North Shore mass - family town to move to

[Remy11]

Charlie Mac,
I went to a retirement party last night for a close Georgetown friend’s mom who recently retired from 20 years at the Georgetown Light Dept, so naturally there were quite a few people from town there. We ended up running into the younger brother of a classmate of ours who we hadn’t seen in years and the memories came rushing back once we all got talking. He was saying he and his family moved to a nearby town where the school district is much larger and it just has such a different feeling, especially when he goes to his son’s hockey games. He was recalling how everyone in Georgetown knew one another, so at school events there were literally no strangers at all. In the town he’s in now, he said he maybe knows a handful of the other families at any given game and that’s about it. Anyways, we had a great time reminiscing about the good old days in Georgetown all night.

By the time I was a senior in high school I was itching to move on, but I can honestly say in hindsight it really was such a special place to grow up.

[BostonMike7]

Hamilton/Wenham area, or possibly Reading/NorthReading/Andover

[Remy11]

I’m probably going to get crucified for asking but really don’t care—when did Reading and North Reading become a thing?! I mean they’re fine, but I would never, ever place them in a league with Hamilton, Wenham, Andover, and Lynnfield. Never in a million years. I wouldn’t even say I consider them as nice as Georgetown TBH.

Is it the whole phenomena of people from out of state moving close to 128 for tech jobs and trying to make them happen?!

I see people on city-data (most likely not OG north shore people) moon over them and I chuckle each and every time. I literally think of Kitty’s Restaurant and Jordan’s Furniture (although I will say Oye and Venetian Moon are delicious).

[thinkingotherthings]

Originally Posted by Remy11

I’m probably going to get crucified for asking but really don’t care—when did Reading and North Reading become a thing?! I mean they’re fine, but I would never, ever place them in a league with Hamilton, Wenham, Andover, and Lynnfield. Never in a million years. I wouldn’t even say I consider them as nice as Georgetown TBH.

Is it the whole phenomena of people from out of state moving close to 128 for tech jobs and trying to make them happen?!

I see people on city-data (most likely not OG north shore people) moon over them and I chuckle each and every time. I literally think of Kitty’s Restaurant and Jordan’s Furniture (although I will say Oye and Venetian Moon are delicious).

I was talking to someone recently who moved from Medford to Reading and was raving about the schools and the family-friendly neighborhoods. Loves it there. In my opinion the downtown is not as charming as, say, Melrose's or Andover's, but the neighborhoods and housing stock seem pretty nice, especially on the west side, and the schools are decently well ranked.

And yes I think location is also part of the appeal. You classify Reading as a north shore town, but is it really? I am not a north shorian myself and I don't know where people who live in Hamilton or Wenham work, but if your office is along 128, or in Cambridge, or in Boston, then Reading offers a better commute than any of the other towns you named.

[Remy11]

Originally Posted by thinkingotherthings

I was talking to someone recently who moved from Medford to Reading and was raving about the schools and the family-friendly neighborhoods. Loves it there. In my opinion the downtown is not as charming as, say, Melrose's or Andover's, but the neighborhoods and housing stock seem pretty nice, especially on the west side, and the schools are decently well ranked.

And yes I think location is also part of the appeal. You classify Reading as a north shore town, but is it really? I am not a north shorian myself and I don't know where people who live in Hamilton or Wenham work, but if your office is along 128, or in Cambridge, or in Boston, then Reading offers a better commute than any of the other towns you named.

I just googled and Wiki's map says they’re both north of Boston towns that are sometimes considered north shore or north shore adjacent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_...h_Shore_MA.png

Many people on the actual north shore definitely work in Boston and on 128. The commute is obviously worse but they do it. And I can see why someone going from Medford to Reading would think they hit the big time when it comes to moving to peace and quiet to raise a family. It was like my dad moving to Georgetown from Haverhill to raise us. City folks always want to move out to "the country" with the white picket fence.

I think they’re two average towns that were never considered old money like Andover or even Lynnfield, but had plenty of land to develop, so over the past 15-20 years or so they attracted the Boston/128 workers due to proximity. But nobody who has lived here for most, if not all of their lives, would ever group them with Andover, Lynnfield, Hamilton, Wenham, Boxford, and Topsfield. They simply don’t have that cachet or history of old money. Again, I’d still put even a Georgetown above them. It’s less built up with box stores and is prettier and more charming in general IMO.

[sunguy13]

Andover