I love Providence as well, went to school there, and lived there for a few years. Depending on your budget, taxes in the form of real estate as well as excise are very high. My daughter goes to school on the east side where you’d likely want to be and houses in the $450-550k are few and far between. Taxes on that price range will be about $10k/year.
Lots of good places mentioned. W. Concord is lovely though $550K might be hard to find (maybe a condo) but Maynard has a nice downtown with ethnic restaurants. Both are on the train line. I haven’t been there in a while but Salem, MA was also mentioned. Prices used to be low there for Massachusetts. Peabody-Essex Museum is fabulous. Similarly with Gloucester. Here are median home prices in various towns in MA: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/property/top-places-to-live-2019-single-family-homes/.
What about Framingham? Prices are considerably lower there. Brazilian, Vietnamese, Chinese restaurants in the downtown and a museum (I think it is still there). And, it is on the train line.
I would concur on Providence but the city itself can be pretty urban. Maybe the OP would prefer a suburb of Providence. Prices probably pretty affordable.
What about Southborough? West near 495 but a train runs there. Its downtown may be struggling. Much closer in is Swampscott (https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/swampscott-essex-ma/). Good schools, I think.
Lots of good places mentioned. W. Concord is lovely though $550K might be hard to find (maybe a condo) but Maynard has a nice downtown with ethnic restaurants. Both are on the train line. I haven’t been there in a while but Salem, MA was also mentioned. Prices used to be low there for Massachusetts. Peabody-Essex Museum is fabulous. Similarly with Gloucester.
What about Framingham? Prices are considerably lower there. Brazilian, Vietnamese, Chinese restaurants in the downtown and a museum (I think it is still there). And, it is on the train line.
I would concur on Providence but the city itself can be pretty urban. Maybe the OP would prefer a suburb of Providence. Prices probably pretty affordable.
What about Southborough? West near 495 but a train runs there. Its downtown may be struggling. Much closer in is Swampscott . Good schools, I think.
P.S. I tried to post this with a couple of links (to median housing prices in towns in MA and to a description of Swampscott) and it didn’t post, so I’m trying to post without the links to see if it works.
Here are the links. We’ll see if they post.
Here are median home prices in various towns in MA: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/property/top-places-to-live-2019-single-family-homes/.
Framingham isn’t very charming.
Newburyport MA, Ipswich MA or Providence RI(in or near) . All have nice walkable downtowns, close to the ocean (which you don’t care about) and the first two have much less traffic with close proximity to Boston. The Metrowest burbs are overpriced for what you get. Great for schools, not for living. South Shore has horrific traffic ( not only in the Summer and some towns are landlocked-you have to go thru multiple towns or heavy traffic zones just to get on the highway). Watch for high traffic areas and areas which are very overpriced due to location to Boston and good schools (like Wellesley). Many towns also have issues with overbuilding and high taxes ( Lexington). Portsmouth NH is also a good choice. Nice walkable downtown and prices are better. Plus access to Maine, the ocean and skiing if that’s your thing.
@fendrock, agreed, but I think it is on the way up. But RE prices are lower, there is a train station, there are restaurants to walk to (not sure if there is a grocery store to walk to) if you are in the center of town.
I mentioned Providence as have many others. But be sure to check crime rates. It’s not the safest place to live. Not all areas are walkable. Was in Providence for something recently with my kid walking downtown broad daylight, saw two drug sales and also someone shooting up very close to the police station. This was down close to where the buses and a main park are located and two major hotels. Up on the hill by RISD and Brown are a bit better. But I wouldn’t exactly feel completely safe there. Just FYI.
I did some searching and Providence RI gets an F rating for crime on areavibes.com which scares me off. Places like newburyport and beverly get an A+ on crime, as a comparison. Although being near the water isn’t a requirement, it won’t keep me from a town near the shore (but will keep me away from cape cod).
Pretty much all big cities are going to look bad on sites like areavibes. Plug in other cities, including Boston and you’ll get similar ratings. When you are looking at a big metroplex, it really depends on the neighborhood. There are parts of Providence that are very safe, just like the same is true for Boston.
It just confirms to me that Providence is a big city and I am not sure about living in a big city as a retirement location. I want a walkable area with restaurants and shops, but I think I want that in something more suburban.
Downtown Framingham is like being in a foreign country. You’ll need to brush up on your Portuguese.
I don’t think of Maynard as charming, and I agree with Fendrook on Framingham.
I mentioned West Concord (which is an area in the town of Concord) in an earlier post. I just remembered that there is a nice condo complex (Concord Greene) in West Concord. You can definitely find something in your price range there. A good friend’s 86-year-old mother lives there and loves it. You probably can’t find much of a single-family house for $550K in Concord or West Concord.
West Concord (which is an area in the town of Concord) has several restaurants, a bakery, a health food store with takeout, a branch library, an ice cream parlor, and a funky Five and Ten Store. Plus, it’s just a mile or so from Concord Greene to downtown Concord–which has even more shops. There’s a commuter rail station in both Concord and West Concord (you could walk to the one in West Concord) and a nice grocery store in Concord.
I worked in downtown Framingham for 11 years. I don’t think it meet your criteria. Framingham downtown is not very charming. The big shopping area is the Shopper’s World area on Route 9 next to Natick Mall. Traffic on Rte 9 is awful most of the time esp. during rush hours.
Southboro has no real downtown.
A friend just bough a charming 3 story, 4 bedroom home in Newburyport near downtown. She loves the town. She can walk to stores, beaches, restaurants within a 10-15 min walk. Her husband works in Boston and it is a 45 min drive to work.
It is also close to other lovely towns on the north shore. You may want to take a closer look at Newburyport.
West Concord is nice but getting very crowded and that’s not a large enough budget. Also the center is eccentric at best. Not really stores to shop at. And route 2 is unpredictable in terms of traffic.
Framingham with busy Route 9 cutting right through it is not charming in my opinion. I agree all the metro west towns are nice because of the schools. If you don’t need them, then their desire is diminished.
My daughter goes to school on the east side of Providence and many students move about the area all the time. There are nice shops nearby at Wayland Square as well as on Thayer. I lived in Providence for several years and know most areas and the east side is they only area I would consider. Again, the taxes are high.
As a native Long Islander who relocated to a coastal suburb north of Boston twenty years ago, I would choose this area again in a heartbeat. Being along the water often gives us more temperate climate and less snow than surrounding areas. The quiet neighborhood beaches are a pleasure in the summer. We can easily get to Logan Airport and Boston in 30 minutes or less, either driving or using public transportation. I am not a fan of the Cape and prefer points north in Maine and NH (an easy ride to Portsmouth/Kittery/Ogunquit/Kennebunkport, etc as long as its not a holiday weekend!). Local towns of Salem, Essex, Ipswich, Rockport, Newburyport, and more make for enjoyable day trips, especially for visitors. World class medical facilities in nearby Boston and satellite medical centers is important as we age. MA is high in taxes (but not as much as LI) but ranks high on many quality of life lists. I definitely feel blessed to have raised my children here. I always said I wanted to retire to an apartment in Boston with a summer home in Maine if I win the lottery! I think that my three kids will all stay here - they can’t find another city they enjoy living/working in as much as Boston. So it looks as if I too need to make retirement plans that include still living here!
Elderwood, it would be nice if you could identify your coastal suburb north of Boston!
I actually think Maynard is pretty cute and fits a lot of the criteria. They have a downtown with things going on. A really nice independent coffee shop with yummy treats. Almost all the inventory is small houses on small lots. It’s super walkable. On the train line. Has some conservation areas as well. They are making the river walk area nicer.
@fendrock Swampscott/Marblehead!