Chelmsford, MA Real Estate And Community Resources Guide

Chelmsford is a quaint Boston suburb full of natural green scenery and beautiful historic architecture. The town, which was originally settled in 1653 as one of the Massachusetts Bay Colonies, offers more than just esthetic charm. For several years in a row, it has been listed as one of Money Magazine’s best places to live in America on the basis of several criteria including housing prices, education quality, local culture, and overall quality of life. Chelmsford currently ranks 28 out of the magazine’s top 100 US towns.

One of the reasons Chelmsford is such an attractive town for many homebuyers is that its home prices are relatively affordable. Chelmsford offers a peaceful suburban lifestyle that includes the charm and high quality of life found in pricier towns at a much lower cost than many buyers expect. Alongside this, the town provides many metropolitan conveniences—curbside trash pickup, convenient shopping centers and public transportation—which are not as prevalent in pricier suburbs. As for what Chelmsford homebuyers might expect to pay, single-family home sale prices in 2010 ranged from a low of $115,000 to a high of $869,000. The town’s mean and median single-family home sale prices for 2010, however, were $364,733 and $346,500 respectively.

Chelmsford’s location is also a plus. The town’s 35,000 residents have convenient access to two major highways, routes 3 and I-495, and several local routes, including 3A, 4, 27, 110, and 129. Residents can commute to Boston in about forty minutes, and they have direct routes to various points north and west of Boston. In addition residents are just a twenty-minute drive from New Hampshire. Also, for those who prefer public transportation, Chelmsford offers local bus service to neighboring cities and towns via the Lowell Regional Transit Authority, and residents can access commuter rail service to Boston in the neighboring city of Lowell.

In addition to location and price, another draw for homebuyers is Chelmsford’s focus on education. The Chelmsford Public School System, which consists of one tuition-based preschool, four elementary schools, two middle schools, and one central high school, is very competitive. In 2010 Chelmsford students exceeded state expectations for MCAS test scores in all tested learning areas. On average Chelmsford students test about thirty-three percent higher in math and reading than other Massachusetts students. On top of the standard Chelmsford education, Chelmsford students in grades 5 to 12 may also apply to the Innovation Academy Charter School in the neighboring town of Tyngsboro; and, the Chelmsford Community Education Center provides excellent academic and recreational courses to residents of all ages from toddler to adult.

Chelmsford is also a great place for recreation and leisure activities, especially for those who enjoy the outdoors. Various parks and fields dot the town, and the Chelmsford recreation department even manages a skateboard park and two lakeside beaches. There is also a nine-hole golf course and driving range available at the Chelmsford Country Club. In addition Chelmsford is part of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail for cyclists and pedestrians. The Rail Trail currently offers a seven-mile trail that runs through Chelmsford, Lowell and Westford. When the project is complete, the trail will be 25 miles long and stretch all the way to Framingham. Finally, for those who enjoy more adventurous outdoor activities such as horseback riding, snowmobiling, and seasonal hunting, there is the 1100-acre Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest.

Residents who are looking to spend more time indoors also have a wide selection of activities to choose from. The town’s Education and Recreation Department hosts a myriad of academic and recreational activities for all ages at the Chelmsford Community Education Center. Residents can enroll in everything from child care services to accounting classes to day trips—all for nominal fees. Chelmsford Center for the Arts, which is located in Chelmsford’s beautifully restored town hall, also hosts a variety of programs. The center sponsors everything form visual arts displays to music lessons and theatrical performances. It also offers studio space for art-centered classes and practice.

A final point of interest in Chelmsford is its historical attractions. Chelmsford Historical Society maintains small museums as well as many well-preserved historic buildings where residents can delve into history that predates America’s founding. The town is also home to the Garrison House Museum, a national historic museum that displays a fully preserved former army garrison from that late 1600s. This former garrison quarters—complete with a buttery, blacksmith shop and barn—shows how the common man lived at the time of Chelmsford’s settlement.

Homebuyers who are looking for a beautiful historic town that offers a high quality of life at relatively affordable prices should consider Chelmsford. It provides a great suburban lifestyle that makes it one of the nation’s top-rated towns.

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