Karen and I bought a fixer-upper within a 20 minute walk from downtown a decade ago and have seen Natick’s downtown blossom. It’s worth the walk now, with a nice assortment of shops and restaurants, and a commuter rail stop as well.
We were hardly trend seekers – we stumbled onto Natick in our search for something with potential we could buy for under $300,000.
But we have definitely liked what we have seen – call us converts.
Honestly, we have no desire to sell our Natick house and move into the kind of traditional ’70s subdivisions where we both grew up. To do anything, you had to jump in the car and drive at least twenty minutes or more.
Still, it’s more than just tracking the amount of time spent in a car – I still need to drive to get to the grocery store and the hardware store in the center of town closed, leaving only Home Depot out on Route 9.
Rather, it’s the overall feel. Growing up in a suburban subdivision, you might as well have been on the moon, with little or no connection with the community you are living with.
Natick and Newton are just two examples – the interest in urban/town center living is growing across the Greater Boston area, with many other examples, with the giant Westwood Station project off 128 being one of the largest.
Are you sold on “town living” or is the now old-fashioned, ’70s-style suburban subdivision still your thing?