North Reading today - the good and the bad (Boston: neighborhood, high school)

[Dadschum]

Originally Posted by gf2020

I'm pretty sure she's going for this one in North Reading:

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...4_M45877-02675

Yup - pretty sure that is the one they have an offer accepted on. there are only a few properties in the last couple weeks that meet any of their requirements and this best matches what she described.

Also pretty sure the kid is going to go to Andover Montessori. Or possibly Pike.

I'd be pretty damn happy in that house. Not sure I would be looking for anything else. Not sure what she is going to gain by moving a few miles over the border. 5 minutes closer to the kid's school? She is 10 minutes to Andover Town Center and 15 minutes to Phillips. Other then the snob factor of saying you are from Andover not sure if it's worth it to move and uproot a family once you are settled in and have done whatever renovations you think you need.

[cb2008]

Originally Posted by Dadschum

Yup - pretty sure that is the one they have an offer accepted on. there are only a few properties in the last couple weeks that meet any of their requirements and this best matches what she described.

Also pretty sure the kid is going to go to Andover Montessori. Or possibly Pike.

I'd be pretty damn happy in that house. Not sure I would be looking for anything else. Not sure what she is going to gain by moving a few miles over the border. 5 minutes closer to the kid's school? She is 10 minutes to Andover Town Center and 15 minutes to Phillips. Other then the snob factor of saying you are from Andover not sure if it's worth it to move and uproot a family once you are settled in and have done whatever renovations you think you need.

She did mention zip code. Andover could be a better investment for appreciation, snob value regardless.

[Dadschum]

OP Might like this one that just came on the market. has the size and the cul de sac. No pool but plenty of flat land to put one in. Town water and sewer. No septic. Very close to 93 for husband's commute

https://www.redfin.com/MA/Andover/8-...9uX251bWJlcj0w

[NRmember10]

Hi!

Not sure how this turned into a Andover thread, but just wanted to add that my wife and I moved to North Reading a couple years ago and have loved every minute of it. We too looked in Andover for our search but ultimately fell in love with North Reading's small-town vibe. We both work in Cambridge and after doing a few trial runs found that we saved ~10-15 minutes from the North Reading location (which will be similar for Burlington). We like how central the town is to everything, including the excellent Lynnfield Market Place, Middleton stores, and Burlington, which are all a 10 minute drive (vs 20+ mins). Regarding schools, I'm sure you have done your own homework, but the schools in each town are all comparable, and North Reading's elementary and middle schools scored quite a bit higher based on the 2021 test scores.

One of our concerns with Andover was the size of the high school and location of the town - the north part of town boarders Lawrence and Lowell which doesn't quite align with some other parts of town. North Reading is certainly less diverse than Andover but has been undergoing a transformation over the last 10 years, which began with the development of Ipswich River Park and new high school. One thing that sold us on the town is the level of development the town is planning to commit to in the next 5-10 years. A rail-trail through town connecting Wilmington and Salem is in the planning stages and they just kicked of a project to redevelop the center of town and Route 28, including bringing in sewer. (https://www.northreadingma.gov/sites...tes/12-1_0.pdf).

Shoot me a message if you have any more questions and good luck!

[Remy11]

As far as North Reading goes, I feel as though it’s a nice town, but if you’re looking for someone to say it’s as prestigious as Andover, I would say definitely not. I’m not even sure I’d put it up there with North Andover. I would say it’s a step above places like Burlington and Woburn, but not as posh as places like Andover, Lynnfield, Lexington, Newburyport, and Boxford. Sorry, not trying to offend anyone but that’s just my perception as someone who grew up in the area and still lives on the North Shore.

[NRmember10]

Hi Remy11,

I think your statement would have been correct at one time, but that is no longer the case. The original poster actually sounds a lot like my wife. She's from a top 10, manicured town in NJ, we lived in Manhattan and Seaport post-college and make about $500k/yr AGI. We ultimately chose N. Reading because it's about as close as you can get to Cambridge with lots of space, the small town feel (15k pop vs 40k pop in Andover) and the better schools (the reason we backed out of Andover is that outside of High Plain, the k-8 schools are not as good, and I don't like how large the high school is). Also, once they bring sewer and clean up Route 28, plus add the rail trail, there will be another inflection point. Route 28 is a state road, and if you want a preview go take a look at how Rt 28 now looks in Reading.

The only town in the area I would consider over N. Reading is Lynnfield. Ultimately, unless you're living in-town Andover, N. Reading and Andover are closer than Andover and Lynnfield. I'm barely going to acknowledge the N. Andover vs N. Reading comparison - that alone shows how out of date that comparison is. With that being said, all the towns I've mention are great choices, but as with anything there are tradeoffs. I think the op would be happy in either town and hope this helps.

[cb2008]

Originally Posted by Remy11

As far as North Reading goes, I feel as though it’s a nice town, but if you’re looking for someone to say it’s as prestigious as Andover, I would say definitely not. I’m not even sure I’d put it up there with North Andover. I would say it’s a step above places like Burlington and Woburn, but not as posh as places like Andover, Lynnfield, Lexington, Newburyport, and Boxford. Sorry, not trying to offend anyone but that’s just my perception as someone who grew up in the area and still lives on the North Shore.

I am not sure I like the way this conversation going, about snob appeal.

Be that as it may N.Reading and Andover does not compare at all. The quality of life, the ambiance of the town center, the community values and organizations, the Senior and Youth Center, proximity to Merrimack college where you can audit courses, the restaurants, the future of Shawsheen development, the services - not even close. I prefer a proper Town with services and amenities and not crazy about being too rural. The OP was counting on the proximity to Andover, use of the library and downtown while making her decision. Which is fine.

Actually Woburn has the Horn Pond which is a great asset and has a kind of down town and a business district to support taxes. Even Reading has a nice downtown, plus the Orange line station and some interesting shops. Burlington is a city. I am not all sure what N.Reading is about, other than the Rt 28 that runs through it.
I don't mean to offend anyone and apologize in advance if it comes across like that. Just an objective comparison.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by Massmailinator

1 Martha Jones, Westwood
2 Horace Mann, Melrose
3 Albert S. Woodward Memorial School, Southborough
4 Spring Street, Shrewsbury
5 Mary Lee Burbank, Belmont
6 Vinson-Owen Elementary, Winchester
7 Chickering, Dover
8 Ambrose Elementary, Winchester
9 Deerfield School, Westwood
10 Benjamin G Brown, Somerville
11 L D Batchelder, North Reading

These US news lists are head scratchers, to be sure.

It was only a few years back that US News ranked Chelmsford High School as a Top 500 high school in the US, and was 1st or 2nd in MA.

No offense to Chelmsford, I've always advocated that it's an undervalued town. But, come on now.

[cb2008]

Originally Posted by mwj119

These US news lists are head scratchers, to be sure.

It was only a few years back that US News ranked Chelmsford High School as a Top 500 high school in the US, and was 1st or 2nd in MA.

No offense to Chelmsford, I've always advocated that it's an undervalued town. But, come on now.

From what I understand there is no uniform criteria for how these rankings are done. I dont know if anyone does.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by cb2008

I am not sure I like the way this conversation going, about snob appeal.

Be that as it may N.Reading and Andover does not compare at all. The quality of life, the ambiance of the town center, the community values and organizations, the Senior and Youth Center, proximity to Merrimack college where you can audit courses, the restaurants, the future of Shawsheen development, the services - not even close. I prefer a proper Town with services and amenities and not crazy about being too rural. The OP was counting on the proximity to Andover, use of the library and downtown while making her decision. Which is fine.

Actually Woburn has the Horn Pond which is a great asset and has a kind of down town and a business district to support taxes. Even Reading has a nice downtown, plus the Orange line station and some interesting shops. Burlington is a city. I am not all sure what N.Reading is about, other than the Rt 28 that runs through it.
I don't mean to offend anyone and apologize in advance if it comes across like that. Just an objective comparison.

Burlington is a town with a population smaller than many other towns around us. Yes, there is a heavy commercial development on one end of town but Lynnfield, Reading, North Andover, Andover, etc. all have the same.