Quaint towns in Eastern MA?

Submitted by EntranceEven2843 t3_y86gvp in massachusetts

Hey all! I’m looking to move into an apartment that is a bit closer to my job in Boston, and I’m hoping you folks could give some recommendations on towns to consider. (I don’t go in very often, so I have some flexibility.)

I’m looking at small towns in Eastern MA (right of Worcester) that are somewhat affordable, quaint, and have a homey feel. A small walkable “downtown” would be very nice (local coffee shop, restaurants, gift shops, etc). I’d love something similar in feel to Amherst and NoHo, but smaller.

I’ve added Salem and Newburyport to my list of towns to scope out. Are there any others that I should consider?

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umassmza t1_isy9lpi wrote

I think you’d have to define “affordable” $2000/mo for a studio is a great deal some places.

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EntranceEven2843 OP t1_iszfht0 wrote

My ideal monthly rent budget is probably around $1,400/mo. Trying to aim for the edges of the Commuter Line to keep costs down.

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Funkybeatzzz t1_isyae2x wrote

Check out Ayer. Small town and has a commuter rail stop. Pretty cheap compared to neighboring towns like Groton and Littleton.

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goPACK17 t1_isym2os wrote

Literally every single town in all of New England can be considered quaint.

You're on the right track though as far as "most quaint" goes. Anything in the North Shore along the NBPT/Rockport line is great. I lived in Beverly for 2 years and it is a beautiful little city and supremely walkable. I would go weeks without needing to get in my car. Bars, restaurants, groceries, barber, whatever you need; even an impressive late night scene (as far as suburban MA goes).

Ipswich is wonderful if you want to dial up the quaint homey-ness and dial down the city vibes a bit more from Beverly. Ipswich has a nice little downtown that is plenty walkable and feels like such a peaceful little slice of New England.

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singalong37 t1_isz9vr0 wrote

In addition to all the other nominees so far—Ipswich, Beverly, Hudson, Maynard and so on, look at Norwood for quaint, walkable. I’d say the towns south, southwest of Boston, also the south shore, would be least like Amherst and Northampton socially/culturally but Norwood and a few others are quaint and walkable.

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Life123456 t1_isy9t6c wrote

Pepperell, Groton. They border eachother, Groton will be more expensive. Anything east of 495 will sadly not be 'somewhat affordable'.
Both of these towns are quaint and beautiful, especially in the fall. quiet, peaceful, a reasonable amount of small restaurants. Convenient in that they border Nashua for bigger, tax free shopping.

If you can afford $2k in rent or more a month then check out:
Bedford
Lexington
Concord/carlisle
Littleton

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terrorbeans t1_isyubjp wrote

Not sure if it’s considered affordable but Hudson has a nice downtown area with restaurants and Medusa has an outdoor beer garden in the summer.

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Watchfull_Hosemaster t1_it2xs7d wrote

A lot of the towns around Boston can be "quaint". Newton has some quaint village areas. Needham, Belmont, Winchester, Woburn, Milton all have a quaint feel to them depending on where you are.

The further away from Boston you go, the quainter shit gets. When you're out into the 495 ring, you're going for peak quaintness. Bolton, Harvard, Medfield, Mendon, Medway, Holliston, Hopkinton, South/West/Northborough, Groton, etc. all take steroids for quaintness. As you approach central Mass, you have towns like Upton, Millville, Grafton, Millbury, and many others that have the same feel. I'm talking like apple orchards, farm stands, downtown villages with things like cobblers, coffee shops, and maybe a blacksmith or two. Pumpkin patches, horse farms, and ice cream stands with their own cows are all over the place.

Most of these towns have the feel of sundown towns, though - you won't see too much racial diversity anywhere.

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DarthKermitt t1_isz2xyj wrote

Essex county has some nice towns but also some expensive areas. North Andover is very nice and not as expensive as southern Andover.

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Open_Concentrate962 t1_iszkyo3 wrote

I haven’t quite considered to the right of Worcester as a concept, but I concur with Hudson Ayer etc. Try google streetview for a tour quicker than traffic.

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singalong37 t1_it2z8yq wrote

>I haven’t quite considered to the right of Worcester as a concept

It's as if the map, especially a paper map unfolded in front of you, with right, left, up and down, had more presence for the OP than the cardinal directions.

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kamui_zangetsu t1_it24yrl wrote

I just moved to Haverhill and it has everything you’re looking for and next to Newburyport, Groveland, and Georgetown and a short drive to NH for tax free stuff

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