Massachusetts?

Question

I am looking to move to Massachusettes, I want to find an area that is more country than city, I know nothing about Massachusettes, Does any1 know of any inexpensive places to live?

Answer 1

The Birkshires are nice

Berkshire County is wondrously rural, yet within a convenient traveling distance from Boston and New York. The Berkshires' appeal to metropolitan residents seeking a restful, idyllic getaway is legendary. Many visitors have purchased second homes here and countless others have relocated here. Cultural and recreational pastimes abound, giving residents and visitors alike a vast choice of activities. Look for innovative programs and events for families and individuals; historical sites; exhilarating sports and recreation opportunities; and world-class festivals alive with music, theatre and dance. And don't miss the county's award-winning restaurants, shopping and antiquing galore...every season, year round. You may never want to leave.

Answer 2

There are towns that are more rural between Route 495 and Worcester (Bolten, Harvard - others that you can see on a map if you look on a Massachusetts map). Pepperell, Townsend, and Westford are on the rural side, although Westford has been being developed more recently.

There are a lot of really rural areas in Western, MA; but if someone will be working the Boston area that's not the place to go. The Berkshires have a lot of rural towns. There are parts of Western, MA that are not as far West as the Berkshires too.

The North Shore doesn't particularly tend to be rural, Neither is the Boston area or any of the areas surrounding cities/towns like Springfield, Lowell, Haverhill, Lawrence, Woburn, or Worcester.
What tends to surround those cities is suburban towns that have shopping malls, some woods here or there, companies, etc. These towns tend to be nice enough towns to live in (the cities I mentioned are generally not the most appealing places in the world, to say the least), but they are far from rural.

If you look at a map, anything describes as North or West of Boston tends to be suburban and not rural. The South Shore may have some more rural areas. Plymouth is a large town geographically, and its a kind of more wooded suburban-type area.

Pepperell and Townsend are close to New Hampshire. There are towns that border Connecticut. There may be some more rural areas in that area.

Massachusetts is not known for very affordable housing. Not long ago I heard about how many people leave the Boston suburbs and move farther out in order to be able to afford more house for their money.

To the best of my knowledge, the area between Route 495 and Worcester tends to be a little less expensive (but its not as handy to things). To the best of my knowledge, housing may be less expensive near Springfiield (but Springfield is not a nice city).

There are some suburbs or semi-rural suburbs from, say, Lexington out toward the west.

Quite rural are Boxford, Rowley, Topsfied, and Byfield (which are farther North than the North Shore). Boxford is generally not a bargain area for housing, though. Hamilton is a little on the rural side.

Cape Cod has rural areas, but the Cape is a whole different thing and generally is not convenient to where most jobs are.

For the most part, if you look at a map and find the cities I mentioned, the area about fifteen or so miles out from the cities tends to be suburbs (which may then meet with other suburban areas, which would mean not much rural area there). Most of Massachusetts from the Coast to Boston and the Western suburbs is suburban (with the exceptions of the Byfield area).
Once you get past Concord and Harvard toward Central Mass it gets more rural.

Everything from, say, Boston to Newton to Natick to Framingham are city or city-ish suburbs. Heavy duty city areas: Boston, Chelsea, Somerville, Medford, Cambridge, Everett, Malden (right around Boston). Then there's Holyoke, Springfield, Fall River, New Bedford. Then there's Framingham and Worcester. Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill up North.

I can't give an accurate reading on what's more affordable, but I seem to remember running into a website that gave that type of information. Its possible you could get more information from each town's website or real estate companies dealing in the different areas.

Often people move to the cities that are alternatives to Boston because those are more affordable, but you're not looking for city living.

What I've offered is just kind of a jumping-off point for you. I don't know if its at all helpful....

Answer 3

What you will have going for you is that the country areas tend to be cheaper than the city ones as far as housing costs. The more remote the more affordable. One question to consider is what you will do for a living. If you need to commute to a job in a city, that will have a big impact on where it is practical to live.

Get some AAA maps and tour books and look in Worcester county. That is off the coast and has a lot more small towns and rural areas. Anything within a half hour of Boston is expensive. Look in the library for a Boston Sunday newspaper (or look for it on-line) to get an idea of housing prices - they may scare you all the way into adjacent Rhode island.