desirability of acton vs burlington (Boston, Cambridge: new home, neighborhoods, buyers)

[panchilly]

Is it just me or in general is Burlington more desirable than Acton nowadays? Was this true 20-30 years ago or is this a recent phenomenon?

Acton
pros:

• school

cons:

• further from boston & 128.
• limited shopping and restaurants
• terrible tax rate. One of the worst in MA.

Burlington

pros:

• one of the BEST tax rates in MA
• closer to boston
• excellent proximity 128
• lots of shopping & food options

cons:

• school isn't top tier like Acton but still solid

[BosYuppie]

Chances are your kid won't join MS-13 in either school district.

[gf2020]

It really depends on what you are after. I have colleagues who live in both communities. Depending on your commute, Burlington may or may not be desirable. A lot of people in Acton take the commuter rail, getting off at the Red Line at Porter to go in to Cambridge or go all the way in to North Station. Burlington does not have a similar rail option.

[htfdcolt]

This is obviously reflecting personal preferences, but Acton just seems too rural and "in the boonies" for me. If you're not interested in feeling like you're part of the Boston ecosystem (dining / events in Cambridge, Somerville, Boston) then Acton is probably fine.

[mwj119]

It's funny, I thought there was a recent thread regarding the current desirability of Acton.. Can't find it via a quick search.

Anyways, for new home buyers, I do think Burlington is more of a consideration. To your point, that was absolutely not true 20 years ago. Acton's major growth in the 70's shows, as does Burlington's. But with the rapid development of commercial space, and the proximity on 95/to the city, new money is floating into Burlington at a faster clip. The housing stock and the demographics have changed at an accelerated rate, while Acton is kind of 'steady as she goes'. There are some neighborhoods in Acton, and some commercial areas, that look more like the woods in NH than they do Metro West. But, Acton is still ultra high income, and I'm not sure that will change.. The market is far slower, and I expect that to be the case until current/new home buyers need more room and want top schools, but can't afford the $1.2M 3500 sq/ft house. It's not a new story on CD, but definitely holds true.

More than anything, this isn't a vs. scenario. Folks who want an Acton are also looking in Carlisle and Sudbury. Folks who want a Burlington are looking in Reading and Wakefield. The simple truth is that more folks are now looking for the latter look and feel, not the former.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by panchilly

Is it just me or in general is Burlington more desirable than Acton nowadays? Was this true 20-30 years ago or is this a recent phenomenon?

Acton
pros:

• school

cons:

• further from boston & 128.
• limited shopping and restaurants
• terrible tax rate. One of the worst in MA.

Burlington

pros:

• one of the BEST tax rates in MA
• closer to boston
• excellent proximity 128
• lots of shopping & food options

cons:

• school isn't top tier like Acton but still solid

I would say it's realistically more like this:

Acton
pros:

• schools
• ppsqft
• space/yard
• outdoor activity
• train

cons:

• further from boston & 128.
• limited shopping and restaurants
• terrible tax rate. One of the worst in MA.

Burlington

pros:

• one of the BEST tax rates in MA
• closer to boston
• excellent proximity 128
• lots of shopping & food options

cons:

• school isn't top tier like Acton but still solid
• neighborhoods are not as aesthetically pleasing
• ppsqft is exceedingly expensive
• no train

[jks1985]

I mean, they are completely different. Why are you comparing them? People that look to buy in Acton probably also look in places like Hopkinton, Sudbury, and Westford. Burlington buyers probably look at Reading/Dedham/Waltham.


Acton is beautiful and has a more rural feel. Burlington is closer to the city and has more in common with Waltham/Woburn. Personally, I'd rather live in Acton, but I have kids and don't need to commute to the city.

[darkone]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

This is obviously reflecting personal preferences, but Acton just seems too rural and "in the boonies" for me. If you're not interested in feeling like you're part of the Boston ecosystem (dining / events in Cambridge, Somerville, Boston) then Acton is probably fine.

No way is Acton rural - it is a suburban, professional and generally well-off suburban town with excellent schools.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by darkone

No way is Acton rural - it is a suburban, professional and generally well-off suburban town with excellent schools.

Acton is pretty rural, as are many affluent suburbs along route 2.

Concord is professional and super well off.. Still very rural in most areas. Carlisle too.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

This is obviously reflecting personal preferences, but Acton just seems too rural and "in the boonies" for me. If you're not interested in feeling like you're part of the Boston ecosystem (dining / events in Cambridge, Somerville, Boston) then Acton is probably fine.

This. When we first looked into moving to the Boston area, Acton went on and off our list pretty quickly. The prices for what you could get were attractive. But it was just too far away from Boston. Since we moved, we haven't had much opportunity to go to Acton, but at one point we did, and at least in the small portion we saw, it was more rural feeling than I was expecting and not as nice. Again, we didn't see lots of it, but what we saw didn't impress me.

If, for some strange reason, I had to choose between those two towns and only those two towns, I'd probably pick Burlington.