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I live in North Sudbury (near Rt. 117) and commute to Waltham (on the resivour by 128). For that commute Sudbury is wonderful. It takes me at most 45 min if I get stuck behind a bus. Usually it is about a half hour on a nice, winding rural street. And in the summer, I can get fresh corn on the way home!
Also, the close commute enables me to go to school for a presentation or other item in the middle of the day and still go back to work if I need to, or schedule a plumber for 8am and still be at my desk before 9am, or coach a soccer team that has practice at 4:30. I usually leave my house around 7:15 and at work no later than 8 and leave work around 5 and often home by 5:30.
Sunnyhill preschool in sudbury is fantastic and they have some openings still
I live in North Sudbury (near Rt. 117) and commute to Waltham (on the resivour by 128). For that commute Sudbury is wonderful. It takes me at most 45 min if I get stuck behind a bus. Usually it is about a half hour on a nice, winding rural street. And in the summer, I can get fresh corn on the way home!
Also, the close commute enables me to go to school for a presentation or other item in the middle of the day and still go back to work if I need to, or schedule a plumber for 8am and still be at my desk before 9am, or coach a soccer team that has practice at 4:30. I usually leave my house around 7:15 and at work no later than 8 and leave work around 5 and often home by 5:30.
Sunnyhill preschool in Sudbury is fantastic and they have some openings still
Thank you for the helpful post! I will definitely check out Sunnyhill preschool. I am not sure if Sudbury is similar to Brookline, but here preschools start to fill up by January/February! Hopefully if we end up moving we can still find a great preschool.
On a side note, STEM (science technology engineering math) focused programs are very popular here. Are there preschools in Sudbury or surrounding communities that are STEM focused? Upon doing some Google research, the only one that pops up is Next Generation.
"It almost seems like everyone in that town lives in a house that was handed down to them and they keep to themselves because it's probably the only town inside 495 where I don't know a single person."
Responding to the above about Carlisle. Grew up there in the 90s and figured I should correct: I could tell you the family stories of the 50 kids in my grade, and I think about two of their parents were born/raised in the town. It's affluent (3rd highest income in the state), which almost by definition means folks aren't townies or generational as such. Wealth, though, tends to be what I think of as a bi-product--a lot of people in fields like computers and engineering who happen to make good money, but don't seem to be aware of the fact (I mean this as a compliment)--very little flash. That is why I think it's happily under the radar.
It's a really close-knit community and small--population about 5K--but growing up, always seemed a good number of things to do--library activities, cross-country skiing league, soccer league were all big. It is of course essentially rural, and a lot of what we did was stay in town to do hikes and play in the woods with friends (who are still my close friends--this is common), etc.--and it's not at all like my parents were hippies; this is just what there was to do and as kids, we were happy with the space to run around. In high school, it did get harder--just a long way from school (more on that below). For culture, yes, we'd go into Concord (for history) and further into Boston/Cambridge for museums and such.
I'm woefully out of date in the activity regard, though--I've heard it's gotten more social. (For small example, Halloween is now done in the center of town--I've attended with some kids in the family and it seemed like a really friendly vibe where parents all knew each other). I know there is a new Concord-Carlisle newcomers/neighborhood club trying to start up; you can find on Facebook.
Side note: Someone mentioned horses--not that big in my experience. I knew one kid who rode.
School systems excellent--elementary was (still is?) best in state. High school is of course also excellent (many graduates go on to Ivies--if that's a measuring stick of importance). However, it's regional, with Concord, so that is something to consider--20-minute drive from many spots in Carlisle, and keep in mind this means driving not only for school but for sports and socializing. For this reason, would definitely pick a house on Concord side if possible (seems you have one in mind).
All this said, after living in NYC and other cities, I can't quite imagine settling there. A little too small and a little too isolated from the parental perspective. Grocery shopping is about 15 minutes away (Westford, Market Basket), and restaurants at least that in Concord and beyond. Burlington Mall is actually pretty close--maybe about 20 through Bedford.
Sudbury I worked in for 3-4 years. I've heard great things about the town's social life (more for parents). I personally don't find the housing stock that interesting or the center particularly charming (but that's relative--compared to Concord; a bit unfair)! Wayside Inn though is of course fabulous--one restaurant, I know, but can't beat charm. But yes, the commute is pretty bad down 20. Don't think I ever saw it not jammed around rush hour.
"It almost seems like everyone in that town lives in a house that was handed down to them and they keep to themselves because it's probably the only town inside 495 where I don't know a single person."
Responding to the above about Carlisle. Grew up there in the 90s and figured I should correct: I could tell you the family stories of the 50 kids in my grade, and I think about two of their parents were born/raised in the town. It's affluent (3rd highest income in the state), which almost by definition means folks aren't townies or generational as such. Wealth, though, tends to be what I think of as a bi-product--a lot of people in fields like computers and engineering who happen to make good money, but don't seem to be aware of the fact (I mean this as a compliment)--very little flash. That is why I think it's happily under the radar.
It's a really close-knit community and small--population about 5K--but growing up, always seemed a good number of things to do--library activities, cross-country skiing league, soccer league were all big. I'm sure I'm woefully out of date in this regard, though--I've heard it's gotten more social. (For small example, Halloween is now done in the center of town--I've attended with some kids in the family and it seemed like a really friendly vibe where parents all knew each other). That said, it is essentially rural, and a lot of what we did was stay in town to do hikes and play in the woods with friends (who are still my close friends--this is common)--and it's not at all like my parents were hippies; this is just what there is to do. Someone mentioned horses: not that big in my experience. I knew one kid who rode. For culture, yes, we'd go into Concord (for history) and further into Boston/Cambridge for museums and such.
School systems excellent--elementary was (still is?) best in state. High school is of course also excellent (many graduates go on to Ivies--if that's a measuring stick of importance). However, it's regional, with Concord, so that is something to consider--20-minute drive from many spots in Carlisle, and keep in mind this means driving not only for school but for sports and socializing. For this reason, would definitely pick a house on Concord side if possible (seems you have one in mind).
All this said, after living in NYC and other cities, I can't quite imagine settling there. A little too small and a little too isolated from the parental perspective. Grocery shopping is about 15 minutes away (Westford, Market Basket), and restaurants at least that in Concord and beyond. Burlington Mall is actually pretty close--maybe about 20 through Bedford.
Sudbury I worked in for 3-4 years. I've heard great things about the town's social life (more for parents). I personally don't find the housing stock that interesting or the center particularly charming (but that's relative--compared to Concord; a bit unfair)! Wayside Inn though is of course fabulous--one restaurant, I know, but can't beat charm. But yes, the commute is pretty bad down 20. Don't think I ever saw it not jammed around rush hour.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the clarification on Carlisle. In all my years on C-D I don't think I've ever read a post from someone who actually lived there. The small size of the town could definitely be a reason why I've never met anyone from there in real life.
For the OP: If you decide on Sudbury I'd definitely recommend looking into North Sudbury just because the commute down Rt-117 is so much easier than down Rt-20 from the south side of town. Of course that depends on where you're commuting to in Waltham. I'm assuming one of the big office parks, which would make Rt-117 ideal.
"It almost seems like everyone in that town lives in a house that was handed down to them and they keep to themselves because it's probably the only town inside 495 where I don't know a single person."
Responding to the above about Carlisle. Grew up there in the 90s and figured I should correct: I could tell you the family stories of the 50 kids in my grade, and I think about two of their parents were born/raised in the town. It's affluent (3rd highest income in the state), which almost by definition means folks aren't townies or generational as such. Wealth, though, tends to be what I think of as a bi-product--a lot of people in fields like computers and engineering who happen to make good money, but don't seem to be aware of the fact (I mean this as a compliment)--very little flash. That is why I think it's happily under the radar.
It's a really close-knit community and small--population about 5K--but growing up, always seemed a good number of things to do--library activities, cross-country skiing league, soccer league were all big. It is of course essentially rural, and a lot of what we did was stay in town to do hikes and play in the woods with friends (who are still my close friends--this is common), etc.--and it's not at all like my parents were hippies; this is just what there was to do and as kids, we were happy with the space to run around. In high school, it did get harder--just a long way from school (more on that below). For culture, yes, we'd go into Concord (for history) and further into Boston/Cambridge for museums and such.
I'm woefully out of date in the activity regard, though--I've heard it's gotten more social. (For small example, Halloween is now done in the center of town--I've attended with some kids in the family and it seemed like a really friendly vibe where parents all knew each other). I know there is a new Concord-Carlisle newcomers/neighborhood club trying to start up; you can find on Facebook.
Side note: Someone mentioned horses--not that big in my experience. I knew one kid who rode.
School systems excellent--elementary was (still is?) best in state. High school is of course also excellent (many graduates go on to Ivies--if that's a measuring stick of importance). However, it's regional, with Concord, so that is something to consider--20-minute drive from many spots in Carlisle, and keep in mind this means driving not only for school but for sports and socializing. For this reason, would definitely pick a house on Concord side if possible (seems you have one in mind).
All this said, after living in NYC and other cities, I can't quite imagine settling there. A little too small and a little too isolated from the parental perspective. Grocery shopping is about 15 minutes away (Westford, Market Basket), and restaurants at least that in Concord and beyond. Burlington Mall is actually pretty close--maybe about 20 through Bedford.
Sudbury I worked in for 3-4 years. I've heard great things about the town's social life (more for parents). I personally don't find the housing stock that interesting or the center particularly charming (but that's relative--compared to Concord; a bit unfair)! Wayside Inn though is of course fabulous--one restaurant, I know, but can't beat charm. But yes, the commute is pretty bad down 20. Don't think I ever saw it not jammed around rush hour.
Hope this helps!
This was an excellent post, thank you! In fact we are looking on the Concord line for the reasons you mentioned. Also our realtor mentioned Bedford as an option, any input? Not sure how the elementary school compares to Concord/Carlisle/sudbury? Thank you!
Thanks for the clarification on Carlisle. In all my years on C-D I don't think I've ever read a post from someone who actually lived there. The small size of the town could definitely be a reason why I've never met anyone from there in real life.
For the OP: If you decide on Sudbury I'd definitely recommend looking into North Sudbury just because the commute down Rt-117 is so much easier than down Rt-20 from the south side of town. Of course that depends on where you're commuting to in Waltham. I'm assuming one of the big office parks, which would make Rt-117 ideal.
Thank you for your reply, yes we are looking in North Sudbury because route 20 is just too difficult commute wise. Plus my family lives in Lexington so I can hop on route2 easily from the north side. I asked previous poster as well but any thoughts on Bedford?
Thank you!
we moved from nyc to the south end to bedford about two years ago.
love it. super friendly town, nice community. there are some really idyllic neighborhoods. my street is awesome. kids everywhere, wooded lots, neighbors lending helping hands. we are very lucky and have 2 acres of property... that's not very common but there are larger lots to be had here.
my kids started kindergarten this year and i couldn't be happier. Davis school is extremely welcoming and warm and i'm happy with the sorts of things my kids have been exposed to this year. i like how they challenge my kids based on their unique strengths. the classroom is pretty diverse as well which i think is great.
where we are located we have quick easy access to rt 2 and concord. but we can also get to 95, rt 3, lexington, and burlington pretty fast as well. its a small town so no matter where you are its easy to get to shopping. i wish there were more restaurants in town but they actually have plans in the works for a few new ones.
i don't want anyone else to move here. (ha ha) so i really shouldn't be posting all this.
we moved from nyc to the south end to bedford about two years ago.
love it. super friendly town, nice community. there are some really idyllic neighborhoods. my street is awesome. kids everywhere, wooded lots, neighbors lending helping hands. we are very lucky and have 2 acres of property... that's not very common but there are larger lots to be had here.
my kids started kindergarten this year and i couldn't be happier. Davis school is extremely welcoming and warm and i'm happy with the sorts of things my kids have been exposed to this year. i like how they challenge my kids based on their unique strengths. the classroom is pretty diverse as well which i think is great.
where we are located we have quick easy access to rt 2 and concord. but we can also get to 95, rt 3, lexington, and burlington pretty fast as well. its a small town so no matter where you are its easy to get to shopping. i wish there were more restaurants in town but they actually have plans in the works for a few new ones.
i don't want anyone else to move here. (ha ha) so i really shouldn't be posting all this.
Bedford is somewhat of a sleeper town with great community, and schools. It also offers some big stores downtown, WF included, so it can be very convenient for shopping. You can not go wrong by looking at Bedford as well. Especially because it has some commercial tax base, that make it better able to finance schools, and other important town affairs.
Thank you Scriptkitten and kingeorge! Is having Hascom in town an issue (resale, noise etc)?
Not at all. We are under a flight path and rarely hear planes.
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Carlisle
