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My family is relocating from NY (long island specifically) to MA for work. My husband and I will be working in Back Bay. We are considering towns that would allow us easy access to a train line but that will provide great schools (we have a 1st grader and soon to be pre-k). The towns we are considering are Sharon, Easton, Franklin and possibly Holliston and Medway. Any info or opinions on these towns and the commute would be great. It seems commutes from Holliston & Medway would be tough. We are looking for towns with friendly people. We are a Jewish and hispanic household which was never an issue on Long Island and not sure if it would be in any of the towns above. We want to be close to good shopping and food. Being from NY there is no sticker shock. Any other suggestions are definitely welcomed.
Welcome to the forum! Like a lot of people who post here for the first time you've left out one key piece of information . . . your housing budget! Like NY state some locations can be more pricey than others, but offer increased ammenities like more highly thought of school systems, more public transportation options, a more developed town center, etc, etc, etc. So, your budget is a big factor.
Also, I noticed that you've picked a lot towns along the 495 belt. What is it exactly that drew you to these towns? Sharon is actually a very quiet town for example and is definitely lacking in shopping/restaurants which you mentioned was something you wanted.
Franklin, Sharon (both have direct service to Back Bay), and Easton (next door in Mansfield, Stoughton or Sharon) are all good choices. Personally I think Franklin is great. It is the largest of the 3 and has a good mix although not a significant amount of racial diversity. Don't think any of that will be an issue there. The town has a good amount of ammenities and a generally welcoming/strong community.
Sharon is a much smaller/quieter place. It is known for it's Jewish population, but do not really know how others will be received. There will be no kind of hostility or anything, I have just heard it can seem insular to non-Jews or even Jews from elsewhere. It doesn't have the friendlier feel that Franklin does. There is very little for shopping/food, and the taxes are very high. On the upside, the schools are very strong.
In addition to those towns I would also consider Walpole, Foxborough and Mansfield.
As for Medway and Holliston, they are less convenient commute-wise (no train or highway access) and you will have to travel out of town for all but the basics. Nice towns though.
Welcome to the forum! Like a lot of people who post here for the first time you've left out one key piece of information . . . your housing budget! Like NY state some locations can be more pricey than others, but offer increased ammenities like more highly thought of school systems, more public transportation options, a more developed town center, etc, etc, etc. So, your budget is a big factor.
Also, I noticed that you've picked a lot towns along the 495 belt. What is it exactly that drew you to these towns? Sharon is actually a very quiet town for example and is definitely lacking in shopping/restaurants which you mentioned was something you wanted.
Good point, a higher budget might put you somewhere closer ie. Canton, Westwood, Needham, etc.
Or maybe there is something drawing you to the places you mentioned?
towns on the North Shore? Swampscott has, by far, the largest Jewish population. Schools are good and there's a commuter rail (train) stop to Boston.
True but trains from the North Shore end up in North Station which makes a commute into Back Bay longer. Ideally if you're working in that area you'd want to live on the Green line or a rail line with a stop in BB. None of the towns in the Ops list have rail lines that stop in BB which is partly why I asked how they picked the towns on their list.
Thanks for the responses, @MassNative and MikePru- we are both commuting into Backbay so the ease of commute is probably what is drawing me to the towns listed, they also seem to have strong schools. Franklin, through research seems like the most welcoming town but have some concerns about the High School. I read some articles that the building and amenities for students were really outdated. That also seems like the slowest commute line into backbay. Sharon as you noted has strong schools, but we don't know much about the community so thanks for the info. Mansfield and Foxborough were on our list as well. Any opinions on Easton? As for budget, we live in a middle to upper class community in Nassau County on Long Island so the prices on 2500 sq ft and 4 bedrooms that we have seen online in these town are pretty comparable to the prices where we are now (500's).
You might also consider Hopkinton, which is an attractive suburb with a highly rated school system that was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a Gold Medal School for college readiness. If you live near the Southborough/Hopkinton or Hopkinton/Ashland line you can take the express train into Back Bay in about 50 minutes. There's lots to do in town: two lakes for swimming & boating, lots of festivals, movies & concerts on the pretty town common, many sports & other recreational activities, an active mom's group, etc. Most of my friends in town who are Jewish attend the Reform temple in Westborough where my folks go. They just got a new rabbi who I've heard wonderful things about. There's also a Conservative temple in town that I don't belong to but a good friend of mine is involved with the education programs there if you're interested to chat with someone there.
They live in Westborough, which also is a lovely town with train access, just one stop further away on the Worcester/Framingham train line. They also have well regarded schools, lots of town activities, sports programs, arts programs, etc for children, but are larger & have more shops and restaurants and such than Hopkinton, which still has more of a smaller town feel, although it's growing rapidly.
Please feel free to PM me if you have questions. I grew up in Westborough and our first house was in Hopkinton so am happy to share the pros & cons of each.
None of the towns in the Ops list have rail lines that stop in BB which is partly why I asked how they picked the towns on their list.
Not true, Franklin and Sharon are both on lines that go into BB. The OP is correct in focusing on the S. Station Commuter Rail lines. The Green Line is dreadfully slow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Melscity
have some concerns about the High School. I read some articles that the building and amenities for students were really outdated. That also seems like the slowest commute line into backbay. Sharon as you noted has strong schools, but we don't know much about the community so thanks for the info. Mansfield and Foxborough were on our list as well. Any opinions on Easton?
No, the facilities aren't the greatest. I can say that I have friends who've been through the school system and most turned out successful. I also have a family friend who's taught there for years with very little negative to say about anything else. As far as test scores and other performance measures, Franklin ranks very well. So while a trade off, what matters most are the student population and the teachers.
Easton I don't know too well, just that it's extremely bedroomish. It's downtown (N. Easton) is rather small and at the far end of town, overall it has a spread out decentralized kind of feel. It has a few supermarkets and a Target but not much else, although surrounding towns offer most other things you need. The schools rank slightly below Sharon's while it's residents are slightly more down-to-earth. In the end they are both semi-rural overwhelmingly residential bedroom towns with strong schools. They are both affluent. They tend to be be geared to those seeking peace and quiet and being surrounded by nature rather than a strong community feel like Franklin or even Walpole or Mansfield has.
Have you considered Canton as well?
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmann-sherborn
consider Hopkinton, which is an attractive suburb with a highly rated school system that was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a Gold Medal School for college readiness. If you live near the Southborough/Hopkinton or Hopkinton/Ashland line you can take the express train into Back Bay in about 50 minutes.
Express train? When do they run? Expect it to take more than 50 minutes. I remember just recently being in total disbelief that the ride from Southboro is over an hour into town (from inside 495!). I guess major improvements are in store for that line, but that is years away at least. I would avoid anything on the Worcester line unless you go much closer like Natick. It is a mess.
Last edited by massnative71; 09-13-2012 at 10:40 PM..
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