Where to live between Billerica and Boston? (Worcester, Andover: obgyn, daycare)

[amalia2150]

I've looked into Tewksbury a bit... housing is much more in our price range but the schools weren't rated very highly. Maybe they're on the up and up?

[brightdoglover]

New construction of the size you want is in Littleton in the 700s. Virtually all high school kids go on to college.

[robr2]

But Tewksbury, Littleton, and Andover aren't in between Billerica and Boston.

[amalia2150]

I think my husband could give up his ideal location if we found the right house and community... happy wife, happy life right?? I would just like to live in a family-friendly area where I can hopefully find a network of other moms with toddlers and where my husband won't have a terrible commute. I currently stay home... not sure if some areas have more SAHMs than others?

[amalia2150]

I guess I should also probably ask about renting, as I'm not sure we'll even have time to find a suitable house before we move. Best areas for a family to rent?

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by robr2

But Tewksbury, Littleton, and Andover aren't in between Billerica and Boston.

I used to dash up 495 to 3 to eat at a diner in Billerica (from Littleton) and get on 2E if going to Cambridge. I don't know what's exactly is in between, but Littleton is very well located and sounds like it has everything else that OP wants.

[amalia2150]

Can someone tell me a little about Chelmsford and Acton?

[tysmith95]

Originally Posted by robr2

But Tewksbury, Littleton, and Andover aren't in between Billerica and Boston.

If OP dosn't like what he/she sees in Burlington/Bedford, then going closer to Boston would be even worse.

I mentioned Andover cause it had the commuter rail, plus is on 93.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by amalia2150

@htfdcolt, ha yeah we live in West Clay now- total yuppies. My husband works at Lilly but would like to be in the biotech hub that is the Boston area. I'm from the northeast (Morris County, NJ) and love the history and culture on the east coast, and the proximity to the ocean. However, I've gotten super spoiled by what we can do with our money here and I find it daunting to move somewhere so much more expensive where I won't have as many options, especially since our families won't be nearby (both in the southeast now, but sadly no pharma there). In towns like Westford or Burlington, are grocery stores, Target, etc. pretty accessible? In Carmel all of our regular shopping, doctors' offices, and hospitals are no more than 10 minutes away. I'm also way out of practice driving in northeast traffic. Is it awful in those areas?

As someone who has lived in both places, how do you like living in Boston compared to Carmel area?

In Burlington, there's an abundance of shopping as other posters have stated...no need to worry. The adjacent town of Woburn also has a lot of retail. Driving--that's another story. Be prepared to get honked at for the slightest hesitation in making a right turn on red, and seeing 4 or 5 cars continuing after a light has turned red. The driving style is aggressive, and you need to drive defensively, and not take the honking personally! Be patient, shrug it off, and it'll be fine.

Living here vs. central Indiana? A whole other ballgame. I'm here because of the economic opportunity, and liberal attitudes. If those are appealing to you, and in general living with a much more educated populace, you'll like it. I do miss the friendliness of folks back home, however.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by amalia2150

Can someone tell me a little about Chelmsford and Acton?

Your initial gut feeling is probably dead on. If your husband works in Billerica, you have the luxury of choosing from some of the states best suburbs without paying the wild premiums for immediate access to the city. We just moved away from a town that split Billerica and Boston, called Reading, for a number of reasons personal and otherwise. As much as we loved our neighborhood in Reading, Westford has been amazing. The schools are amongst the best in the country. The people are very community centric, prideful about academics, sports, theatre, etc. Though it’s a fairly high income area, I don’t find it to be any snootier than West Reading was. In fact, it’s just the opposite, which is strange to realize now as Westford is largely more white collar.

Littleton is going to offer a little more bang for your buck, as Westford more closely aligns with Acton in that way. But, to us, other than having family in Westford, we liked the larger size over Littleton.. Just feels like there is a little more buzz, more areas to choose from, and we liked the idea of sending our kids to a big high school. We considered Acton, but being that I work in Burlington, I liked the immediate access to route 3. And, simply put, I find Westford to be more aesthetically pleasing, and a tad less “old money” in feel. Our family in Westford loves it, while our family in Acton doesn’t.. Small sample size, but we chose Westford based on our own experiences. As for Chelmsford, I have nothing but great things to say about the town. Pound for pound one of the better deals in MA.. Good schools, low crime. But, it doesn’t have quite the reputation Westford or Acton does locally. Very large portions of Chelmsford are a bit older, a bit less taken care of. Just a different vibe than the towns that fall west of Rt.3.

You should be able to find some nice homes for $700 in Westford. Below $600, you generally end up on main roads or in the northern areas of town, which are a bit less convenient and not quite as desirable as those near/south of the town common. DM with any questions about Westford or Acton, as I’m very familiar with both. If your husband insists on being closer to Boston/95, Reading is a good option too. And, as always, I second Tysmith95 with the Andover recommendation. Beautiful town, though no more convenient than Westford.

EDIT: Just saw your comment regarding the conveniences of Cary. Westford has Wholefoods, other grocery stores, some good restaurants, Starbucks, all of the drugstores, etc. but towns in this area isolate commercial activity so not to mess with the quaintness and historical elegance of the towns. It’s all by design... Everything is voted on by the town itself. No drive throughs, very little fast food, no big box stores, etc. You’ll have to drive 10 minutes to Lowell for Target or Walmart. Minor inconveniences add up. We moved from the Chicagoland area where everything was within 1 mile on a state road. But what you trade in convenience, or lack of, you get in other resources and quaint beauty.. lakes, ponds, town commons, very few chain restraints, antique stores, old churches, little coffee shops (E.g Muffins on Main in Westford is awesome), etc. You get used to it. Now when we go back to Chicago, all of that stuff feels like an eye soar. I wonder what the Midwest will do when shopping becomes almost entirely obsolete... There are already cemeteries of empty buildings in Chicagoland as it is.