Norton, MA - nice place to live?

[missionhill]

None of 'em have a walkable, built-up central area like Red Bank-- if that matters.

[wror]

Yes for Norton. It appears Norton's Powers that Be are attempting to secure the town's small town charms and not turn into another traffic choking suburb. Example would be new industry to the town. New industry to Norton seems to be zoned to the outer perimeter of the town.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

Well, I guess I have the opposite view of you folks because I don't have the same high regard as you for Norton. The schools there are not nearly as good as the towns first mentioned by the OP. I would search more in those and maybe include North Attleborough, Franklin and Norfolk.

It sounds like the OP can't find the desired home for that price in any of those towns. But Norton is totally fine. Yes, those towns should be considered as well. North Attleborough has had school funding issues lately, not sure how bad it has really hurt the classroom though.

[AnimalCookies]

I live in North, and you can definitely find what you're looking for here. There is a moms club, which holds lots of events. The library also has some programming, and there are also opportunities for children to become involved in dance/ballet, karate, gymnastics, etc. Yes, there's one supermarket, but lots of convenient places to shop (including Target) all within a 10 minute drive. The schools seem to be on par with nearby Mansfield, although it seems Norton schools were getting a bad reputation at some point because of the previous superintendent. The new superintendent is making great improvements, and this last school vyear Norton started offering free kindergarten, which is not the case in many towns. They are also going to be offering more options for preschool (more days). Wheaton College also has a nursery school that is quite good (I know, my daughter is going there this year). There are also lots of outdoor things to do nearby with several nature trails, a few lakes, Borderland State, and there are plans for a Norton rail trail. For me, all signs point to yes. Norton is attracting lots of young families, so it's nice to keep the trend going.

[kdex86]

I grew up in Norton. It's a nice town. Its current claim to fame is TPC Boston, which hosts the Dell Technologies PGA Championship every Labor Day weekend. The Xfinity Center (formerly Great Woods) is just over the Norton/Mansfield town line, and during concert season it can cause traffic in the center of town due to Exit 11 off of I-495 not being a full interchange (there's access to both directions of 495 from 140, but those going to the Xfinity center from say, Middleboro, must get off at Exit 10 and travel Rtes 123 & 140 through the center of Norton).

There's one grocery store (Roche Bros.) on Mansfield Ave (Rte 140), and plenty of restaurants with delicious food:
-Alberto's, located on Rte. 140 between Roche Bros and the Xfinity Center
-The Chateau on Bay Rd, overlooking Lake Winnecunnet
-Home Plate, on Rte. 123 west of the town center
-Mac and Walts, also on Rte. 123 near the Attleboro line

The Norton school system is improving, but their athletic teams (known as the Lancers) participate in the Tri-Valley athletic conference, which means they're always traveling to many of the schools along Rte. 109 (Medway, Millis, Medfield, Westwood), as well as Hopkinton and Dover-Sherborn.

[timberline742]

Mac and Walts has a nice tap list.