Thoughts on Medford Mass???? (Boston, Cambridge: best schools, university, places to live)

[ChunkyMonkey]

Originally Posted by Eddy G

Whats Wellington Station? (Orange line)
Sullivan station is less then a mile away from South Medford (Orange line)
+ the "inconvenient" in your opinion commuter rail (purple line)

I think you have enough options when it comes to trains and buses.

I did forget about Wellington, but it is no where near Medford town center, which is where the nicer neighborhoods are in my opinion.

[teliza]

I'm a transplant from an affluent south shore town and moved to Medford with significant reservations . . We lived first in a neighboring town for 3 years before purchasing a home in Medford. I can say that I stand happily corrected, especially now that I have children. Medford is a city for kids and families - the commitment to the sports programs - soccer, hockey, skating, t-ball, little league, etc - all year long and family activities, especially those supported by the Medford Family Network and the Community Schools programs, far exceed those offered in other areas. As for the schools not being "good" I wonder if that comment is from someone who has children in the schools and what their basis for saying that is? The fact of the matter is Medford actually does very well and the school system's commitment to children begins in the very early grades. I have nieces and nephews in the middle school and high school that are all doing well and have bright futures ahead of them. My own are in elementary school - they children are engaged, happy, and excited about learning . . . their teachers are remarkably gifted and dedicated, challenging the kids and encouraging them with confidence. Medford sends numerous students off the college on both academic and sports scholarships each year. So what's not good?

As for neghborhoods, there are several good ones to pick from . . West Medford, Brooks estates, Lawrence estates, to name a couple . . .It's a dafe city and has plenty to offer like a "town" . . .

Proximity to the city, major access roads, the airport (back road and highway route) cannot be beat . . .

We are actually looking to move to a bigger home and at first we thought elsewhere nearby - Arlington, Winchester - but then we took stock of what we have here in Medford and compared . . .Our first choice is to stay in Medford and find something bigger . . .

Good luck.

[DreamworksSKG]

Medford isn't bad they have a nice river walk along the mystic river and sailing/river sport activities available on the mystic river which leads out toward the Charles River! (You could live in Medford and have your motor boat at the Medford Boat Club and take it out into the harbor whenever you wanted (You have to go through the locks in Somerville tho)

You are close to the MIddlesex Fells and Mysitc lakes for recreation, and close to the major highways....lots of businesses and services in the area and you are not far from Davis Square, Alewife, and Wellington T stations. -
Bus routes frequent Medford as well. Tufts University is right in Medford.
And route 2 is close by for easy access points West/128/495, Western/Central mass. you have commuter rail in West Medford into Town (North Station) about 10 min +/- to Boston.
You are close to nice towns like Belmont , Winchester, and Arlington with plenty of recreation activities and services as well, restaurants, movie theater in Arlington (Capitol theate) etc. Theres the Fresh Pond Reservoir nearby too for walking around/dog walkinge tc. Menotomy Rocks Park in Arlington and the Bike path (Minuteman Bikeway) - from Somerville to Arlington- lexington - Bedford. Schools in medford are good and lots of activities.....

Housing is affordable , Boston standards.

- Jeff

[goyguy]

West is the best! Quiet, secure, well-established, diverse, convenient, what more do you need? I'm not holding my breath on the Green Line's extension from Lechmere to that area because that's been talked up for decades. There'll always be NIMBY's and economic slowdowns to block that kind of progress. But a Lowell Line commuter rail stop is within easy walking distance and is the first stop out of North Station. And, as others have said, there's good (at least during and between rush hours) bus service into Medford Square and to the Red Line stations at Davis, Porter, and Harvard.

The far eastern part of the city is centered around Wellington Circle, a congested traffic "rotary" where Routes 16 and 28 meet Middlesex Ave. The MBTA's Orange Line has a station there, connected by tram to a good-sized parking garage. A big condo/apartment development has just gone in which contains a small shopping strip of chain stores and food places, and there's another strip mall on the opposite side of the "circle" as well as the Meadow Glen Mall. In addition to a few other large complexes, there are residential streets which are lined mostly with two-family houses that are 80-100 years old. My impression of this area is that it's insular (99 or more percent Italian-American, lol) and maybe not as hospitable to newcomers as "West" is. That vibe pervades the rest of the city, except for the more "suburban" north side bordering the Middlesex Fells.

Comparable but "nicer" IMHO is neighboring Malden: a better socioeconomic and ethnic/racial mix, broad range of housing options from apartment/condo high-rises by the Orange Line & commuter rail stop to larger older apartments all over town (in two-families, 3-deckers, and brick buildings) to cozy little houses to intact (not "chopped up" into apartments) Victorians. Either Malden or Medford are a fast commute from Boston, with "fast" being a relative term when we're talking about I-93 between 6-10 AM or 3-7 PM.

The next city to the north, yet another "M" town (Melrose), has a distinctly more suburban feel to it. Yards are larger, the Victorians are more imposing, and - a rarity in 2008 - there're an independently-owned drug store AND hardware store in the city center. Affordable housing there is a somewhat well-kept secret, but it's there all right. There are some pleasant neighborhoods chock full of Capes and bungalows in addition to the roomy "Sears 4-square" style houses popular in the 1920's. Apartment/condo buildings line Main St and some of its side streets, and the sprawling Oak Grove Village of "townhomes" has just opened on the Malden/Melrose border right behind the Orange Line terminus. Melrose boasts of having the oldest continuously operating community-based volunteer symphony orchestra in the US, so if you've ever played a musical instrument that doesn't plug in (lol) you might be swayed to move within that community's boundaries based on that alone! Its suburban sensibility is amplified, so to speak, by the fact that there's no bus service after about 9 PM, and no other public transportation except for the commuter rail line which has three stations there.

Given a choice between the three localities, I'd pick West Medford as #1, then Malden as #2 with Melrose a close third. But keep in mind these are the words of a "suburb survivor" devoted to city living.

[redpanda]

Totally agree with much of the above. I think of Medford as a little hidden gem, where you can still get affordable housing stock and live in a safe (often walkable!) neighborhood, but you're just a zip away from downtown or Cambridge. I live in Medford and if it's not rush hour, I can make it to Arlington, Cambridge, the Burlington Mall, or the airport in 15 minutes flat.

Medford is funny in that it tends to take on the characteristics of the town it's bordering in whatever area you are. So different areas of Medford are similar to Arlington, Somerville, Cambridge, or Malden.

[resident08]

Originally Posted by redpanda

Totally agree with much of the above. I think of Medford as a little hidden gem, where you can still get affordable housing stock and live in a safe (often walkable!) neighborhood, but you're just a zip away from downtown or Cambridge. I live in Medford and if it's not rush hour, I can make it to Arlington, Cambridge, the Burlington Mall, or the airport in 15 minutes flat.

Medford is funny in that it tends to take on the characteristics of the town it's bordering in whatever area you are. So different areas of Medford are similar to Arlington, Somerville, Cambridge, or Malden.

AGREED!!!!!!!!

[resident08]

Medford is Great!!!

[Youseemepostin]

The public schools aren't bad at all. I'm a recent graduate. They're above average, so much so that kids from neighboring towns are always being sent to them registered with fake adresses.

[clevedark]

Another side of the coin here.

I've heard a lot of great things about Medford. It seems to be a good place to consider if you're not interested in living a stereotypical suburb. I lived in a similar town in another state and it was very pleasant and friendly and people were very satisfied with the schools. (Of course, the people in the stereotypical, uniformly rich suburb next door believed the schools were awful--the mix of income levels and races too unpredicable.)

Not everyone who can afford to wants to live in towns like Winchester et al, and alot of well educated, creative people have small budgets, and towns like Medford are very attractive to people like this.

[academica]

Originally Posted by goyguy

West is the best! Quiet, secure, well-established, diverse, convenient, what more do you need? I'm not holding my breath on the Green Line's extension from Lechmere to that area because that's been talked up for decades. There'll always be NIMBY's and economic slowdowns to block that kind of progress. But a Lowell Line commuter rail stop is within easy walking distance and is the first stop out of North Station. And, as others have said, there's good (at least during and between rush hours) bus service into Medford Square and to the Red Line stations at Davis, Porter, and Harvard.

The far eastern part of the city is centered around Wellington Circle, a congested traffic "rotary" where Routes 16 and 28 meet Middlesex Ave. The MBTA's Orange Line has a station there, connected by tram to a good-sized parking garage. A big condo/apartment development has just gone in which contains a small shopping strip of chain stores and food places, and there's another strip mall on the opposite side of the "circle" as well as the Meadow Glen Mall. In addition to a few other large complexes, there are residential streets which are lined mostly with two-family houses that are 80-100 years old. My impression of this area is that it's insular (99 or more percent Italian-American, lol) and maybe not as hospitable to newcomers as "West" is. That vibe pervades the rest of the city, except for the more "suburban" north side bordering the Middlesex Fells.


Given a choice between the three localities, I'd pick West Medford as #1, then Malden as #2 with Melrose a close third. But keep in mind these are the words of a "suburb survivor" devoted to city living.

this is very informative, goyguy. I am curious how things are different now in Medford and Melrose. especially Medford, as it seems to have more variety in neighborhoods..

particularly, how would you rate the south Medford area, the parts close to Ball square?

how about schools there? the greatschool scores for elementary schools (i.e. Columbus) don't show much good, although parents' online reviews suggest otherwise. I wanted to know if anyone knows first hand?