Small town living in Massachusetts.. Know of any? (Boston, Somerville: 2013, to rent)

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Morris Wanchuk

Groton perhaps? Or Andover

Groton, nice town center and artsy, likely not a good town for people in their 20s. It is a better town for arty retirees, as that is the primary age group there.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by FCMA

Check out Newburyport. Great coastal town with a very nice downtown and train to Boston! Small-town, nearly rural surroundings with a semi-Urban core. Might be pricy though.

Isn't Newburyport farther east than the towns mentioned so far?

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by jmy2

No, just convenient to go to Boston if we decided not to drive. Could possibly be used for commute to work, not a big deal though. I also looked at the towns posted * and i want more of a small town, like main street/ town center type deal. Also, not that far east.

Andover has one of the best town centers in Massachusetts.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Pear Martini

I really like Wayland for that small town feel near Boston. Also parts of Newton feel almost rural.

Wayland definitely has that small town feel, good community, and has arty and brainy people living there. Some parts are quite high priced, while the south side still has some affordable houses that could be upgraded. It is a little spread out, with a town center with a Starbucks, a few banks, diners and a nice bakery/café next to Donelans. This is on a busy intersection, not entirely walkable. The other town center where the town buildings are has a Whole Foods, some malls and is also on a busy intersection. Wayland has many young families in their early 30s arriving in town. I'm not sure if there are many people in their 20s there.

I just reread your post and noticed you are from the Midwest. I don't know why, but many people I know from the Midwest gravitate to the towns around Reading, Wilmington, Andover for some reason.

[FCMA]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

Isn't Newburyport farther east than the towns mentioned so far?

Yes quite a bit farther east and north, but the poster asked (at least initially) about places north of Boston, up to an hour away.

To that list I'd also add Beverly. Some nice parts of town and decently up and coming downtown, on the coast and with rail into the city. Montserrat College of Art brings a creative vibe too! Not quite so crazy expensive as some places closer to Boston, nor so far to the city as Newburyport or Gloucester.

In Metrowest perhaps Natick or Wellesley though the latter is quite pricy. All the towns I've mentioned so far are rather large, but not that large in the grand scheme of greater Boston. As for smaller places, maybe check out West Concord, Acton, or even Maynard. As 495neighbor said, Groton (though lovely) is full of retirees, not so much on the young families.

Also, good job getting out of Florida - that mistake will be the first place to sink with sea level rise, and good riddance - not a fan of places built almost entirely on filled wetlands where the only good landmarks to know where you are is the next Super Wal-Mart, and that little disparity problem where besides the nice beaches full of gated highrises and coke dealers on boats, go a little inland and the peasants are living in mud huts, where rain doesn't bring cooler air, it just creates steam and actually makes the humidity worse - cold fronts, what are those?

[donewithpretty]

I love Gilmore Girls, so I know what you mean about the search for Stars Hollow. There was a great post on the Connecticut forum a few years ago about why Stars Hollow can't really exist. (Stars Hollow is based on at least two Connecticut towns: Washington Depot (less than 5,000 people) and Wallingford (close to 20,000 people).

Originally Posted by Yankeerose00

Here is the problem with Stars Hollow:they portray the town as being very small, everyone knows everyone's business, everyone has known everyone else since they were toddlers, the town meetings are held in an old historic building and there is never more than 50 people in attendance. So based on those facts, in reality, this would be a very small town that would be lucky to have a convenience store, post office, a small restaurant, etc, kind of like "downtown" of Washington Depot is, the town supposedly the inspiration for Stars Hollow.
BUT Stars Hollow has a much larger downtown than Washington Depot has. There are actually several stores there, and it has a bus stop. It is more of a medium sized town. The people who live in the town, actually work in the town as well: Luke, Lorelai, Miss Patty, Taylor etc. Stars Hollow is actually a place of employment, not a bedroom community.

And that is where Gilmore Girls gives people the wrong impression. Stars Hollow has the amenities of a medium sized town, but the townspeople act like one big family. Something you may see in a town of 500 people. But then a town that small, would not have all of the shops that Stars Hollow does.
So in reality, you could find a town that has the quaintness of Stars Hollow and the gazebo and town square. There are lots of towns like that. But if you want to find a little quirky town where everyone knows everyone else, it won't have a downtown. Honestly, I don't know of any towns in CT that are like that. I know there are plenty of towns like that down south, but let me tell you. The small towns where everyone grew up together normally don't like outsiders. So you are not going to find friendly people in that type of place.

Another thing Gilmore Girls gets wrong is that Stars Hollow comes across as a middle class type of town and in CT, towns like that are usually a bit more affluent. Honestly, I don't know how the producer of the show could compare it to Washington Depot. I think she may have been in another town and didn't realize it. WD is nothing like SH.
So if you want a town that just has the looks of SH, there are plenty of towns here to choose from. But if someone wants the looks of SH plus the quirky, everyone knows everyone vibe, that's not here.
https://www.city-data.com/forum/conne...-hollow-4.html

As true as that post is, I DO think you can find what you're looking for. Here are the hallmarks of Stars Hollow as I see them:

* walkable town center with cute New England buildings
* mom and pop shops
* quirky town events
* long-term residents
* middle-class residents (not just a snob town)

Here are some places I think would tick all of those boxes for you:

* Melrose
* Wakefield
* Andover
* Littleton Common
* Essex
* Ipswich
* Gloucester
* Salem
* Beverly
* West Concord

I agree with others that Andover probably comes the closest. (There's even a famous private high school in case you want your kids to go to a "Chilton" someday.)

[jillianshae713]

I grew up in Central Mass, not sure if that's too far west for you. I grew up in Princeton MA. Neighboring towns like Rutland and Sterling are good options too. They're all fairly small. My 8th grade graduating class only had 42 people in it. Not sure if it's too rural for you or not. There's a train station in a few neighboring cities, Leominster, Fitchburg and Worcester that go to Boston.

[dragon0524]

Just stay away from Lawrence! Rents will look tantalizingly cheap there, but there's a reason.

You might try my old hometown of North Reading, about 20 miles north of Boston. Not too big, not too small, with a great community feel. (But maybe I'm biased.).

Your comment about FL was funny. Too bad you didn't move to Punta Gorda instead where I am. Very artsy!

[dragon0524]

Originally Posted by FCMA

Yes quite a bit farther east and north, but the poster asked (at least initially) about places north of Boston, up to an hour away.

To that list I'd also add Beverly. Some nice parts of town and decently up and coming downtown, on the coast and with rail into the city. Montserrat College of Art brings a creative vibe too! Not quite so crazy expensive as some places closer to Boston, nor so far to the city as Newburyport or Gloucester.

In Metrowest perhaps Natick or Wellesley though the latter is quite pricy. All the towns I've mentioned so far are rather large, but not that large in the grand scheme of greater Boston. As for smaller places, maybe check out West Concord, Acton, or even Maynard. As 495neighbor said, Groton (though lovely) is full of retirees, not so much on the young families.

Also, good job getting out of Florida - that mistake will be the first place to sink with sea level rise, and good riddance - not a fan of places built almost entirely on filled wetlands where the only good landmarks to know where you are is the next Super Wal-Mart, and that little disparity problem where besides the nice beaches full of gated highrises and coke dealers on boats, go a little inland and the peasants are living in mud huts, where rain doesn't bring cooler air, it just creates steam and actually makes the humidity worse - cold fronts, what are those?

You must have spent a lot of time in Ft. Lauderdale & Miami with that description. . No high-rises or fancy drug dealers on the SW Gulf coast.

[WoodyWW]

Originally Posted by FCMA

As for smaller places, maybe check out West Concord, Acton, or even Maynard.

Also, good job getting out of Florida - that mistake will be the first place to sink with sea level rise, and good riddance - not a fan of places built almost entirely on filled wetlands where the only good landmarks to know where you are is the next Super Wal-Mart, and that little disparity problem where besides the nice beaches full of gated highrises and coke dealers on boats, go a little inland and the peasants are living in mud huts, where rain doesn't bring cooler air, it just creates steam and actually makes the humidity worse - cold fronts, what are those?

"Also, good job getting out of Florida"--I did that too, about 30 years ago, & after a few moves ended up back in E. Mass. I'm convinced there is some kind of "Brain Rot Fungus", or maybe it's a bacteria, in FL that sucks peoples brains out who move there & replaces their brains with some kind of......moronic mush. Or, they gradually become some kind of "Stepford" Wives, or Guys.

Great article in rolling stone recently:" Goodbye, Miami": "By century's end, rising sea levels will turn the nation's urban fantasyland into an American Atlantis. But long before the city is completely underwater, chaos will begin".

Why the City of Miami Is Doomed to Drown | Politics News | Rolling Stone

I do think the OP needs to think about: West of Boston; Wayland, Concord, etc. VS. N. Shore; NBPT, Gloucester, & so on. Oh, & then there's Andover, N. Reading, etc., so really 3 areas there I'd think of...