Norwood?

[Deleted]

I'm not a reg on this board (usually on ML) but thought I might post here for feedback. H and I are hoping to shorten our commutes to Boston and are tossing around Norwood as an idea. If anyone lives or has lived there, I would be grateful for your thoughts or impressions. Thanks!

(You can PM me if you don't want to out your location)

[LoveTrains]

That still seems like an awfully long commute to me.

ETA: Because the traffic is really shitty when coming from that direction. 

ETA2: Where do you commute from now? What is your ideal commute time? Can you do public transit (commuter rail, etc)?

[no0b]

From there I would definitely suggest utilizing the commuter rail. I do from my location and although it can be long, at least you don't have to deal with traffic/wear and tear on your vehicle.

[Deleted]

Lol. Driving is not even on the table. Only crazy people drive into Boston for work.

I currently take the commuter rail from Forge Park. Its an hour and a half door to door. H is interviewing for jobs in the Financial District, so it will be the same.

The commuter rail trip from Norwood is half the time, and many neighborhoods in Norwood are walkable/bikable to the station. So as I said, Norwood would be a dream commute for us.

[no0b]

That sounds quite similar to my commute (not stations but the times). You can bet if I could cut it down to half the time I would do it. It seems like a feasible option, especially since you are familiar with public transportation. I have a friend that lives in Norwood (she is one of the crazies that drives in), and enjoys it.

[cinnamoncox]

Norwood is still going to be a suck commute
I'm a real estate agent in Boston.
Pm me if you'd like to chat about areas of possibility.
I don't know where you are now, but have you considered the north side of the city?

[Deleted]

I don't think a 45 min door to door commute is unreasonable at all in Greater Boston? I mean, I used to live in JP and even a block from the Orange Line I still allowed for 40 minutes to get to Downtown Crossing.

I'm open to ideas if anyone wants to suggest a town where we could buy a single family home under 500K and have good schools.

[soxin2]

We moved out of Norwood last July (H's fam is all north of Boston Proper).

There was a lot of press about it being a drug corridor at the time and local property crime was on the increase. There are definite neighborhoods to avoid at night, sadly one is near a school.

I never felt unsafe there, I've lived in worse, but my bar is low.

H was never comfortable there, but he is an admitted snob.

It definitely does not stack to its tonier neighbors, Westwood in particular.

I worked in town with disabled adults for two years and did enjoy the community spirit that they had fostered with their neighbors. My kids were too young for me to have an opinion on the schools.

The town Center is nice and incredibly walkable.

[noodleoo]

My friend used to live in Norwood and commute into Boston. It was particularly convenient for her because she could take the commuter rail right to Back Bay and walk to work. I think like 1 hr total for her. They loved the town and just recently moved to Walpole (bigger home, awesome school district).  

[drloretta]

We lived there when we first moved to the area, and really liked it. But I have heard it isn't the best, crime-wise

I hear Sharon is a good commuter rail location, but housing prices are high

We live in Stoughton. I don't know how bad that would be for you. Housing prices are low-ish and stable. Schools are meh.

[starburst604]

We just bought next door in Walpole and we're loving the area so far. Neither of us works in Boston, but I don't think I would mind the commuter rail from here if I did. We have friends in Norwood who seem to like it, but I have heard that it's gone downhill lately. When we were house hunting, the price difference between Norwood and Walpole wasn't all that much and Walpole has similar CR access and supposedly excellent schools (we have no kids yet). Might want to consider it in your search. We are only a few miles from Norwood and the gym we go to is there.

[Deleted]

Apr 14, 2014 11:19:00 GMT -5 soxin2 said:

We moved out of Norwood last July (H's fam is all north of Boston Proper).

There was a lot of press about it being a drug corridor at the time and local property crime was on the increase. There are definite neighborhoods to avoid at night, sadly one is near a school.

I never felt unsafe there, I've lived in worse, but my bar is low.

H was never comfortable there, but he is an admitted snob.

It definitely does not stack to its tonier neighbors, Westwood in particular.

I worked in town with disabled adults for two years and did enjoy the community spirit that they had fostered with their neighbors. My kids were too young for me to have an opinion on the schools.

The town Center is nice and incredibly walkable.

Thanks for your input! What neighborhoods are good, which do you consider bad?

The drug commentary interests me. I've done some research into the crime stats and they aren't significantly higher than other suburbs in the area. Obviously I don't want to relocate somewhere within that reputation though. I wonder how much if it is perception vs reality. It's obviously not an affluent town like the W towns.

[Deleted]

Apr 14, 2014 18:19:25 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

We just bought next door in Walpole and we're loving the area so far. Neither of us works in Boston, but I don't think I would mind the commuter rail from here if I did. We have friends in Norwood who seem to like it, but I have heard that it's gone downhill lately. When we were house hunting, the price difference between Norwood and Walpole wasn't all that much and Walpole has similar CR access and supposedly excellent schools (we have no kids yet). Might want to consider it in your search. We are only a few miles from Norwood and the gym we go to is there.

I do love Walpole, too. It is 2-3 stops out on the line though, so the time savings on the commute isn't enough to draw us there. Welcome to the general area, though!

[Deleted]

Apr 14, 2014 16:55:47 GMT -5 drloretta said:

We lived there when we first moved to the area, and really liked it. But I have heard it isn't the best, crime-wise

I hear Sharon is a good commuter rail location, but housing prices are high

We live in Stoughton. I don't know how bad that would be for you. Housing prices are low-ish and stable. Schools are meh.

What did you like about it?

[soxin2]

The Norwood and Walpole stops are all really close to each other (in terms of driving distance).

South Norwood has the worst reputation in terms of drug trade. I have seen drug trades on Washington St in particular.

The Norwood Patch site discusses the local issues and is how I learned of them.

[LoveTrains]

What about something like Sharon on Mansfield? I have a friend who teaches in Mansfield and I think the schools are decent.

I am not too familiar with schools or really many of the towns between PVD & Boston so I'm sorry I'm not of more help. Good luck with your search. I will say that I certainly think the real estate surrounding PVD is incredibly affordable but I realize you need to be closer to Boston.

[starburst604]

Apr 15, 2014 16:00:58 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

What about something like Sharon on Mansfield? I have a friend who teaches in Mansfield and I think the schools are decent.

I am not too familiar with schools or really many of the towns between PVD & Boston so I'm sorry I'm not of more help. Good luck with your search. I will say that I certainly think the real estate surrounding PVD is incredibly affordable but I realize you need to be closer to Boston.

Sharon is very nice, but the real estate there is pretty pricey, and the property taxes are even more so. I don't know much about Mansfield, but am thinking if Walpole is too far down the commuter rail for the OP then Mansfield would be out.

[Deleted]

Apr 15, 2014 16:00:58 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

What about something like Sharon on Mansfield? I have a friend who teaches in Mansfield and I think the schools are decent.

I am not too familiar with schools or really many of the towns between PVD & Boston so I'm sorry I'm not of more help. Good luck with your search. I will say that I certainly think the real estate surrounding PVD is incredibly affordable but I realize you need to be closer to Boston.

You're so right! We love PVd. Such a beautiful city. If it weren't for the great job opps for h in Boston, we would have seriously considered moving there. I actually have a Redfin search saved for east side

As for Sharon and Mansfield, Sharon's just out of our budget and Mansfield is pushing the commute time.

Blah. I hate boston area real estate.

[Deleted]

Apr 15, 2014 15:33:14 GMT -5 soxin2 said:

The Norwood and Walpole stops are all really close to each other (in terms of driving distance).

South Norwood has the worst reputation in terms of drug trade. I have seen drug trades on Washington St in particular.

The Norwood Patch site discusses the local issues and is how I learned of them.

That's what I was thinking, the southern part of town. Anything walkable to Norwood depot should be okay, yes? I worked near that station at washington for about 4 years and always felt safe. But that's of course during the day.

[drloretta]

Apr 15, 2014 15:26:59 GMT -5 @missusbee said:

Apr 14, 2014 16:55:47 GMT -5 drloretta said:

We lived there when we first moved to the area, and really liked it. But I have heard it isn't the best, crime-wise

I hear Sharon is a good commuter rail location, but housing prices are high

We live in Stoughton. I don't know how bad that would be for you. Housing prices are low-ish and stable. Schools are meh.

What did you like about it?

Lol, dumb stuff like a good Chinese takeout joint, church I liked, closeness to Legacy Place, right next door to Westwood. We used to go on walks with DD every evening and I never perceived a problem, but our area of knowledge was pretty limited

[soxin2]

Apr 15, 2014 16:13:20 GMT -5 @missusbee said:

Apr 15, 2014 15:33:14 GMT -5 soxin2 said:

The Norwood and Walpole stops are all really close to each other (in terms of driving distance).

South Norwood has the worst reputation in terms of drug trade. I have seen drug trades on Washington St in particular.

The Norwood Patch site discusses the local issues and is how I learned of them.

That's what I was thinking, the southern part of town. Anything walkable to Norwood depot should be okay, yes? I worked near that station at washington for about 4 years and always felt safe. But that's of course during the day.

I used to constantly get the stops confused. Depot is closer to the hospital? Central is in the Center...

I found quite a bit of Norwood walkable, it was one of my favorite attributes of town.

But yes, I would say south of the train tracks (the overpass) on Washington should be avoided. Unfortunately two schools are within the areas I just described.

[soxin2]

Apr 14, 2014 11:17:26 GMT -5 @missusbee said:

a town where we could buy a single family home under 500K and have good schools.

We had the same dilemma, but north of the city.

(And not with access needed to central Boston)

[Deleted]

Apr 15, 2014 16:19:08 GMT -5 soxin2 said:

Apr 15, 2014 16:13:20 GMT -5 @missusbee said:

That's what I was thinking, the southern part of town. Anything walkable to Norwood depot should be okay, yes? I worked near that station at washington for about 4 years and always felt safe. But that's of course during the day.

I used to constantly get the stops confused. Depot is closer to the hospital? Central is in the Center...

I found quite a bit of Norwood walkable, it was one of my favorite attributes of town.

But yes, I would say south of the train tracks (the overpass) on Washington should be avoided. Unfortunately two schools are within the areas I just described.

Depot is farthest east, towards Westwood/Dedham. Then central by the hospital, then Windsor Gardens in south Norwood. Then Walpole.

I like walkability too. Figure if we give up the idea of space and solitude, may as well have the advantage of being able to walk to train, school, bars, ice cream

[LoveTrains]

Apr 15, 2014 16:11:04 GMT -5 @missusbee said:

Apr 15, 2014 16:00:58 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

What about something like Sharon on Mansfield? I have a friend who teaches in Mansfield and I think the schools are decent.

I am not too familiar with schools or really many of the towns between PVD & Boston so I'm sorry I'm not of more help. Good luck with your search. I will say that I certainly think the real estate surrounding PVD is incredibly affordable but I realize you need to be closer to Boston.

You're so right! We love PVd. Such a beautiful city. If it weren't for the great job opps for h in Boston, we would have seriously considered moving there. I actually have a Redfin search saved for east side

As for Sharon and Mansfield, Sharon's just out of our budget and Mansfield is pushing the commute time.

Blah. I hate boston area real estate.

I live on the East Side. I have a gorgeous colonial built in 1940 with 3 br/1.5 ba. I bought it last year for only $25K more than I paid for my 1 br/1 ba condo in downtown Salem, MA in 2005.  

As I said my H works in Boston. He buys a monthly amtrak pass for $378 and it is only 40ish minutes on amtrak from PVD - BOS. HOWEVER there is only one train reasonable at all for morning commuting and that leaves PVD at 6:58 AM. But amtrak is super comfy and it shaves considerable time off the train trip. 

On the negative side, I feel like I am ready for a new job BUT all the job opportunities are in Boston and I don't want to commute that far!

[cinnamoncox]

Apr 14, 2014 11:17:26 GMT -5 @missusbee said:

I don't think a 45 min door to door commute is unreasonable at all in Greater Boston? I mean, I used to live in JP and even a block from the Orange Line I still allowed for 40 minutes to get to Downtown Crossing.

I'm open to ideas if anyone wants to suggest a town where we could buy a single family home under 500K and have good schools.

Hi have you considered melrose/Wakefield area? Commuter train straight to Boston. Only a few stops. You'll get more for your $ in Wakefield but melrose isn't too too bad. Schools are good in both but a bit better in melrose.
We swing it (M) on one income (mine is so sporadic we don't count it), although we have a multi family).
You could find a single here. Even Stoneham or Medford? I wouldn't go any further north than that though , commute wise. It'll be easier to find a single in that range in Stoneham and 93 is right in town as is 95.
Good luck, Boston area real estate is nutty.

[bcv513]

Are you opposed to coming up north? I'm in Medford and my commute to Beacon Hill is 15-20 minutes. We would like to get into Melrose/Wakefield/Stoneham sometime soon. Melrose is ridiculously expensive, and they have some problems with the schools. Wakefield schools are excellent and they have a lake with tons of walking paths.

[cinnamoncox]

Apr 16, 2014 7:43:23 GMT -5 bcv513 said:

Are you opposed to coming up north? I'm in Medford and my commute to Beacon Hill is 15-20 minutes. We would like to get into Melrose/Wakefield/Stoneham sometime soon. Melrose is ridiculously expensive, and they have some problems with the schools. Wakefield schools are excellent and they have a lake with tons of walking paths.

What school problems? Just curious because I live here and I have a 9th grader and the teachers/school are amazing, and I have preschoolers, so i have a long way to go with the schools!

Wakefield is cheaper but I don't know about the schools.
And the lake is nice to walk.

Eta: Medford is nice too, I lived there from 13-24. My family is still there.

[bcv513]

Apr 16, 2014 12:07:44 GMT -5 cinnamoncox said:

Apr 16, 2014 7:43:23 GMT -5 bcv513 said:

Are you opposed to coming up north? I'm in Medford and my commute to Beacon Hill is 15-20 minutes. We would like to get into Melrose/Wakefield/Stoneham sometime soon. Melrose is ridiculously expensive, and they have some problems with the schools. Wakefield schools are excellent and they have a lake with tons of walking paths.

What school problems? Just curious because I live here and I have a 9th grader and the teachers/school are amazing, and I have preschoolers, so i have a long way to go with the schools!

Wakefield is cheaper but I don't know about the schools.
And the lake is nice to walk.

Eta: Medford is nice too, I lived there from 13-24. My family is still there.

Wow I didn't realize we were neighbors! I love Melrose. I work with someone from there and he told me there is a drug problem at the high school. It's probably like that everywhere though. We stalk open houses in Melrose all the time.

[cinnamoncox]

Apr 16, 2014 17:40:21 GMT -5 bcv513 said:

Apr 16, 2014 12:07:44 GMT -5 cinnamoncox said:

What school problems? Just curious because I live here and I have a 9th grader and the teachers/school are amazing, and I have preschoolers, so i have a long way to go with the schools!

Wakefield is cheaper but I don't know about the schools.
And the lake is nice to walk.

Eta: Medford is nice too, I lived there from 13-24. My family is still there.

Wow I didn't realize we were neighbors! I love Melrose. I work with someone from there and he told me there is a drug problem at the high school. It's probably like that everywhere though. We stalk open houses in Melrose all the time.

I can't speak for the entire high school, but no, no drug problem. I mean I'm sure some kids at the high school do drugs, that's everywhere in the world, but it isn't a problem.
I've only lived here five years, so maybe it's something that used to be a problem?

There's a seemingly tiny house around the corner from me on a pretty main road that just went under agreement the day of the open house with asking $620k
I didn't realize it looked small from the front but it went way back!

I sometimes stalk open houses too but it's because I'm a real estate agent so it's just work intel.

I was near the fellsway/route 60 area of Medford when I lived there. Went to the high school too. That sucked hard.

[bcv513]

Apr 17, 2014 7:38:48 GMT -5 cinnamoncox said:

Apr 16, 2014 17:40:21 GMT -5 bcv513 said:

Wow I didn't realize we were neighbors! I love Melrose. I work with someone from there and he told me there is a drug problem at the high school. It's probably like that everywhere though. We stalk open houses in Melrose all the time.

I can't speak for the entire high school, but no, no drug problem. I mean I'm sure some kids at the high school do drugs, that's everywhere in the world, but it isn't a problem.
I've only lived here five years, so maybe it's something that used to be a problem?

There's a seemingly tiny house around the corner from me on a pretty main road that just went under agreement the day of the open house with asking $620k
I didn't realize it looked small from the front but it went way back!

I sometimes stalk open houses too but it's because I'm a real estate agent so it's just work intel.

I was near the fellsway/route 60 area of Medford when I lived there. Went to the high school too. That sucked hard.

That's the part of Medford I'm in too! What a small world. That's good to know about Melrose. I really like it there. We looked a couple of weeks ago at a house on Beech that was 399. There were soooo many people at the open house and it was under agreement within a couple of days. It's crazy!