Concord vs Winchester? (Boston, Cambridge, Newton: renting, house, neighborhoods)

[donewithpretty]

Both are great towns, and my family is having a hard time choosing. I've made several lists now, and it seems like we must be overlooking the obvious.

Here's the list:

1. Good schools that aren't pressure cookers
2. Established housing stock (pre-1950s) with at least a quarter- to half-acre lots
3. Away from the constant traffic stream of inner suburbs like Belmont, Arlington, Somerville, Medford, Brookline, etc. But! easy access to main roads, such as I-93 and/or I-95 and I-90 since we have family north, south, and west of Boston
4. Good public transit options to Boston and possibly Cambridge
5. Strong and friendly neighborly vibe (block parties, book clubs, stay at home parent groups)
6. A mix of intellectual people (think writers, professors, IT geeks) and successful blue-collar workers (such as contractors who own their own business)
7. At least some financial diversity (this is how we ruled out places like Wellesley) - we'd strongly prefer ethnic diversity as well, but recognize that's not an easy option in the area
8. Great town center, organic grocery store, close to bigger box stores, restaurants, and movie theaters
9. Pools and ponds that aren't terribly overcrowded in the summer
10. Walkable neighborhoods and historical charm a plus

Both towns basically fit the bill, but they'd be such different experiences that it's been nearly impossible to make a decision. Any insights would be very appreciated. It feels like we've ruled out dozens of towns but are still no closer to the right decision.

[holden125]

I've made some comments on the topics I have some knowledge of. You can't really go too far wrong in either.

Originally Posted by donewithpretty

Both are great towns, and my family is having a hard time choosing. I've made several lists now, and it seems like we must be overlooking the obvious.

Here's the list:

1. Good schools that aren't pressure cookers As far as I know both towns meet this requirement. I don't believe Concord's schools are are pressure-packed as Lexington's. CCHS is a very good school though.
2. Established housing stock (pre-1950s) with at least a quarter- to half-acre lots Both towns have them, but the lot sizes tend to be larger for a comparably price house in Concord. Winchester is denser except for west of Route 3. Winchester lots would be large enough, though.
3. Away from the constant traffic stream of inner suburbs like Belmont, Arlington, Somerville, Medford, Brookline, etc. But! easy access to main roads, such as I-93 and/or I-95 and I-90 since we have family north, south, and west of Boston Winchester is closer to 93, 3 and 128, particularly 128 heading toward the North Shore. Concord's better for the west, but access to Boston by car is not direct.
4. Good public transit options to Boston and possibly Cambridge Much quicker train ride to Boston from Winchester. Concord has train access to Porter Sq. but is closer to an hour from Boston.
5. Strong and friendly neighborly vibe (block parties, book clubs, stay at home parent groups)
6. A mix of intellectual people (think writers, professors, IT geeks) and successful blue-collar workers (such as contractors who own their own business) Concord probably has more intellectual types. My experience in Winchester was more corporate.
7. At least some financial diversity (this is how we ruled out places like Wellesley) - we'd strongly prefer ethnic diversity as well, but recognize that's not an easy option in the area
8. Great town center, organic grocery store, close to bigger box stores, restaurants, and movie theaters Winchester is close to all of this. Concord is far woodsier, though it's reasonably close to the Burlington stores. Perhaps a bit of a backroads trek to Framingham/Natick.
9. Pools and ponds that aren't terribly overcrowded in the summer
10. Walkable neighborhoods and historical charm a plus I'd say Winchester's more walkable by far. The center in Concord is beautiful but not that large. The rest of the town, outside the small West Concord center, is pretty woodsy and not pedestrian-friendly.

Both towns basically fit the bill, but they'd be such different experiences that it's been nearly impossible to make a decision. Any insights would be very appreciated. It feels like we've ruled out dozens of towns but are still no closer to the right decision.

[kmann-sherborn]

I think both towns have so much to offer. The only small issues I've heard from clients that live in Concord is that there aren't a ton of good places to eat. Otherwise they rave about the schools, outdoor activities, sweet downtown (except Saturdays it's CRAZY busy there), train access. Walden Pond definately gets overrun with people in good weather, though places like White Pond aren't so well known or well travelled.

[donewithpretty]

Thanks for the thoughts. Even though I listed 10 things, I think it boils down to liking the vibe of Concord (more intellectual, artsy, historical, woodsy) but the location of Winchester. Anyone know of a place that mixes the two well that I'm not thinking of?

[tacovine]

Originally Posted by donewithpretty

Thanks for the thoughts. Even though I listed 10 things, I think it boils down to liking the vibe of Concord (more intellectual, artsy, historical, woodsy) but the location of Winchester. Anyone know of a place that mixes the two well that I'm not thinking of?

These towns are not similar at all... Winchester is more like Belmont, Lexington... much more suburban, less rural/woodsy. You'll get that Concord vibe outside of 128.. If you like Concord, you should also look at Weston, Wayland, Lincoln and Sudbury.. All have great school systems...

[donewithpretty]

Originally Posted by tacovine

These towns are not similar at all... Winchester is more like Belmont, Lexington... much more suburban, less rural/woodsy. You'll get that Concord vibe outside of 128.. If you like Concord, you should also look at Weston, Wayland, Lincoln and Sudbury.. All have great school systems...

I can see why they wouldn't seem similar, but they both meet my qualifications better than the places you've listed due to their town centers and access to shops. I agree those are otherwise nice towns.

[tacovine]

Well.. there is way more near Wayland and Weston than Concord.. you can be 5 min away from Natick Collection Mall, Shopper's world, Rt 9 etc. What you haven't mentioned is what you want to be near.. Concord is near Rt 2, Winchester is Rt 93 and much closer to Boston. Also, if a town center is important to you, not sure why you haven't considered Lexington, which is more like Concord than Winchester with a much nicer center than Winchester as well.

[ogre]

Tacovine, despite the malls that are a fairly short drive from Wayland and Weston (especially close to Wayland), what you won't find in these towns is the kind of downtown you'll find in Concord or Winchester. It's true that, despite the fact that Wayland Center offers little, there is a halfway decent collection of basic small stores in the Cochituate section of Wayland, but this still won't compare to the downtowns of Concord or Winchester. It's possible that there could be some trade-off in choosing which criteria the OP considers most important, because Wayland lacks a really nice downtown but is close to the big stores the OP also seeks. Wayland has some of the economic mix the OP wants, but you have to drive to neighboring towns for public transit. So Wayand could meet some of the OP's criteria, but comes up short with some of the others.

One issue I see with Lexington as compared with Winchester is that DoneWithPretty expressed a preference for schools that are good yet are not pressure cookers. I don't really know what reputation Winchester and Concord have in that regard, but, by reputation at least, Lexington has a notoriously pressure-packed atmosphere in its schools.

DoneWithPretty, based on the criteria you've presented, a choice between Concord and Winchester could come down largely to the question of whether you would prefer the more semi-rural locale of Concord or the more suburban-suburban character of Winchester. Also, Concord is oozing with history more than Winchester. Concord is likely to have more artsy types and writers, and may have somewhat more of a mix of economic levels than Winchester, so it could also be a matter of deciding whether it's worth the longer commute from Concord to have those features in abundance.

[donewithpretty]

I did look into Lexington, but ruled it out due to transit constraints and seemingly high-pressure schools.

Originally Posted by ogre

DoneWithPretty, based on the criteria you've presented, a choice between Concord and Winchester could come down largely to the question of whether you would prefer the more semi-rural locale of Concord or the more suburban-suburban character of Winchester. Also, Concord is oozing with history more than Winchester. Concord is likely to have more artsy types and writers, and may have somewhat more of a mix of economic levels than Winchester, so it could also be a matter of deciding whether it's worth the longer commute from Concord to have those features in abundance.

The truth is, we've never lived more than 20 minutes by train or bus from both Boston and Cambridge, including the time it takes to walk from our house. So, it's hard to anticipate how we'll do in Winchester taking commuter rail, let alone Concord. Still, commuter rail seems to be the best compromise for getting green space/less traffic while still having access to Boston. If it weren't such a pain to move a whole household, I'd strongly consider renting in each town for a while. Basically, I'm worried that Winchester won't be enough of a break from traffic (yes, it matters that much to me), and Concord will feel like we're isolated.

[tacovine]

I don't agree on the schools.. any top school system (which Winchester certainly is) is going to be pressure and, while I would rate C/C better than Winchester, I can't imagine it would be that much different. Lexington is known more for quality special ed and clubs/activities than pressure or superior academics.

If you like the vibe of Concord, go for it. Its a great town.. We considered it (almost bought there) but its too isolated for my wife. I worked there for 4 years and know it well. I will say the Center, while quaint and nice, is not a Center like Wellesley, Newton (with multiple places to eat, things to do, places to shop etc) or Winchester or Lexington for that matter.

One other thing you haven't mentioned is house/lot.. You'll get a lot more for your money in Concord than you will in Lex/Winchester if that matters to you...