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I posted last week about areas to buy, and received some great feedback. Was hoping to again tap into the wisdom here!
We are seriously considering purchasing in Chelmsford; inside the 495 on the Carlisle side.
Thoughts on the area? Would love to hear from people who live there/grew up. Is it a good nieghborhood to raise kids? Accessible to other places? Have a good reputation?
Chelmsford is one of the rare solidly middle class towns in the Boston metro. On the upper end of middle class you will find more corporate types than intellectuals.
Can't offer much advice on raising children there. I do know it has a reputation of being very team sports oriented (think baseball and football vs. soccer and lacrosse).
Being close to Great Brook Farms in Carlisle offers much in outdoor recreation for all ages. The Bruce Freeman trail for bicycling goes through town. There are several working farms in the part of Chelmsford you are looking into.
The downtown outdoor mall lost a few anchors and is in transition regarding new occupants. There is plentiful shopping nearby in Nashua, Westford and the new shopping center opening off 495 in Littleton.
On the border of Lowell/Chelmsford is one of the few decent indoor movie theaters. There is a good Lowes in that same vicinity.
For MGH commute, Lowell line is closest. Typically a 10 min drive down 110 from Chelmsford center to the Lowell station. Good sized parking lot.
I have friends who, when they decided to combine into one household (she from Belmont, he from Cambridge), wound up in Chelmsford. This was largely due to the typical reason of "more house for the money."
After ten years, they're sick of being "so damn far away from 'everything'" and are seriously considering moving closer to the city.
What's kept them there this long is mainly the quality of the public schools (not tip-top-tier but well ahead of urban districts) and - even more so - the quality of life in their neighborhood. Visiting between households is free and casual, not in the stereotypical New England style of having to make an appointment before speaking in person. People tend to be friendly and unpretentious. But this could be more a function of socioeconomic level. These folks live in a circa 1960's section of town which is solidly middle-class. Other persons I know there are on a more upscale street where "privacy fences" wall off the yards and few individuals are seen outside.
"Flight" from neighboring Lowell, as well as Boston and its satellite cities, drove Chelmsford's growth in the '60s. Then the proliferation of high tech jobs from the '70s into the '80s kept the town booming. (What were once known as "DEC'ies" - employees of the vanished Digital Equipment Corporation - moved in by the hundreds.) Even within the current decade some patches of woods and open land are giving way to small subdivisions. But now the home buyers are in an array of professions and work largely within the 495-128 belt. Therein lies the key to why I'd not strongly recommend a move out there to anybody with a job in the city. No commuter rail station is handy and bus service is non-existent. Route 4, a narrow two-lane road, is THE way out of town to the southeast. On days of light traffic and good weather someone in a car might arrive in downtown Boston within 45 minutes.
Aside from a small center - anchored by a cemetery and a classic white church - which contains some nice Victorian-era houses, Chelmsford by and large is a typical anchor-less post-WWII American suburb. It's a quilt of developments rather than a cohesive town. The "blah-ness" combined with distance from Boston rules it out as a place I'd want to live or suggest to others. It's a GREAT place to raise kids, though.
Thanks for the information! Goyguy do you know what area in Chelmsford your friends live? That neighborhood feel is what I'm really hoping to find when we buy. Part of the reason we were unhappy in California--San Diego and Los Angeles are auch transient towns we were missing the "neighborly" feel people talk about on the east coaat
The neighborhood's name escapes me at the moment because I've only heard it used one time, but it begins with "Southern." Southern Row, perhaps? It lies between Route 4 and the Carlisle line, and its main claim to fame is streets with girls' names - Janet Rd, Clarissa Dr, etc.
The once ubiquitous split-level style predominates in the houses there, with some ranch homes and two-story Colonials thrown into the mix. Many of the dwellings have an A-frame of timbers tacked on in the middle for no apparent reason. Yards are on the small side, 1/4 to 1/2 acre mostly with the house plunked near the center of the lot. On the even-numbered side of Kristen Dr the residents' properties back up to Carlisle State Forest. So bird watching can be good in the vicinity but everybody with gardens curses the deer as they haul out protective materials. And it may be because of the close-knit feel of the area that I've never experienced, or heard about, any kids playing out their bored suburban adolescent years by way of tearing around in cars with music blasting. The atmosphere is almost dead quiet.
Because of its "urban diaspora" composition, Southern Row (?) doesn't possess any ethnic label other than "White." Around Boston it's still somewhat of a big deal what your ancestry is, but in 'burbs like that no one bats an eye whether your surname is Irish, Italian, Greek, French, or none of the above. Perhaps reflective of the school system when held up against nearby towns such as Concord and Acton, there has not been the sizable influx of Asian families which to some extent has transformed many communities. Households headed by Hispanic or AA persons are also rare but not unheard of. (The prevailing attitude seems to be, "If you can afford the house you're OK by me.")
495neighbor mentioned Lowell as the place for using commuter rail. Let me respectfully clarify that a bit. From the northern reaches of Chelmsford (such as where my other friends, in the fenced-yard neighborhood, hang their hats) that would be closest. But North Billerica would be the station of choice if you settle more toward the south end of town. As a fall-back you can also follow Route 27 south from the center and take the train to/from South Acton. In all instances, though, you run into parking lots filled to and beyond capacity EARLY.
Good morning! I grew up in Lowell and my husband went to Chelmsford High School. We still know lots of people who moved there or in fact never left. I will try to add what I can.
The area is known as South Row. It is a nice area. Gee I already forgot if you have kids! Anyway it is a nice place for kids to grow up. My brother's family lives there. There is plenty of youth sports and kids do still play outside in the neighbourhoods. The schools are pretty good. My niece is currently attending a rather nice University in NJ on an academic scholarship.
The town itself is very mixed from lower income areas (but still family friendly) parts of North Chelmsford to very nice areas in South Chelmsford. Some areas like Westlands, are very walkable and neighbours are very friendly. My sister's family lives in Westlands and if I moved to Chelmsford I would move there mainly because of how friendly and welcoming it is there. For the most part Chelmsford is middle/working (I mean people who are doing well in the trades) class.
For shopping there is Drum Hill which has EVERYTHING. Although from the South Row area shopping in Billerica is probably easier. Route 3 is incredibly easy to catch from there and 495 is pretty darn close too. I would still catch the train in Lowell, it might take two or three more minutes to get to but it is more convenient all around.
There are a lot of townies. I will say though they are friendlier then other towns townies! If that makes sense. And goyguy is right about it being predominantly white but there is a fair amount of Indians and Southeast Asians, I personally know a few Domician families. I do not notice any problems nor have my friends mentioned any. I am guessing the proximity to Lowell and the high percentage of people who moved to Chelmsford who grew up in Lowell (which is a true melting pot) makes for a population who is used to and enjoys diversity.
If you have any questions just ask, if I don't know I can always make a phone call and get an answer for you. Good Luck.
I just reread your post and it looks like you are looking more at South Chelmsford as opposed to South Row. No huge difference except I find South Chelmsford a little nicer. The houses tend to be older, think 1800s here, and its not so 1950s suburban looking. You will be near the farms still left in town.
Grr..I just wrote a long response and for some reason I don't think it posted?? To recap..
Thank you for the great info! I do have a 14mo daughter, with hopes for more soon(ish). Commuting wise we would be driving 2days/week into Alewife/Arlington. Thoughts on the commute? When I drove home yesterday the merge from 95 to 3 in the evening looked rough..
Going to see another home this afternoon I liked yesterday--it's in the Old Stage Estate neighborhood. Any thoughts on that area?
Thanks again for all the helpful advice and information!
Grr..I just wrote a long response and for some reason I don't think it posted?? To recap..
Thank you for the great info! I do have a 14mo daughter, with hopes for more soon(ish). Commuting wise we would be driving 2days/week into Alewife/Arlington. Thoughts on the commute? When I drove home yesterday the merge from 95 to 3 in the evening looked rough..
Going to see another home this afternoon I liked yesterday--it's in the Old Stage Estate neighborhood. Any thoughts on that area?
Thanks again for all the helpful advice and information!
The commute during normal hours will be tough. If you are going early, when we lived in Lowell my husband would arrange to get to work in Cambridge at six am to beat traffic, it is a much easier commute.
Old Stage sounds familiar but I am drawing a blank on it right now. Is that up by Westford? If so that's where my husband's family lived. Let me ask him as he is so much more familiar with that part of Chelmsford. I'll get back to you tonight!
The neighborhood's name escapes me at the moment because I've only heard it used one time, but it begins with "Southern." Southern Row, perhaps? It lies between Route 4 and the Carlisle line, and its main claim to fame is streets with girls' names - Janet Rd, Clarissa Dr, etc.
The once ubiquitous split-level style predominates in the houses there, with some ranch homes and two-story Colonials thrown into the mix. Many of the dwellings have an A-frame of timbers tacked on in the middle for no apparent reason. Yards are on the small side, 1/4 to 1/2 acre mostly with the house plunked near the center of the lot. On the even-numbered side of Kristen Dr the residents' properties back up to Carlisle State Forest. So bird watching can be good in the vicinity but everybody with gardens curses the deer as they haul out protective materials. And it may be because of the close-knit feel of the area that I've never experienced, or heard about, any kids playing out their bored suburban adolescent years by way of tearing around in cars with music blasting. The atmosphere is almost dead quiet.
There are many housing styles in Chelmsford from beautiful period homes to mansions to rustic style homes. Very nicely kept up compared to many areas and a good value for the money.
The atmosphere is not dead quiet. Go by any of the ball fields some time. The center despite losing Marshalls to Westford and Stop & Shop, still has many small restaurants and its own independent coffee shop, popular sports pub, Bertucci's, Fishbones, several active churches, beautiful library and more. There is always foot traffic and people going to the businesses throughout the day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goyguy
Because of its "urban diaspora" composition, Southern Row (?) doesn't possess any ethnic label other than "White." Around Boston it's still somewhat of a big deal what your ancestry is, but in 'burbs like that no one bats an eye whether your surname is Irish, Italian, Greek, French, or none of the above. Perhaps reflective of the school system when held up against nearby towns such as Concord and Acton, there has not been the sizable influx of Asian families which to some extent has transformed many communities. Households headed by Hispanic or AA persons are also rare but not unheard of. (The prevailing attitude seems to be, "If you can afford the house you're OK by me.")
Your theory does not hold. There are few Asian families in Concord-Carlisle regional, which has one of the top school systems.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goyguy
495neighbor mentioned Lowell as the place for using commuter rail. Let me respectfully clarify that a bit. From the northern reaches of Chelmsford (such as where my other friends, in the fenced-yard neighborhood, hang their hats) that would be closest. But North Billerica would be the station of choice if you settle more toward the south end of town. As a fall-back you can also follow Route 27 south from the center and take the train to/from South Acton. In all instances, though, you run into parking lots filled to and beyond capacity EARLY.
This is a ridiculous piece of advice.
20 minutes between Chelmsford center and the top of Acton, at the fastest. The train station in Acton is at the far south end. It would typically be something like 40 to 45 minutes for someone to commute from Chelmsford to the Acton train stop.
By experience, I've driven route 110 between Chelmsford and Lowell many times in the thickest traffic and it is never any more time than 10 minutes. Most parts of Chelmsford are no more than 10 minutes from the center.
North Billerica is an option, but fewer spaces and also the OP would be traveling slower speeds through heavily wooded areas vs main roads to the Lowell station.
I stand by everything I post, without exception.
The reference to quietness was specifically in terms of a neighborhood's streets, not "ball fields" or other public gathering places. Similarly, nowhere was it implied that South(ern) Row's housing makeup was indicative of the entire town. Here's where I'll stop picking apart the picayune.
Differing opinions are A-OK, characterizing something not carefully read or 100% concurred with as "misinformation" - not so much.
Once a thread gets to the point where the gantlet for petty squabbling gets thrown down, I'm out.
Take it away, magicshark.
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Here's where I'll stop picking apart the picayune.
