Moving to Bradford, Haverhill, MA w/small children...

[wiksty]

Hello everyone!

My DH, DD's and I will be moving to the Haverhill, MA near the end of this month. I'm really excited but it's a BIG change from southern Illinois! I alread subscribed to the link with cool things to do with your children; that will really come in handy with us having such young girls (2 and 4).

I'm wondering if there are any pediatricians we can register them with when we decide to that won't hassle us for not doing vaccines. I just want to have a relationship established with someone if need be, but I don't anticipate them getting ill; they're rarely ever sick and only twice maybe have I taken them to a doctor, but still.

Also, what are your tips/tricks for commuting to Boston? I'm going to be attending graduate school beginning in September and I'm a bit nervous about driving around here...and need to know the safest, easiet ways to travel...Mapquest isn't always accurate...how do you do it? I'd even be willing to leave my car at one of those park and ride places and then take the T, but where do you chose to leave your cars if you do it? Just wondering.

I could use all of the advice and insight I can get! This is SUCH a huge move for us and everything is so new! Anything you think I should know, or places that I should go, or avoid, please feel free to tell me! I cannot wait to go on our first hiking trip!!! What's your favorite trail?!

Nice to meet you all!!!

[babynatasha]

Welcome to the area! I live about 15min north of Haverhill, over in Kingston, NH.

We like Rockingham Family Healthcare http://rockinghamfamilyhealthcare.com/aboutus.aspx  in Atkinson, NH. Neither of my kids are vaccinated and they don't give us a hassle. I also had two homebirths and they don't look at me like I am completetly bonkers, so thats a plus too!

I have never commuted into Boston, but I did drive to about 10 miles outside of the city for many years. I hated it, too many traffic jams! My friends who work in the city usually take the train from Haverhill or Bradford (they are across a bridge from each other), take a park and ride bus or drive to one of the stations closer to the city. I think it is just personal preference and getting the timing right. Depending on what graduate school you are attending, one may be better than the other. The train from Haverhill drops you at the North Station, which is on the Orange Line with access to the green line. The Commuter bus from Salem, NH drops you at South Station which is on the red line with acess to the *silver* line (which I think is not the subway). http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/  or  or  oror      

http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/  . You might want to research which line your school is on and do a trial run. I will also tell you the train parking lot in both Haverhill and Bradford fill up quick and I don't know what the backup would be if they were full. I think they are building a garage in downtown Haverhill, but as of right now, I don't thinks it is done.

There are some nice walking trails in Haverhill, like Winnekenni Castle and the trail that goes around the outside of the ponds. Many people also like Maudslay Sate park in Newburyport. For real hiking, pick up an Apalachian Mountian Club book on the white mountians and it will give you all the details on any trail you are thinking about doing. They have a book of the best day hikes in the White mountians and another for around Boston. My husband really likes mountian biking in Harold Parker State Forest in the N. Andover/Andover/North Reading Area.

Good luck with the move and feel free to PM me with any questions. Although I may not have the answer, I grew up on the Haverhill border, so I have a better chance than most people at being able to find out the answer :) 

[wiksty]

THANK YOU!!!!

All of the information you provided was REALLY helpful! A place where people don't go nuts when you tell them you birthed at home?! I didn't know that such places existed!!! We should've moved there! I swear; they look at me like I'm from a different planet or assume it was an accident, lol. I'm sure you know that look ALL too well!

I'm so eager to try out some of the places you mentioned! It has been so difficult finding a place to settle on, but I think we're going to like it there :)

A double thanks to the Subway tips as well. Especially mentioning how the parking lots fill up quickly because I was hoping to take the commuter rail to class, but...I'll probably spend most of fall semester figureing out the best method, lol. I'm going to Emerson College, and I'm soooooo excited! I've waited three years for this ;)

A BIG thanks again for all of the info, I was really happy to read your post it's been a HUGE help!

[babynatasha]

I was also just thinking about how expensive the train can be to take from Haverhill into Boston everyday. I think it is around $7.25 each way. Depending on how often you go (2xwk, 3xwk, 5xwk) you might consider getting a rail pass. We are in Zone 7 and that makes the pass about $235mth. I guess it might just be cheaper to move closer to the city :(

[wiksty]

You're right, it IS pricey. I've check closer places though...Malden, Quincy, Revere, etc, and the price of rent goes WAY high for a typically smaller sized condo. So...we've figured to just include the price of the commute into our rent, lol, and it's STILL cheaper than living closer! Well...we surely haven't seen EVERY apartment complex or house for rent available...but we're also on a tight schedule and a tight budget.

I figure we can test the waters in Haverhill...then we'd have an entire year to search for something closer to my school for next school year, but if we love it, we could stay put! From everything that I've heard and read about the area thus far, I figure we'll love it! I hope it turns out to be well worth the pricey commute ;) Thanks for your concern and assistance though, it's very much appreciated!

Anything else that you think of, let me know! What's with the Hill View Montessori Charter Public School? Any idea/opinion on it? We've been researching Montessori schools for quite some time now and were considering enrolling our girls in one...then I found out about this place...interesting. I've never seen such a mix...do you know anyone who has attended or has children which have? J/W

Hope you're doing wonderfully! Thanks again for all of your insight :)

[babynatasha]

If I was moving closer to Boston, I would check out Somerville or Medford. My brother lives in the former and friend in the later. Both are very nice walking commuities with a lot to do. Not sure how they rate rent wise though. Haverhill has its really nice spots and its, uh, rather not nice spots. Overall I think it is working towards being a nicer area. It has a cute downtown with bars, I would like to see the city encourage more stores. I was talking to someone the other day about that Charter School. They are quite happy with it, I think they have sevral children in it. I have not heard too much else about it though, but I will ask the woman again the next time I see her for more specific reasons she likes it and what, if anything, she dislikes.

We are all doing marvelous here! The rain has broken and the sun came out today, here's hoping for a sunny weekend!

[wiksty]

Wasn't it wonderful?! I was working in Cambridge today and I was amazed that I didn't have to use my umbrella!!! Not even once!!! That's like...the first time in a week, no?! Lol...I have yet to visit Medford, but I do believe I saw bits of Sommerville last year when I came to visit...maybe I was just on the rowdy side of it but it seemed like a bit of a college-aged city. Not that Boston and all its surrounding areas aren't that way, it's just...I sort of wanted to live further from ANY campus.

Did I mention that? I'm working as a temp right now in Cambridge, and I didn't know until two days ago that it's so pretty! It seems to be a bit like how I described Sommerville though...and it's surely just because I've yet to venture off of MIT's campus...but I think we'll look around there next year as well. Thanks for the info on the Charter school! I'll try to get out there to visit it soon, just to check it out and really see for myself, but I'd appreciate any opinions you can gather!

My hope is that the Bradford area of Haverhill is one of those nicer parts! It seems nice, and the police records/sex offender list didn't have anything substantial. I'm crossing my fingers that I've made the right choice for this year, but next year I REALLY hope to be in one of those closer-to-the-city cities! I'll more than likely be doing an internship next year as well, and if I get hired permanently by this company I'm temping for I'm going to get sick of commuting every day...grrrr. We'll see what happens, but thanks again!