Where should I be a townie near Natick, MA?
September 14, 2011 12:54 PM Subscribe
Where should I look for an apartment or rental house that has a reasonable commute to the Natick mall area in Natick, MA?
I am looking for an apt...3 bedroom, 2 bath preferred that has a commute of 30 min or less (on most days) to right near the Natick mall. What towns should I look at? I don't have much experience with the commute on 90 or anywhere near Framingham.
Fine with a house, apt, duplex or townhouse. However, need central AC, prefer something newer (i.e. no 70's apt communities), but have a max rental of probably 2400.
I am looking for an apt...3 bedroom, 2 bath preferred that has a commute of 30 min or less (on most days) to right near the Natick mall. What towns should I look at? I don't have much experience with the commute on 90 or anywhere near Framingham.
Fine with a house, apt, duplex or townhouse. However, need central AC, prefer something newer (i.e. no 70's apt communities), but have a max rental of probably 2400.
Response by poster: No major need for cultural items. We tend to just drive into Boston for that. Honestly we are more concerned with a safe neighborhood, easy commute and newish construction.
posted by UMDirector at 1:10 PM on September 14, 2011
posted by UMDirector at 1:10 PM on September 14, 2011
There are tons of apartments in both Natick and Framingham that would work. I'm not sure what your price range is though. East Natick, especially, has several large apartment/condo complexes. There are also random houses for rent here and there and plenty of two family rental homes near downtown.
If you want to live closer to the city, both Boston and Worcester would be in the 30 minute range, especially if you'd be working "normal" hours and doing a reverse commute.
Really, a 30 minute commute gives you a huge range. You could live in Newton, which is a really cool city with several walkable villages, or you could go out to "the country" in Dover or as far out as Grafton or Berlin and still be within 30 minutes. Marlboro might be a bit cheaper but a but further out.
There's also the condos right in the mall!
Keep in mind Route 9 in Natick and Framingham can be very congested, especially around the holidays when it's just ridiculous.
Most of Natick is safe, Framingham has some pretty rough areas.
Feel free to drop me a memail if you have more questions about the area.
posted by bondcliff at 1:14 PM on September 14, 2011
If you want to live closer to the city, both Boston and Worcester would be in the 30 minute range, especially if you'd be working "normal" hours and doing a reverse commute.
Really, a 30 minute commute gives you a huge range. You could live in Newton, which is a really cool city with several walkable villages, or you could go out to "the country" in Dover or as far out as Grafton or Berlin and still be within 30 minutes. Marlboro might be a bit cheaper but a but further out.
There's also the condos right in the mall!
Keep in mind Route 9 in Natick and Framingham can be very congested, especially around the holidays when it's just ridiculous.
Most of Natick is safe, Framingham has some pretty rough areas.
Feel free to drop me a memail if you have more questions about the area.
posted by bondcliff at 1:14 PM on September 14, 2011
Response by poster: I should add that we would love to also be no more than 30 minutes from Boston in average (i.e. non rush hour traffic) we go there frequently and don't want to move too far out west.
posted by UMDirector at 1:25 PM on September 14, 2011
posted by UMDirector at 1:25 PM on September 14, 2011
As long as you avoid downtown Framingham (which isn't Compton or anything, but can be pretty sketchy in certain parts), safety really shouldn't be an issue in any of these towns. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any new construction that would be for rent (although there are plenty of nice, new condo developments)-- maybe someone else can.
posted by oinopaponton at 1:26 PM on September 14, 2011
posted by oinopaponton at 1:26 PM on September 14, 2011
Yeah, as far as crime I think downtown Framingham is the only area you'd want to stay away from. I think Marlboro has some "bad" areas but even the worst areas in these towns aren't something you'd see on The Wire.
There are an increasing numbers of older buildings that have been converted to apartments and condos. So you'd have a newish interior inside an old brick building.
An example: Natick Mills
And the aparment/condo complexes I was talking about before are mostly in West, not East Natick.
posted by bondcliff at 1:35 PM on September 14, 2011
There are an increasing numbers of older buildings that have been converted to apartments and condos. So you'd have a newish interior inside an old brick building.
An example: Natick Mills
And the aparment/condo complexes I was talking about before are mostly in West, not East Natick.
posted by bondcliff at 1:35 PM on September 14, 2011
Newton-- Upper Falls or Highlands. About 20 minutes to the mall under normal traffic conditions, Boston Proper by trolley or Turnpike in about 30. You're not going to do much better than that.
posted by Mayor Curley at 1:48 PM on September 14, 2011
posted by Mayor Curley at 1:48 PM on September 14, 2011
Bought a house in Framingham a few months ago. As far as the "bad" parts, they aren't that bad. Not great, but not horrible. Our part of Framingham is quite nice. 2/3 family homes, small parks, schools.
For that money, you could get a great place, that's what I pay for my mortgage in a 3200 sq ft 3-family house, taxes and all. Best of luck.
posted by santaliqueur at 1:58 PM on September 14, 2011
For that money, you could get a great place, that's what I pay for my mortgage in a 3200 sq ft 3-family house, taxes and all. Best of luck.
posted by santaliqueur at 1:58 PM on September 14, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
You should be able to find central AC fairly easily, but most of the construction in the MetroWest area is not new. In some neighborhoods, post-1950 houses are way outnumbered by pre-1800 ones.
posted by oinopaponton at 1:09 PM on September 14, 2011