by Peg Lewis

Created on: August 01, 2008

Two Great Massachusetts Towns For Families

Massachusetts provides every type of community imaginable, large and small, urban and rural, white color and blue, suburban and inner-city. Some of them are great for families. Education is typically of the highest priority for Massachusetts parents, but some towns provide that and more.

Families are not just about the kids, nor just about the parents. The best Massachusetts communities for families include amenities for all age groups, with plenty of variety. The availability of activities that balance indoor and outdoor, intellectual and physical, individual and group, organized and unstructured, make up the best communities for families.

Here is one example of an excellent community for the whole family, from the newborn through great grandparents.

Amherst and Pelham together are uniquely appealing for families. This pair of towns share a zip code because of Pelham's small size and unfortunate history: half of it lies at the bottom of Quabbin Reservoir, which supplies much of the state with water thanks to dams built over 70 years ago. Together they share all the characteristics of a great community.

Pelham shares a high school with Amherst, but has its own hard-to-beat elementary school in the geographical center what's left of the town. It is small and everyone knows everyone else, and yet it is intellectually stimulating. Amherst elementary schools are also of the highest caliber, as one would expect of a town with a college and a university. The area is in the valley of the Connecticut River, which flows through New England from top to bottom. Amherst and Pelham are about half-way along its length and are surrounded by 5 major colleges and universities as well as many community colleges.

Cultural events of all sorts are available in Amherst and in nearby Northampton, home of Smith College and its fine-arts and performing-arts facilities and museums.

Balancing the intellectual life is the stimulating outdoorsiness of Amherst and Pelham. A quick drive up Rte 9 past chain stores and restaurants gives way to the lovely Amherst town square, a block from both the college and the university. A mile to the south one finds picturesque working farms, while a half-hour's travel in any direction takes one into rural towns or woods. Pelham Center is a 10 minute drive to the east.

Amherst itself is home to a unique institution, the town bike path. This route transects the town from north to south along the old railroad right-of-way.

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