move:cohasset or hingham from metro west? (Boston, Framingham: houses, buying)

[Dovermom]

we are considering a move to either Cohasset or Hingham from the metro west and I am interested in hearing the differences between the two towns? Obviously both are lovely towns. Our price range is in the 900s and we currently live in Dover, and I grew up in Wellesley (so i don't need to hear any responses about these towns being snobby).

I have 2 young children and I am wondering if Cohasset offers as much as Hingham for young families- ie music class, dance class etc, or would I have to go outside of Cohasset for those things?

Background: When my husband and I were originally looking for our first house 6 years ago we were set on the south shore- we both worked in Boston- then I took a job in Framingham and the commute would have been too long. I am now a stay at home mom so we can now consider the south shore- we both love the ocean and would love to be seaside all year long!

I'm especially interested in feedback from pple who actually live, or have lived in Cohasset or Hingham. Also interested in how the towns view one another- i'm assuming kind of like a Dover/Wellesley- no issues, just different.

[proudestmonkey]

I don't live in Cohasset or Hingham, but I spend time there and have relatives and friends that live in both places. The main thing I have to say is that both towns are very nice, have good schools, and offer a lot for kids. You know this already, which is why you're looking there, of course. I'd say you can't go wrong with either- I would leave it up to finding a property you fall in love with. Cohasset offers a lot for kids, and if there's something else you need, Hingham and other towns are not far at all. Cohasset has a great farmers' market that is very kid friendly- pony rides, musical acts- they also have the South Shore Music Circus which has kids shows, a nice playground outside the library and children's museum (which is not so hot, but I hear it's being re-done). A gem in Cohasset, for me, is Holly Hill Farm. It's an organic farm where you can buy produce, plants for your garden, see animals, walk trails, and they have programs for children and adults throughout the year- summer camp, too. I never realized we did so much in Cohasset until I started writing this!

If I had to choose and housing costs/commuting didn't matter, I'd probably choose Cohasset. I like living closer to the city, though.

Good luck!

[fzzl22]

Originally Posted by proudestmonkey

I don't live in Cohasset or Hingham, but I spend time there and have relatives and friends that live in both places. The main thing I have to say is that both towns are very nice, have good schools, and offer a lot for kids. You know this already, which is why you're looking there, of course. I'd say you can't go wrong with either- I would leave it up to finding a property you fall in love with. Cohasset offers a lot for kids, and if there's something else you need, Hingham and other towns are not far at all. Cohasset has a great farmers' market that is very kid friendly- pony rides, musical acts- they also have the South Shore Music Circus which has kids shows, a nice playground outside the library and children's museum (which is not so hot, but I hear it's being re-done). A gem in Cohasset, for me, is Holly Hill Farm. It's an organic farm where you can buy produce, plants for your garden, see animals, walk trails, and they have programs for children and adults throughout the year- summer camp, too. I never realized we did so much in Cohasset until I started writing this!

If I had to choose and housing costs/commuting didn't matter, I'd probably choose Cohasset. I like living closer to the city, though.

Good luck!

To add to proudest monkey's input, there is also sandy beach, which is a great resource during the summer, very sheltered from waves so pretty safe for kids/swimming (though cold). We live in Cohasset with our 2 young children, and it's been great so far, lots to do, and it's easy to meet others with kids and set up play groups, etc. In my opinion, in your price range, there are better deals in Cohasset at the present time. The inventory is lower, so there's less to choose from, but you get more for your money. As far as commuting goes, it does add some time. If you take the ferry, it takes anywhere from 10-15 minutes to get there depending on where you start in Cohasset. There's also a train stop in town. Hingham is nice, but I prefer the smaller town feel of Cohasset. I was wary of Cohasset before moving here based on everything I'd heard about snobby people, but that hasn't really played out. We've met lots of nice, friendly people.

[Beachcomber4]

From a beach perspective, Cohasset. The bathing beach in Hingham has 3A running behind it- you might as well be in Revere. Other areas are like clam flats while Sandy Beach in Cohasset is lovely. I don't live in Cohasset but have been to many sporting and social events and have always felt there was a strong sense of community and many child centered programs and activities. I've also never felt like residents got caught up in a lot of what goes on in other communities on the South Shore.

[Dovermom]

Thank you all so much for your thoughts! I really appreciate and love the info on Holly Hill Farm and agree, i think i would prefer the small town feel.

[baystater]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber4

I've also never felt like residents got caught up in a lot of what goes on in other communities on the South Shore.

What did the other communites get caught up in?

[Megan1975]

Hi Dovermom, If I were you I would absolutely go with Cohasset. It's smaller and prettier imho. I often see people on bikes there or running behind a stroller during the summer months. What would be the deciding factor for me would be the beach. Cohasset has Sandy beach which is just fabulous. It's a private beach with white sand and it's deep. Cohasset residents have a permit and it's strictly enforced. Hingham has Bathing beach which is not really a beach, more a highway with a parking lot and a bit of not so good sand. Your other option would be Nantasket beach in Hull which is non-existent with high tide and not private which means that everyone and their mother go there on nice days. Hingham on the other hand is closer to Boston and has more options for shopping. There are the new shops in the Shipyard and Derby Shoppes. Since these are also available and nearby if you live in Cohasset, I would pick Cohasset.

[NewfieMama]

I think everybody has hit the nail on the head: if you care more about beaches, Cohasset is better. If you care about the daily commute, Hingham is probably better. My husband and I lived in Hingham for about 2 years, but we never lived in Cohasset (though we did get married there).

I think both are great communities and we looked at several homes in both towns before eventually buying in Norwell. We originally thought we'd want to be on the ocean (and even put in two offers on waterfront homes), but ultimately we decided that when we started a family, we would care more about the commute and being close to "stuff", which meant we started looking farther from the water...the tradeoff being that we have land/privacy. If I were you, I would definitely sit down and figure out the priorities and go from there. What we thought were our priorities ended up not being practical for our future life...

Wishing you lots of luck!

[leecar]

Hi Dovermom,

I would go with Cohasset -if my husband didn't also work in metro-west (emphasis on the west) we would be living in Cohasset right now. The commute would just be too much. Hingham is a nice town, and has great amenities: good schools, a nice downtown, shops, restaurants, commuter boat, closer to the highway, sports programs, etc.... However, for us it just came down to the overall vibe. It just seems more pleasant in Cohasset. The beaches certainly didn’t hurt either

[proudestmonkey]

Originally Posted by Lila1966

Hi, sorry new to this posting stuff. I just posted a longer just wanted to comment on those that spoke of Cohasset. Cohasset beaches are much nicer than Hingham for sure and the town is smaller and Holly Hill is great, farmers market too. However, Hingham does have Weir River Farm, Meghan Connolly who runs it is fantiastic - organic gardens, open barnyards, storytime, hikes on turkey hill - so much to do. The hingham Farmers market is strictly a farmers market without the pony rides but is substantially bigger than the one on Cohasset common. Also, Hingham's World's End is great too. Here's the bottom line. THere are so many wonderful things in both towns and quite frankly both towns do so much together (you'll make friends in Hingham if you live in Cohasset and visa-versa). You should see houses in both towns, and whatever house you fall in love with is the place for you. Size of town is different (Hingham surely isn't the size of Wellesley but it also isn't as quaint as Dover too). Both towns have tons to offer, good resturants, great kids activities etc. and they are only a few minutes apart from each other so you will use both towns for different reasons. Whew! That was tiring. Honestly can't say one town is better than the other, love them both for different reasons.

Yes, my kids and I just did a program with Meg at Weir River and it was great. They're starting a co-op, too. The thing is, Hingham and Cohasset both have a lot to offer and they're close to each other, so if you live in either town you can take advantage of these things- I do and I don't even live in Cohasset or Hingham

Cohasset definitely has more to offer in the beach department. We go to the "bathing beach" in Hingham because it's close and you don't have to be a resident- it's also a good place to kayak around with the kids- but it's a dinky little beach with a big parking lot and 3A right behind it.