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Old 07-13-2012, 07:08 PM
 
Location: Needham, MA
8,525 posts, read 13,910,379 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VTLiving View Post
I grew up in West Rox and I am having a hard time picturing myself in Natick for some reason. It just seems so far away.
I think if you give the town a shot you'll see it has a lot to offer. It's really not very far out and has many commuter rail stations and easy highway access. You can certainly live closer to Boston but you'll get a lot less house for your money.

In the end, searching for a house really shows you what's important to you. A big house? A short commute? Good schools? A rural feel? Everyone always ends up compromising on some aspects and standing fast on others.
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Old 07-13-2012, 11:48 PM
 
5,816 posts, read 15,852,537 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePRU View Post
I think if you give the town a shot you'll see it has a lot to offer. It's really not very far out and has many commuter rail stations and easy highway access. You can certainly live closer to Boston but you'll get a lot less house for your money.

In the end, searching for a house really shows you what's important to you. A big house? A short commute? Good schools? A rural feel? Everyone always ends up compromising on some aspects and standing fast on others.
It's a given that the details about what you'd prefer in the feel of a town will figure into this at some point, but if Natick seemed like a good fit in most respects, I agree with MikePru. I wouldn't dismiss Natick as a possibility because you feel it's far from Boston. If you're looking in the suburbs, you're already accepting the idea of living at least a bit of distance from the city, and Natick is a mid-distance suburb, not far out in orchard country.

Regarding Wayland, though it's true as stated in a post above that Wayland has no real town center, there is a small commercial district in the Cochituate section on the far south side of town. The layout of that area is decidedly suburban, with two small shopping centers complete with parking lots, and small stores scattered along rt. 27 leading away from the intersection with rt. 30, usually with a little distance between the stores and parking spaces in front. With that arrangement, the commercial district in Cochituate is not going to be what you're seeking if you really crave the charm of a traditional downtown, but in practical terms, the usual kinds of businesses found in small suburban town centers are there (grocery store, drugstore, bank, a few small restaurants, etc.).

The distance could be an issue in Wayland if you can't shake the idea that Natick is too far from Boston, since Wayland is a similar distance. Wayland also does not have commuter rail service, so if your husband would prefer to commute via the T, it would be a bit more of a trip to the nearest train station from Wayland than from some other towns. Wayland could be a good possibility, though, in terms of the specific criterion about good schools without the high pressure in some towns with top schools.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VTLiving View Post
Thats why I am asking if the "pressure" schools are really high pressure or is it just high pressure for the kids whose parents expect nothing but the best?
Quote:
Originally Posted by konfetka View Post
They might still feel inadequate next to their competitive peers and it would rub off on them. Wouldn't you want to be near like-minded kids and parents?
Konfetka makes a good point. Comparison to peers can create pressure in a situation where many of those peers are high achievers. I have two nephews who are graduates of the school system in Weston. My impression from the outside looking in is that the schools themselves do not necessarily apply a lot of pressure, though this can be tricky to judge, since a situation that some see as encouraging students to seek the fulfillment they gain from pursuing excellence can seem to others like high pressure to achieve big.

In any case, you've got plenty of kids there whose parents put on the pressure, but the environment in the schools themselves can also cause many kids to feel pressure to push hard for huge accomplishments because of the peers kids are comparing themselves to. When almost all of a high school's graduates go to really good colleges and a significant number go to elite colleges, and when the school routinely graduates more than its share of students who win big scholarships, annually has a hugely disproportionate number of kids who earn places in state music festivals, and might well be embarrassed if there were ever a year when its drama company failed to make the state finals, even with an administration that avoids a stultifying demand for super-high achievement, the pressure will still be there. Many kids won't be able to help feeling pressure when they compare themselves to the super-achieving peers who are there at every turn.
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Old 07-14-2012, 02:40 PM
 
374 posts, read 651,610 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePRU View Post
Does VT have state income tax? I know NH doesn't and their property taxes are outrageous to make up for it.
Actually, EVERY state in New England has an income tax. I hope that you think about this statement. Just because most people do not pay an income tax in one state does not mean that it does not have an income tax.

Bill
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Old 07-14-2012, 03:12 PM
 
1,072 posts, read 2,961,889 times
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The thing that is going to be difficult about this is you can't really tell how towns will evolve over time and whether they will become or still be "pressure cookers" in middle and high school (when kids tend to really feel it). I would put Needham, Newton, Belmont, and Brookline in the "pressure cooker" category.

One thing you may want to look into is the difference between Newton North and Newton South. I believe South is more of pressure cooker than North, but I don't know quite enough to make a definitive recommendation. Needham has made strides in reducing pressure in recent years, though I'm not sure I would consider them all positive.
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Old 07-14-2012, 09:58 PM
 
Location: Needham, MA
8,525 posts, read 13,910,379 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by n1ey View Post
Actually, EVERY state in New England has an income tax. I hope that you think about this statement. Just because most people do not pay an income tax in one state does not mean that it does not have an income tax.

Bill
What?

Every state has taxes and they're going to get you one way or another but not every state has state income tax. States that don't have income tax get you in other ways like high real estate taxes, high sales tax, etc.
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Old 07-15-2012, 09:50 AM
 
Location: Ma
211 posts, read 542,189 times
Reputation: 112
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePRU View Post
Does VT have state income tax? I know NH doesn't and their property taxes are outrageous to make up for it.


Personally, I find Wayland a little sleepy for my taste. It's a lovely town but personally I like to live in a town that has a town center and Wayland doesn't really have that. Although, the Coach Grill is yummy. The schools are very good though and it's a nice place.

I would second the suggestion of Natick and I like the idea of Needham as well. These are two really great towns to live in. Your budget will go much further in Natick and I actually thought a lot about Natick the last time I moved, but I really like Needham better for several reasons.
i grew up in Natick, they just build a brand new High School that opens this year and all there others school are new within the last few years..
Natick is a great Town and good school system. you cant go wrong. I also work in Wayland, i would never want to move there. Property taxes are outragous !!!! no town center at all, nothing for restaurants, food shopping etc. The town is very controlled to what they want coming in there. Alot of politics. I see clients complaining daily about Wayland and many moving out..Only thing it has is good school but you can find others in better towns.
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Old 07-15-2012, 09:53 AM
 
Location: Ma
211 posts, read 542,189 times
Reputation: 112
btw..the commute to Natick or Wayland to Boston IMO is nothing. Maybe 20-30 min depending on time of day. Im in Milford and dont work in Boston, but on wkends it takes me 40min to get to Boston/N End..not bad at all imo
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Old 07-15-2012, 01:25 PM
 
Location: Beverly, Mass
940 posts, read 1,927,681 times
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Just a personal example: my son goes to a public school, his best friend, our neighbor goes to a private school and comes from a family with high expectations. He wants to go to BC, now my son wants to go to BC. He is 8 years old.
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Old 07-16-2012, 09:48 AM
 
72 posts, read 150,969 times
Reputation: 23
Yes, VT has taxes on pretty much everything. They even let towns and "shopping areas" add their own sales tax. Imagine that! So Church Street in Burlington has an extra 1% sales tax on top of the 5% sales tax that the state has. Williston, where all of the Big Box stores are has an extra 1% sales tax too.


The more I think of it and read the responses here I think I should concentrate on finding a house in our budget in a town we like and where my husband can commute (and me too!) and I'm sure the schools will be just fine. Seems like Mass people over think the school issue a bit and I am being sucked in to it.

Last edited by VTLiving; 07-16-2012 at 10:41 AM..
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Old 07-16-2012, 08:31 PM
 
Location: Needham, MA
8,525 posts, read 13,910,379 times
Reputation: 7908
Quote:
Originally Posted by VTLiving View Post
Yes, VT has taxes on pretty much everything. They even let towns and "shopping areas" add their own sales tax. Imagine that! So Church Street in Burlington has an extra 1% sales tax on top of the 5% sales tax that the state has. Williston, where all of the Big Box stores are has an extra 1% sales tax too.
MA has that with our meals tax (basically sales tax in a restaurant). When they raised the sales tax a few years ago they made it an option where local municipalities could add an additional amount to the meals tax. I think it's up to 0.75% extra on top of the 6.25% the state charges.


Quote:
Originally Posted by VTLiving View Post
The more I think of it and read the responses here I think I should concentrate on finding a house in our budget in a town we like and where my husband can commute (and me too!) and I'm sure the schools will be just fine. Seems like Mass people over think the school issue a bit and I am being sucked in to it.
People in this state do tend to pay close attention to the school system. There's definitely a certain percentage of people who over think it. The quality of your town's school system also has a lot to do with your property value so I would definitely keep that in mind.
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