Best Places to Live 2007: No. 7 town

Milton is a wonderful place in which to raise your family! The elementary schools, especially, are top notch. While the public middle and high schools are fine, there is also plent of access to private prep schools if that’s your choice. You have the seas of Cape Code less than an hour away; the mountains of the Blue Hills and its ski resort in your backyard, and public safety is A-1. In the unlikely event you need to call the Police, they are there in just a minute or two. We raised our two children here (my husband is a life-long resident) and my in-laws raised their six children here…I am so glad we moved to Milton…I love it and our children have the most wonderful memories of growing up in Milton and Cape Cod.

I have always loved Milton ever since I used to live there with my Aunt during summers. My family had to live in Randolph because we couldn’t afford Milton. The west side of town (Blue Hills) is beautiful - many fabulous mansions in the town - I would take Milton over over-priced Newton or Wellesley in a heartbeat. Only problem is proximity to the worst sections of Boston.

Milton is truly a great place to live. I have lived there my entire live and my dad has lived there his. Everyone who is saying bad things about Milton are simply jealous. I simply do not understand why anyone would move to Cohasset, Hingham or anywhere else on the South Shore. Well, I have my suspicions, but I feel they would be inappropriate. MIlton is a diverse and vibrant community. I went to the public schools there and participated in the French Immersion program, a truly unique and wonderful experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Yes Milton is pricey, but there is some affordable housing. As for the $3 trash stickers, I am thankful that I live in a town that encourages recycling. Living in a family of 7, we have cut down our trash to one barrel a week and put out at least three bins of recycling a week. When I go to my friends’ houses in other towns I am astonished at the amount of recyclable materials they put in the trash!

lived in Milton for 10 years and it is a good town to live in. The school system is not the same as before; that was my main reason for leaving.

I lived in Milton for 7 years. I loved the location for convenience to Boston an d South Shore, but not the proximity to crime-ridden Mattapan Square. There are a few beaucolic places, but mostly, it’s your average Boston suburb. Quincy has more going for it with Red line to Boston, lots of stores, restaurants, more single professionals. Milton is a family town, not a great place for single professionals.

Milton is a WONDERFUL place to live. All the negative comment are from people who are just envious or can’t afford to live in Milton. I libe in Boston and I love Milton. My two sisters have homes there and I visit often

We reside in Milton for 5+ years now. The proximity to Boston and to some of the best universities and hospitals in the county make it a great location for professionals and scholars alike. We travel to Europe quite a bit and every time we come back we are amazed how close but yet how far we are from the city. Within 15 minutes from the city of Boston, we can be in the calm surroundings of parks, streets full of trees and well-groomed yards. I agree houses can be expensive but like most things in life, good things usually are.

I live in Cohasset MA next door to two families who have recently moved here from Milton. Based on their reasons for moving, and the local press we read, it is inexplicable that Milton would land in the top 100 of desirable cities - let alone the top 10.

Part of what makes it a great American town is its proximity to a great American city. I have lived in Milton for over 20 years. With its proximity to Boston it allows it to be an amazing starting point for a job or entertainment. But since it is not in the city it allows for a certain calm not found else where. The town also fought hard with the state to achieve 90% funding on the brand new 200 million dollar school system. This is what people are looking for when they talk about a community: peaceful and beautiful with great location next to one of the most important cities in America.

The thing that makes Milton great is its people. They work together on tough issues and find balance in almost all cases. We moved to Milton in 1988 and bought a house there in 1990 and have been extremely glad about our decision. Now with its new schools and a new library under construction, the town is well positioned to serve many more generations to come.

Several people have complained about the $3 dollars for the trash stickers. It’s amazing how short sighted people can be. The average household in Milton pays less for trash removal than the folks in Braintree or Quincy because you’re only paying for what you throw out. That means I’m not paying for my neighbors who refuse to recycle or consolidate. The end result is the town generates less trash and pays less. Where’s the downside?

Kaitlyn is right about how “The article discusses how diverse Milton is but neglects to mention that all of the minorities live on one side of town and attend the same elementary school. The school system is basically segregated.”

I grew up in Milton and pretty much the only thing that I like about it is the Audubon reserves. I find the picture chosen to represent the housing in Milton hillarious; that’s pretty much the only house in Milton that looks like that. And how much did we struggle to get the money to rebuild the schools!

Michelle: Much of Milton is well-served by public transit, at least half the kids live within walking distance to their schools, and hardly any towns in the Boston area are not currently imposing or planning user fees for trash disposal and school buses. I do wish we had more shopping opportunities, but I like the new Star Market that’s literally 1/4 mile over the town line in Dorchester’s Lower Mills.

We moved to Milton 5 years ago because of the French Immersion program that is available in the public schools. It has been a wonderful opportunity for my children that is unique to Milton. We also go hiking, biking and skiing in the Blue Hills as often as possible. It is certainly true that Milton has it’s share of problems but I think the positives far out weigh the negatives.

I really do not see how Milton made it to the top 10 places tolive in the entire US. It is so expensive to live there. Yes, they renovated or rebuilt schools but they are not the BEST in Massachusetts. I just don’t get it.

My husband and I were looking into moving back to Milton but the property taxes, lack of public transit, proximity to good eateries and shopping, $3 per bag of trash and the issue of inadequate school busses (we have 2 children) is a turn off.

My family has lived in Milton for 27 years. It is a nice place to raise a family with decent public and private schools, lots of preserved open space, great location for commuting to Boston or South Shore. You have to go to bordering towns for any kind of shopping/dining really. Very nice place for the rich, pretty good for the middle class….high housing costs and taxes. Heavy pass through traffic from Boston to towns south of Milton.

I grew up in Milton. My parents still live there. The article discusses how diverse Milton is but neglects to mention that all of the minorities live on one side of town and attend the same elementary school. The school system is basically segregated.
Whoever put this survey together did not do their research.

I agree with the last Post. The town is nice, however, your rating does not appear to be “on the money”. This is not a town you can take a stroll in unless you are on a side street. No market, services are limited and you must deal with both property taxes and MA income tax. One item your survey fails to deal with is DIVERSE income….Milton does not have this.

My wife and I just moved to Milton a couple of years ago after years in Boston. We chose Milton because of its close proximity to Boston (it borders it), low crime rate, public schools, and state parks. It is also very close to my place of employment and there is a trolley stop at the end of our street connecting to the subway. I’ve enjoyed our time here so far. My only complaint is the lack of commercial and residential development in the Central Ave / Eliot Street area. Other than that, it’s a great town!

Milton is a great town because of its very active diverse citizens; its proximity to Boston and its park-like setting.

I have lived here for 12+ years and think that its a great community.

Does one of your writers live in Milton?
I have lived in Milton, MA and currently live nearby. I laugh at the young couples who buy overpriced houses there. It is a nice, safe town close to Boston. The school system is ok (the sexual scandal posted earlier was a private school) but there is not a lot of activities. The taxes are insane for what services you get. $3 to throw out a bag of trash and I believe that students have to pay for school buses. There is no grocery store within the town and only a few sandwich places. Milton is a great town for the rich but not the average family.

Are real estate prices reasonable?

What makes it a great American town?

What do you think of the No. 7 town on this year’s Best Places to Live list?