Please help lead me in the right directions... (Boston, Lowell: crime, houses)

[curiouskel]

Hi everyone,

I am wanting to move to New England area. I love everything about it. I am looking at coastal towns or within a short driving distance to the water in Mass. I am looking for a town that has the image in my head of what New England should be with tree lined streets, safe neighborhood, great school system, lots of local restaurants and cafes(not chains). Somewhere that is amazing in the fall and at least withing driving distance to salem and boston. I know I am stretching my requirements, but hopefully there is a place like this other than in my head. I want a beautiful charming new england town, but not boring. I love what salem is like for halloween and I look for dowtowns like salem or newburyport. I want a beautiful downtown like those. when i see pictures of newburyports downtown and how cute the street lights, brick roads, trees,little artsy stores, it really makes me want to move. From what I hear, salem has a not so great school system and the houses I have looked at seem run town. Newburyport seems to get alot of tourists to by bus since it runs thru the town. Although I like salem, i am not looking for a city, but a town that has alot. walmart target and things like that can be within a short drive. I want to show you the street i live on and it is hard for me to leave the tree lined streets i love so much. Any direction you can lead me to would be so appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[gf2020]

Marblehead or Hingham?

[thenewtexan]

What is your budget? Where will you be working? Where do you live now, so we can maybe prepare you?

[peggyBoston]

Any town in the Boston area, including Boston itself, will be near the coast. Charming down towns like Salem are not everywhere, but are pretty common. Since the whole area was settled before 1650, real colonial houses are not that rare. The big building boom was during the Victorian Age, so most housing is pre-1910.

The big issue is price. Even waterfront houses can be affordable in places like Winthrop and Hull, but the commute will be a bear. Lowell, an old factory town, is also cheap with an interesting park in the center of the city. Trees like in your picture are pretty standard, just try looking at Google Maps.

Get back with a budget.

[konfetka]

This is Beverly

http://maineimaging.smugmug.com/Aeri..._raNXB-L-2.jpg

[LKW01915]

Manchester or Marblehead on the North Shore. If you are open to living on the South Shore, Duxbury is a BEAUTIFUL town, on the water and with an excellent school system. I live in Beverly-has pretty areas but others not so much. Schools are a crap shoot. If your kid(s) has no "issues", it's mediocre (at best). Special Ed-horrible.

[CJMoss]

You mention Salem, why not choose Salem? The folliage is amazing in the fall around the Salem Common, and the past decade has seen tremendous growth in the downtown area, restaurants, musuems, waterfront activities, etc.

[konfetka]

Originally Posted by LKW01915

Manchester or Marblehead on the North Shore. If you are open to living on the South Shore, Duxbury is a BEAUTIFUL town, on the water and with an excellent school system. I live in Beverly-has pretty areas but others not so much. Schools are a crap shoot. If your kid(s) has no "issues", it's mediocre (at best). Special Ed-horrible.

LKW01915, just curious - what made you come up with that conclusion?

I know Beverly is not Best of Boston, but they do better on SAT's than Swampscott or Melrose, which is remarkable, given it's 20% low-income, and earns it a solid "B".

[SuperSparkle928]

Originally Posted by CJMoss

You mention Salem, why not choose Salem? The folliage is amazing in the fall around the Salem Common, and the past decade has seen tremendous growth in the downtown area, restaurants, musuems, waterfront activities, etc.

Having been on the Grand Jury in Salem for 3 months, I recommend the OP look at the crime rate.

[konfetka]

SuperSparkle, in your opinion is the crime contained in drug-related circles or domestic issues, and what percentage of it affects a random bystander?