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Can anyone tell me how Methuen is? schools? crime? work? We have 5 kids 18,12,10,8,3 we are looking at a house on Arnold St. How is that area? Any info would be GREAT thanks for your time
I don't know specifically where you're looking to buy....but honestly, Methuen wouldn't be on my top places to live in MA.
Depending on your price range, I think you can find safer areas. Lawrence is a high-crime area, and many of the issues, I feel, have spilled over into Methuen.
I agree w/what the others said, although if you're looking at Methuen, I don't think you can even consider Andover which is probably too expensive. Have you considered the neighboring town of Dracut? MIT's Center for Real Estate rated Dracut as the #1 most affordable town in their recent study which considered not only price, but things like schools, accessibility, and crime. It's a much better value (safer and much better schools) than Methuen if you're specifically looking to buy in that area.
I don't know specifically where you're looking to buy....but honestly, Methuen wouldn't be on my top places to live in MA.
Depending on your price range, I think you can find safer areas. Lawrence is a high-crime area, and many of the issues, I feel, have spilled over into Methuen.
Hi, my cousins lived in Methuen, it is next to Lawrence. When I got older
and needed to go there, my question was why would anyone live here. I was in Boston
they all moved away. maine, arizona. This was an old mill town, and boring.
it is from what I do recall near N.H. If you have your heart set, I would research towns near, just not methuen, and Lawrence.
Last edited by maggiekate; 04-22-2007 at 07:49 PM..
Reason: spell
Can anyone tell me how Methuen is? schools? crime? work? We have 5 kids 18,12,10,8,3 we are looking at a house on Arnold St. How is that area? Any info would be GREAT thanks for your time
That filled with races of all ethnicities. high prices on everything/ housing, high taxes though not as high as az. food is low. mass health is great better than az medicaid program and with 5 kids youd qualify no matter what your income level Im sure. My grandparents briought us up on arnold street....how strange this is...it was a good area ten years ago....make a visit. its about 28 miles north of boston on NH border. good luck
I've lived in Methuen for 19 years. It is a medium-sized suburb north of Boston. I disagree with what people have said about safety and schools. My experience is that Methuen is just as safe to live in as any of the other suburbs that have been named (Dracut, North Andover, etc.) Dracut is a nice enough town, but much more rural and much harder to get to than Methuen (you can't get directly into Dracut from the highway.) North Andover and Andover are VERY expensive places to live - housing costs in our area are very high, and even more so in North Andover and Andover. The schools in Methuen hold their own against other schools in the area, although we need a new high school.
Traffic can be a huge issue around here. If you are going to work in Boston or one of the towns that are inside the Rte. 128 beltway (check a map) you can expect to sit in very heavy traffic on most days -- ESPECIALLY if the weather is bad. If you are going to work in Methuen or a town close to it, then traffic wouldn't be an issue. But be very careful about moving here if you're going to be commuting towards Boston every day.
Arnold Street is not in the most terrific part of Methuen -- it's fairly close to the center of town, and you'd want to be sure to LOOK at any property or neighborhood you're thinking about moving to. When you do, be sure to ask them specifically about whether they got flooded in the spring of '06.
The last thing I'd say is to be sure you do your homework with regard to the cost of living in suburbs north of Boston. It can be very expensive to live around here, so make sure you read some of the local newspapers and look at the prices of everyday stuff.
Good luck.
Last edited by flynn; 05-07-2007 at 06:42 PM..
Reason: Traffic!
Late post, I know, but I just found this forum so I'll offer my help.
Methuen as a whole is an alright town. Easily accessible from the highway, decent housing (cheaper than many suburban towns in MA). Though, I would look for a better neighborhood than the one you're looking into. The areas surrounding Arnold Street are generally just grimey. I don't have a statistic availible, but from local knowledge, the area surrounding the eastern part of Oakland Ave is very grimey. A good deal more crime than most neighborhoods.
I would recommend moving here; so long as you get your kids into a private high school (Central Catholic would be your best bet, but there are 2 vocational schools and several prepatory schools that are even better suited for your kids than Methuen High).
I'm an incoming sophmore at MHS and it brings out the worst in everybody there, and that includes the staff. This past year there were 5 bomb threats, multiple arrests for excessive violence, drugs, etc etc.
Hope it can help.
Last edited by ExtremeofParanoia; 06-24-2007 at 03:10 AM..
Location: Near Boston, MA (93 & 95 interchange area)
13 posts, read 76,932 times
Reputation: 10
just curious, what's the actual limits of Methuen? it's kinda hard to tell on google maps, but does Methuen envelope Lawrence, and both have limits at the Merrimack?
Also how's the west side of Methuen, more specifically near the 93 and the Merrimack river area?
If you might consider New Hampshire, Salem is the next town over, has alot to offer re: school systems, great music program and very active high school band. No income tax, no sales tax, some great neighborhoods...
If you're really set on Metheun, be sure to drive through the neighborhoods you're considering after 6 or 7 PM... You may or may not like what you see, but better to be aware of what you're buying than to have remorse later...
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I don't know specifically...
