The Best Places to Live 2008

The downtown facelift is a big gamble, but whats a better story is the rebuilding of the school system. Beyond that it has its own Zoo, art museum, the best endowed community hospital in new england, an open government. All at a real discount on real estate and taxes.

The Attleboro school system isn't good. There have been gang fights in the high school cafeteria and the school system has to focus it's resources on just maintaining discipline. Too close to the bad areas of Rhode Island, drug deals in the center, thugs hanging out there all hours. Not a place to raise kids.

Strongly disagree with Anonymous! Attleboro schools are getting a lot better and have some of the best programs in the state. I rarely hear of violence in and out of the school system. I feel very safe here. Also, Attleboro is 12 minutes from Providence which is architecturally beautiful and culture rich so I don't know why you are saying it is near the bad parts of Rhode Island. Lastly, Attleboro is a great place to raise children. My 2 nieces are thriving and a zoo up the street doesn't hurt either. Do some research and you will find that Attleboro is not what it used to be and that is a good thing!!!

My wife and I have lived her for 14 years since we relocated here because we wanted to live in an old Victorian home. I am now the President of the Attleboro Historic Preservation Society and we have never regretted our moving “out-of-state” from RI. My commute to work in Providence is 10 easy miles with no traffic. Our home is a showplace which would have cost 140% more in RI and would be taxed at 4 times what we are paying in Attleboro. Our neighbors are wonderful, culturally diverse. friendly people. The neighborhood is like the Beaver’s neighborhood on the TV show except with multiple ethnic backgrounds. There are plenty of housing bargains here which will prove to be good investments in the near future. One example is an old fire station in South Attleboro that is the process of being turned into two condominiums providing an outstanding example of the adaptive reuse of older properties. The city is over 300 years old and has the potential to become a historic preserva

I strongly disagree with Anonymous. My family has lived in Attleboro since 1996 and both my kids attend Attleboro schools. We are very happy in the direction which the school system and the City is moving. My children and I feel very safe here and in their schools. Being so close to Providence RI and Pawtucket RI is great as both cities offer many great restaurants. We just need a few of those restaraunts in our Downtown area

Aside from burgeoning economic renewal, Attleboro offers a really vibrant community with many civic and social organizations, an active Chamber of Commerce, churches of many faiths, a great YMCA, senior center, quality child daycare facilities, etc. Now Britol Community College has located a permanent campus in Attleboro, opening up new educational opportunities. The future looks bright in Attleboro.

Great place to raise GLBT family. Very open minded families and schools.

I disagree that Hull is a Gamble. It's a great small seaside community with a hotel, new condos, restaurants, great water views, a beautiful beach and easy access to the new train and the commuter boat. A lot of the homes have been renovated over the past few years so there are some beautiful homes to choice from. The view across the Hingha & Hull bay is the same view you get in Hingham with a price tag thats a lot less. The walk along the beach can not be found any where else on the south shore.

Our firm has conducted over 14,000 real estate auctions in MA and nationally since 1976. In a 1st mortgage foreclosure auction in MA, the buyer will be reponsible for the unpaid taxes, water & utilities (as seen on the Municipal Lien Certificate). However, as long as it's the 1st mortgage being foreclosed, the junior lien holders and junior mortgage holders get wiped out. This quote from the article is just incorrect: "Once you find a house you like, you'll need to make sure there are no liens against it—from the unpaid kitchen contractor, for instance—as those liabilities fall to the purchaser." The only time this would apply is if these liens were recorded and were senior to the mortgage being foreclosed. ie. 2nd or 3rd mortgage foreclosure. FYI...

In MA all money owed to govt (so municipal taxes, waters, utilities) and any lien put on by the gov't (child support, income/irs tax liens) are superior to a mortgage. Also any condo fee complaint (lien) is superior to a mortgage. A Mortgagee can still foreclose with superior liens owed, but those liens will not be extinguished by the foreclosure, so subsequent owners are liable. Also, any lien that was put on record in the registry of deeds prior to when the mortgage that is being foreclosed was originally put on record WILL NOT be extinguished by the foreclosure. In almost all cases lenders will not give money unless all previous liens are payed off, so if you see a previous undischarged lien of record, the lien was probably settled but someone was to lazy to file the discharge. But in the rare case that lien was not discharged because it was not paid, the post-foreclosure owner will be liable.

Also, liens have expiration times by statute. For example tax liens are good for ten years, attachments are good for 5 yrs 30 days, Blah blah. The point being is if you're interested in buying a foreclosed property at auction you should hire a real estate attorney (who will hire a title-examiner) PRIOR to auction in order to do your due-diligence & see what is owed. Also, the real estate law firms that handle lenders' foreclosures at auction represent lenders & not the foreclosure buyer. If you are financing your purchase you'll have your own bank's attorney verifying the title & whats owed, but if you're buying in cash (or have some non-traditional financing) you really need to hire someone that knows what their doing & will be liable if their examination of the title is incorrect & there's a lot more owed on the property than you thought.

Hello: Anonymous: As a High School student at Attleboro and a candidate for Attleboro City Council At-Large in 2009. I have to strongly disagree with your commments. That fight, which I was a witness to: was not gang related. One member was suggested by the administation that he may have been in a gang which later turned out that he was not. The School system is very good. We have great administrators and hearfelt teachers that really care about the success of the students. So take this from someone who knows first hand. Attleboro is a great place to live. We are all a family here in Attleboro and we are all friends. Its how this parents raise the kids' that makes the difference. You can live in the best place in the world, like the nearby town of Rehoboth but if teens want to do drugs they will find a way. The new superintendent has revamped the school system over the last two years and major changes have been put into effect. So take a new look at Attleboro. We are a thriving town an

I grew up in Mansfield, bought a home in Attleboro b/c of lower prices. Worst mistake I EVER made. My house is locked and house alarmed is armed at all times. I live in the center of town w/ 3 sex offenders as NEXT door neighbors. I do not feel safe here. The school system is terrible here not to mention unsafe. If this housing market were better I would have moved my family out of here the night we signed papers on this house. The police are at my neighbors homes about 5 times a month, the officers show no respect to my family & I (the people they are supposed to be protecting) The Mayor is a moron. WORST mistake my husband & I ever made was moving here, the taxes and home prices here are low for a reason. Do your research, if I had done more I wouldn't be stuck in Attleboro during this bad housing market.

This is the most irresponsible poll ever devised. Crime soars when a town is picked for top 10. It’s almost like criminals use “best places to live” polls as a barometer to find out what’s hot and what’s not. Not to mention the fact that these statistics are completely inaccurate and can also damage home and property sales.

I think Hanover is a great place to live. They have plenty of shopping, 20 miles from Boston, still has some country charm left and it's a safe place. It's becoming pricey to live there but still a bargain compared to Hingham, Cohasset, Duxbury or Norwell.

My favorite towns are Arlington, Watertown, Belmont, and Melrose. But I am single guy in his 40's still renting. Winchester, Newton and Wellesley are cool, but I prefer to be closer to the activity in Boston and Cambridge.

While the review certainly boasts some quality aspects of the Melrose, it does not do justice in fully explaining the many benefits of this unique city. Untouched by highways (yet minutes from 93 and Rt 1) this demographically balanced city is easy accessible with quality and beautiful Victorian built homes and parks. Having lived in Melrose for six years I have only met quality residents who share a sense of community pride. Aside from respectable schools Melrose has its own symphony orchestra, Victorian society, and tons of community events. Anyone who does not know Melrose usually walks away surprised at the overall value this city maintains. Overall, it is undervalued and probably will peak in the future as other local towns.

I attended Attleboro public schools for 12 years and I received a wonderful education. My friends and I (all AHS graduates) now attend Columbia, Brown, Harvard, BC, BU, Vassar, Simmons, PC, Bennington, NYU and many other fabulous schools (all of us received scholarships as well). People who say Attleboro is full of gangs are people who buy into the Sun Chronicle's vendetta against AHS (coincidence that the editor's children attend Feehan?). The Sun Chronicle is full of malarky; Attleboro will always be my home!

My husband and I just moved to Attleboro a year ago. We are in our mid-20's and moved there because it is such an easy commute to boston, and an affordable place to buy our first home. We bought a two family home and renovated it. I cant say enough great things about our experience here so far.

The population of Attleboro has grown to about 44,000 people. Many of the new residents moved here from larger cities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and have brought the gang culture with them. As a lifelong resident of Attleboro, I can say that the crime rate has increased dramatically.