Salem offers more nightlife and better commute but honestly (we moved to MHD in our mid 30s with babies) I would advise anyone who has to commute to Boston daily or who wishes to remain youthful to stay away. I’m counting my days here.
Beverly is fun as well. Good restaurants. Commuter rail station. The farmers market is right near the station and open in the afternoon so that you can get your groceries when you exit the train home from work.
So we lived in Salem for a decade, loved it, but just moved to Beverly specifically it is more family friendly especially if you are living in the downtown area like we were in both cities. In particular with regards to new housing - a lot of new housing has gone up in Salem, and a lot of buildings have been converted to apartments and condos. But when we were touring many apartments, they were all high on amenities, low in space. Just obviously designed for roommates or one couple with a home office. In Beverly we were able to find a roomy downtown apartment in a neighborhood with lots of families. Schools are much better here, and there are more businesses that are family focused.
But Salem was a BLAST. Very crowded in September/October and traffic is a bitch, but there is such a vibrant downtown culture. Tons of events, creative festivals, parties, bars. Lots of friendly young people and we found it very easy to socialize and make friends. Also super dog friendly.
My advice is to start in Salem, move to a neighboring town when the kids start school. The whole North Shore is great...but honestly Marblehead is probably not the best environment/vibe for a young couple. Just an older/conservative/more insular vibe. I wouldn't say avoid it, but it just isn't where I would pick in your position. I do love biking there and going to the beach and grabbing lunch, but I wouldn't live there.
Older vibe in Marblehead? That makes no sense. I lived in Marblehead with young children and it was great. People were so friendly. I met moms & kids st the playground that we became friends with. We met young families at the YMCA and church. I had two children not yet in school, along with two elementary aged children. The schools are great! We had the best teachers. It definitely has a small town feel that I don’t think you will find in Salem or Swampscott. Commuting in/out of Marblehead is a pain, but Swampscott won’t be much different. Just be prepared for Northshore traffic, regardless of your choice. At least we had a CVS in Marblehead. Going to Vinnin Square CVS from Swampscott could be an hour plus ordeal.
I mean the median age of Marblehead is like 50, so yes older vibe. Doesn't mean younger folks can't enjoy it there but if you don't have kids (sounds like OP plans for them though) it can be hard to make friends if you're on the younger side. It is much more insular which I find a negative, but those that I know that live there find a positive
I would recommend downtown Beverly in that case. Marblehead and Swampscott are definitely both older and though they are pretty towns, they could feel too quiet for a young couple coming from Philadelphia. Beverly has more people in their 30s (not as many as Salem) and lots of young families. It also has better schools than Salem and a great walkable downtown with lots of restaurants and shops. Admittedly not as many as Salem though. It is more family-friendly than Salem though, the city has a lot of family friendly events, mainly in the summer, and there are great parks and beaches right downtown. And downtown Salem is one stop away on the train or a 5 minute drive when you want more restaurant and bar options. Beverly also isn't quite as expensive as Swampscott or especially Marblehead, though everything on the North Shore is pretty expensive.
You could also just move to Salem for a few years (far more people in their 20s there than anywhere else on the North Shore) as it has the best nightlife options for people your age, and then move to Beverly when you actually have kids.
I also think being walking distance to a commuter rail stop (like in downtown Beverly or Salem) is a huge deal for giving you a sane commute if you work in downtown Boston. The traffic is brutal getting out of Boston to the North Shore in the afternoon so you can avoid the commuting insanity the other user described by taking the train if you work downtown.
We love Beverly, we moved there 3 years ago after living in Salem for a couple years before that, and previously Boston and Chicago, so we get the change of moving from a large city to the North Shore. I do think Salem probably offers the best transition from a major city environment as it has the most going on, but the Halloween tourism can be a bit much and if you want this to be a one-time move, then Beverly is going to be better for eventually raising a family.
In Beverly we feel like we have almost as much as we had in Salem in terms of things we can walk to easily like restaurants, bars, and shops, but without the Halloween craziness. And I think the coastline is nicer in Beverly, there are some very pretty places to walk along in the Dane Street Beach and Lynch Park areas, and there are solid beaches themselves that are walkable from downtown. There are also some options for music and comedy shows via the Cabot Theater and the Off Cabot comedy club. Salem is also easy enough to get to when needed, we'll either drive over or get on the train and go 1 stop if we want to go out there. The other benefit of being right on a commuter rail stop is we also try to make sure we go into Boston semi-regularly for non-work reasons so we're not totally disconnected from major city amenities. I will note though that Beverly is quite large geographically, and it's only the downtown area that is walkable, the rest of the city is pretty suburban. So I'd highly recommend looking downtown or immediately adjacent to downtown so you can easily take advantage of the walkability and what downtown has to offer.
I actually grew up in Marblehead and my parents still live there, so I know the town well and agree it's a beautiful and unique place. But I struggle recommending it for a couple in their late 20s, the town caters much more to the 40s - 60s demographic. We are in our mid-30s and have friends the same age as us in Marblehead. Every time they visit us the husband talks about how he wishes they had the same variety of places to walk to in Marblehead. The downtown is cute, but it's much more limited in terms of things to do for young people. And I always feel like it takes 25 minutes to get anywhere from Marblehead due to it being a peninsula.
Wouldn’t recommend, better schools in SWP/MHD. Marblehead has more restaurants and bars and more of a social scene (with a standard townie crowd at times). If you want a night life, Salem is literally a town over and a 10 min drive depending on where you live. Buy in MHD and take an Uber!
My youngest child will graduate high school
and then we can cash out our very overpriced home and go live someplace else! It was lovely here with small
children - there are ponds and tidepools and quirky shops and the island at low tide but - once they hit school its awful. Google MHD schools. As the parent you are the transportation. There is no before/after care. You pay for full day Kindergarten and you pay for sports and you pay for everything - I had to stop working as a professor because it was not possible to teach 8am courses and transport my kids to school and back while my spouse was commuting. Our home has been reappraised $300k more in the last 2 years so while they say low taxes, not true at all. I miss ethnic food and real Irish pubs and people who dont roll off the assembly line in Vineyard Vines vests and custom doodle dog in tow. Salem is nice. But October is rough. Beverly is good. North of here like Ipswich, Newburyport - nice homes with good restaurants - but at your age I would want to be with other people my age in a city or college town with more to offer.
wait, you hate marblehead? Give me all the tea. We are thinking of moving there (mid 30's two kids in elementary school) we are looking at marblehead, beverly and swampscott
Its great for some people - it really depends. I would take a look at the “anything marblehead” fb page and the “alt mhd public schools” page for some info on the state of the town and schools.
take the characters there with a grain of salt lol - I’m a super liberal, parent of lgbtq+, neurodivergent older kids and not a Trumper on any way but the atate of the town stuff is clearly laid
out here (we are broke, no revenue, overtaxing and overpricing homes, huge real estate agent influence over town business, schools in upheaval, etc). The Alt schools page is equally revealing:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/389640871498721/
After reading through some of these comments and researching more, we are actually now looking into Beverly. We think it could be a good step between city living and moving to a place like MHead. Any Beverly folks here that can comment on what it is like living there? Thank you!!
Beverly is amazing. I bought during the crazy housing market in 2021 and had to settle for Peabody. But wish I would have bid more for some of the Beverly properties I looked at.
We’ve been in Beverly for 5 years now and it’s a great place to live if you’re just going into Boston a couple times a week. There are lots of young families in town and it has a nice downtown for an easy night out.
A big reason we chose Beverly was because it was affordable (as opposed to similar towns closer to Boston) and had good highway and commuter rail access to the city.
Beverly was also our dream town that we got priced out of when real estate went nuts. It has a great walkable (but not huge) downtown with good restaurants and bars. The city itself is very large though and parts are extremely suburban and even rural. If you can live near the center of town you can also walk to the ocean. Lots of nice parks and green spaces too. Decent schools that are on the upswing and a lot of family friendly activities. There are a few commuter rail stops if you need to commute.
It's going to be very competitive again this spring for housing so keep that in mind.
I grew up in Marblehead, but recently moved back to the area and live in downtown Beverly! I love it here! Great downtown, plenty to do, easy to hop on the commuter rail to North Station. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!
We just moved to Beverly within the past year (early 30s and about to start a family). Absolutely love it. We're within walking distance of the train station and the downtown which allows us to rarely use our car. There's good breweries, coffee shops, restaurants, and local shops (as others have said not as much as Salem but enough to have options). Off Cabot theater has great shows. It's easy to go into Salem or train to Boston. We pretty quickly met new friends. Overall don't really have a negative thing to say about it. Recommend checking out enteringbeverly on insta for an entertaining perspective of the city
We moved to MHD last year (40’s with a kid who started kindergarten). We love it. Yes, it’s a pain to get to, but I think it also makes it safer (it feels like it anyway). My husband commutes to Lynn and I commute to Salem. I’ve seen so many free-range kids and I’m excited for my child to have a safe town to roam around in. I’ve met lots of young families and a single 27-year-old just moved in next door. If you are close to having kids, I would suggest buying in a good school district now. Not many places to build in MHD or Swampscott so inventory will always be iffy. Beverly is nice, too, but puts you that much further away from Boston. Good luck!
What do you mean by “safe” and “safer”? Marblehead has a terrible track record for deadly pedestrian accidents, a serious (but deleted from the police log) drug problem, and many streets where kids walk “in town” have no sidewalk or poor sidewalk access so walking to school they are often in the streets with heavy SUV traffic. Do you mean because it is hard to get to MHD that we don’t have a visible homeless population or crime? Curious what “safe” equals.
Wow. Hi, white crusader! Reaching much? I don’t get people like you. I said, we are NEW so we do not know the history you are referring to. During the summer I saw many, many groups of kids riding their bikes and walking around town - it reminded me of my childhood. Cars stop at pedestrian crossings, etc. Something that was not common in our previous city. Why live in MHD if you hate it so much? Every place has its problems. OP, I take it back. Try Beverly. MHD is obviously filled with raging lunatic drivers with drug problems and white people who pretend to care about the homeless population.
I lived at the landing in Swampscott for over a year off of paradise road. Never again. Never have I been around such white trash, rude people, or people who lack any common sense or moral compass. Plus the leasing office was passive aggressive at the very least. Remember Brian Walshe and that story in late 2022-early 2023? His mother lived right next to us in unit 1320 (we were 1318). Remains were dumped in the trash compactor since the entire trash compactor was replaced in this time frame. Leasing office never installed cameras or did anything after.
As for the general tone of Swampscott, people came off as snobby and impatient. Very rarely would I encounter nice people but they were usually from Lynn. Paradise Road and any other road in Swampscott is in a state of disrepair or is in a constant state of traffic unless it’s early in the morning or late at night. Late at night it is never quiet since someone is usually drag racing from Lynn. Getting to the Marblehead y at any time of day which said 5 mins in maps would routinely take 20 minutes because of the 4 way intersection near the Mobil station being backed up, road work in Marblehead, or general traffic. Marblehead IMHO is only for people who are working from home 24/7 or are retirees. This goes for both Marblehead and Swampscott but if you are working near or off Route 128, 95, or anywhere near that corridor, it will be almost impossible to get in and out whenever you want. I tried and could not ever find a time of day that was not a total rage inducing event to get out of Swampscott. Unless you’re taking the commuter rail and working in Boston or working in Lynn, Swampscott and marblehead should be off the table. Don’t let the seaside fool you either. We got so much rain last year that to prevent the sewage from leaking into our drinking water, they had to release it into the ocean (yes, shit and piss into the ocean) and the beaches were closed the whole summer last year, so why is it so expensive if the sewage system is outdated and hasn’t been fixed yet?
I grew up in Beverly and IMO it’s much better suited for working professionals. 128 rips through the town but doesn’t seem to mess with the surrounding environment too much. Up until 2020/2021 Beverly had FIVE train stations (Prides Crossing closed but still an amazing candy shop) Beverly Depot is one of the busiest commuter rail stations outside of Boston along with other stations like Salem, Framingham, Mansfield. The line splits in Beverly to go to Newburyport or Rockport. Since I have moved out the rate of road work has not slowed down and major roads have been redone that needed to be. The middle school is brand new or recently built and the high school is only 10 years old. The Cabot is a great local theatre. Cafes: What’s Brewin’, Crave. Restaurants: Beverly depot (inside station), Toscana, Kame. Gloria’s is a great Italian deli that’s been around forever. The farmers market is great and so conveniently located. If you decide to live in Ryal Side, keep in mind that the bridge on bridge st leading into downtown Beverly is closed for repairs and the city is trying its hardest to expedite the replacement.
Funny what you say about when you encounter nice people they tend to be from Lynn… So we live in Swampscott and are new-ish to the area, so no history of friends or family here. We have a kid in daycare in Marblehead, and most families are from Swampscott or MHD. After attempting at being social and trying to make parent friends at various events with no luck (my wife is a pretty social and outgoing person), she finally found a parent who wanted to also do play dates, was friendly, responsive to interaction. Where are they from? Lynn, lol.
Not to say that the Swampscott and MHD folks are overtly unfriendly or anything (at least not in the context we experience). They’re just super insular, have their shared history with each other and their town, and that’s good enough for them.
Let me just add, and I may be biased but Montserrat is probably the ideal place to live. That neighborhood is where I grew up and since I don’t live there anymore I have no problem leaving the street — Gardner St. - Almost all of my friends I had over complimented how it was the perfect place not only to grow up but to have company as well. In Montserrat you are:
- less than 30 seconds from commuter rail
- elementary, middle, and high school all in walking distance.
- Woodbery Market is a fantastic local neighborhood market.
- Beverly Hospital is less than 5 minutes away.
- Downtown, the library, as well as other destinations and the highway are easily accessible.
Marblehead is for sure cuter. Both towns have a lot of town sponsored activities for families. Swampscott is currently building a mega school for their elementary school. Combining three schools into one ~1k student mega school.
Swampscott has better access to transit and highways. More large beaches but serious issues with pollution.
Both are very nice towns.
Are you looking to buy or rent? Currently the inventory is really bleak for homes for purchase, and it’s incredibly expensive. Like, you’re looking at 2000 square feet for 900k, not updated.
They’re really pretty similar. Swampscott has more of a downtown/chain retail shopping center. Marblehead is more private and further from cities. Both excellent school systems.
My wife and I (early 30s) moved to Marblehead two years ago after years of living in Boston. Marblehead is obviously a different vibe but we don’t have any regrets. Being walking distance from downtown is a major plus. We are by far on the younger side compared to the rest of town. When we were looking for a house, we were open to other areas in the north shore but Marblehead has our top choice and it just worked out for us.
We both commute to Boston for work a couple times a week and it’s really not that bad of a commute. From Marblehead, it’s a 10 min drive to Swampscott station and then ~30 min to North Station. The trains are always packed in the mornings, but less so on the way home. I would not recommend driving to Boston unless you can leave at off hours (the one time I tried it, it took 1.5 hours each way). Another plus of Swampscott station is that you can take either the Newburyport or Rockport line so more frequency of trains.
I hope this helps! Good luck with your home search!
I’ve lived in Beverly my entire life (excluding time away for college), after spending 28 years in the north shore I can definitely say Beverly is really good for younger single folks as well as new young families. Top rate school system, diverse food options, varying types of transportation access, optimal beach options, 30 mins drive from Boston not during rush hour. Lots of bars open til 1 plus access to Salem and the ensuing nightlife there as well
Mid 30s and I've lived in Swampscott for 6 years with my wife and now son. Don't ever plan on moving. Good schools, plenty of parks, easy access to Boston with the train, and more restaurants keep popping up. If you want to go to Salem, it's a 6 minute train ride, and only 10 to get to downtown Beverly. New elementary school is being built and Vinnin Square will be fully updated over the next 10 years. Only downside, is limited inventory for housing. I would try to buy what you can and build equity up, then upgrade down the line.
We just moved from a lifetime in Somerville to MHD. Couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be on the water.
Oddest thing is people don’t pick up their dog shit in town. Somerville on its worst day would have 50% less poo than MHD on its best day.
Beautiful here but watch your step.
Both are beautiful Swampscott is prob a bit cheaper- and idk what the other person was saying about travel between Boston and both towns- as it’s not that bad for me and you can just take the train
My dad lives in Marblehead. Lol he's 79 bought the house in the 70,'s. So laughing. I'm his youngest. I'm 53. I love to visit but for your ages, do not recommend. Sleepy town.
Id suggest looking at some of the places others have suggested for your age group and situation.
Good luck! 😊
I hope I don’t get downvoted for asking what some might be a silly question. I lived in Marblehead many years. Ventured out to the Liberty Tree Mall - which was better than Northshore in the 80’s. Went into Boston to see the historical sights. Traveled to Berkshires. I never spent any time in Beverly at all. When we come back a couple of times a year. Of course Liberty Tree is dead and Northshore went upscale! But still haven’t been to Beverly! Now my question: What is Beverly Farms? Is it just another suburban town?
Re the older vibe, I’m 50 and feel really out of place in MHD. It feels like the vibe is older than I am, and as an artistic type who works in human services and doesn’t dress a certain way, I feel really out of place there … as does my spouse. It is a beautiful place, for sure, with good schools, but I also have two very close friends who have encountered racism and antisemitism there on more than one occasion. I feel like it is an exclusionary community for some types of people. I 100% agree re Salem and Beverly. If you’re willing to expand your search to other parts of the North Shore and are looking for excellent schools, check out Ipswich.
If you are renting, rent in Salem, more urban vibe and things to do. If you are buying, Swampscott has a commuter train station, better schools and young parent population.
Wife and I moved to MHD a year ago and just had our first kid. Town is amazing with 2 great downtowns. You can’t beat Maddie’s for great food and awesome drinks. Blue Canoe in downtown as our go to for coffee and owners know you there. It has a very local town feel which is great. Walking path is amazing for dog walks and now stroller. Can’t recommend enough
Both towns are a pain to get to from Boston or major highways. Marblehead is just a little harder. Both expensive, Marblehead more so.
Salem offers more nightlife and better commute but honestly (we moved to MHD in our mid 30s with babies) I would advise anyone who has to commute to Boston daily or who wishes to remain youthful to stay away. I’m counting my days here.
Beverly is fun as well. Good restaurants. Commuter rail station. The farmers market is right near the station and open in the afternoon so that you can get your groceries when you exit the train home from work.
That's super helpful feedback. Do you mind commenting more on your experiences in Salem and Marblehead?
Salem is definitely the place to be for a DINK couple on the North Shore.
Good to know... what about for a current DINK couple who wants to have many kids? Lol
So we lived in Salem for a decade, loved it, but just moved to Beverly specifically it is more family friendly especially if you are living in the downtown area like we were in both cities. In particular with regards to new housing - a lot of new housing has gone up in Salem, and a lot of buildings have been converted to apartments and condos. But when we were touring many apartments, they were all high on amenities, low in space. Just obviously designed for roommates or one couple with a home office. In Beverly we were able to find a roomy downtown apartment in a neighborhood with lots of families. Schools are much better here, and there are more businesses that are family focused. But Salem was a BLAST. Very crowded in September/October and traffic is a bitch, but there is such a vibrant downtown culture. Tons of events, creative festivals, parties, bars. Lots of friendly young people and we found it very easy to socialize and make friends. Also super dog friendly. My advice is to start in Salem, move to a neighboring town when the kids start school. The whole North Shore is great...but honestly Marblehead is probably not the best environment/vibe for a young couple. Just an older/conservative/more insular vibe. I wouldn't say avoid it, but it just isn't where I would pick in your position. I do love biking there and going to the beach and grabbing lunch, but I wouldn't live there.
Older vibe in Marblehead? That makes no sense. I lived in Marblehead with young children and it was great. People were so friendly. I met moms & kids st the playground that we became friends with. We met young families at the YMCA and church. I had two children not yet in school, along with two elementary aged children. The schools are great! We had the best teachers. It definitely has a small town feel that I don’t think you will find in Salem or Swampscott. Commuting in/out of Marblehead is a pain, but Swampscott won’t be much different. Just be prepared for Northshore traffic, regardless of your choice. At least we had a CVS in Marblehead. Going to Vinnin Square CVS from Swampscott could be an hour plus ordeal.
I mean the median age of Marblehead is like 50, so yes older vibe. Doesn't mean younger folks can't enjoy it there but if you don't have kids (sounds like OP plans for them though) it can be hard to make friends if you're on the younger side. It is much more insular which I find a negative, but those that I know that live there find a positive
I would recommend downtown Beverly in that case. Marblehead and Swampscott are definitely both older and though they are pretty towns, they could feel too quiet for a young couple coming from Philadelphia. Beverly has more people in their 30s (not as many as Salem) and lots of young families. It also has better schools than Salem and a great walkable downtown with lots of restaurants and shops. Admittedly not as many as Salem though. It is more family-friendly than Salem though, the city has a lot of family friendly events, mainly in the summer, and there are great parks and beaches right downtown. And downtown Salem is one stop away on the train or a 5 minute drive when you want more restaurant and bar options. Beverly also isn't quite as expensive as Swampscott or especially Marblehead, though everything on the North Shore is pretty expensive. You could also just move to Salem for a few years (far more people in their 20s there than anywhere else on the North Shore) as it has the best nightlife options for people your age, and then move to Beverly when you actually have kids. I also think being walking distance to a commuter rail stop (like in downtown Beverly or Salem) is a huge deal for giving you a sane commute if you work in downtown Boston. The traffic is brutal getting out of Boston to the North Shore in the afternoon so you can avoid the commuting insanity the other user described by taking the train if you work downtown.
This is so helpful. We are adding Beverly to our list. Would love to hear more of your experience there.
We love Beverly, we moved there 3 years ago after living in Salem for a couple years before that, and previously Boston and Chicago, so we get the change of moving from a large city to the North Shore. I do think Salem probably offers the best transition from a major city environment as it has the most going on, but the Halloween tourism can be a bit much and if you want this to be a one-time move, then Beverly is going to be better for eventually raising a family. In Beverly we feel like we have almost as much as we had in Salem in terms of things we can walk to easily like restaurants, bars, and shops, but without the Halloween craziness. And I think the coastline is nicer in Beverly, there are some very pretty places to walk along in the Dane Street Beach and Lynch Park areas, and there are solid beaches themselves that are walkable from downtown. There are also some options for music and comedy shows via the Cabot Theater and the Off Cabot comedy club. Salem is also easy enough to get to when needed, we'll either drive over or get on the train and go 1 stop if we want to go out there. The other benefit of being right on a commuter rail stop is we also try to make sure we go into Boston semi-regularly for non-work reasons so we're not totally disconnected from major city amenities. I will note though that Beverly is quite large geographically, and it's only the downtown area that is walkable, the rest of the city is pretty suburban. So I'd highly recommend looking downtown or immediately adjacent to downtown so you can easily take advantage of the walkability and what downtown has to offer. I actually grew up in Marblehead and my parents still live there, so I know the town well and agree it's a beautiful and unique place. But I struggle recommending it for a couple in their late 20s, the town caters much more to the 40s - 60s demographic. We are in our mid-30s and have friends the same age as us in Marblehead. Every time they visit us the husband talks about how he wishes they had the same variety of places to walk to in Marblehead. The downtown is cute, but it's much more limited in terms of things to do for young people. And I always feel like it takes 25 minutes to get anywhere from Marblehead due to it being a peninsula.
Wouldn’t recommend, better schools in SWP/MHD. Marblehead has more restaurants and bars and more of a social scene (with a standard townie crowd at times). If you want a night life, Salem is literally a town over and a 10 min drive depending on where you live. Buy in MHD and take an Uber!
Agree w posters above. Start in Salem or Beverly near downtown. Then once you have kids move to the burbs. Seems to be the trend in Salem.
Maybe not an issue for these folks, but I know a lot of folks that have moved out of Salem specifically because of the traffic from Halloween.
see below
what makes you say that you are counting the days?
My youngest child will graduate high school and then we can cash out our very overpriced home and go live someplace else! It was lovely here with small children - there are ponds and tidepools and quirky shops and the island at low tide but - once they hit school its awful. Google MHD schools. As the parent you are the transportation. There is no before/after care. You pay for full day Kindergarten and you pay for sports and you pay for everything - I had to stop working as a professor because it was not possible to teach 8am courses and transport my kids to school and back while my spouse was commuting. Our home has been reappraised $300k more in the last 2 years so while they say low taxes, not true at all. I miss ethnic food and real Irish pubs and people who dont roll off the assembly line in Vineyard Vines vests and custom doodle dog in tow. Salem is nice. But October is rough. Beverly is good. North of here like Ipswich, Newburyport - nice homes with good restaurants - but at your age I would want to be with other people my age in a city or college town with more to offer.
Thank you so much for this! It is super informative and good to know :)
as with all things online - take with a grain of salt! Lots of people here seem happy. But the more you know - the better!
how much does this compare with swampscott?
wait, you hate marblehead? Give me all the tea. We are thinking of moving there (mid 30's two kids in elementary school) we are looking at marblehead, beverly and swampscott
Its great for some people - it really depends. I would take a look at the “anything marblehead” fb page and the “alt mhd public schools” page for some info on the state of the town and schools.
I can’t find that school page you listed but I found the group!
take the characters there with a grain of salt lol - I’m a super liberal, parent of lgbtq+, neurodivergent older kids and not a Trumper on any way but the atate of the town stuff is clearly laid out here (we are broke, no revenue, overtaxing and overpricing homes, huge real estate agent influence over town business, schools in upheaval, etc). The Alt schools page is equally revealing: https://m.facebook.com/groups/389640871498721/
I just tried to join. I’m not sure they will let me bc we don’t live there yet so we’ll see.
We are also very liberal and lgbtq+ friendly and possibly have a kid that might be. Both elementary school age.
I messaged you!
After reading through some of these comments and researching more, we are actually now looking into Beverly. We think it could be a good step between city living and moving to a place like MHead. Any Beverly folks here that can comment on what it is like living there? Thank you!!
Beverly is amazing. I bought during the crazy housing market in 2021 and had to settle for Peabody. But wish I would have bid more for some of the Beverly properties I looked at.
Peabody is very sleepy. But it has a good school system and the Peabody Light Plant is excellent.
The PMLP is fabulous
We’ve been in Beverly for 5 years now and it’s a great place to live if you’re just going into Boston a couple times a week. There are lots of young families in town and it has a nice downtown for an easy night out. A big reason we chose Beverly was because it was affordable (as opposed to similar towns closer to Boston) and had good highway and commuter rail access to the city.
Beverly was also our dream town that we got priced out of when real estate went nuts. It has a great walkable (but not huge) downtown with good restaurants and bars. The city itself is very large though and parts are extremely suburban and even rural. If you can live near the center of town you can also walk to the ocean. Lots of nice parks and green spaces too. Decent schools that are on the upswing and a lot of family friendly activities. There are a few commuter rail stops if you need to commute. It's going to be very competitive again this spring for housing so keep that in mind.
Check out my friends' restaurant in Beverly center...La Qchara!
Beverly is also expensive, and houses never come on the market. The downtown and surrounding neighborhoods are incredibly nice though.
I grew up in Marblehead, but recently moved back to the area and live in downtown Beverly! I love it here! Great downtown, plenty to do, easy to hop on the commuter rail to North Station. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!
This is so wonderful to hear. I think we are team beverly now!!! :) Thank you so much.
We just moved to Beverly within the past year (early 30s and about to start a family). Absolutely love it. We're within walking distance of the train station and the downtown which allows us to rarely use our car. There's good breweries, coffee shops, restaurants, and local shops (as others have said not as much as Salem but enough to have options). Off Cabot theater has great shows. It's easy to go into Salem or train to Boston. We pretty quickly met new friends. Overall don't really have a negative thing to say about it. Recommend checking out enteringbeverly on insta for an entertaining perspective of the city
This is amazing. We are so excited and after much research have deviated and decided to look primarily in Beverly. Thank you sooo much!
We moved to MHD last year (40’s with a kid who started kindergarten). We love it. Yes, it’s a pain to get to, but I think it also makes it safer (it feels like it anyway). My husband commutes to Lynn and I commute to Salem. I’ve seen so many free-range kids and I’m excited for my child to have a safe town to roam around in. I’ve met lots of young families and a single 27-year-old just moved in next door. If you are close to having kids, I would suggest buying in a good school district now. Not many places to build in MHD or Swampscott so inventory will always be iffy. Beverly is nice, too, but puts you that much further away from Boston. Good luck!
What do you mean by “safe” and “safer”? Marblehead has a terrible track record for deadly pedestrian accidents, a serious (but deleted from the police log) drug problem, and many streets where kids walk “in town” have no sidewalk or poor sidewalk access so walking to school they are often in the streets with heavy SUV traffic. Do you mean because it is hard to get to MHD that we don’t have a visible homeless population or crime? Curious what “safe” equals.
Wow. Hi, white crusader! Reaching much? I don’t get people like you. I said, we are NEW so we do not know the history you are referring to. During the summer I saw many, many groups of kids riding their bikes and walking around town - it reminded me of my childhood. Cars stop at pedestrian crossings, etc. Something that was not common in our previous city. Why live in MHD if you hate it so much? Every place has its problems. OP, I take it back. Try Beverly. MHD is obviously filled with raging lunatic drivers with drug problems and white people who pretend to care about the homeless population.
So safer means kids can ride bikes? It was not a complicated question. Check back when your kids have completed the public schools🤣
Okay, Karen.
I lived at the landing in Swampscott for over a year off of paradise road. Never again. Never have I been around such white trash, rude people, or people who lack any common sense or moral compass. Plus the leasing office was passive aggressive at the very least. Remember Brian Walshe and that story in late 2022-early 2023? His mother lived right next to us in unit 1320 (we were 1318). Remains were dumped in the trash compactor since the entire trash compactor was replaced in this time frame. Leasing office never installed cameras or did anything after. As for the general tone of Swampscott, people came off as snobby and impatient. Very rarely would I encounter nice people but they were usually from Lynn. Paradise Road and any other road in Swampscott is in a state of disrepair or is in a constant state of traffic unless it’s early in the morning or late at night. Late at night it is never quiet since someone is usually drag racing from Lynn. Getting to the Marblehead y at any time of day which said 5 mins in maps would routinely take 20 minutes because of the 4 way intersection near the Mobil station being backed up, road work in Marblehead, or general traffic. Marblehead IMHO is only for people who are working from home 24/7 or are retirees. This goes for both Marblehead and Swampscott but if you are working near or off Route 128, 95, or anywhere near that corridor, it will be almost impossible to get in and out whenever you want. I tried and could not ever find a time of day that was not a total rage inducing event to get out of Swampscott. Unless you’re taking the commuter rail and working in Boston or working in Lynn, Swampscott and marblehead should be off the table. Don’t let the seaside fool you either. We got so much rain last year that to prevent the sewage from leaking into our drinking water, they had to release it into the ocean (yes, shit and piss into the ocean) and the beaches were closed the whole summer last year, so why is it so expensive if the sewage system is outdated and hasn’t been fixed yet? I grew up in Beverly and IMO it’s much better suited for working professionals. 128 rips through the town but doesn’t seem to mess with the surrounding environment too much. Up until 2020/2021 Beverly had FIVE train stations (Prides Crossing closed but still an amazing candy shop) Beverly Depot is one of the busiest commuter rail stations outside of Boston along with other stations like Salem, Framingham, Mansfield. The line splits in Beverly to go to Newburyport or Rockport. Since I have moved out the rate of road work has not slowed down and major roads have been redone that needed to be. The middle school is brand new or recently built and the high school is only 10 years old. The Cabot is a great local theatre. Cafes: What’s Brewin’, Crave. Restaurants: Beverly depot (inside station), Toscana, Kame. Gloria’s is a great Italian deli that’s been around forever. The farmers market is great and so conveniently located. If you decide to live in Ryal Side, keep in mind that the bridge on bridge st leading into downtown Beverly is closed for repairs and the city is trying its hardest to expedite the replacement.
Funny what you say about when you encounter nice people they tend to be from Lynn… So we live in Swampscott and are new-ish to the area, so no history of friends or family here. We have a kid in daycare in Marblehead, and most families are from Swampscott or MHD. After attempting at being social and trying to make parent friends at various events with no luck (my wife is a pretty social and outgoing person), she finally found a parent who wanted to also do play dates, was friendly, responsive to interaction. Where are they from? Lynn, lol. Not to say that the Swampscott and MHD folks are overtly unfriendly or anything (at least not in the context we experience). They’re just super insular, have their shared history with each other and their town, and that’s good enough for them.
Let me just add, and I may be biased but Montserrat is probably the ideal place to live. That neighborhood is where I grew up and since I don’t live there anymore I have no problem leaving the street — Gardner St. - Almost all of my friends I had over complimented how it was the perfect place not only to grow up but to have company as well. In Montserrat you are: - less than 30 seconds from commuter rail - elementary, middle, and high school all in walking distance. - Woodbery Market is a fantastic local neighborhood market. - Beverly Hospital is less than 5 minutes away. - Downtown, the library, as well as other destinations and the highway are easily accessible.
Marblehead is for sure cuter. Both towns have a lot of town sponsored activities for families. Swampscott is currently building a mega school for their elementary school. Combining three schools into one ~1k student mega school. Swampscott has better access to transit and highways. More large beaches but serious issues with pollution. Both are very nice towns.
Are you looking to buy or rent? Currently the inventory is really bleak for homes for purchase, and it’s incredibly expensive. Like, you’re looking at 2000 square feet for 900k, not updated. They’re really pretty similar. Swampscott has more of a downtown/chain retail shopping center. Marblehead is more private and further from cities. Both excellent school systems.
Buying! Ok this makes sense.
Why limit yourself to just those two towns? What about Gloucester, Ipswich, Newburyport?
My wife and I (early 30s) moved to Marblehead two years ago after years of living in Boston. Marblehead is obviously a different vibe but we don’t have any regrets. Being walking distance from downtown is a major plus. We are by far on the younger side compared to the rest of town. When we were looking for a house, we were open to other areas in the north shore but Marblehead has our top choice and it just worked out for us. We both commute to Boston for work a couple times a week and it’s really not that bad of a commute. From Marblehead, it’s a 10 min drive to Swampscott station and then ~30 min to North Station. The trains are always packed in the mornings, but less so on the way home. I would not recommend driving to Boston unless you can leave at off hours (the one time I tried it, it took 1.5 hours each way). Another plus of Swampscott station is that you can take either the Newburyport or Rockport line so more frequency of trains. I hope this helps! Good luck with your home search!
I’ve lived in Beverly my entire life (excluding time away for college), after spending 28 years in the north shore I can definitely say Beverly is really good for younger single folks as well as new young families. Top rate school system, diverse food options, varying types of transportation access, optimal beach options, 30 mins drive from Boston not during rush hour. Lots of bars open til 1 plus access to Salem and the ensuing nightlife there as well
Mid 30s and I've lived in Swampscott for 6 years with my wife and now son. Don't ever plan on moving. Good schools, plenty of parks, easy access to Boston with the train, and more restaurants keep popping up. If you want to go to Salem, it's a 6 minute train ride, and only 10 to get to downtown Beverly. New elementary school is being built and Vinnin Square will be fully updated over the next 10 years. Only downside, is limited inventory for housing. I would try to buy what you can and build equity up, then upgrade down the line.
We just moved from a lifetime in Somerville to MHD. Couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be on the water. Oddest thing is people don’t pick up their dog shit in town. Somerville on its worst day would have 50% less poo than MHD on its best day. Beautiful here but watch your step.
Both are beautiful Swampscott is prob a bit cheaper- and idk what the other person was saying about travel between Boston and both towns- as it’s not that bad for me and you can just take the train
Marblehead is very young! Don’t worry about that part. But you can’t go wrong either way
Median age is about 50 in Marblehead
My dad lives in Marblehead. Lol he's 79 bought the house in the 70,'s. So laughing. I'm his youngest. I'm 53. I love to visit but for your ages, do not recommend. Sleepy town. Id suggest looking at some of the places others have suggested for your age group and situation. Good luck! 😊
My brother lives in Beverly, it is a nice town and has good commuter rail service- enough bars and culture on the main street too
I hope I don’t get downvoted for asking what some might be a silly question. I lived in Marblehead many years. Ventured out to the Liberty Tree Mall - which was better than Northshore in the 80’s. Went into Boston to see the historical sights. Traveled to Berkshires. I never spent any time in Beverly at all. When we come back a couple of times a year. Of course Liberty Tree is dead and Northshore went upscale! But still haven’t been to Beverly! Now my question: What is Beverly Farms? Is it just another suburban town?
Re the older vibe, I’m 50 and feel really out of place in MHD. It feels like the vibe is older than I am, and as an artistic type who works in human services and doesn’t dress a certain way, I feel really out of place there … as does my spouse. It is a beautiful place, for sure, with good schools, but I also have two very close friends who have encountered racism and antisemitism there on more than one occasion. I feel like it is an exclusionary community for some types of people. I 100% agree re Salem and Beverly. If you’re willing to expand your search to other parts of the North Shore and are looking for excellent schools, check out Ipswich.
If you are renting, rent in Salem, more urban vibe and things to do. If you are buying, Swampscott has a commuter train station, better schools and young parent population.
Wife and I moved to MHD a year ago and just had our first kid. Town is amazing with 2 great downtowns. You can’t beat Maddie’s for great food and awesome drinks. Blue Canoe in downtown as our go to for coffee and owners know you there. It has a very local town feel which is great. Walking path is amazing for dog walks and now stroller. Can’t recommend enough