Thoughts on West Acton neighborhood (Natick, Shrewsbury: low income, apartments, renters)
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My family is moving from Maryland to MA, and I found a house we love in West Acton. Is this neighborhood ok compared to the rest of Acton? A relative who lives in a different part of the state told me that it wasn't a great part of town, but I'm not sure how much she knows about the area. We are looking for proximity to the train and good schools, so this definitely meets those two needs, but I don't want to buy in the "less desirable" part of town (if there even is one - it all looks pretty beautiful to me!)
It's all desirable. Around the train station, nearer the Maynard line, there are some not-sleek type buildings, tire places, car stuff. But there is not a "bad" part of Acton. I lived in Littleton for many years and I promise you, there is nothing wrong with West Acton. Just a little less sleek.
It's all desirable. Around the train station, nearer the Maynard line, there are some not-sleek type buildings, tire places, car stuff. But there is not a "bad" part of Acton. I lived in Littleton for many years and I promise you, there is nothing wrong with West Acton. Just a little less sleek.
This.
West Acton "suffers" from Maynard's working class spill over, though Maynard itself is a perfectly fine small town. Those from gilded metro west 'burbs tend to paint Maynard as though it's a Clinton of equally lower income town, but it is not that. It is, as brighdoglover suggests, entirely cosmetic problem. There is nothing "wrong" with this section of Acton nor the people who live within or the nearby neighborhoods in Maynard.
If you're happy with the home and immediate neighborhood, you shouldn't place too much concern on the section within Acton aside from commuter access.
The area around the train station and out Rt 27 to the Maynard line is South Acton. West Acton is along Rt 111 from the Rt 27 intersection up to West Acton Center and out to the Boxboro line by the hockey rink. It also runs out along the north end of Central St. down to the Littleton line by the office park that used to be a drive-in. The North Acton/South Acton line on Central St. would be right around where the railroad tracks cross, and on Rt 27 it would be around the Prospect St. intersection.
Any Maynard "spillover" would be in South Acton, and I think Maynard has gotten much nicer the past several years, so to me, that wouldn't be an issue. West Acton has some older neighborhoods, but they are nice older neighborhoods, like Minuteman Ridge and Indian Village. And the old Victorians on Windsor Ave are gorgeous.
West Acton is actually my favorite part of town, although I'm probably biased (I lived in two different neighborhoods there). It's also the only part of town that has a central district, which is even somewhat walkable.
West Acton is actually my favorite part of town, although I'm probably biased (I lived in two different neighborhoods there). It's also the only part of town that has a central district, which is even somewhat walkable.
Yes. It has a village/town feel within a bigger town/suburb. There are some interesting small businesses and venues, although hard to know how they'll be doing under current circumstances. I used to drive that route on my back road way from Littleton to a night job in Natick. It would suit me very well as a place to live, but then, I have never been one for manicured suburbs.
It's all desirable. Around the train station, nearer the Maynard line, there are some not-sleek type buildings, tire places, car stuff. But there is not a "bad" part of Acton. I lived in Littleton for many years and I promise you, there is nothing wrong with West Acton. Just a little less sleek.
There's plenty there if you look hard enough that does make you wonder how Acton has such elite schools.
I looked at the apartments not too far from the train station. Definitely dumpy albeit this was like 5,6 years ago now. The Superfund site not too far from there isn't helping the rents I'm sure. From my notes they wanted 650-700 for a one.
I do like the northern side of town but of course the commute is even worse if you were intending to take the train.
The area around the train station and out Rt 27 to the Maynard line is South Acton. West Acton is along Rt 111 from the Rt 27 intersection up to West Acton Center and out to the Boxboro line by the hockey rink. It also runs out along the north end of Central St. down to the Littleton line by the office park that used to be a drive-in. The North Acton/South Acton line on Central St. would be right around where the railroad tracks cross, and on Rt 27 it would be around the Prospect St. intersection.
Any Maynard "spillover" would be in South Acton, and I think Maynard has gotten much nicer the past several years, so to me, that wouldn't be an issue. West Acton has some older neighborhoods, but they are nice older neighborhoods, like Minuteman Ridge and Indian Village. And the old Victorians on Windsor Ave are gorgeous.
West Acton is actually my favorite part of town, although I'm probably biased (I lived in two different neighborhoods there). It's also the only part of town that has a central district, which is even somewhat walkable.
OP said "near the train", so those of us aware of that immediate area decided to run with that rather than be pedantic about what is and isn't "West Acton". As you state, there's nothing particularly downtrodden about West Acton beyond some of the housing/stores being older structures and the supposedly "rough" section of town is South Acton.
As I stated above, Maynard is perfectly fine these days, despite some believing it's still a Clinton or Milford equivalent - it's not. The commercial areas remain a bit working class in aesthetic, but one look at the businesses and you know you're not in a sketchy town ... I mean, it has a Paper Store
There's plenty there if you look hard enough that does make you wonder how Acton has such elite schools.
I looked at the apartments not too far from the train station. Definitely dumpy albeit this was like 5,6 years ago now. The Superfund site not too far from there isn't helping the rents I'm sure. From my notes they wanted 650-700 for a one.
I do like the northern side of town but of course the commute is even worse if you were intending to take the train.
Acton-Box schools have benefited from sharing with Boxborough (less rentals, higher income);attracting higher income/educated residents due to the rt. 2/rail access, and an influx of Asian residents in the '80s-'00s who prioritized education within their households.
Once the schools hit "elite" status, it becomes a bit of self fulfilling exercise. Rents go up due to demand for school access, which means the low income renters in town chose to prioritize education access over the bottom line. The types who tend to be a drag on school systems either can't afford Acton rent are are sticking to more urban areas.
A similar transition happened in towns like Shrewsbury and Natick, both of which have plenty of rentals and less desirable commercial areas. Still great schools and high demand though.
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