Framingham, MA: schools and general vibe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Framingham = Rockville
Weston = Potomac
Wellesley = Bethesda

What would you call Westboro?

To me Framingham is like a worse Gaithersburg so I'd call Westboro Germantown? Natick is more like Rockville. I don't like natick though - it's a weird mix of rich and poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up just west of Framingham in a town called Westborough. It's still supposed to have very good public schools, although the town is much bigger than when I was a kid. $850k would buy a very very nice house there and it would be an easy commute to Framingham although there's a ton of local traffic that moves around this area.

Note that schools are funded by property taxes in MA, and they vary widely (and by extension so do the schools.) So you will pay for a better school system - but that also shows up in property values etc. The county is essentially irrelevant.

I can't promise your family will adjust to the cold weather. TBH I'm not sure I could move back for just that reason. But I would if we had great jobs there! It is a great quality of life compared to the DC area at much lower cost. And there's lots of winter sports and summer beach options.

Wedtborough now has many million dollar mansions . Friends that moved there from here (Bethesda) have found the public schools to be a bit rigid and the people to be a bit rich? I guess you could say that they have found Westborough to be more like Potomac .

.


Westboro is bit rich? That's ... not right. Try Wellesley or Weston for rich. Westboro is crappy with some McMansions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP here.

Thanks everyone!

The job is in Framingham itself. We could afford 1M or thereabouts in house, if we sell our house in Bethesda.

My husband is on the fence because he currently has a 10 minute commute, versus whatever he would have over there, and he's afraid of the cold winters (his native country is tropical!). But the job seems interesting and stable. I stay home.

Anyone care to comment on the weather up north ?

From what I know (friends who live there), it has similar spring and autumn. Snow in winter more likely than here, summer less humid than here. Are you a southerner (if so, you might not like it -- it is not a place where people "quickly adjust", from what I have been told).

I come from a cold and rainy country. I think I could handle it. My husband loves warmth, though, and that's our concern.

The winter is horrible and lasts six months, If your dh doesn't like coldweather, I would stay here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up just west of Framingham in a town called Westborough. It's still supposed to have very good public schools, although the town is much bigger than when I was a kid. $850k would buy a very very nice house there and it would be an easy commute to Framingham although there's a ton of local traffic that moves around this area.

Note that schools are funded by property taxes in MA, and they vary widely (and by extension so do the schools.) So you will pay for a better school system - but that also shows up in property values etc. The county is essentially irrelevant.

I can't promise your family will adjust to the cold weather. TBH I'm not sure I could move back for just that reason. But I would if we had great jobs there! It is a great quality of life compared to the DC area at much lower cost. And there's lots of winter sports and summer beach options.

Wedtborough now has many million dollar mansions . Friends that moved there from here (Bethesda) have found the public schools to be a bit rigid and the people to be a bit rich? I guess you could say that they have found Westborough to be more like Potomac .

.


Westboro is bit rich? That's ... not right. Try Wellesley or Weston for rich. Westboro is crappy with some McMansions.

Yes - McMansions. My friend lives uncomfortably amongst McMansion people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Framingham = Rockville
Weston = Potomac
Wellesley = Bethesda

Accurate. Chestnut Hill also lovely.

Newton has tons of neighborhoods, some affordable. (Newton is midway between Boston and Framingham, OP - and some might say a "reverse commute" to Framingham).

PP here. I said Newton, because it is part of Chestnut Hill (which isn't really where most people live, although they are putting some high priced condos in, still in progress. Hard to tell online, which is why OP is asking for real life opinions).

Chestnut Hill is a small part of Newton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What ethnicity are you? Let me know then I'll recommend a town. New England is racist FYI

OP here. Really?

We are culturally European but look Asian, with Asian names.

Will we be shunned ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ethnicity are you? Let me know then I'll recommend a town. New England is racist FYI

OP here. Really?

We are culturally European but look Asian, with Asian names.

Will we be shunned ?

Not by anybody that matters but amongst the townies there is still quite a bit of racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ethnicity are you? Let me know then I'll recommend a town. New England is racist FYI

OP here. Really?

We are culturally European but look Asian, with Asian names.

Will we be shunned ?

No more racist than this area. If you've survived the DMV you can survive Massachusetts too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Framingham = Rockville
Weston = Potomac
Wellesley = Bethesda

Accurate. Chestnut Hill also lovely.

Newton has tons of neighborhoods, some affordable. (Newton is midway between Boston and Framingham, OP - and some might say a "reverse commute" to Framingham).

PP here. I said Newton, because it is part of Chestnut Hill (which isn't really where most people live, although they are putting some high priced condos in, still in progress. Hard to tell online, which is why OP is asking for real life opinions).

Chestnut Hill is a small part of Newton.

Yes, but....never mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up just west of Framingham in a town called Westborough. It's still supposed to have very good public schools, although the town is much bigger than when I was a kid. $850k would buy a very very nice house there and it would be an easy commute to Framingham although there's a ton of local traffic that moves around this area.

Note that schools are funded by property taxes in MA, and they vary widely (and by extension so do the schools.) So you will pay for a better school system - but that also shows up in property values etc. The county is essentially irrelevant.

I can't promise your family will adjust to the cold weather. TBH I'm not sure I could move back for just that reason. But I would if we had great jobs there! It is a great quality of life compared to the DC area at much lower cost. And there's lots of winter sports and summer beach options.

Wedtborough now has many million dollar mansions . Friends that moved there from here (Bethesda) have found the public schools to be a bit rigid and the people to be a bit rich? I guess you could say that they have found Westborough to be more like Potomac .

.


Westboro is bit rich? That's ... not right. Try Wellesley or Weston for rich. Westboro is crappy with some McMansions.

Yes - McMansions. My friend lives uncomfortably amongst McMansion people.

Westboro and Southboro are vey nice. If you haven't been there often shut it.

Wellesley and Weston are in a league of their own.

As for other PP's if you have to google, or have never spent much time there, except maybe a vacation, UGH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Framingham = Rockville
Weston = Potomac
Wellesley = Bethesda

What would you call Westboro?

To me Framingham is like a worse Gaithersburg so I'd call Westboro Germantown? Natick is more like Rockville. I don't like natick though - it's a weird mix of rich and poor.

For the love of God, do not ever compare the northeast to this hell hole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Framingham = Rockville
Weston = Potomac
Wellesley = Bethesda

What would you call Westboro?

FFS no.

[Anonymous]

we moved from DC to Boston area a couple years ago. I think you can get more for your money--house and schools--than in the DC area (unless you bought your home in DC before 2005). We were going to do the charter school lottery when we moved and we do appreciate being in a strong public school district where all our neighbors send their kids (in our DC hood everyone went to a different school--charter, private, etc--or moved by 1st or 2nd grade).

boston has great cultural amenities and is more intellectual and less political than DC. Not as international, but there's diversity, particulalry in the nearby suburbs.

the job market is strong in the Boston area--very good economy.

I really can't comment on Framingham, but lexington, wellesley, concorn, etc are very nice.

Logan is much easier to get to than Dulles but doesn't have as many international flights.

weather: so far the winters have not been horrible, but there is no spring. Seriously, its cold and gray in may and even into June. On theother hand. summer is glorious. Not the humid bug infested swampy summers we had in DC where we attempted to sit on our deck, only to give up and return to AC. Fall is also wonderful. Lots of interesting towns in and around Boston to explore. Life on the water is a big deal where we are--sailing, kayaking, etc.

traffic is kind of comparable--if you can get a good commute, then life is pretty easy but if you have to commute boston traffic is no picnic. The trains are not too bad, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What ethnicity are you? Let me know then I'll recommend a town. New England is racist FYI

OP here. Really?

We are culturally European but look Asian, with Asian names.

Will we be shunned ?

No more racist than this area. If you've survived the DMV you can survive Massachusetts too.

Not true, have lived both places and Nee England much more racist, Boston is known for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Framingham = Rockville
Weston = Potomac
Wellesley = Bethesda

Accurate. Chestnut Hill also lovely.

Newton has tons of neighborhoods, some affordable. (Newton is midway between Boston and Framingham, OP - and some might say a "reverse commute" to Framingham).

PP here. I said Newton, because it is part of Chestnut Hill (which isn't really where most people live, although they are putting some high priced condos in, still in progress. Hard to tell online, which is why OP is asking for real life opinions).

Chestnut Hill is a small part of Newton.

Yes, but....never mind.

Chestnut Hill is part Newton and part Brookline. Brookline has great public schools, feels kind of like Chevy Chase DC... more urban than Wellesley, Weston, sherborn, Dover, etc.