Relocating to Boston area (Marlborough, Westborough: cul-de-sac, neighborhoods, private school)

[peachto4]

Hello! My husband has just accepted a job in the Boston area. Does anyone any recommendations for towns that would be good to look in somewhere in commuting distance to Marlbrough, Mass. We have 3 kids, ages 7, 5 and 5 (yes...twins!) so excellent schools are very important to us. We would love to find a warm, young community. Our price range will be at about $700 k.

This is a very BIG move for us to a very unfamiliar place so any tips, advice, feedback (towns to avoid and/or look into) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks ever so,
Gina

[kmann-sherborn]

Hi Gina, Sudbury would be at the top of my list, for consistently having one of the highest rated school systems in the state, lots of community activities, beautiful trails, lots of sports & other recreational programs, nice variety of restaurants and shops, and it's just next door to Marlborough. Here are some links to school system info

The Best Public Schools in Boston 2011: In the Classroom

Top Massachusetts public schools

GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

The town was named one of the best places to live by Boston Magazine last year.

[MikePRU]

Sudbury has a very suburban even bordering on a rural feel in my experience. Is that what you're looking for?

More information would be helpful. What kind of hometown are you looking for? Bedroom community? Rural? Something with a developed town center? Easy access to Boston? If you can offer more detail it will only improve the quality of the answers you receive.

[kmann-sherborn]

Mike's comment reminded me, I wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal about Sudbury (as well as Sherborn & Bolton) awhile back. Here's the link if you're interested to check it out. An oasis by the city: Hidden gems outside of Boston

Please pardon my flowerly language....I tend to wax poetic when it comes to Sherborn! :-)

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by kmann-sherborn

Mike's comment reminded me, I wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal about Sudbury (as well as Sherborn & Bolton) awhile back. Here's the link if you're interested to check it out. An oasis by the city: Hidden gems outside of Boston

Please pardon my flowerly language....I tend to wax poetic when it comes to Sherborn! :-)

Wow! That is very cool that Sotheby's would take out an ad like that and then fill the space with articles written by different agents. Definitely good exposure for you and I'm sure not cheap for Sotheby's.

[peachto4]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Already this is helping so much! It's quite overwhelming to have to relocate and no nothing about the area! So thank you!

We are interested in a town that has a strong sense of community. I suppose we would prefer nothing to rural or secluded. Having said that we would love to have neighbors with kids our age on, say, a cul de sac or a nice friendly street. A developed town center is important as well with larger chain stores to some degree. We love the New England feel though, so not a place that is ridiculously overdeveloped. Access to Boston is not essential at all. My husbands job is in Marlbrough so a commutable distance from there is important. Oh, we also are moving from Connecticut so a town not too far North or East would be preffered.

[kmann-sherborn]

I usually find that Concord (about 30 min from Marlborough) is one of peoples' favorite places for a well developed, great walkable town center, oodles of community activities, and very highly ranked public schools. However, there aren't a ton of big box stores in town. Westborough (about 10-15 min from Marlborough) has a developed town center (though nowhere near as charming a one, in my opinion), and lots of big box stores, also high ranked schools & you'll get more for your money in lots of cul-de-sac neighborhoods. Both good options, just very different from one another.