Weymouth - Pros & Cons
So you are thinking about making a move to Weymouth, Massachusetts which is a suburb South of Boston and you want to know everything that there is to know about living in Weymouth. Like where it is, what makes it special, where are the good shops and restaurants… But you want the full story of Weymouth… So you want to hear of some possible downsides as well.
Well you are in luck because that is what we are going to talk about! But first, real quick, my name is Jeff Chubb and I am a recovering Investment banker, turned real estate agent that has sold more than a 1,000 homes. We get calls, texts and emails from folks just like you who are looking to make a move or sell their home in the Boston Metro area and I absolutely love it! So whether you are looking to make a move in the next 9 or 90 days… It doesn’t matter. Give us a call, shoot us an email or stop by YouTubeRealEstateAgent.com and fill in your information and we will reach out to you!
Weymouth is situated about 12 miles south of Boston. It is nestled between the towns of Quincy to the north, Braintree to the west, Hingham to the East and Rockland and Abington to the South.
The town’s close proximity to both the city and the ocean offers a unique blend of suburban living with a touch of coastal charm. Yet for some, this amazing town might present some challenges, but let’s not dive too deep into that just yet.
Commuters have multiple options to get into Boston with one of the best things about Weymouth being it’s close proximity to Boston. Commute wise, it doesn’t get much better.
While Weymouth does have neighborhoods, I would more say they have more distinct areas. Areas like Weymouth Landing, North Weymouth or even Union Point. We did an about Weymouth video that goes into more detail about what makes Weymouth great… Be sure to check it out in the end. But this video is about the Pros as well as the Cons of Weymouth. So let’s get into it…
Let’s start with the pros that Weymouth has to offer.
Convenience: Weymouth is a pretty convenient spot to live. And spoiler alert, I have Mass Transit as a negative.. So how could that be? It’s because of the location of Weymouth and everything it has to offer its residents. Weymouth is primarily serviced by Route 3 and Route 3a. From a commute into the city, it’s a lot better than most. You have a great headstart against all those other South Shorers fighting their way in and out of Boston. There should be billboards while driving along Route 3 that say “If you lived here, then you would be home!”. They also have two commuter rail stops which is pretty awesome. But really the overall reason Convenience is in the pro section is because they have everything you need. From local boutique shopping to big chain stores like Marshalls and TJ Maxx or Lowes. To doctors… Well they have a lot of Doctors which actually we can talk about now. But everything you need is within close proximity which makes this town awesome.
Healthcare Facilities: I touched on the amount of Doctors that Weymouth has just moments ago… And the reason why they have so many Doctors is thanks to Weymouth being the home of the South Shore Hospital. My Aunt worked here… So I obviously have nothing, but good things to say! South Shore is a great hospital, but they happen to play in the playground of some of the best hospitals in the country. Some awards and atta boys they have gotten is being rated 4 out of 5 starts from the CEnters for Medicare and Medicaid Services, awarded a gold star from the American Heart Association. And the Leapfrog Group recognized them as a Top General Hospital with an “A” safety grade. To say the least, it’s a great hospital to have in your backyard.
Local Business & Shopping: I touched on this one briefly a couple moments ago, but if you have a shopping eye… Then Weymouth won’t disappoint you. They have the big box retailers that are tucked in quite a few shopping centers. It also seems like all grocery stores are a stone's throw away no matter where you live. But they also do have some small local boutique type retailers as well. It’s a mix of the best of all worlds.
Dining: Weymouth might be in Boston’s shadow… But they can hold their own. Restaurants like Grill 151 or True North Kitchen are some amazing spots. Or you could go to the Tavern at Weathervane. And then there is Giardinos Restaurant and the Mad Hatter. The point is that you have options. But where a LOT of the raves come from are from two local breweries. You have Vitamin Sea Brewery as well as the Barrel House Z brewery.
Safety & Crime: As a licensed agent, I always have to be careful talking about crime. Because what I feel safe as a 260 pound guy is not necessarily the same as what you feel is safe. So no feelings involved with these stats from niche.com. All four categories for Violent Crime were below the national average. These categories include: assaults, Murder, Rape and Robberty. Weymouth was also below the national average for property crime as well. These categories include Burglary, Theft and Motor Vehicle Theft. Do your research. And some of that best research is by calling or stopping by a local police station and talking to some officers on duty.
Recreation & Parks: Weymouth offers its residents a lot when it comes to parks and green spaces. Let’s talk about some of the bigger and more notable parks. You have Webb Memorial State Park which offers panoramic views of Boston Skyline and Harbor views. There are walking paths, picnic areas and a small beach. Great Esker Park is about 230 acres. It’s known for its tall esker… Oh, you are wondering what an esker is. Fair enough. It’s a ridge of gravel deposited by a glacier. The park has river views and has hiking and biking trails, a playground and areas for fishing and kayaking. Then there is Pond Meadow Park which is over 320 acres and is actually shared with Braintree. That park has a 20 acre pond where people can fish as well as several trails suitable for walking, jogging or biking. Then there is Weymouth’s newest park which is King Oak Hill Park. It’s a 24 acre park that opened up in 2018. It has walking trails as well as Weymouth’s largest pavilion. Then there is Whitman's Pond Park which is basically just a little access strip so people can utilize Whitman’s Pond. Then there are additional parks with sports fields like Legion Field or playgrounds for kids like Lovell Playground.
Affordability: Saying any real estate is affordable in the Boston Metro area to an out of towner would get them looking at you cross eyed. But when it comes to looking at other Boston Metro communities, especially ones within the close proximity that it is to Boston… The Town of Weymouth is just that… Affordable. Consider this for the price year to date. The average price for a Single Family Home in Weymouth is $618 thousand. Looking at some surrounding towns, this is 13% lower than Quincy, 45% lower than Milton, 16% lower than Braintree and 59% lower than Hingham. Like I said… Compared to neighboring towns, housing in Weymouth Homes For Sale is affordable! But let’s be frank. A $618 thousand dollar average sale price is a lot of money.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where you live though. There are always some downsides. So let’s talk about the downsides of Weymouth that you should consider if you are moving here.
Schools: Boy, this one was tough on where to put schools. In pretty much any other state, the Weymouth School System would kick you know what… But Massachusetts has the best school system in the country. And at the end of the day, I decided that if a system was ranked higher than 100 by Boston Magazine, then it would go in the con section. Let’s talk about it some more.
Weymouth is ranked 103rd for High School Rankings by Boston Magazine while Niche.com gave them a B- ranking. The entire Weymouth School district serves nearly 5,600 students spread out across eleven schools. The teacher to student ratio is a little higher than the state average at 13 to 1 while 94% of those teachers have more than 3 years of experience. The test scores are a little all over the place. In the elementary schools, 58% test at or above the proficient level for reading while 48% tested at or above for Math. It was 44% for Reading and 41% for Math In Middle School. While the High School scored 60% for reading, 43% for math and 55% for STEM classes.
Speaking of the high school, there are a little over 1,800 students that go to Weymouth High with a 90.3% graduation rate and 60.9% of students attending college. The average SAT score for Reading & Writing was 549, while the average for math was 535.
The district has one pre-school, eight elementary schools, one middle and one high school.
Nightlife: Nightlife, what nightlife? Okay, I kid… Kind of. If it’s nightlife that you are looking for, then Weymouth probably isn’t the place for you. Weymouth has some bars and some great restaurants, but it’s not really known for its vibrant night scene. If you are looking for one, then you most likely are headed into Boston… Which is going to be kind of a pain. But think of all the Uber drivers you will get to meet going to and from!
Employment Opportunities: Weymouth does well when it comes to employment opportunities, but they aren’t exactly the epicenter of this Metro market. The town’s biggest employer is the South Shore Hospital and then followed by the town of Weymouth itself which include the local government, public works and admin roles. And the Weymouth Public schools come in as the third biggest employer which shouldn't be part of the Town of Weymouth. Most residents of Weymouth either commute into the city or work from home.
Mass Transit: Weymouth has Mass Transit, but their mass transit revolves around the commuter rail. Don’t get me wrong… There are a lot of towns that don’t have the commuter rail, so this is a HUGE plus. But ultimately they are just a town away from the ultra convenient red line access. From a commuting perspective, what makes them unique is that they have two commuter rail stops, however each stop is serviced by a different commuter rail line. The two stops are the South Weymouth stop which are within close proximity to Holbrook, Abington and Rockland. You also have the Weymouth Landing stop which is on the Braintree and Weymouth line.
Cost of living: Confused on how the cost of living could be a negative, but yet affordability could be a positive? That’s fair. And it’s because we will talk about all things being relative. The cost of living here in Weymouth, MA compared to other areas in the country is expensive. According to LivingCost.org, the average cost of living in Weymouth for a single person is $2,806 compared to the average cost of living for a family of 4 at $6,253. The median after tax salary in Weymouth is $4,516. Here is where it gets a little crazy and the all things being relative part comes in. The $2,806 is in the top 2% of the most expensive cities in the world, ranked 147th out of the 2,022 cities in the United States and 20th out of the 92 in Massachusetts. Wondering what Weymouth Condos For Sale are available?
It’s expensive, but when compared to other Mass towns that are within close proximity to Boston… It’s not that bad.
To say it another way… Weymouth is expensive, but offers a lot of good value when you factor in other neighboring towns as well as the proximity to Boston.
Again, my name is Jeff Chubb with the Chubb Homes Team. I hope you found this video helpful and it has helped you make the decision as to whether Weymouth is a place that you would like to call home. We would absolutely love to help you in any way. If you have questions, then give us a call, shoot us an email or visit us at YouTubeRealEstateAgent.com. You can also find my information in the description below. And we will give you any additional information that will help you make the decision as to whether making a move to the Weymouth area is right for you.
And if you are not sure about Weymouth MA Homes For Sale, then be sure to look at other community videos we have done. One of the great things about Massachusetts is that there is a community that best fits everyone.
Until next time.
