Urgent Help Relocating Bedford MA (Boston, Cambridge: low crime, home, neighborhood)

[Bostonbound]

Relocating to Bedford MA. Need to find great middle/high schools and Montessori school.
Would like to buy a home for around 500K.
Like to find a low crime, quaint family neighborhood and be not too far from Boston.
Are winters very gloomy, cold and depressing???
Any information about the area will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for your help.

B.

[puffle]

Originally Posted by Bostonbound

Relocating to Bedford MA. Need to find great middle/high schools and Montessori school.
Would like to buy a home for around 500K.
Like to find a low crime, quaint family neighborhood and be not too far from Boston.
Are winters very gloomy, cold and depressing???
Any information about the area will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for your help.

B.

Hi Bostonbound,
I lived right next door in Lexington and remember that the school system there was better than Bedford. The housing prices are similar but probably better in Bedford. Bedford is quaint and safe with lots of families. Not much to do there but you have Concord on one side and Lexington on the other which both have "downtown" areas with restaurants,shops, etc. The winter I lived there was what I call a black and white picture from Dec.-March. You have to make a point of venturing out even in the snow to keep active and involved. Don't hybernate! We loved the snow and so will your kids! P.S. I don't think you can go to out of district schools...go to www.greatschools.com for information about the schools in the areas near and in Bedford. Feel free to contact me. We are moving ourselves to Newton next summer.

[Bostonbound]

Puffle,

Thank you so much for your quick responds. We are also considering Newton and Needham. I don't think the commute would be too bad. Let me know if you know anything about these two places. Also are the roads cleared after a storm or do you have to drive on icy and snowy roads?
Have a great sunny day!

B.

[Miker2069]

Originally Posted by Bostonbound

Puffle,

Thank you so much for your quick responds. We are also considering Newton and Needham. I don't think the commute would be too bad. Let me know if you know anything about these two places. Also are the roads cleared after a storm or do you have to drive on icy and snowy roads?
Have a great sunny day!

B.

Needham is sorta south, but a nice community. Newton is relatively closer to Boston/Cambridge, somewhat more city feel, but also decent as well.

Major highways are for the most part cleared and are in the processing of being cleared as snow falls. The backroads are what you need to be wary of. Ensure whatever car you have can handle the salt and the ice.

[Bostonbound]

Mike, thank you so much for your help.
B.

[puffle]

From what I know, Newton is one of the safest cities in the country and with kids that is important. The schools are excellent and the area is diverse with people from many countries. Had friends that lived in Needham and thought it was hard to get to know neighbors even after 20 yrs. Snow is not a problem as the roads are cleared quickly. I loved the people in Ma. personally. Great change from California. Lexington is also a nice area with a lovely main street area and the schools again are excellent. They have a great recreation center just for the town that has everything a family could want and it is only 12 miles from Boston!

[smarty]

Here are some SAT scores of school districts for reference. Just remember past performance of school is not a guarantee of your child's performance. Oh. Most of these districts, $500K can get you a 3 bedroom house.

There are many more school info from MA Department of education site. [url www.doe.mass.edu [url]

Town ------ School --------- Verbal Score ---- Math Score ---- # of student --- total score
Ma Academy for Math and Science - Ma Academy for Math and Science School 660 700 43 1360
Boston - Boston Latin 620 644 411 1264
Acton-Boxborough - Acton-Boxborough Reg High 613 634 383 1247
Newton - Newton South High 607 630 303 1237
Lexington - Lexington High 611 620 429 1231
Weston - Weston High 609 622 172 1231
Dover-Sherborn - Dover-Sherborn Reg High 612 617 135 1229
Wellesley - Wellesley Sr High 603 617 249 1220
Brookline - Brookline High 598 620 460 1218
Wayland - Wayland High School 593 622 200 1215
Newton - Newton North High 595 614 475 1209
Concord-Carlisle - Concord Carlisle High 593 613 303 1206
Harvard - Bromfield 597 607 98 1204
Francis W. Parker Charter Essential - Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School 606 587 58 1193
Lincoln-Sudbury - Lincoln-Sudbury Reg High 580 608 346 1188
Belmont - Belmont High 575 594 262 1169
Manchester Essex Regional - Manchester Jr-Sr High 589 574 72 1163
Sharon - Sharon High 572 591 275 1163
Hingham - Hingham High 575 585 212 1160
Needham - Needham High 575 583 345 1158
Westborough - Westborough High 563 594 230 1157
Hadley - Hopkins Academy 559 593 38 1152
Sturgis Charter Public (District) - Sturgis Charter Public School 593 558 58 1151
Westwood - Westwood High 556 595 172 1151
Hamilton-Wenham - Hamilton-Wenham Reg High 575 574 150 1149
Winchester - Winchester High School 565 584 202 1149
Amherst-Pelham - Amherst Regional High 564 583 284 1147
Westford - Westford Academy 562 585 289 1147
Medfield - Medfield Senior High 571 574 207 1145
Andover - Andover High 558 585 358 1143
Norwell - Norwell High 565 577 119 1142
Lenox - Lenox Memorial High 572 569 47 1141
Bedford - Bedford High 565 566 146 1131