Can a city girl find a place of her own in the MA-Merrimack Valley?
June 2, 2017 3:38 PM Subscribe
I really like living in a city and being able to walk to restaurants, cafes, bars, museums, etc. Is it possible to find a scaled-down version of this within a ~30 min. commute (driving or public transport) of Andover, MA?
I recently got a job offer in Andover and it's something I'm keen on pursuing: the work is very interesting, it's for a respected organization, the people seem nice.
Driving around Andover, it looks like a nice place to work, but I don't think I'd want to live there: it's beautiful, but I'm less about manicured lawns and more into a more urban scene.
I've been living in Boston and Cambridge for over three years now and love it. I'm originally from San Francisco. While clearly none of the towns in the area are going to be that big, I'd love to hear if there's a scaled down/different-but-equivalent town version in this part of MA.
Some preliminary Googling makes it look like downtown Lawrence might fit the bill. I like that it is on a commuter rail line to make occasional Boston trips without a car possible if I can't/don't want to drive. Thoughts? Any other towns I should be considering?
While commuting from, say, Somerville, isn't impossible, it doesn't seem great from a time or environmental standpoint. (Unless you do this and you find it's not bad, regardless of season? And while Andover is on the Haverhill commuter rail line, I've read that it has serious issues, particularly in the winter, so don't feel like I could count on it.)
Hive mind, what do you think? Thank you in advance.
I recently got a job offer in Andover and it's something I'm keen on pursuing: the work is very interesting, it's for a respected organization, the people seem nice.
Driving around Andover, it looks like a nice place to work, but I don't think I'd want to live there: it's beautiful, but I'm less about manicured lawns and more into a more urban scene.
I've been living in Boston and Cambridge for over three years now and love it. I'm originally from San Francisco. While clearly none of the towns in the area are going to be that big, I'd love to hear if there's a scaled down/different-but-equivalent town version in this part of MA.
Some preliminary Googling makes it look like downtown Lawrence might fit the bill. I like that it is on a commuter rail line to make occasional Boston trips without a car possible if I can't/don't want to drive. Thoughts? Any other towns I should be considering?
While commuting from, say, Somerville, isn't impossible, it doesn't seem great from a time or environmental standpoint. (Unless you do this and you find it's not bad, regardless of season? And while Andover is on the Haverhill commuter rail line, I've read that it has serious issues, particularly in the winter, so don't feel like I could count on it.)
Hive mind, what do you think? Thank you in advance.
Possibly Peabody, it's a reverse commute, close to Salem and commuter rail. Carless would be hard.
posted by sammyo at 4:26 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 4:26 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Possibly Lowell? It seems to be undergoing something of a renaissance. UMass Lowell has grown into a respected institution. The music scene seems strong and they have a well known folk festival in the summer. I don't know anything about restaurants, etc. Commuting on 495 can be hideous, but I think the commute from Lowell to Andover would probably be tolerable. Worth checking out in any event. Lawrence has some fine attributes and respected restaurants, but I agree that it would probably not fit your bill.
posted by Bresciabouvier at 4:46 PM on June 2, 2017
posted by Bresciabouvier at 4:46 PM on June 2, 2017
Lowell or Haverhill. Not Lawrence. I recently moved away from Andover. Feel free to DM if you have more questions about the area.
posted by libraryhead at 5:05 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by libraryhead at 5:05 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Not to threadsit, but because it might matter:
Lawrence is a blue collar immigrant city.
That is fine by me--I grew up in one myself! Mostly looking for a when home, walkable experience in a centralish area. I'm not looking for gastropubs, independent galleries, artisanal coffee roasters, etc., just a handful of places to eat, hang out, and shop. Dives and greasy spoons are fine. I'm not fancy. In the off-chance that there is some weird intersection of experience here, if any San Franciscans remember what Clement St. in the Inner Richmond was like 15-20 years ago or so, that would do it.
posted by smirkette at 5:09 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Lawrence is a blue collar immigrant city.
That is fine by me--I grew up in one myself! Mostly looking for a when home, walkable experience in a centralish area. I'm not looking for gastropubs, independent galleries, artisanal coffee roasters, etc., just a handful of places to eat, hang out, and shop. Dives and greasy spoons are fine. I'm not fancy. In the off-chance that there is some weird intersection of experience here, if any San Franciscans remember what Clement St. in the Inner Richmond was like 15-20 years ago or so, that would do it.
posted by smirkette at 5:09 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Don't underestimate how reasonable the reverse commute on 93 can be. It's been a few years since I've done it regularly, but I did a long stretch living in Somerville and working in Wakefield, followed by a few more years of Somerville/Woburn. Naturally there are days when the weather or the vagaries of traffic make it unpleasant, but there are secondary roads you can use (I often took them on bad days just to do something other than sit in highway traffic). Of course I can't speak to your specific local experience of Somerville parking/snow emergencies/traffic, which would be significant mitigating factors.
That said, Lowell has quite a lot going for it these days. I know several people who have made the jump from Cambridge/Somerville to Lowell and they haven't regretted it at all. I've thought about it myself for all the reasons you cite, and my people there assure me it's all there.
posted by Banky_Edwards at 5:37 PM on June 2, 2017
That said, Lowell has quite a lot going for it these days. I know several people who have made the jump from Cambridge/Somerville to Lowell and they haven't regretted it at all. I've thought about it myself for all the reasons you cite, and my people there assure me it's all there.
posted by Banky_Edwards at 5:37 PM on June 2, 2017
Clement in the late 90s? *Bay Area native's ears perk up* ... I'd say you're looking at East Somerville, the Broadway area in particular, though the locals speak more Portuguese and Spanish than Chinese. Puts you close to 93N for the reverse commute, and really, you want to jump on at exit 29 or 30 anyway to avoid the crapfest that is Route 16 trying to get to 93.
Caveat: as someone who's mostly car-free, I really haven't spent much time in the Merrimack Valley, and when I have, we've always had to drive. Plus, weekend commuter rail service is pretty sparse; if you relocate to the Valley, you'll spend most of your weekends driving in to see your Camberville friends anyway - at least, that's what my friends did who moved further out, because the weekend CR schedule just didn't fit their needs. I'd talk to your potential future coworkers to see if they commute by car or transit, and what they have to say about it.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 5:50 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Caveat: as someone who's mostly car-free, I really haven't spent much time in the Merrimack Valley, and when I have, we've always had to drive. Plus, weekend commuter rail service is pretty sparse; if you relocate to the Valley, you'll spend most of your weekends driving in to see your Camberville friends anyway - at least, that's what my friends did who moved further out, because the weekend CR schedule just didn't fit their needs. I'd talk to your potential future coworkers to see if they commute by car or transit, and what they have to say about it.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 5:50 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I live in Medford and I would take a reverse commute to Andover, no problem. My friends who lived in Cambridge found it more onerous, but that's because they were another 20 minutes from 93 in rush hour. I live five minutes from the highway in traffic and 7 minutes from Davis Square without traffic. You can live in Somerville or Medford near Tufts and have an easy 30 minute commute by car and a 20 minute walk to Davis Square.
If you really think that's too much, though, I think Lowell's your best bet. I grew up right across the border in NH, and there is a lot of nothing in that area, but Lowell is really growing its reputation as a small city.
posted by gideonfrog at 8:03 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
If you really think that's too much, though, I think Lowell's your best bet. I grew up right across the border in NH, and there is a lot of nothing in that area, but Lowell is really growing its reputation as a small city.
posted by gideonfrog at 8:03 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I live on the north shore and I find city and highway traffic pretty bad at pretty much every moment of the day lately (SO MUCH worse than it used to be), and the reverse commute just makes it simply bad rather than slit your wrists bad.
Towns like Wakefield and Melrose have pretty decent downtown areas and are still pretty close to the rest of civilization and almost all of the major highways and the commuter rail—plus it's pretty quick to get to Andover by back roads, so maybe consider that direction. I work in Wakefield and I have a coworker who lives in Andover and he says it's about 20 minutes there and back.
Personally I think Lowell might also be worth looking at, but you need to choose your neighborhood carefully. Haverhill is pretty affordable, also, but beyond the immediate downtown I haven't spent much time there in 40 years (my grandparents were from there and I stayed with them a lot when I was a kid) so I don't have a good idea about what parts are good vs. scary. The downtown area seems pretty nice and busy, however.
posted by clone boulevard at 9:07 PM on June 2, 2017
Towns like Wakefield and Melrose have pretty decent downtown areas and are still pretty close to the rest of civilization and almost all of the major highways and the commuter rail—plus it's pretty quick to get to Andover by back roads, so maybe consider that direction. I work in Wakefield and I have a coworker who lives in Andover and he says it's about 20 minutes there and back.
Personally I think Lowell might also be worth looking at, but you need to choose your neighborhood carefully. Haverhill is pretty affordable, also, but beyond the immediate downtown I haven't spent much time there in 40 years (my grandparents were from there and I stayed with them a lot when I was a kid) so I don't have a good idea about what parts are good vs. scary. The downtown area seems pretty nice and busy, however.
posted by clone boulevard at 9:07 PM on June 2, 2017
If I were moving to MA I would definitely look at Lowell. I love having a reason to go to Lowell, and it's right on the commuter rail into Boston. Lively restaurant and cafe scene ... if I lived close by Mill No. 5 I would be there every weekend for the shops and the Luna Theater.
Also, the Folk Festival is coming up the last weekend of July and that is always worth a trip.
There are some sweet condos in converted mills available downtown occasionally ... this one will be on the market June 15.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 3:46 AM on June 3, 2017
Also, the Folk Festival is coming up the last weekend of July and that is always worth a trip.
There are some sweet condos in converted mills available downtown occasionally ... this one will be on the market June 15.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 3:46 AM on June 3, 2017
The Merrimack Valley is mostly former mill towns which have fallen on hard times.
Having grown up there, that's an absolutely ridiculous characterization. The suburbs in the area (Chelmsford, Billerica, Tewksbury) are very boring, middle-class suburbs. Lawrence has been a pit (the problematic description of it would be "ghetto") for a while and Lowell was before, but as others have mentioned, it has been on the upswing for a while and is by far the most likely place to find a facsimile of your nice coffee shops and decent ethnic eateries. If Lowell doesn't meet your standards, I'd just reverse commute from whatever fancy downtown neighborhood.
The commuter rail is NOT worth the hassle. If you don't want the hassle of a car downtown, just drive down 93 and park outside Sullivan Sq. T station. Even if you live somewhere in Lowell, you will need a car.
posted by alidarbac at 10:51 AM on June 3, 2017
Having grown up there, that's an absolutely ridiculous characterization. The suburbs in the area (Chelmsford, Billerica, Tewksbury) are very boring, middle-class suburbs. Lawrence has been a pit (the problematic description of it would be "ghetto") for a while and Lowell was before, but as others have mentioned, it has been on the upswing for a while and is by far the most likely place to find a facsimile of your nice coffee shops and decent ethnic eateries. If Lowell doesn't meet your standards, I'd just reverse commute from whatever fancy downtown neighborhood.
The commuter rail is NOT worth the hassle. If you don't want the hassle of a car downtown, just drive down 93 and park outside Sullivan Sq. T station. Even if you live somewhere in Lowell, you will need a car.
posted by alidarbac at 10:51 AM on June 3, 2017
Also, Lowell has (IIRC) the quilt museum.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:57 AM on June 4, 2017
posted by wenestvedt at 6:57 AM on June 4, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
Not to the best of my knowledge. The Merrimack Valley is mostly former mill towns which have fallen on hard times. Lawrence is a blue collar immigrant city. Gang violence is an issue. If you like the cultural amenities of Cambridge, that's not the vibe you're going find in Lawrence. I'd check out the Eagle Tribune ---that's the local paper.
posted by Diablevert at 4:11 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]