Moving out of the City (Boston, Franklin: sale, house, established neighborhood)

[beancm]

We are moving out of Boston and looking to buy a home in the burbs. Things that are important to us are the school system and the safety of community. The towns we are looking at are: Holliston, Millis, Hopkinton, Medfield, Wrentham and Norfolk. I would love to hear peoples thoughts (pros/cons) of each town.

Thank you for your help!

[movingtolou]

Wrentham PRO's = the OFF Saks outlet, or course!

I looked at a house in Hopkinton...It was beautiful; but I think Hopkinton is suspiciously close to a Superfund site (a la Erin Brochovich)

[scarletfire]

MovingtoLou, the Superfund site is in downtown Ashland not Hopkinton.

BeanCM, Here's my two cents on a few of the towns you mentioned:

Holliston - A lovely quiet town, I like the cute Fiske's General Store, which has been there forever, and the friendly people at the little Superette convenience store. The schools are good and there are lots of nice community activities. (ps. For anyone in the Holliston area, I found this wonderful little store that sells baby products that are chemical free, like organic cotton clothing clothing and they are so adorable. It's over near Bertucci's.)

But I digress. Will you be working in Boston? If so, Hopkinton would be an easier commute if you're taking the train since you can get on the Southboro station near the Hopkinton line. That said, we live near the Sherborn/Holliston line and it's actually pretty easy for us to jump on the Mass Pike from there. Hopkinton schools are good also. It seems like the town is going through a significant growth spurt, and they approved the sale of this huge swath of land for a development so I suspect they'll have a ton more homes (= more kids in the school). The town common where the Marathon starts is quaint and there are a few mom & pop shops downtown. I like the little family grocery store (although they're closed on Sundays), the tiny hardware store that always seems to have what I need, and Hopkinton Gourmet has yummy sandwiches. My fave family neighborhood in Hopkinton is Charlesview Estates, it's walking distance to schools and EMC Park. Unlike a lot of the McMansion new developments it's a well established neighborhoods with lots of trees and homes that each have their own style instead of looking like little boxes all in a row. For higher end homes Springwood Estates near the country club is nice and is really convenient for taking the commuter rail. Both towns have a lot of family activities as well as active newcomer clubs.

Medfield is beautiful, has highly regarded schools, and has a lovely Trustee of Reservation land that's nearly 500 acres. Here are a few photos: Town Of Medfield

I hope that helps! I've lived in Hopkinton & Holliston so if you have ?s please feel free to drop me a line.

[CaseyB]

You really can't go wrong in any of those towns. If you need to commute to Boston via the train, then Norfolk would be your best bet, also you maybe should consider Franklin.