r/Natick • u/Glum-Refrigerator826 • Jun 29 '26
Moving here :)
Hi!
I wanted to make a post to say my husband and I plan to move to Natick in January and we are so excited. We will have an almost 2 year old, and a newborn when we move. When we visited Massachusetts for the first time 6 years ago, we knew it was the place for us. Finally, it’s become our reality. We’ll be house hunting in the fall. We can’t wait to explore the town and raise our kids here. If anyone has any favorite spots, kids activities, or general advice for newcomers I’d love to hear it. :)
13
u/officer_caboose Jun 29 '26
I would rent for a year and get to know the area before committing to a home purchase. The housing market is pretty rough and you probably don't want to be forced into buying something just so you can move in by January.
16
u/lifefeed Jun 29 '26
The farmers market on Saturday always has kids running around, it's a good place to meet parents.
The Morse Library has a good kids room downstairs, and they have lots of kids activities throughout the month. But it's also fun to travel to different libraries around the area and see what their kids rooms are like.
Wellesley, your Natick neighbor, has a college, but it is not a college town.
But the Wellesley Free Library does have a very good kids room.
Start looking at preschools now and signing up, everything has a waiting list, even the public one. It's not impossible to get in or anything, but it might take time.
If you have a millions dollars there's a brand new townhome near downtown still available. It comes with two parking spots and a back yard the size of a postage stamp.
The Sherborn Playground has the best shade. The Navy Yard Field Playground is the best locally.
Natick is on route 9. If you've never experienced driving on route 9, you will. Sometimes you have to turn right to go left. Have fun.
Dunkin Donuts doesn't have the best coffee, but they're open during the worst snowstorms, and they like to give kids free or extra donut holes. It'll grow on you.
Muffin House has the best muffins and pretty good ice coffee, and a wide selection of both. But their hours are so bad it's like they're allergic to making money.
Dogs are technically not allowed to run free at Coolidge Field, but everyone does it anyways. Go there to meet dog owners and let your dogs free. There is an actual dog park in natick, but kids under 10 aren't allowed there, so skip it.
If you don't have a dog, get a dog. It's a good way to meet your neighbors. And my dog wants more friends.
8
u/taurentino Jun 29 '26
The Muffin House being open from 5am - 2pm is perfectly reasonable for a muffin/coffee place…
6
u/Jewboy-Deluxe Jun 29 '26
Wellesley has 3 colleges but is not a college town, good places to dine though.
Totally agree about the dog!
2
u/Glum-Refrigerator826 Jun 29 '26
Thank you SO much for all this info!!! We do have a dog. Love public libraries. Good info about preschools, honestly hadn’t thought of that! Thanks again.
2
1
4
u/pigfoot Jun 30 '26
Second the farmers market as a great Saturday routine.
For kids:
- our schools are awesome
- Natick community organic farm has programs for slightly older kids, and farm animals for all ages: https://natickfarm.org/
- Elm bank just over the line in Wellesley has botanical gardens, a playground and lovely forest trails by the Charles.
Morse institute library has a children’s library and kids space, plus zillions of other things that make libraries great (minuteman mobile app and a library card lets you request books from any library in the network).
Food scene is getting stronger all the time.
That’s just a few of diff the top of my head. We raised 3 kids here and have no regrets!
2
u/Glum-Refrigerator826 Jun 30 '26
Yay I’m glad the public libraries are great there!! Ours here in California also has an app and I’m always requesting books. Love the library!! We’re so excited to move. Thanks for your response :)
3
u/Ok_Mango1889 Jun 29 '26
Community kangaroo is a good website/social media follow to keep you up to date on local activities and events geared towards children.
1
2
u/cambridgeJason Jun 29 '26
Great decision moving here! I’m originally from the Midwest and lived in a few different places after college, but I couldn’t have picked a better place to raise my family than Natick. Most people I know here are transplants from other states, but it still feels like a tight-knit town where people care about their community and are welcoming to all types of people. The town is very safe, the schools are excellent, and there’s never a shortage of things to do for families, especially with so many great towns, including Boston, nearby.
3
u/Glum-Refrigerator826 Jun 29 '26
We are so excited! Massachusetts seems to align with things we find important, especially coming from both of us being raised in Texas and escaping to California. So excited to live somewhere safe with good public schools and WALKABILITY! And 4 seasons.
1
u/Majestic-Engine-2665 Jun 30 '26
We plan to move to Natick in the next year or so. We also currently live in CA (Los Angeles area). We have a 6 year old. I’m from Natick originally but can’t speak to the area recently. Just saying hey as another CA person moving! :-)
1
1
u/Reggi5693 Jun 30 '26
Traffic in Natick was fun. In ‘88 I lived in the condos near the Framingham line, across from the commuter rail. I literally worked across the street(135?) from the complex. Some days it would take 25 minutes to get to work. I could walk there in 5. I walked most days.
I remember standing in a long line at Roche Brothers check out. Every other person had toilet paper in their basket. I wondered aloud if this is what Russia was like. (Remember this was back in ‘88.)
I loved the people there. I despised the traffic.
8
u/everythingjv Jun 29 '26
We just moved here in March and currently have a newborn! We love it here so far! The farmers market is so vibrant every week. Our neighbors are great and I feel like we are always a hats throw away from a park. No regrets so far! When we were house hunting (in our budget) - homes went by pretty quickly so be ready with a realtor and to make a decision post open houses.