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We live in Stoughton right now and while the elementary school is perfectly fine I don't want my kids going to middle school there. Canton doesn't offer enough for the money, but the commute is incredibly convenient and we've made some friends there. I'm about 2 miles from Canton Center right now and it's great.
Right now Norfolk is the frontrunner but we have until spring. I would like to say that our list of towns is getting shorter, but we keep finding things we like about towns that we didn't like at first and vice versa.
We left Stoughton as well for the exact same reason.
Working in town and living west of town in the 'burbs is murder. I've done it and I still end up having to do it from time to time. 33 minutes to the Back Bay from Medway is a pipe dream. You look at the mileage and it isn't very far, but when you pull onto the Pike off of 495 and it is at a dead stop, which happens frequently, it is a living hell. Also, you couldn't pay me to take the train, it's awful! I realize there are people that do it Monday Through Friday for years on end, but I have no idea how, or why, they do it. Leaving town after a long stressful day is even worse than the stop and go on the way in. I couldn't take it after about 3 years of the grind, it was either them or me and it wasn't going to be me. I have a tendency to dislike people, but in traffic and if someone is driving like a moron, I seriously want to kill them.
Working in town and living west of town in the 'burbs is murder. I've done it and I still end up having to do it from time to time. 33 minutes to the Back Bay from Medway is a pipe dream. You look at the mileage and it isn't very far, but when you pull onto the Pike off of 495 and it is at a dead stop, which happens frequently, it is a living hell. Also, you couldn't pay me to take the train, it's awful! I realize there are people that do it Monday Through Friday for years on end, but I have no idea how, or why, they do it. Leaving town after a long stressful day is even worse than the stop and go on the way in. I couldn't take it after about 3 years of the grind, it was either them or me and it wasn't going to be me. I have a tendency to dislike people, but in traffic and if someone is driving like a moron, I seriously want to kill them.
I said Southboro to Back Bay is 33 min vs 50 min from Medway just to give the OP a visual on how much closer Southboro is to the highway. I'm curious where you're commuting from. It's generally accepted that commuting from the West is better than North or South, that's why housing prices are more expensive out that way. You must live in one of the inner suburbs, which the OP said he doesn't want to do because of the postage stamp lots.
Working in town and living west of town in the 'burbs is murder. I've done it and I still end up having to do it from time to time. 33 minutes to the Back Bay from Medway is a pipe dream. You look at the mileage and it isn't very far, but when you pull onto the Pike off of 495 and it is at a dead stop, which happens frequently, it is a living hell. Also, you couldn't pay me to take the train, it's awful! I realize there are people that do it Monday Through Friday for years on end, but I have no idea how, or why, they do it. Leaving town after a long stressful day is even worse than the stop and go on the way in. I couldn't take it after about 3 years of the grind, it was either them or me and it wasn't going to be me. I have a tendency to dislike people, but in traffic and if someone is driving like a moron, I seriously want to kill them.
The train is not normally awful. Sometimes it is late and that is annoying, but it's the most pleasant form of transport available to me. I'm actually to get work done on the train. What is it you find so unpleasant?
The biggest downside I see with the train is the low frequency.
The train is not normally awful. Sometimes it is late and that is annoying, but it's the most pleasant form of transport available to me. I'm actually to get work done on the train. What is it you find so unpleasant?
The biggest downside I see with the train is the low frequency.
Agreed. It's much nicer than the bus or subway! I just wish it ran more frequently to relieve the overcrowding during rush hour.
I'm a big train fan. I've never driven to work and I don't plan on starting unless self-driving cars become a thing really soon. I'm basing my commute on driving distance to train station + train ride. It's about 50 minutes from Norfolk. I think the fastest way from Medway is actually from Norfolk station so my Medway commute would be 10-20 minutes + 50 minutes. Mansfield has the express train which is the only reason we're considering it. There's only one that would get to me to work at the right time, but I think I would be able to make it the majority of the time. The commute from Hopkinton would be a similar 10-20 minutes of driving + a 50 minute train ride. From southborough it would probably be a shorter drive and longer train ride so in terms of time it would be a wash.
Although surrounded by the W's and Dover/Sherborn, Natick is sort of a down-to-earth blue and white collar mix. Schools and sports are great. Two commuter rail stations with a stop in Back Bay ~30 minutes away. You may or may not find the lot size you desire in Natick, though, as most of it is a slightly denser, typical neighborhood. However, based on my experience and limited sample size, all the neighbors are friendly, and even those who don't enjoy being social never seem bothered by those who do.
I said Southboro to Back Bay is 33 min vs 50 min from Medway just to give the OP a visual on how much closer Southboro is to the highway. I'm curious where you're commuting from. It's generally accepted that commuting from the West is better than North or South, that's why housing prices are more expensive out that way. You must live in one of the inner suburbs, which the OP said he doesn't want to do because of the postage stamp lots.
Sorry I misread your post, but even 33 minutes from Southboro isn't going to happen during rush hour. At the time I was commuting into Boston I was living in Hudson. There were many days it would take 90 + minutes.
There are too many people on the train and I couldn't stand the parking and waiting part, I also didn't like being surrounded by people. I hated it even more in the Winter.
I don't mind trains. They are comfortable, have Wi-Fi and you can make new friends because the same people take them every day. I know someone who met her husband on the train.
DiscoStu I'm curious if you've decided on a town for your home search. We also rent in Stoughton with our son set to start Kindergarten next year. I can relate to much of your original post (except our budget is lower).
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