Relocating - Trying to decide between Milton, Canton, Hingham, Westwood, and Norwell- Thought?S (Boston: sales, real estate)

[swimmer8457]

Hi. We are moving from out of state. We have small kids and have narrowed it down to these towns. We are looking for good schools and a good community to raise a family in. We are from a city with good ammenities, so wondering if a town like Norwell would be too small. We love the look and feel of it, but maybe too small? Also, I know that some of these are pricier, but is it worth it to spend a little more to be in a place like Westwood or Hingham?

Any thoughts would be great!!!

[Jamesnana]

Lived in Norwell for 7+ years now. There are plenty of amenities in nearby towns. I am about 2 miles from the Hanover mall, plus there are tons of other places very close by in Hingham, Weymouth, etc.

[jayrandom]

I think it depends on what your budget is and where you'll be going for work. I don't know much about Hingham or Norwell, but I can definitely say Westwood is a nice place to live. You won't find a conventional, walkable town center, but there is good access to shopping nearby and very good access to public transportation into Boston.

[kingeorge]

I would go for Hingham--better amenities, closer to Boston, better schools etc. Hingham is place where you can walk around, and actually use sidewalks, as opposed to driving the car everywhere you need to go. It is about what lifestyle you want. I love that they have not just train, but very fast commuter boat into Boston.
I would recommend looking into Cohasett as well.

[MikePRU]

Hingham is a lovely town and they've really made it even nicer in recent years. My only complaints are that it doesn't have good highway access and getting into Boston from there involves the nightmare that is I93 North (but so do many of the other towns on your list). My aunt lives in Hingham and regularly complains during the summer about traffic caused by people headed to the Cape.

Westwood, Canton, and Milton are all nice towns. I don't know a ton about Milton as I've mostly only driven through there. My biggest complaint about Westwood is that there's no town center. I know a ton of people who live in Canton and absolutely love it.

[Jamesnana]

It seems that when you talk about nice towns on the South Shore all anybody can think of is Hingham as though it's a bargain or something. Believe me you pay through the nose for its charms. My daughter had about 650k to 700k to spend and her husband works in Hingham and when they were looking all there were had small lots, usually no central air, etc. To me Hingham is not affordable. Then look out for the snobs and wannabes.

[mdovell]

I'd add Westwood has the asterix of the westwood station which is now university station. It's scaled down but will get a wegmans :-D

Hingham can be nice, it does have highway access as the area is right by the Durby shops. Some of the traffic has lowered thanks the commuter rails which go further south.

[JimDV]

I lived in Hingham for 27years and loved every day. If you love the ocean and the bay it doesn't get much better. You can commute to Boston by boat or the train. The schools are excellent too. My son grew up there and now does real estate sales and rentals too.

[MikeDV]

Hi Swimmer,
I grew up in Hingham, lived in Westwood, and have explored living in Canton and Milton. I love both Hingham and Westwood for many reasons--great schools, beautiful towns, good people. In general, towns with good-great school systems cost a little more (sometimes a lot) to get into but they retain their values down the line. If you can, I would always buy in a town with great schools if you have children--its an investment in them and a better investment in real estate long term. The big difference between Westwood and Hingham is, as said by others, the ocean! As a good friend put it recently, "Living in Massachusetts and not being by the water is like going to the movies and staying in the bathroom the whole time". Hingham also has a lot more charm as Westwood lacks a downtown area or an area to go be social. Westwood is also a dry town (if that matters to you). Feel free to ask any questions as I am happy to help further if you like. Good luck!

[beltrams]

Originally Posted by MikeDV

Hi Swimmer,
I grew up in Hingham, lived in Westwood, and have explored living in Canton and Milton. I love both Hingham and Westwood for many reasons--great schools, beautiful towns, good people. In general, towns with good-great school systems cost a little more (sometimes a lot) to get into but they retain their values down the line. If you can, I would always buy in a town with great schools if you have children--its an investment in them and a better investment in real estate long term. The big difference between Westwood and Hingham is, as said by others, the ocean! As a good friend put it recently, "Living in Massachusetts and not being by the water is like going to the movies and staying in the bathroom the whole time". Hingham also has a lot more charm as Westwood lacks a downtown area or an area to go be social. Westwood is also a dry town (if that matters to you). Feel free to ask any questions as I am happy to help further if you like. Good luck!

Just to be clear, Westwood hasn't been totally dry in some years as Westwood grants alcohol licenses to restaurants. Only bars and package stores aren't allowed if I recall correctly. (I grew up in Westwood and live next door in Walpole now.)