Areas not too far from Acton MA w/ good schools (Lynn: houses, neighborhoods)
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We are moving from North Atlanta GA to MA this summer thanks to my husbands job. I am looking for areas that still have that country feel but are within a 30-50 min drive of Acton, and are there any areas that would be better for families? I thought of Rutland, but unsure ... Thanks!
Rutland is a nice area but I am not sure how close it is to Acton. I think it might be closer to, or further than the 50 minute mark for you.
Along Rt 2 there are several towns that you might consider: Ayer, Shirley, Littleton or even Concord etc. Also off of Rt 495 (which is off of Rt 2) there are Bolton, Berlin, Hudson, Northborough and other towns that might be what you are looking for as well. Hudson has great schools but several of the others do too. Someone else may have more info on schools for you!
Rutland is about an hour away from Acton and is very rural. If you have an idea of your budget & type of housing you're looking for that would help folks here make the best recommendations. For ex, Lynnfield is beautiful with a country feel and very well rated schools but is a little pricey. I love Berlin & Bolton as well, which have a more country feel & somewhat more reasonable prices. I'll email you some links to school info later today. Headed out the door to Mom's!
We are moving from North Atlanta GA to MA this summer thanks to my husbands job. I am looking for areas that still have that country feel but are within a 30-50 min drive of Acton, and are there any areas that would be better for families? I thought of Rutland, but unsure ... Thanks!
Why not Acton? Great schools and still very country but w/conveniences close by instead of having to drive way out of your way to get to them. Train also. There is also Boxborough, Hudson, Stow, but Acton has great schools that many country areas do not have. If you live in Boxborough you can have the country and still go to Acton schools.
I don't know if you have visited the area, but most of this area has a country feel to it with one lane roads, farmland, rivers and ponds. No city feel at all.
Lynnfield is nowhere near Acton, as far as I know.
The other towns along Rt.2 that are mentioned might suit well (I am partial to Littleton) but I think Acton would be ideal, really. Certainly not a super-suburb feel. There are still working farms on Rt.2A in Acton and along 2A in Littleton, and a beautiful horse stable along 2A, also. The area is working to preserve its rural character and past.
If the OP wanted an actual rural property to buy, it would have to be further out, yes. But I can't think of a better place to raise a family than Acton, especially if that's where the job is.
Thanks for all the great info....I guess I pictured Acton as being more city like and less country ...we will have more of an idea once we visit in a couple of weeks...thanks again for the tips on the area and surrounding cities!
Thanks for all the great info....I guess I pictured Acton as being more city like and less country ...
Not at all. If you don't want to wait for your visit, you can take a look on Google Maps. Main St in Acton is visible on street view. Even in the center of town, it's not very urban.
How country an area are you looking for? The towns named so far on this thread represent a wide range as far as how country they are. I don't know Rutland, but I know the general area where it's located, and that is a very rural area. Lynnfield, on the other hand, is more low-density suburban than country. Picture lot sizes of half an acre to an acre, with a few woods and fields scattered here and there among all the houses, but no wide stretches of woodland, little or nothing in the way of farms or orchards. This might seem nice and country compared to being in the inner suburbs, but it's not truly rural.
Acton is not cityish. Whether Acton would work for you depends again on how far out in the country you want to be. Acton is exurban. It's not all rural roads with a few houses widely scattered along them. Acton is a small town that has neighborhoods, but that whole area around Acton, including some other towns people have suggested here--Boxborough, Stow, Littleton--is an exurban mix of neighborhoods interspersed with open countryside, woods, orchards, truck farms, and generally more open space than you'd find in a low-density suburban town like Lynnfield.
However, Acton is not the fully rural kind of area you'd find in the vicinity of Rutland. In Acton and vicinity, you'll pass through less open countryside moving between developed areas than you would out around Rutland, but you do get some true open countryside between the built up areas around Acton, moreso than in a purely suburban area.
Acton is a very nice town with outstanding public schools. The only reason to move further away on Route 2 (or up or down 495) would be to find a community with less expensive housing.
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