Which "affordable" towns are clearly up and coming? (Boston: 2014, apartments)

[Arya Stark]

Originally Posted by Atomicdoug

Just be aware, Millis has some of the very worst roads in this area. A lot of them are minefields. I don't need a town line sign to know when I've crossed into Millis.

I am stunned at this one. All the roads I travel on in Millis are quite good. They just redid the main part of 109.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I can understand why Burlington would be stronger than a place like Acton right now. A growing number of buyers are opting for convenience to things and more utilitarian characteristics, over picture perfect sterility. Also as property taxes rise everywhere, people will look for where the best bang for the buck is and where there is a healthy commercial tax base for long term stability. And as traffic in the Boston area becomes more and more insane, areas closer to jobs will win.

Agreed, I can understand that too. As I mentioned, Bedford and Burlington are the clearest benefiaries in that area of the influx of home buyers looking for cheaper real estate, commercial activity, and proximity to jobs. Of course that’s the underlying reason as to why, for example, Woburn is seeing the rapid growth despite its past and perceived reputation. The new generation doesn’t really seem to give a sh*t.

I do, however, understand why those without knowledge of the area are surprised to see Woburn’s price psqft is similar to the likes of Acton.

[trevor0101]

I'm curious, is a place like Natick still considered "affordable" or "up and coming"? Relative to what is around it, it's very affordable. Has direct routes into Boston, commuter rail, excellent schools (The state rates Natick High "tier 1" compared to Brookline High as "tier 2" for example), and access to multiple downtowns, and shopping. The average prices still seem pretty decent.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Atomicdoug

Marlboro already has a downtown core that could be revitalized. I was in Clinton last year, it's got a lot of bars and liquor stores. I don't see Clinton rising any time soon, it is too far from Boston and mostly poor population. Milford also has a downtown, but again it has demographic of lower income minority population, so I don't see a Starbucks coming there any time soon.

And not every town has to be Wellsley.

If Starbucks is the definition of up-and-coming, hello Milford.
https://www.starbucks.com/store-loca...rd-ma-01757-us

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Atomicdoug

Just be aware, Millis has some of the very worst roads in this area. A lot of them are minefields. I don't need a town line sign to know when I've crossed into Millis.

Some of those backroads through Holliston, Sherborn, Millis are pretty pot-holed. Pretty for the eyes, back for the struts.

[495neighbor]

Marlborough has the bones. It just needs a blood transfusion or something.

[FCMA]

Originally Posted by massnative71

I have a feeling Clinton could take off a little more when people discover how close to 495 much of it actually is (<10 min., no red lights or anything). You are already seeing stuff going on like the lofts at Lancaster Mills, etc. Yes there is the school thing, but Hudson was in the same predicament not long ago (now they are considered very solid).


Saying that, places like Clinton, Ayer, Worcester, Fitchburg, Leominster are what I consider affordable now. Hudson has been expensive for several years now. Framingham is long past that point too, unless you are comparing it with its neighbors.

Clinton is a clone of Hudson And Maynard, just a handful of miles further west. It’s next on the list for outer suburbanites who want a downtown to visit.

Originally Posted by in_newengland

I hear good things lately about Greenfield although their schools are probably still way below par. It used to have a really good downtown and there is a lot of housing stock. Location may be an issue but it's near rte 2 and close to Vermont.

Recently I've discovered that Westfield is looking a lot better. The downtown doesn't have boarded up stores anymore. Instead, there are restaurants and other businesses. There are people walking around, going into the shops, and it's looking vibrant. Instead of the rusty old eyesore of a bridge, there are now two very attractive bridges that even incorporate pleasant and creative landscaping. And no one seems to be vandalizing any of it or tearing it down. Westfield is close to the Mass Pike, another advantage, and it's right next to CT. A nice little city with a decent location and not far from scenic countryside places like Southwick.

Westfield also has Stanley Park and its own big shopping mall. Those have been there a long time but they aren't the only reason to go to Westfield anymore. Schools? I don't know, but if the trend keeps up, they will probably be getting better.

Greenfield schools are notoriously poor of late, but you don’t live out that far for a respectable suburban lifestyle, you live there because you’re not quite right and you need to live cheaply and you probably like foraging for mushrooms followed by skinny dipping in the Green River. The town has a surprisingly nice downtown core and happy valley cultural influence seeping ever deeper. The past two or three years have seen it start displacing Northampton as the live music hub of Western Mass. The only other cheap place for creative folks priced-out of Northampton is Holyoke, so it’s got that working for it too plus being within a half hour of all the successful happy valley hubs where a few people have real jobs but stay in Greenfield anyways because it’s charming.

In Westfield, you can be right or not right because Springfield is just big enough of an employment market that a few people make real money and the housing stock in Westfield is really nice. There is totally no AP kindergarten, so those paranoid school-district types will continue gravitating to Longmeadow. But metro Springfield dwellers who value having a downtown to visit could do worse. There is a homemade jerky store and some new breweries, a couple things I figure Billericingtonfordlisle doesn’t have yet.

[495neighbor]

I'll throw Norwood in the hat. It already has a downtown with commuter rail stop, hospital and doctors, grocery store, already some decent eating places and close enough to the inner core to become the new Natick. The housing stock isn't the prettiest, but as another poster has already mentioned walkability is more important than curb appeal for today's home owners.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

I'll throw Norwood in the hat. It already has a downtown with commuter rail stop, hospital and doctors, grocery store, already some decent eating places and close enough to the inner core to become the new Natick. The housing stock isn't the prettiest, but as another poster has already mentioned walkability is more important than curb appeal for the today's home owners.

Yeah no reason why Norwood wouldn’t follow suit.

Norwood, Canton, and Walpole all seem to offer decent value considering prioxomity to/along 95. As someone who is admittedly less familiar with that general direction than most areas of Greater Boston, I never quite understood why it seems to attract less attention. Heck, last I looked, even Dedham had some decent housing for a very reasonable price.

They’re far from the jobs in places like Cambridge and Burlington, but not too far from the jobs in Waltham.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

I'll throw Norwood in the hat. It already has a downtown with commuter rail stop, hospital and doctors, grocery store, already some decent eating places and close enough to the inner core to become the new Natick. The housing stock isn't the prettiest, but as another poster has already mentioned walkability is more important than curb appeal for today's home owners.

Originally Posted by mwj119

Yeah no reason why Norwood wouldn’t follow suit.

Norwood, Canton, and Walpole all seem to offer decent value considering prioxomity to/along 95. As someone who is admittedly less familiar with that general direction than most areas of Greater Boston, I never quite understood why it seems to attract less attention. Heck, last I looked, even Dedham had some decent housing for a very reasonable price.

They’re far from the jobs in places like Cambridge and Burlington, but not too far from the jobs in Waltham.

Norwood and Canton aren't really long commutes to the Kendall part of Cambridge and certainly not too bad of commutes to downtown Boston. It just seems the suburban people who still want vestiges of the Cambridge scene or sub-cultures always feel the need to migrate to the Route 2 towns, even the ones that are mileage-wise much farther away from city core than those two towns.