NiHao

Does anyone have any recommendations (or warnings!) for towns within an hour commute of Woburn, MA?

Looking for somewhere with a good public school system, particularly the HS. Much prefer a good small HS to an Excellent huge one.

Not in Boston, due to cost of housing.

Thanks!

hungryhorace

Don't live in Woburn. It's a ****ing dump. What's your budget?

NiHao

LOL can always rely on you to tell it how you see it!

Budget - small If you have any suggestions I can check out prices online but I'm finding that a lot of the HS in the surrounding area are very big and would like to avoid that if possible.

Thanks!

hungryhorace

I'd head up 495 to Amesbury, Salisbury, West Newbury, Newburyport etc. Good luck.

Bob

Ain't that the truth...county court, but it does have a nice cinema in the area.

Newburyport is really lovely but it is a tiny town. No idea about the schools. Same for Amesbury.

Anything that requires driving on I-95 will blow balls. Anything that's south bound on I-93 will be too. Definitely want to be against the grain of traffic.

Lexington, Lincoln and Concord, are lovely and have good schools but not cheap.

Medford and Arlington are both lovely with decent schools.

On the cusp of the commuter run and where you'd get more house for money would be Maynard. It was up and coming, then both Google and Monster moved away. It's so-so, but it does have a lot of nice bars and the schools aren't to bad.

Havard, would be another town on the cusp. It is really nice, but small and would have the nice, small schools. Possibly not as much rental stock and bit middle ground compared to those towns on cost. Also might be a bit more of a sucky commute during the winter along 111/2.

NiHao

Hungryhorace and Bob,

Thank you both for the suggestions and info, much appreciated! I will check out the towns you have mentioned.

joto

DS went to a nice small high school in northern MA, but it's likely more than an hours commute to Woburn. Housing in that small town and surrounding area was reasonable as well.

NiHao

Hi joto,

Would love to know the name of the town as we would consider a longer commute since my husband travels so much he wouldn't have to go to the office in Woburn every day.

nun

Right next door towns like Stoneham, Arlington and Medford are ok......cheaper than if you look to the West and Lexington Concord etc. You should probably avoid towns to the North and they have urban blight issues and the commute form placed like Gloucester and Newburyport would be nasty.

Farther in Watertown,Newton and Belmont all have very good schools.

If you want to save some money look to the North West at Leominster and Fitchburg.

NiHao

Thanks Nun, great info!

nun

Here is a ranking of MA schools. Belmont is excellent, it's a very nice town, but a bit expensive....still it's an easy commute and close to Cambridge and Boston....it also has the best outdoor community pool.

Top Massachusetts High Schools | Best High Schools in Massachusetts | US News

Bob

Those towns are shit though. They're not known as being the crack capitals of the state for nothing.

But there are nice towns around Leominster. Lunenburg and Lancaster, as starting points.

hungryhorace

You must have missed the part where the OP said his budget was limited. Those towns are pie in the sky for anyone other than millionaires.

nun

There's good and bad most places. I hang out in Gloucester a lot and that has a reputation for drugs.....but I don't see much of it downtown on a Sat night. Fitchburg etc are solid blue collar towns. The cost of living will be far less expensive the in places like Wellesley, but the schools won't be as fancy.

nun

Watertown will be a bit cheaper than Belmont or Newton. They all have a range of rentals and housing stock and will be cheaper than Winchester, Wellelsey or Weston. The OP needs to take a tour and see where appeals most.