What is the best community to live in? (Boston, Worcester: fit in, transplants)

[Newtothenortheast]

My Wife and I are searching for a house/condo/townhome. I've posted before but we've evaluated advice we have been given here and elsewhere and have adjusted our criteria to have more realistic expectations.

Criteria:

Welcoming community: Welcoming to new people. Generally Friendly feeling. Limited exposure to Newburyport suggests this community is friendly for comparison to others places.
Quaint town with charm, sense of community and things to do.
Good dinning options. We enjoy eating out.
House/condo/townhome has green space. Yard can be small. This is an adjustment from previous posts as the other things we desire are more important than lot size.
Commuting options would be nice (i.e commuter rail) but not an absolute.
Schools Don't suck. Our threshold for school performance is high. We grew up in states with much lower performing schools. As long as the community is safe the school rating is less important.
Max budget is 950K but 600-800 would be preferable.


We work in the LMA area but are prepared to deal with a commute.

Previous suggestions of Andover, Newburyport, Marblehead and Westborough seem like good matches on paper but trying to see where else we should give careful consideration given our relaxation on lot size/home size.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

[CaseyB]

You’d want to be where there are lots of other recent transplants. Easier to fit in and make friends.

[Newtothenortheast]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

You’d want to be where there are lots of other recent transplants. Easier to fit in and make friends.

any suggestions?

[gf2020]

With a budget to $950K and a commute to Longwood you could look closer in, like Melrose, Arlington, Dedham, Milton, maybe Hingham.

[495neighbor]

There are a few properties on the market in Needham in the higher end of the OP's range. I would up the budget and look there. It's a charming, aesthetically pleasing town, and you'd have the best commute to Longwood of the Boston suburbs. Possibly you could have Medfield as a backup. More country than Needham, it has a cute town center and you could drive and park on the Needham line from there.

To the North you could look in Winchester. It's a pretty town and an easy commute to North Station and then the orange line to Ruggles.

Newburyport, Westborough, Andover are all charming towns but would be insane commutes.

[johngolf]

Andover is not an insane commute. It is a typical Boston suburban commute. 1 hour typical. 1.5 hours on a busy day. My daughter commutes to Deaconess Beth Israel. To Cambridge would be less. There is commuter rail for those who schedule it fits. Schools are excellent. Walkable, quaint downtown with shops and restaurants. It ticks all the OP's wants.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

Newburyport, Westborough, Andover are all charming towns but would be insane commutes.

I was wondering where Westborough came from... LOL

Nice town, but OP can afford a much nicer commute! I'd rather that commute than the commute from Marblehead or Newburyport though.
I commuted a while to across the street from the BSO - Worcester -> Back Bay -> Walk 10 minutes to the office took about 90 minutes. Westborough would cut out 20 minutes.
OR Natick would cut out about 60

[chicagoliz]

I'd look for a condo or townhome in Newton. Maybe Brookline, but it would definitely be a condo there. Basically, I think Brookline would be ideal if price were no object, but it will be impossible to find what you really wanted -- but you might find something you like with your revised criteria. Newton will have a little more in your price range (albeit the upper end).

I also don't understand where Westborough came from. In budget, but not what I'd pick.

[Newtothenortheast]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

I'd look for a condo or townhome in Newton. Maybe Brookline, but it would definitely be a condo there. Basically, I think Brookline would be ideal if price were no object, but it will be impossible to find what you really wanted -- but you might find something you like with your revised criteria. Newton will have a little more in your price range (albeit the upper end).

I also don't understand where Westborough came from. In budget, but not what I'd pick.

Clearly there's something I don't know. Given the current situation we haven't really gone out and explored these places in person. Which is why I was asking for Advice to narrow in places for when we do feel comfortable going out again.

Is Westborough not a quaint friendly community as I've been led to believe? What am I missing?

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Newtothenortheast

Is Westborough not a quaint friendly community as I've been led to believe? What am I missing?

Never saw it as particularly either. It's desirable due its proximity to local tech jobs, while having top schools with plenty of shopping and other amenities. It wouldn't be my first choice if I was commuting to the Longwood medical area, although it would perhaps be better than Andover or Newburyport.