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Old 07-28-2008, 09:11 PM
 
17 posts, read 33,800 times
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I've posted on here before, but I'm more confused now than ever. My husband has a new job in Concord. We will be moving from out of state. We have 2 very small children.

We would like:
single family house with 3 or 4 bedrooms
medium sized yard that is mostly level
neighborhood with sidewalks and something to walk to like shops, library, etc. Concord seemed a bit too rural/remote for us.
other families with small children
acceptable schools
a commute under 30 minutes

We have been focusing on Arlington. We are getting disheartened by the kind of house our $450k budget will get us in Arlington. I am willing to be a little further away from Boston as long as there is still a train to take us into the city. I need something to do with the kids so I'm hoping for a centralized town kind place with activities and classes for young children. Ballet, story time, martial arts, art classes, etc. for when the time comes. Oh, and playgrounds with slides and swings.

Thank you so much for any help you may have to offer!
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Old 07-28-2008, 09:58 PM
 
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Needham and Wellesley are 30 minutes drive from Concord as well as Boston. The commuter rail stops in both towns and can be taken to Boston.

In both Needham and Wellesley, the school districts for the grammar schools are mapped out geographically so that your children become friends with the other children in the immediate area. There are great parks in both towns, particularly in Wellesley, for smaller children. Warren Park on Washington St. in Wellesley is a draw for people from all surrounding towns for its new play structures and its shade in the summer and the sledding hill in the winter. There are family friendly activities sponsored by both towns year round including parades, concerts, street fairs, open houses at fire stations and more. The towns are generally very safe with serious crime being very infrequent. Amenities such as quality child care facilities are available as are organized recreational programs (the Y in Needham has great programs and the town of Wellesley offers programs for adults and kids year round ranging from T-Ball to cooking to yoga).

Hope that helped!
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Old 07-28-2008, 10:11 PM
 
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When you looked at Concord, did you check the West Concord section of town? That area has a nice downtown area, though it is true that the town of Concord as a whole is very woodsy and kind of country. That general area, out to the northwest of Boston, is mostly like that, so you may need to set priorities in order of importance and be ready to make a compromise on either the opportunity to walk all around town or the close proximity to Concord. Aside from West Concord, I do have a few suggestions that meet your criteria to some degree:

Littleton: It's out in that same area, northwest of Boston, so the general area has that woodsy character, but Littleton at least has real neighborhoods in much of the town, even though the density is suburban rather than urban. It's kind of a small town, but more like a real town in many sections, rather than the out-in-the-sticks feel of many towns in that vicinity.

Westford: near Littleton. I'm not completely sure of this, but I think Westford may not have much of a downtown. Like Littleton, it has the feel of being in a town in many sections, rather than giving you the feeling of living along a country road, even if the character is not especially urban. For your needs, Littleton has one advantage over Westford, because Littleton is on the train line that leads to Concord, and into Boston. From Westford you'd have to drive to Littleton for the train.

Natick: This would be a possibility if your husband would be driving to work. It's located on a different commuter rail line than Concord, so recreational trips to the city would work, but the commute to Concord would involve driving. Natick is sort of a basically pleasant suburban kind of town, with neighborhoods that vary from older (1950'sish) subdivisions to some sections with modest-sized old Victorians. Commercial activity there is oriented toward malls, but there is a downtown that closes down early in the evening but is nice and clean, as well as clusters of small shops scattered around near some of the residential neighborhoods. Schools in Natick are not regarded as being among the very top schools in the area, as I understand, but this is by the standards of a section of the metro area with quite a few towns that have real powerhouses of school systems. My impression is that Natick's schools overall are good and solid by broader standards. I'm told that the elementary schools are good, the middle school is so-so, and the high school is not superior but solid.

If anything else occurs to me I'll let you know, but these are some possibilities for that area. Good luck with your search.

Last edited by ogre; 07-28-2008 at 10:28 PM..
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Old 07-28-2008, 10:30 PM
 
Location: Newton, Mass.
2,954 posts, read 12,277,795 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by speedygonz View Post
Needham and Wellesley are 30 minutes drive from Concord as well as Boston. The commuter rail stops in both towns and can be taken to Boston.
If the OP has only $450K to spend and can't find what they want in Arlington, the problem will probably be much worse in Needham or Wellesley. It seems that west of Concord (Acton, Littleton, Westford, etc) would be best for price but not so much for the density the OP wants. Perhaps Reading? It is under 30 mins from Concord via 128, though that is without factoring in rush hour traffic, which is rough on that road. The trip to Boston is not bad at all, especially if it's not a daily commute but rather just to take advantage of the city every now and then. There is also Natick, as ogre suggests.

I don't know much about Chelmsford, but it is a bit denser than something like Acton.

The area around Concord seems to be full of towns either very expensive, very rural, less desirable, or some combination of the three, but there are spots in there that might work.
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Old 07-28-2008, 10:36 PM
 
5,816 posts, read 15,870,181 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by speedygonz View Post
Needham and Wellesley are 30 minutes drive from Concord as well as Boston. The commuter rail stops in both towns and can be taken to Boston.

In both Needham and Wellesley, the school districts for the grammar schools are mapped out geographically so that your children become friends with the other children in the immediate area. There are great parks in both towns, particularly in Wellesley, for smaller children. Warren Park on Washington St. in Wellesley is a draw for people from all surrounding towns for its new play structures and its shade in the summer and the sledding hill in the winter. There are family friendly activities sponsored by both towns year round including parades, concerts, street fairs, open houses at fire stations and more. The towns are generally very safe with serious crime being very infrequent. Amenities such as quality child care facilities are available as are organized recreational programs (the Y in Needham has great programs and the town of Wellesley offers programs for adults and kids year round ranging from T-Ball to cooking to yoga).

Hope that helped!
Needham and Wellesley are very pricey towns. Not being a realtor, I don't know the range of house prices in these towns, so I'm not sure whether you could find a house at the lower end of the price ranges for these towns. I have some doubts about that, though it might be worth at least doing some checking, since these towns would offer the opportunity to walk to various places, and are on commuter rail. In both, your husband would need to commute by car, as both these towns are on different rail lines than Concord. From these towns, as with Natick, which I suggested in my earlier post, a train commute to Concord would involve going into the city on one rail line and back out on another, with a subway ride that would involve a transfer, since the rail lines from Natick, Wellesley, and Needham terminate at a different train station than the line out to Concord. Definitely not practical.
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Old 07-29-2008, 09:00 PM
 
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Thanks for the input! We still like the idea of Arlington, just not the houses we've seen so far. I think what did it was finding our dream house in a town that doesn't come highly recommended. It was hard seeing that for $437, when in Arlington we're looking at a tiny place in need of major renovations for $499. I will look into the suggested towns and hopefully visit the area again soon. We may be renting until we can figure this out. I'm just really hoping to be settled into our new place before winter. It's going to be strange to go back to renting, even if it is temporary. I am open to any and all suggestions! Thank you!

Oh, and hubby is fine with driving to work as long as the route is plowed in winter and he can be home in 30 minutes.
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Old 07-29-2008, 09:18 PM
 
278 posts, read 1,061,258 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sistina View Post
Thanks for the input! We still like the idea of Arlington, just not the houses we've seen so far. I think what did it was finding our dream house in a town that doesn't come highly recommended. It was hard seeing that for $437, when in Arlington we're looking at a tiny place in need of major renovations for $499. I will look into the suggested towns and hopefully visit the area again soon. We may be renting until we can figure this out. I'm just really hoping to be settled into our new place before winter. It's going to be strange to go back to renting, even if it is temporary. I am open to any and all suggestions! Thank you!

Oh, and hubby is fine with driving to work as long as the route is plowed in winter and he can be home in 30 minutes.
Greetings Sistina,
I understand your dilemma...been there myself. I think you (& your family) should consider which is most important: the Town or the House. The answer is different for different people. We ALL want to live half an hour (or less) outside Boston, in a scenic town with great schools...but that's not attainable for many people who have a specific budget in mind. Some people want a nicer home, because it's their sanctuary at the end of a hard day (or during the day, if you are the stay-at-home variety). Others don't mind a smaller, outdated home because their priorities relate to job proximity, activities, schools, etc...so you just have to decide which one is most important for you right now. Personally, I wouldn't settle for a house that doesn't feel good...you have to live there, and also, you may have to sell it one day...if it doesn't feel good to you, it won't feel good to potential buyers down the road. Those are just my thoughts...I wish you luck in your search for the perfect town/home!
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Old 07-30-2008, 11:07 AM
 
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I was hoping the commute wouldn't be as much of an issue since he is working in Concord, not Boston. Serves me right.
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Old 07-30-2008, 08:04 PM
 
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As long as you avoid certain heavily traveled roads, the commute is probably not much of an issue, since Concord is in an area of fairly low population density. Unfortunately, that low density makes the walking kind of town you're seeking more difficult to find in that area. Most towns near Concord are spread out over a wide area, with woods and fields, and winding roads built without pedestrians in mind.

There is one more densely populated town in the area, Maynard, which is just south of Concord and Acton. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure about Maynard's schools. It also does not have commuter rail service right in town, though there are stations nearby in Concord and Acton. Maynard also is kind of an old working class town. The town is showing some early indication of possible gentrification, but right now it just looks sort of old, and may be a little more densely populated than you'd like if you're looking for a good-sized yard, though plenty of properties would have back yards big enough for tossing a ball around, or for the kids to run around and play tag.

One question I have is whether you would need to live within walking distance of the train for your trips to Boston, or you'd be okay with a short drive to the nearest station.
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Old 08-01-2008, 05:18 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ogre View Post
One question I have is whether you would need to live within walking distance of the train for your trips to Boston, or you'd be okay with a short drive to the nearest station.
We are much more likely to be walking to a nearby coffee shop, library, or restaurant than we would be to the train. I am happy to drive to the train.
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