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If you're looking at a map, the Willis Lake neighborhood is off Hudson Rd. (search for Willis Lake Drive) and consists of about 10 streets that are laid out in a gridded configuration.
I just want to warn you though - the intersection of Maynard and Willis Rd is near Hermitage Road which is in a flood zone. Many of those streets bordering that piece of conservation land are in a flood zone so you just need to be prepared to pay for flood insurance and make sure the basement has an adequate sump pump installed.
If you're in a flood zone, I would put in multiple sump pumps especially considering the size of home Sunny has been talking about. I would also recommend a battery back up and at least one back up pump.
Any time you live close to a body of water it's a lot more likely that you're in a flood zone. Many of the towns have flood zone maps on their websites, but flood zone lines do tend to move and are not static. While there is certainly a lot of charm in living by water (and usually a lot of bugs as well) there's definitely some risk involved.
I was going to suggest Concord as well, or perhaps Winchester.
Personally, I'm a little concerned about Concord-Carlisle. I heard a girl is suing the high school for not clamping down on bullying. Also, I used a search engine and found an interesting Boston Globe article called "Concord-Carlisle confronts racial incident." I don't think either incident reflects on the school system in general, but the Boston Globe article does give a hint that in the lunchroom students seems to be dividing themselves off by race. This doesn't mean it will happen to your kids ten years from now, but when you are talking to other parents, you should ask them how the social scene is for the teenagers.
I completely understand your desire for a welcoming school and town. I'm Asian American and when I was young it was hard being the only "minority" in a tiny parochial all-white school in an almost all white neighborhood. (But then I grew up when the Vietnam War was very much on people's minds and you didn't even see many Asian Americans in the media.) It wasn't until high school, when I went to a an elite public school in Boston did I make really good friends (many for life). In my old high school, which was large and diverse, you made a core group of friends, but everyone was generally friendly. Every day, the classes and lunch periods would be rotated, so you might be sitting amicably with nine "new" kids around you--they could be Muslim, Asian, Greek, Irish, Boston Brahmin, or Haitian and it was like whatever because the entire school was full of nerds and you didn't have time to focus on the superficial. Anyway, I personally liked that kind of big, diverse setting, and that's why my husband and I would prefer to stay in Boston.
Anyway, perhaps talk to other affluent African Americans and see what towns and schools where they have had a good experience? There are lots of church groups and professional associations with lots of successful AAs in Massachusetts.
Last edited by sharencare; 08-06-2013 at 10:55 AM..
From the map, Willis Lake looks "isolated" to homes west of Hudson after Dutton Road. I find this an interesting discussion since I bought a house off Dutton/Moore last year and never noticed this neighborhood since I never venture further down Hudson. The neighborhood we bought in is very nice so I assume this less appealing area is really confined to those streets around that grid. UNfort I am hardly in Sudbury so I really haven't gotten to appreciate the town.
Parsec, would you by chance know if the traffic on Old Sudbury Rd is better than Rt 20 during rush hour? When I look at the map, it would seem logical to me that more people would take that rd vs 20 coming from the North.
From the map, Willis Lake looks "isolated" to homes west of Hudson after Dutton Road. I find this an interesting discussion since I bought a house off Dutton/Moore last year and never noticed this neighborhood since I never venture further down Hudson. The neighborhood we bought in is very nice so I assume this less appealing area is really confined to those streets around that grid. UNfort I am hardly in Sudbury so I really haven't gotten to appreciate the town.
Parsec, would you by chance know if the traffic on Old Sudbury Rd is better than Rt 20 during rush hour? When I look at the map, it would seem logical to me that more people would take that rd vs 20 coming from the North.
I love the Stearns Millpond area of Sudbury - the view from the backyards of homes on Moore and Raynor Rd. are absolutely beautiful! You know there's conservation land and trails at the end of Moore right? Just making sure you know since you say you don't spend much time in the town or at home, lol. I originally wanted to buy at the end of Moore or on Partridge, but I really couldn't be too choosy in this real estate market.
Generally speaking the traffic is better on Old Sudbury Rd and Rt-117 than it is on Rt-20, but it really depends on the time and which direction you're coming from because of the school traffic. You have both the HS and Noyes/Nixon school traffic to contend with. There are back roads you can take to get you to the Plain Rd/Rt-20 intersection which will save you from a lot of headache. Depending on your final destination, I might even advise skipping Rt-20 altogether and drive through either Lincoln or cut down through backroads in Weston/Wellesley such as Glen Rd. In the summer the commute is easy, but once school starts up again it becomes a science to get out of Sudbury without hitting traffic (but it can be done!)
I completely understand your desire for a welcoming school and town. I'm Asian American and when I was young it was hard being the only "minority" in a tiny parochial all-white school in an almost all white neighborhood. (But then I grew up when the Vietnam War was very much on people's minds and you didn't even see many Asian Americans in the media.) It wasn't until high school, when I went to a an elite public school in Boston did I make really good friends (many for life). In my old high school, which was large and diverse, you made a core group of friends, but everyone was generally friendly. Every day, the classes and lunch periods would be rotated, so you might be sitting amicably with nine "new" kids around you--they could be Muslim, Asian, Greek, Irish, Boston Brahmin, or Haitian and it was like whatever because the entire school was full of nerds and you didn't have time to focus on the superficial. Anyway, I personally liked that kind of big, diverse setting, and that's why my husband and I would prefer to stay in Boston.
It sounds like you had such a lovely HS experience! What you described is my UTOPIA: ethinic groups being their ethnic-selves without the pressure to white-wash themselves, all coexisting respectfully, and all NERDS!! (we're a family of nerds as well!) What I like most about what you wrote is how you appreciate having had the experience. I bet so many of your classmates feel as grateful for having known first-hand that an environment of harmonious diversity is achievable. Oh, how I long for that for my boys, you'll have to PM me the name of that school. I've got a couple of years to make sure my boys are ready for admissions, although (maternal biases aside) they are already quite sharp. ...but I digress...
Quote:
Originally Posted by sharencare
Anyway, perhaps talk to other affluent African Americans and see what towns and schools where they have had a good experience? There are lots of church groups and professional associations with lots of successful AAs in Massachusetts.
I'd love to, but affluent AA's in Boston are kinda hard to locate, at least remotely...but we're trying. Hubby will have one AA colleague, but he's older, so I'm not sure if he has children or a younger family. I'm going to research some the associations in the next few weeks, and hopefully that colleague will give us some leads.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parsec
In the summer the commute is easy, but once school starts up again it becomes a science to get out of Sudbury without hitting traffic (but it can be done!)
It sounds like you had such a lovely HS experience! What you described is my UTOPIA: ethinic groups being their ethnic-selves without the pressure to white-wash themselves, all coexisting respectfully
I'm Asian and if all things work out right, my goal would be to raise my 2 boys in the Sudbury home I bought last year. However, I am also pragmatic about being a minority in an affluent Boston Metrowest town - many of the towns won't have diversity for my kids whether it be ethnic, socio-economic or cultural. It's just the nature of this part of Boston.
I don't think that's the worst thing though. I grew up in Arlington back in the 80s when it was a working class town with virtually no minorities and it was fine. The reality is, large swaths of our society will probably lag in diversity so I want my boys to have that experience (good or bad). My challenge is finding a way for them to still experience diversity outside of school (for example spending summers in Asia or the West Coast). My point being, I think Sudbury is as good a town as any in Metrowest to raise a kid regardless of ethnic background.
It wasn't until high school, when I went to a an elite public school in Boston did I make really good friends (many for life). In my old high school, which was large and diverse, you made a core group of friends, but everyone was generally friendly. Every day, the classes and lunch periods would be rotated, so you might be sitting amicably with nine "new" kids around you--they could be Muslim, Asian, Greek, Irish, Boston Brahmin, or Haitian and it was like whatever because the entire school was full of nerds and you didn't have time to focus on the superficial. Anyway, I personally liked that kind of big, diverse setting, and that's why my husband and I would prefer to stay in Boston.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SunnyHoney
It sounds like you had such a lovely HS experience! What you described is my UTOPIA: ethinic groups being their ethnic-selves without the pressure to white-wash themselves, all coexisting respectfully, and all NERDS!! (we're a family of nerds as well!) What I like most about what you wrote is how you appreciate having had the experience. I bet so many of your classmates feel as grateful for having known first-hand that an environment of harmonious diversity is achievable. Oh, how I long for that for my boys, you'll have to PM me the name of that school.
I'm not sure that any area within the city of Boston would be in sync with all your preferences (large lots come to mind immediately as something that would be hard to find), but since you have gone as far as asking Sharencare to send you the name of the school, a little food for thought is in order. I'm not familiar with the intimate details of Boston's school assignments, but I do know that they don't generally send kids to neighborhood schools. It's my understanding that which school a child attends involves a combination of a list of preferences and a lottery, and that knowing how to work the local system doesn't hurt the chances of sending your kid to the school you prefer. The bottom line is that you can't determine which schools your children will attend by your choice of neighborhood, and there is no guarantee of getting the schools you prefer.
From Sharencare's description, I'm guessing that the high school in question was one of Boston's "exam schools." Those are public high schools with competitive admission for the top students, whatever their backgrounds happen to be. For your children to attend one of those, they would have to be selected in the competitive admissions process. A good possibility if they're really good students, but something you might want to think twice about planning on for sure as a reason to live within Boston's city limits.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sharencare
Personally, I'm a little concerned about Concord-Carlisle. I heard a girl is suing the high school for not clamping down on bullying. Also, I used a search engine and found an interesting Boston Globe article called "Concord-Carlisle confronts racial incident." I don't think either incident reflects on the school system in general, but the Boston Globe article does give a hint that in the lunchroom students seems to be dividing themselves off by race. This doesn't mean it will happen to your kids ten years from now, but when you are talking to other parents, you should ask them how the social scene is for the teenagers.
At first glance I'm kind of surprised to read this about Concord-Carlisle HS. I don't know a lot about Carlisle except that it's affluent and kind of out in the sticks, but Concord has a reputation as a leftward-leaning town. A few years ago I stumbled onto an article about how the high school's upcoming school play had some homosexual characters, and sexuality was a theme in the play. I recall quotes from school officials and Concord residents about how proud they were to live in an enlightened community that would support the school in having a play with this subject matter.
It's true that I've seen over the years that sometimes the people who like to give themselves big pats on the back about their "tolerance" can be major hypocrites (like the '60's cliche of the middle-aged white "liberal" couple who pride themselves on their "sophisticated" view of race relations, then reveal their true prejudices when their daughter starts dating a black guy). Still, though I'm not highly familiar with Concord personally, this doesn't fit what I've heard about the town, unless maybe these were isolated incidents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sharencare
Anyway, perhaps talk to other affluent African Americans and see what towns and schools where they have had a good experience? There are lots of church groups and professional associations with lots of successful AAs in Massachusetts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SunnyHoney
I'd love to, but affluent AA's in Boston are kinda hard to locate, at least remotely...but we're trying. Hubby will have one AA colleague, but he's older, so I'm not sure if he has children or a younger family. I'm going to research some the associations in the next few weeks, and hopefully that colleague will give us some leads.
That colleague sounds likely to be a good source of information. More generally, I guess you really want as much info as possible on any town you're considering, and when it comes to the schools, information from parents living in those towns being especially valuable.
The elite school I was referring to was Boston Latin School, an exam school that goes from 7th to 12th grade. It has a reputation for being a "rat race," "meat grinder" and "not for everyone." I would say that the first 3 years, I was very eager and did well, but by the last 3 years I was exhausted and not very happy. I still graduated in the top 20 percent of my class, but it took about 10 years of self-therapy to have more positive feelings about the school. I think I'm more neurotic because of the school, but I don't think I would be in my fortunate position now (I had grown up very poor) if I had gone anywhere else.
The whole elementary school lottery process is the main thing that makes me hesitate about staying in Boston. But if you read local blogs like "Parent Imperfect" or "Braving the Lottery," you can get an idea about the time and effort it takes to navigate the system. You also learn there are actually pockets of middle class families interested in improving the school experiences of their children. I have to be honest though, a huge part of the Boston Public School population are free lunch recipients and/or minorities. In the last few decades, there's been a lot of middle class flight out of the city. A sizable percentage of the students at Boston Latin School originally came from private, parochial, and charter schools. However, my husband and I personally would prefer to take our chances with the public school lottery and hope our kids get on the advanced work track.
I would totally LOVE to have you as my neighbor. But I think your concerns about wanting a welcoming community for your two boys are quite legitimate. Boston is more impersonal, and because children are going to schools all over, you're less likely to get to know your neighbors and all the parents of your kids' classmates.
Last edited by sharencare; 08-06-2013 at 10:46 PM..
Seems to me the perfect house, in Milton, is right there waiting for you to take a look at it....and you'd be buying it from perhaps the most prominent "AA" in the state....
[url=http://www.newenglandmoves.com/property/details/556923/MLS-71465452/75-Hinckley-Rd-Milton-Milton-Center-MA-02186.aspx]75 Hinckley Rd, Milton Center (Milton), MA 02186 (MLS# 71465452) - Milton Center (Milton) MA Real Estate - NewEnglandMoves.com[/url]
I am just going to jump in here and say that I would advise you to avoid the towns that may be described as "working class" or "townie" like Braintree, Walpole, Canton, etc. Any place in greater Boston that has a recent history of being working class is going to serve up way more overt racism than something metrowest (sudbury, concord, acton, etc.) that is old and "yankee." Which is not to say they won't be racist, just that they'll have the good manners not to show it.
Sorry, late to the party, but I read this several days ago and it's been rattling around my head and bugging me for days.
Here's the thing - while I almost want to agree with you about finding overt racism among non-upper class communities, the fact of the matter is that in those working class communities you may be more likely to actually find people of other races.
I have lived most of my life in and around desirable metrowest communities in what I call the triangle between the Charles and Mystic rivers (hence my name), and while many of those towns "value diversity", at the end of the day it's mostly white people, sometimes with east or south Asian families and kids of other races who have been adopted into white families or ride the bus from elsewhere to go to school. It almost is worse than having no non-white people to have non-white kids who look and feel marginalized. Last year at school Martin Luther King Day felt kind of weird - there were only two AA kids in the class, both adopted into white families, and according to the mom of one of them, her daughter said people kept looking at her differently. And as a white mom myself, I worried about how my blue-eyed man-child would come to see the world and his place in it.
We recently moved to Braintree mostly for geography reasons but also because it had more economic diversity and possibly more racial diversity. While it may be too soon to judge since school hasn't started yet, already I've been happy to see that on the playground, at the farmers market, the library, etc. we see a lot of African American and multiracial families. It's great to see my child play with children of all races on the playground since he's not one of "the majority", he's just another a kid.
As for overt versus covert racism, the classic, "Oh, you don't want to drive through Roxbury" can be heard in any city/town in the Boston area. And the people in those metrowest Yankee towns may champion diversity in the abstract, but they sure know how to make someone who isn't exactly like them feel culturally "other".
To SunnyHoney, I wish I could tell you the exact perfect town, but at the end of the day I'm just some random stranger on the internet. My best advice would be to take a trip to a likely town and go to a variety of places that you would be likely to go to every day: visit the library, buy stamps from the post office, play on a playground, buy a pack of gum or bottle of water from a bunch of different stores. That will probably give you the best idea about community feel and attitude. However reading your posts you seem as sunny as your name suggests, I'm sure you'll meet great people wherever you go.
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(we're a family of nerds as well!) What I like most about what you wrote is how you appreciate having had the experience. I bet so many of your classmates feel as grateful for having known first-hand that an environment of harmonious diversity is achievable. Oh, how I long for that for my boys, you'll have to PM me the name of that school. I've got a couple of years to make sure my boys are ready for admissions, although (maternal biases aside) they are already quite sharp. 
...but I digress...
