you a private message. Hopefully your account is still active

[CliffBeach2001]

The bike paths are everywhere in Lincoln. They act as sidewalks as well as walking trails. They loop around the center of town, go to the library, school, across farms and more. Everyone uses these. Because they are off the center of the road and often have a rock wall in front of them-outsiders might not realize they are there. If you get out of your car and look you will see the bike path. You can literally walk 10 miles in a loop. It feels like you are in Vermont but you are 13 miles from Boston. Kids use them for biking or safety. Although they are not on every side street they are on many of the roads which radiate from the main roads.

[mwj119]

All things considered, I'm not sure I see the value of buying in Lincoln over some other towns. That is not to say it's not a great place to live- It absolutely is. That said, I'd recommend looking into Concord/Winchester/Andover itself.

Andover ($$$) -Cconsiderably bigger than Lincoln, with many different pockets of town and a wide variety of sociodemo( predominantly very upscale). South of downtown Andover offers a more typical New England suburban feel with it's massive old colonials, apple orchards, and windy roads. North of downtown offers a more 'americana' feel, with 20/30's brick and standard colonials on small square lots, schools/parks/fields built into the neighborhoods, etc. I tend to like the latter, as it feels more like a community within a community. Either way, you have the schools and train built right off of downtown, with sidewalks that lead to the surrounding neighborhoods in every direction.

Concord ($$$$)- Somewhere in between Lincoln and Andover. It has the sprawl of Lincoln, with a very similar demographic. That said, it has a great sense of community and a very picturesque downtown with sidewalks that lead to surrounding neighborhoods, green space and two train stops.

Winchester ($$$$) - Would be my top pick- Essentially, it has all of the pros to each of the towns mentioned without the cons. Great downtown, walkable, great schools, best location (between Boston and Andover), and probably the nicest from an aesthetic perspective (although Concord could make a good argument).The train stop is built right off of downtown too.

Lincoln ($$$$) - Would be my .last pick of the four. Although it's beautiful, it's sprawl is a huge drawback for me. It has no downtown, and it's my understanding that the sense of community just isn't there (have some family friends who grew up/live there). Besides the occasional farmers market or sporting event, they don't do a lot in the way of events. No parades, street festivals, outdoor concerts, etc. It's also the furthest from Andover.