Calling anyone from MA!!!! relocation advice

[skillie]

hi guys we are considering a relocation from Ireland to Boston area, opportunity is there but weighing the pros and cons right now.

as always top of the list is our two dogs. we will need to locate ourselves in an area that is dog friendly with all the amenities we would require. dog friendly parks beaches etc. but most of all does anyone know if house reantals with a Newf would be a huge problem?

any advice or recommendations for areas etc would be greatly appreciated. we have friends there but they live in the city but apartment living prob isn't possible with a Newf and a GSD!

thanks in advance

eddie, dawn, charlie and tara

 

[NewfieMama]

I grew up in the Boston area and just left there for CT last year. A big consiideration will be your work location. It's an old city and traffic can be tough, public transit is ok but you will want to have one or fewer transfers as the t lines don't intersect like the NYC subway or the London tube.

So - where will you be working? Also do you need schools?

 

[skillie]

no schools needed not sure where i'd be working or dawn depends really as we could be based in framingham or subcontracted anywhere in and around boston. thanks

 

[cmorgan.1505]

Not much help, but Boston is such a lovely city!!! I went for a visit a few years ago and fell in love with the city.

 

[Brandie&Maggie]

We live in Southern NH. We lived in MA when we first moved out here and I worked in the city. A lot of people commute to Boston from where we are now (I work in Andover, MA - north of Boston). You would really need to know how far you want to drive as traffic can be really awful depending on where you are.

Do you prefer the "city" or the "country"?

It would be very hard to live in the city with the dogs - very small places. However, you shouldn't have too much trouble in the suburbs. However, my experience renting and apartment in MA was that finding a pet-friendly place that was fit for human living was hard. I think if you rent a whole house you would fare better. If you're in an area where living in NH is an option, you'll get more space at a better price.

Most beaches in MA are not dog friendly in the summer, but you can drive to NH and Maine quite easily. There are many that are ok off hours/off season.

Feel free to PM me and I'll give you my email address for more specific questions.

Good luck!!!

 

[Newfs Forever]

Hi Eddie,

Congrats if you come here!

Mary is so right, traffic, traffic and more traffic!

Boston is a lovely city, rich with history, as is your beautiful country, and of course, not so easy to get around.

If you can work out your own hours differing from regular business hours, that would be a tremendous help with the traffic situation.

I don't know about your tax situation, but perhaps you may consider Newf Hampshire, as we have no sales tax up here.

Best of luck and please keep us posted. Also, we have Newf Club of New England (NCNE) and there are many activities throughout the year. And of course, Tara is welcome to be included in activities.

 

[skillie]

We live in Southern NH. We lived in MA when we first moved out here and I worked in the city. A lot of people commute to Boston from where we are now (I work in Andover, MA - north of Boston). You would really need to know how far you want to drive as traffic can be really awful depending on where you are.

Do you prefer the "city" or the "country"?

It would be very hard to live in the city with the dogs - very small places. However, you shouldn't have too much trouble in the suburbs. However, my experience renting and apartment in MA was that finding a pet-friendly place that was fit for human living was hard. I think if you rent a whole house you would fare better. If you're in an area where living in NH is an option, you'll get more space at a better price.

Most beaches in MA are not dog friendly in the summer, but you can drive to NH and Maine quite easily. There are many that are ok off hours/off season.

Feel free to PM me and I'll give you my email address for more specific questions.

Good luck!!!

thanks for that info we live in the country in ireland and love that but if we moved all the way to the states we'd want to experience the city too to some extent and if we were dog free would def live in the city but we wouldn't go without them will have to adjust our plans to suit. we do realise that a house in the suburbs is prob more realistic though but don't want to be stuck in a car all the time either. hard to find a goldilocks zone i guess but will just have to make a call on it if we do go ahead with the move and get a definite job location.

 

[kastle]

If you end up working in the Framingham area, there are quite a few nice towns near it. I live about 20 minutes from Framingham. Some are very rural and others are, for lack of better words, rather snotty. It depends on which direction you go from Framingham. I grew up here and I still can't find very many good things about Massachusetts but that's just me, I love the mountains. One great thing is that it is a small state so you can get to the state lines of Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut within an hour or so. Driving in Boston is doable but not a lot of fun. So far, I've only found one really nice dog park but there are a lot of other nature areas with great trails. Beaches are dog friendly during the off season. I tend to drive to Rhode Island if I take Lucy to the ocean.

If you have any other questions about the area or certain towns, feel free to contact me.

 

[skillie]

Hi Eddie,

Congrats if you come here!

Mary is so right, traffic, traffic and more traffic!

Boston is a lovely city, rich with history, as is your beautiful country, and of course, not so easy to get around.

If you can work out your own hours differing from regular business hours, that would be a tremendous help with the traffic situation.

I don't know about your tax situation, but perhaps you may consider Newf Hampshire, as we have no sales tax up here.

Best of luck and please keep us posted. Also, we have Newf Club of New England (NCNE) and there are many activities throughout the year. And of course, Tara is welcome to be included in activities.

thanks Sue, good to hear, taxation is also something we are looking into i believe it is 28 to 30% on our salary but i know sales tax is another consideration and that Boston is an expensive place to live. i visited in June with friends there. also have job opportunities in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and LA region, but think MA would be our preference right now

 

[skillie]

If you end up working in the Framingham area, there are quite a few nice towns near it. I live about 20 minutes from Framingham. Some are very rural and others are, for lack of better words, rather snotty. It depends on which direction you go from Framingham. I grew up here and I still can't find very many good things about Massachusetts but that's just me, I love the mountains. One great thing is that it is a small state so you can get to the state lines of Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut within an hour or so. Driving in Boston is doable but not a lot of fun. So far, I've only found one really nice dog park but there are a lot of other nature areas with great trails. Beaches are dog friendly during the off season. I tend to drive to Rhode Island if I take Lucy to the ocean.

If you have any other questions about the area or certain towns, feel free to contact me.

thanks for the feedback when i visited in june we went to Newport and loved it there, very nice area. a person i know here used to live in Hopkinton and loved that area too. i guess we really will need to be outside the city to have a good standard of living with the dogs. thanks again

 

[NewfieMama]

If you end up working in the Framingham area, there are quite a few nice towns near it. I live about 20 minutes from Framingham. Some are very rural and others are, for lack of better words, rather snotty. It depends on which direction you go from Framingham. I grew up here and I still can't find very many good things about Massachusetts but that's just me, I love the mountains. One great thing is that it is a small state so you can get to the state lines of Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut within an hour or so. Driving in Boston is doable but not a lot of fun. So far, I've only found one really nice dog park but there are a lot of other nature areas with great trails. Beaches are dog friendly during the off season. I tend to drive to Rhode Island if I take Lucy to the ocean.

If you have any other questions about the area or certain towns, feel free to contact me.

If you might be working in Framingham or Boston I'd suggest looking between them, and in a circle around Framingham. I would not recommend being far North or South, as you'll have a tough time getting to Framingham at normal commuting times - all the major arteries will be jammed. If you look at places closer to the city, like Arlington, Belmont, and Lexington, you have nice hip areas with fun downtowns, good restaurants, and nice housing, but it's pricey to get a yard. The commute into Boston is not bad, and the commute West is reversed so that's better. Closer to Framingham you'll get more land and house for your money than you would in the closer towns.

I lived North of Boston, in Melrose, and it was a fabulous commute for my work (Back Bay, first, which was a 20 minute, 1-line T ride, then the Waterfront, which was a super easy drive over the bridge, and monthly parking was easy to find and not very expensive).

 

[kastle]

Hopkinton is a great town. So is Upton, which is right next to it. It is also very close to 495 and the mass pike. Both will get you to Framingham and/or Boston.

 

[Bucephalus]

oooh! I'll be watching this thread with interest - we're also in the process of searching for jobs in MA. Puppy play date is in order sometime in 2013

 

[skillie]

If you might be working in Framingham or Boston I'd suggest looking between them, and in a circle around Framingham. I would not recommend being far North or South, as you'll have a tough time getting to Framingham at normal commuting times - all the major arteries will be jammed. If you look at places closer to the city, like Arlington, Belmont, and Lexington, you have nice hip areas with fun downtowns, good restaurants, and nice housing, but it's pricey to get a yard. The commute into Boston is not bad, and the commute West is reversed so that's better. Closer to Framingham you'll get more land and house for your money than you would in the closer towns.

I lived North of Boston, in Melrose, and it was a fabulous commute for my work (Back Bay, first, which was a 20 minute, 1-line T ride, then the Waterfront, which was a super easy drive over the bridge, and monthly parking was easy to find and not very expensive).

thanks thats some good advice, i guess we'd have to wait and see where we would be working and hopefully we are both in the same area roughly. we would be working in the pharma sector but for a company that services the industry so we could be at their office or elsewhere depending on projects. gues we can't have a big house that accepts dogs and be in the city!! so the dogs win!

Hopkinton is a great town. So is Upton, which is right next to it. It is also very close to 495 and the mass pike. Both will get you to Framingham and/or Boston.

from what i've seen on the net it looks a nice area

oooh! I'll be watching this thread with interest - we're also in the process of searching for jobs in MA. Puppy play date is in order sometime in 2013

for sure the irish puppies will be delighted to be the novelty newcomers to the dog clubs and doggy daycares of MA

 

[KodysGrandma]

If you love the country but like visiting the city I would suggest you look harder at the opportunity in NC, especially if its the Raleigh Durham area or Charlotte. If LA in this case is Louisianna that would probably be more culture shock than you want to experience. If it's Los Angeles, way too expensive and auto centric. Depending on where in PA lots of lovely country and cities too.

 

[skillie]

If you love the country but like visiting the city I would suggest you look harder at the opportunity in NC, especially if its the Raleigh Durham area or Charlotte. If LA in this case is Louisianna that would probably be more culture shock than you want to experience. If it's Los Angeles, way too expensive and auto centric. Depending on where in PA lots of lovely country and cities too.

thank you for the advice i'll take that all on board. lots of options and considerations really!

 

[hawk]

Here is a little info on a town named Stow. I'm just trying to make your decision more difficult I have a friend who lives in Stow so I visit often. I love the historical homes and apple orchards...It is fairly close to Worcester and surrounding areas and yet not too far from Boston....

Welcome to the
Town of Stow
Stow, Massachusetts 01775


Nothing is lovelier than an old New England apple orchard in full bloom. Nowhere is that fact more evident than in Stow, Massachusetts. But Stow has more than apple orchards going for it. Stow has a four-seasons kind of beauty that makes it ideal as "a place for growing up in and a place for coming back to".

The town of Stow, a small rural community of about 6,500 people, has an abundance of softly rolling hills and rustic country lanes. It is located in Middlesex County, about 25 miles west of Boston and about 28 miles east of Worcester.

Previous to its incorporation in 1683, Stow was called Pompositticut Plantation, a name that is still very much in evidence. The townspeople, in general, are concerned about preserving Stow's historical past. At the same time they encourage residential growth that is protective of both the people who live here now and the people who will live here in the future.



http://www.stow-ma.gov/Pages/StowMA_WebDocs/about

 

[skillie]

Wow I'm impressed looks like a lovely place, i feel a reccy trip is needed soon to make our decision easier!!

Here is a little info on a town named Stow. I'm just trying to make your decision more difficult I have a friend who lives in Stow so I visit often. I love the historical homes and apple orchards...It is fairly close to Worcester and surrounding areas and yet not too far from Boston....

Welcome to the
Town of Stow
Stow, Massachusetts 01775


Nothing is lovelier than an old New England apple orchard in full bloom. Nowhere is that fact more evident than in Stow, Massachusetts. But Stow has more than apple orchards going for it. Stow has a four-seasons kind of beauty that makes it ideal as "a place for growing up in and a place for coming back to".

The town of Stow, a small rural community of about 6,500 people, has an abundance of softly rolling hills and rustic country lanes. It is located in Middlesex County, about 25 miles west of Boston and about 28 miles east of Worcester.

Previous to its incorporation in 1683, Stow was called Pompositticut Plantation, a name that is still very much in evidence. The townspeople, in general, are concerned about preserving Stow's historical past. At the same time they encourage residential growth that is protective of both the people who live here now and the people who will live here in the future.



http://www.stow-ma.gov/Pages/StowMA_WebDocs/about

 

[kastle]

Stow is great! I actually live right next door in Hudson. I've always loved Stow and would probably have bought a house in that town if it weren't for the really high property taxes. Last time I checked, they were at 17.05%. It really is a cute town though. I ended up in Hudson because it still had the small town feel, a 13% tax rate and a great school system.

 

[skillie]

Stow is great! I actually live right next door in Hudson. I've always loved Stow and would probably have bought a house in that town if it weren't for the really high property taxes. Last time I checked, they were at 17.05%. It really is a cute town though. I ended up in Hudson because it still had the small town feel, a 13% tax rate and a great school system.

Please explain property tax to me 17.05% of what? annually? etc? we don't do property tax in Ireland just all in one pot mainly with a few smaller taxes. i need to understand what i'm getting myself into before i find what i thought was was a big wag vanishes in stealth taxes!!

ps
i'd be renting do i still pay property tax?