Town for commutes to Middleboro and Kenmore Square (Boston, Brockton: crime, houses)

[kvader]

After much back and fourth about where we should buy a house, the latest agreement is to be close to Middleboro (within 20 min commute by car) and have access to commuter rail to Boston. We are searching for at a safe town for young families and a good school system. We considered Franklin and Sharon but they are about 35 minutes away from Middleboro, a little further than I'd like. Also Halifax, but I know nothing about it. Are there other towns in this perimeter that we could consider? The budget is up to $400,000 for a 3-4 bedroom, or even a little over if need be.

[kingeorge]

I think by limiting your commute to Middleboro you are limiting your options for other places. You will have to compromise on something. You could check Plymouth or Pembroke perhaps. I am not in the area, perhaps other people could chime in.
Sorry this is tough one.

[kvader]

Thank you, Kingeorge. One of us has to have a short commute, and being close to Kenmore is not realistic, price-wise. We might have to expand the search, but I am curious about the area surrounding Middleboro. I am not very familiar with the area, I only know of the bad towns (Brockton, Bridgewater, Taunton). I am not sure that there even are towns with good schools, commuter rail access and young families within 20 min of Middleboro...

[n1ey]

Originally Posted by kvader

Thank you, Kingeorge. One of us has to have a short commute, and being close to Kenmore is not realistic, price-wise. We might have to expand the search, but I am curious about the area surrounding Middleboro. I am not very familiar with the area, I only know of the bad towns (Brockton, Bridgewater, Taunton). I am not sure that there even are towns with good schools, commuter rail access and young families within 20 min of Middleboro...

I'm not sure as to why Bridgewater or Brockton are on the bad list. The crime is high in Brockton. However, I think that Brockton is more attractive than spots situated in Randolph. Bridgewater would have a considerable help towards driving to Kenmore Sq.

Have you considered as to how realistic the commuting by train to Kenmore Sq is? Is the person in for a long two-seat commuter rail trip? In fact it is easier to travel by car, more convenient, and faster. The western side of Bridgewater has a big head up over Halifax for traveling by car. The OC lines are not on weekend schedules and have off timing. Look at the actual timing for the trains. Consider your dwell time in South Station and the hassle of running from Track 13 to Track 2. Consider your waiting time in the Halifax train station. Consider if you have to drive halfway across town to reach the Halifax station. If you are really driving towards Halifax then consider the western area of Pembroke as well.

West Bridgewater has some nice houses and proximity to the highway(also close to nice side of Brockton). However, most of the stock is way over-priced. There are many officers on the police department that had issues with the Police Chief; EB also seems to have such. The taxes are very high in WB to the assessed value. Bridgewater is actually lower in tax to the house valuation.

The further you go towards Route 3 and Plymouth then you are going to have a harder time in driving to Kenmore Sq.

Bill

[brandy933]

If $400k is your max, I would try Pembroke (near Route 3). You can take the Redline in Braintree to Kenmore sq and drive to Middleboro from Pembroke. Hanover/Norwell would be a step up but $400k would be tight unless you're willing to get into an older home.

[markostoughton]

You have really set up an inequity in commute times. For one partner to be within 20 minutes of Middleboro, the other has to face commutes of at least an hour and a half (including waiting and transfer times) EACH WAY to Kenmore Square. Also, $400,000 for a 3-4 bedroom house is not likely to get you into a really good school district anywhere in eastern Massachusetts. Maybe an okay school district, but not one of the best. If you really have to be within 20 minutes of Middleboro, then it sort of doesn't matter. Middleboro and all of the neighboring towns all have mediocre school districts. Take your pick. I would just go with the house you like the best. However, if you care at all about the commute time of the partner working in Boston, I would consider Mansfield, which has a decent school district (a bit better than anything closer to Middleboro). It is less than 30 minutes to Middleboro, and it is on a commuter rail line that goes through Ruggles and Back Bay stations, from which you have much quicker connections to Kenmore Square, including the option of walking on nice days.