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If you are looking for a houses under 250k why not look into the Springfield area. Much more populated than the Gardner area and much more opportunities for a business. Easier access to other areas and more housing stock.
We took a drive out there to the furniture outlets back last spring.
"Bleak" is an apt description. I'm sure the foggy rainy day didn't help matters.
The older downtown area is rather charming with its big old Victorian houses, but it's very small. There really isn't much else there, but I could be wrong.
It's also pretty bleak on sunny days. Just saying.
North Central MA has a way of sucking the joy out of one's perspective on things. Take it from a native!
For 250k you could get into Shirley, Ayer, possibly Littleton or Lancaster/Clinton, although Clinton is somewhat Gardner-ish. You might even find something decent in Hudson or Marlborough. If your son likes motocross there is a great track in Templeton, Crow Hill Motor Sports is one of the best tracks around. Legal off road riding is atrocious here though at this point. There is some decent woods/trail riding in Winchendon, Gardner and Templeton, but nothing legal, tolerated somewhat, but not legal.
Leominster is a perfectly fine place to live the American Dream and raise a family and all that (though it does have its Fitchburgish parts too).
I've lived in Fitchburg for about 3 years now - mainly because I am cheap and rents are low here. Have had lots of people telling me I should move to Leominster instead - it seems to be a twin cities thing. Have to say though - if you can tolerate living in one you can probably tolerate the other. Both of them - but Leominster in particular are like a 'worst sprawl of the 70s and 80s' museum. Both of them have ghetto areas, crime issues, decaying buildings etc.. The difference is that businesses, restaurants etc all hemorrhage from Fitchburg to Leominster due to closer proximity to route 2 and lower utility costs; most new stuff tends to open in Leominster and the Burg is definitely the twin city which gets the raw deal. Similarly a large proportion of Fitchburg's middle class moved to Leominster from Fitchburg and took down on their former city with contempt.
So anyway, should probably post some Fitchburg positives.
1) Great Victorian housing stock - my rental was built in the 1920s and has great character, high ceilings etc. There are quite a few triple deckers owned by slum landlords around but also a great deal of ornate buildings from the time when Fitchburg was extremely wealthy. Lots of bargains to be had here if you are an urban pioneer and prepared to wait for values to go up. If I decide to stay in the city long term this would probably be the main reason.
2) Downtown took an enormous hit from the Johnsonia fire which took out a large hotel which had been converted into condos. This closed main street for a time and cause quite a few businesses to shut down; it's probably put any revitalization that was occurring back by about 5 years. Despite this the University (FSU) is starting to connect with the rest of the city and the businesses down by their end of main street seem to be doing well. FSU seems to be expanding a lot and doing well.
3) Commuter rail is being upgraded at the moment and a new station is going in over by West Fitchburg/Westminster.
4) The crime problem is over-rated - have never had any issues here besides ignoring the odd crack addict on the way to Tedeschis. There are murders and stabbings around but they seem to be gangs doing hits on each other. I mean obviously it is not ideal to have the fire department hosing the blood off the next street along from you in the early hours of the morning; but it's the type of non-random, gang warfare which doesn't affect the average person who isn't involved in the drug trade.
I guess the big minuses for me are that the city lacks a lot of vitality due to most stuff going to Leominster. My biggest source of entertainment right now is probably the 99 which should tell you something. The city also lacks money so a lot of the infrastructure is decayed - although the potholes do stop people speeding down my road. There is also a massive air of negativity around though this is understandable given decades of decline in the area; newcomers tend to be a lot more positive about the place.
I've lived in Fitchburg for about 3 years now - mainly because I am cheap and rents are low here. Have had lots of people telling me I should move to Leominster instead - it seems to be a twin cities thing. Have to say though - if you can tolerate living in one you can probably tolerate the other. Both of them - but Leominster in particular are like a 'worst sprawl of the 70s and 80s' museum. Both of them have ghetto areas, crime issues, decaying buildings etc.. The difference is that businesses, restaurants etc all hemorrhage from Fitchburg to Leominster due to closer proximity to route 2 and lower utility costs; most new stuff tends to open in Leominster and the Burg is definitely the twin city which gets the raw deal. Similarly a large proportion of Fitchburg's middle class moved to Leominster from Fitchburg and took down on their former city with contempt.
I prefer Fitchburg to Leominster because it's the gritty underdog. As you say, the businesses move, but then again there isn't a strong local business culture to begin with in the area, besides specialized plastics manufacturing and a few things like that. Fitchburg has the hills, the more interesting architecture, the larger, scrappier, and more interesting downtown landscape - it feels more like a real city than a middlebrow suburb. Unfortunately it doesn't have highway access, and if you're a commuter you spend 20 minutes just to escape its trafficy 19th century street alignments just to get onto Route 2.
Leominster thrives on being Everytown, USA, inviting an endless stream of that sprawl museum - they didn't stop in the 80s - they proudly continue to pave their outskirts for the sake of mediocre chain developments into the present day, then people talk about it like it's some big accomplishment that oooo wow we have some Texas Roadhouse(or breaking news, a stupid Five Guys Burger!!) or something where you throw peanut shells on the floor and eat overpriced meatfood - we're living LARGE bro! as if these new, non-local chain businesses vastly improve quality of life and then the local hive mind seem to base their sense of self-worth on being as bland as possible and passively letting their downtown rot, but yay we LOOOOVE PANERA and KOHL'S! On the plus side, despite their best and most sincere efforts to pave their last apple orchard (in the "birthplace of Johnny Appleseed") for more stupid housing developments, somehow the conservationists won and Sholan Farm still stands. And also on the plus side it's got some alright Italian American food I guess, some fancy new housing developments, and slightly safer streets than much of Fitchburg. North Leominster has some nice old housing stock if you manage to fight the traffic to get there.
The 'Burg at least has got heart, architectural tradition, the messed up hilly roads, has mostly preserved its rural outskirts, and the college associated folks try again and again to bring some downtown vitality and arts in, though it's always a challenging battle. The whole area, both cities, has potential to thrive as an interesting small urban center, if people would just get their mall-culture-obsessed heads out of the proverbial ass. Fitchburg could do with a connector to Route 2 to make it easier to access and more attractive to business, and better facilitate new businesses coming in through financial and tax incentives and streamlining their draconian permitting processes. Crime, as you say, is an incestuous game around there, and you can avoid it as long as you aren't directly involved with drugs and violent people, other than the occasional car break-in or something, or those messy street cleanups of human blood... Ah, the joys of North Central Mass!
I prefer Fitchburg to Leominster because it's the gritty underdog. As you say, the businesses move, but then again there isn't a strong local business culture to begin with in the area, besides specialized plastics manufacturing and a few things like that. Fitchburg has the hills, the more interesting architecture, the larger, scrappier, and more interesting downtown landscape - it feels more like a real city than a middlebrow suburb. Unfortunately it doesn't have highway access, and if you're a commuter you spend 20 minutes just to escape its trafficy 19th century street alignments just to get onto Route 2.
Leominster thrives on being Everytown, USA, inviting an endless stream of that sprawl museum - they didn't stop in the 80s - they proudly continue to pave their outskirts for the sake of mediocre chain developments into the present day, then people talk about it like it's some big accomplishment that oooo wow we have some Texas Roadhouse(or breaking news, a stupid Five Guys Burger!!) or something where you throw peanut shells on the floor and eat overpriced meatfood - we're living LARGE bro! as if these new, non-local chain businesses vastly improve quality of life and then the local hive mind seem to base their sense of self-worth on being as bland as possible and passively letting their downtown rot, but yay we LOOOOVE PANERA and KOHL'S! On the plus side, despite their best and most sincere efforts to pave their last apple orchard (in the "birthplace of Johnny Appleseed") for more stupid housing developments, somehow the conservationists won and Sholan Farm still stands. And also on the plus side it's got some alright Italian American food I guess, some fancy new housing developments, and slightly safer streets than much of Fitchburg. North Leominster has some nice old housing stock if you manage to fight the traffic to get there.
The 'Burg at least has got heart, architectural tradition, the messed up hilly roads, has mostly preserved its rural outskirts, and the college associated folks try again and again to bring some downtown vitality and arts in, though it's always a challenging battle. The whole area, both cities, has potential to thrive as an interesting small urban center, if people would just get their mall-culture-obsessed heads out of the proverbial ass. Fitchburg could do with a connector to Route 2 to make it easier to access and more attractive to business, and better facilitate new businesses coming in through financial and tax incentives and streamlining their draconian permitting processes. Crime, as you say, is an incestuous game around there, and you can avoid it as long as you aren't directly involved with drugs and violent people, other than the occasional car break-in or something, or those messy street cleanups of human blood... Ah, the joys of North Central Mass!
Let's get real here. Tell me one city/larger town that does not have its share of national chain presence and that typical development? Oh Fitchburg you say? Like you acknowledge, that's all because of Fitchburg's unfortunate lack of highway access and poor city management. Leominster is the winner, Fitchburg is the loser. Black and white. And what does Fitchburg have to show for keeping the stores away? Crime, blight? Loss of tax revenue to Leominster? Or is it now some quaint little town now due to it keeping Walmart away (or more like even Walmart would said h#$l no!)? DT Leominster is MUCH nicer than DT Fitchburg (even if Fitchburg is more "city like").
Being "away from it all" certainly has its attractions. If I worked in the twin cities; my choice would probably be to live in Westminster, Ashburnham or somewhere with acreage and piece and quiet. I'd rather look at trees than storage units or McD's. But if you are in those woods or out in banjo playing/secret pot stash/empty natty lite cans stacked on the porch/registered sex offender country like yourself, eventually you may need to buy a TV or pair of jeans. Where must you go? Leominster!!! So Leominster basically acts like the big town of that territory, thanks to Fitchburg being such a f#$%up. It seems like maybe you'd prefer driving to NH for your basic needs, so not only would the whole area lose out but the state of MA in both business and tax revenue. Just like Fitchburg has learned, if it doesn't go there then it is just going in someplace else (goodbye $$$).
One of my favorite restaurants (Italian) is Il Camino. Whenever I meet family in that area, it's always the #1 choice.
I also have to say that the best meatballs and marinara I've ever sampled were at the Leominster Eagle Hall during some function I was at. I wish I got the guy's name when I was there, I'd definitely call on him again should I have to feed a crowd.
I tend go to Hadley. Just as far from diddlerville! And I can stop and get a local beer at a local pub in Amherst when I'm done shopping. Also if I need a TV or whatever, Orange does have its ugly little WalMart.
Of course most larger towns have their chainstore hell but most balance it out a bit better and maybe have a Thai restaurant or something. Not Leominster! Downtown is greasy pizza joints, Subway, in their favor Rye and Thyme and Mezcal are new and somewhat locally based, and way down the road are those good Italian spots. Very little local retail or restaurants in the center. It's about balance and the plastic twin ain't got it. And it's about values - I want to spend my money where it will mostly stay local and is something other than a greasy local pizza made with the cheapest ingredients Sysco will deliver. Even diddlerville (as you so kindly characterize Athol / Orange) has a local bookstore, local butcher shops, several local lumberyards, a healthy lunch joint, a great outdoor recreation gear shop, local hunting and fishing gear shop, a healthfood co-op, and a local coffee shop. Even Gardner has a brewpub, a local appliance store, a local shoe store. Leominster has very few of those little local amenities that exhibit a place with a somewhat thriving sense of originality. Lowell, New Bedford, Milford, Framingham, Natick, Shrewsbury and Worcester, Northampton, Woburn- all these places have tons of chain stores as is to be expected with their size but balance out with a substantial presence of local places too that emphasize personalized service and quality with no compromise or corporate overlord. My unreasonable vendetta will continue until the balance improves! It's all about my values and I'm not big on praising corporate dominance of places that by any reasonable comparison to similar places ought to have an interesting local mix.
Fitchburg sucks, sure, but it's home. I'll concede that by most traditional measures there is a clear "winner" and yes Leominster has been on top for a couple decades if you pit the two against each other. Now back to my banjo and Natty Ice!! Let me know if you remember the meatball dude- sounds pretty good!
OP I just did a quick check on a few real estates sites for you. The best towns in Central MA for someone who does not need to do the 9-5, with a budget of $250K or below are Princeton, Westminster and Townsend. All are beautiful towns with a mountain feel and access to great outdoor recreation. Westminster is home to Mt Wachusetts for hiking, skiing and all kinds of family events. Townsend has three state parks with varied recreation. You can get an attractive move-in condition home in all three towns.
The 'Burg at least has got heart, architectural tradition, the messed up hilly roads, has mostly preserved its rural outskirts, and the college associated folks try again and again to bring some downtown vitality and arts in, though it's always a challenging battle. The whole area, both cities, has potential to thrive as an interesting small urban center, if people would just get their mall-culture-obsessed heads out of the proverbial ass.
Absolutely agree. The Burg does suck in a lot of ways; the foremost for me being the lack of vitality outside of our auto-sprawl (can live with the crime and the low-lives tbh). When you go to other struggling mill cities that have a college/university presence they do seem a lot more lively & have decent bars (why does Gardner have a brew-pub and we have nothing?). In fairness there has been a long run of bad luck recently - the fire destroyed the Johnsonia, the Johnsonia fire shut down main street and stopped the cycle race and the loss of business shut down a load of downtown stores. Apparently the tax base is still eroding due to businesses moving out to Leominster.
Still the Burg is the way it is because the middle class abandoned it; the key is getting them to come back again and that requires changing people's attitudes. If you can get the university to integrate better with the city like Antonucci is trying to do, if you can get the kind of businesses in which other places like Brattleboro, Keene, Greenfield, Turners Falls etc. have, if you can get the middle class to stop despising the city and spend their money here again then things will turn around.
I should say things have been getting better in the Burg recently. My neighbor - like a bunch of regional investors - is busy buying up properties at dirt cheap prices across the city and doing them up properly. Their sense is that the Burg has turned a corner and that it is now a worthwhile investment.
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, eventually you may need to buy a TV or pair of jeans. Where must you go? Leominster!!!
So Leominster basically acts like the big town of that territory, thanks to Fitchburg being such a f#$%up. It seems like maybe you'd prefer driving to NH for your basic needs, so not only would the whole area lose out but the state of MA in both business and tax revenue. Just like Fitchburg has learned, if it doesn't go there then it is just going in someplace else (goodbye $$$). 
