It has a lot going for it as a town.
A genuine town center, its own non regional school system
It has suffered ever since Digital Equipment left the scene decades ago, but has been attractive as more affordable than neighboring towns for many decades.
Like many suburban towns, many not able to afford towns nearer to Boston have moved here.
Maynard is the "blue collar" town surrounded by wealthy towns. It's perfectly safe, and a plenty nice place to raise a family. Neat little downtown with a noodle restaurant that's absolute 🔥. A little far from Boston, and besides the downtown dive bar scenes, a bit sleepy. But otherwise, a fine suburban MA town like any other.
Love Maynard, came here from Boston and other big cities. Kids play in the street, happy with the school systems especially with a kiddo that needs extra help. If you have any qs feel free to dm me.
They have a great Market Basket grocery store and the best Planet Fitness gym around. My wife and I drive 20 minutes each way from Wayland just to hit those up.
Maynard is a nice little town. Not heaps to do but just enough, especially for couples in their 30/40s with children. Some good restaurants (Gigi’s is great) and a couple of places to drink as well as some good walks too. Close enough to the commuter rail and route 2 for access to Boston or elsewhere. Would very much recommend it
Maynard is more diverse than its surrounding towns and is safe. It’s a small town and I really like it there. They have some good restaurants and a nice theater that feels a bit old timey (in a good way). El Huipil is a great Mexican spot there, on main street.
Maynard is very safe - I grew up there and am happy to answer any questions you may have :) The town is developing a lot, and it has a lot of amenities for being so small. That being said, the size is a double edged sword…depends on how deeply you plan to embed into the community, but I haven’t lived there in ten years and through my parents I still get up to the minute intel on deep dark family secrets for peripheral acquaintances.
I am not trying to disparage Maynard but I use to work there about 10 years ago and every once in a while there had issues with their town water. How is it today? Anyone know? It is a pretty town.
They had to stop using their main water source (a big pond the Sudbury/Hudson line) and they have been using wells since. Other than that Maynard seem to do ok, but have water mandatory restrictions every summer.
My sister and her family have lived in Maynard for many years. Now is totally the time to buy in Maynard. A lot of the smaller homes are being replaced and upgraded, so your property value is going to increase significantly over the next 10 years.
As far as education, all I can say is all three of my sister’s kids are adults now and doing extremely well and have solid careers.
We’re next door in west concord and we love Maynard! Excellent food options and you can tell the Main Street area is making a comeback. I eventually want to start a small business and am going to give Maynard a hard look bc I really love the vibe there. We are also Asian so I think you’ll really like the diversity of cuisine offered - more younger families are moving in so I do think the demographics will get better with time. We’re in a similar position in concord and it’s a legitimate concern.
We really loved Concord Montessori and the director there is Chinese American and absolutely lovely. Worth a look if you have younger kiddos
Live there and love it. The only negative is that it's a bit too small of a town and with some major financial issues to deal with (as a town)
IMHO it's more diverse than most of MA -- and we felt like that was important. But I'm always so shocked at how white Mass is.
It's walkable and most people are pretty friendly. We know almost all of our neighbors and have become friends. Great for people in their 30s and 40s with small children.
I'm enjoying living here. It's getting a bit pricy. We buy water because of the concerns but it's not a huge issue or making us want to move. Lots of options in terms of restaurants and whatnot, all of the grocery stores in nearby towns with market basket right in town.
Nice town, has a lot of diversity and character. Much more affordable than its neighbors mother only downside, as far as I can tell, is the lack of public transportation. Definitely need a car. To commute in to Boston, you would have to drive to neighboring towns to use the commuter rail (South Acton, I believe).
Haha, I bet we "know" a lot of the same people.
I think they're a drop in the bucket. They're just vocal.
to OP there is this unusual nativist sentiment among a few "townies" -- mostly it's a reaction to how much it is changing (for the better).
It is \*not\* a massive problem in Maynard. Ignore that comment. It's BS. \*Every\* town has a handful of these people, and they are very vocal in Facebook groups. Big deal. Most people don't post there, so their voices get amplified.
A good benchmark for whether or not a town is homophobic is to look at the the result of the 2018 "Question 3" vote.. That was a ballot measure some right wingers tried to push through in order to prevent transgender people from using bathrooms appropriate to their gender identity. A "Yes" vote meant that you supported transgender rights.
Massachusetts voted "Yes" at a 67.8% rate. Maynard voted yes at at a 75.7% rate, That's a little less than Acton (78.6%), and more than Stow (74.6%), or L:ittleton (72.3%).
I don't know of a similar "racist" measure, but I can tell you that Maynard voted for Biden over Trump 73.2% to 24.9%. That's significantly higher than the rest of MA
I think you will love Maynard.
u/critterwalk is full of shit. You can cherry pick this filth from any community unfortunately, 1 example from 2021? and another article on the history of the town? I'm confused, sounds like they're the racist and trying to scare you away from an otherwise open, accepting and wonderful community.
I've lived here for 6 years, and still do, I've never witnessed anything homophobic in town (not to say its never happened, just haven't experienced it myself). There are loads of LGBTQ flags and we just had a pride event that had many tents and lots of people there.
On my street alone people are: White, Hispanic, Pilipino, gay, straight, trans, cis, disabled, retired, and many more things I'm unaware of. We get along great, people let their kids walk to neighbors' houses at night without worrying about anything crazy happening.
I mean, I can send you screenshots of that business owner saying what he did, as well as screenshots of what was posted today about immigrants and low income housing
I'm not saying that everyone is a saint. There is one location I walk by with my middle finger held high in their window. But I'm not going to let those 1 or two assholes ruin the town
I think I know the one you’re referring to. By the rail trail? But like I said - they make themselves very well known in the groups and that alone makes me not want to live there.
I live literally opposite that place (rail trail one side, 117 the other? Just before the gas station?). I have a very similar reaction the the other poster with the middle finger salute, especially being an immigrant myself.
My back window looks out onto the rail trail and therefore that house as my house is that end of that section of the trail. Hate having to see those flags every single day
The guy who owns the building that has the sign "call a protestor when someone breaks into your house" someone tried going into the store the other day and couldn't get into one of those fb to ask about it and someone said they passed away.
Currently the post of the day is someone mad that more affordable housing is going up, because they think it’s going to be filled with “illegals”. They also can’t spell “immigrants” properly. Last week there was someone very upset about Maynard Pride. Anything related to foreigners in town who may be moving here for a better life is met with hate. When there were protests for George Floyd/BLM in Acton, a Maynard business owner threatened (on the group page) to attach his plow to his truck and run the protesters over. So on and so forth.
Here are some articles:
[https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/beacon-villager/2022/03/29/life-outdoors-maynard-sundown-town-part-2/7157816001/](https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/beacon-villager/2022/03/29/life-outdoors-maynard-sundown-town-part-2/7157816001/)
[https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/12/17/white-supremacist-group-posts-hate-speech-in-massachusetts-town/](https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/12/17/white-supremacist-group-posts-hate-speech-in-massachusetts-town/)
Oh is that why I don't hear about her anymore? She was something else, with her poorly photoshopped campaign pictures.
The best part was when people started dunking on her in the fb groups. Glad she's gone
There are 3 people upset about “illeguls” on that post. At least one lives in Waltham, and a dozen people have jumped on them telling them to take their racist bullshit and shove it up their asses.
It has a lot going for it as a town. A genuine town center, its own non regional school system It has suffered ever since Digital Equipment left the scene decades ago, but has been attractive as more affordable than neighboring towns for many decades. Like many suburban towns, many not able to afford towns nearer to Boston have moved here.
Digital Equipment Corporation. :) Dad worked in that mill building for 20 years.
Yes, DEC.
Digital Equipment
Fixed
Maynard is great!
Make sure to go for the Eriksonian ice cream nearby
Erikson’s**
Their mocha chip can't be beat
Black raspberry Oreo for me 😋
Erikson’s ice cream isn’t just nearby, it is in Maynard.
Maynard is the "blue collar" town surrounded by wealthy towns. It's perfectly safe, and a plenty nice place to raise a family. Neat little downtown with a noodle restaurant that's absolute 🔥. A little far from Boston, and besides the downtown dive bar scenes, a bit sleepy. But otherwise, a fine suburban MA town like any other.
Love Maynard, came here from Boston and other big cities. Kids play in the street, happy with the school systems especially with a kiddo that needs extra help. If you have any qs feel free to dm me.
They have a great Market Basket grocery store and the best Planet Fitness gym around. My wife and I drive 20 minutes each way from Wayland just to hit those up.
Also apparently getting a tractor supply in the same plaza, it's really coming along
Maynard is a nice little town. Not heaps to do but just enough, especially for couples in their 30/40s with children. Some good restaurants (Gigi’s is great) and a couple of places to drink as well as some good walks too. Close enough to the commuter rail and route 2 for access to Boston or elsewhere. Would very much recommend it
Maynard is more diverse than its surrounding towns and is safe. It’s a small town and I really like it there. They have some good restaurants and a nice theater that feels a bit old timey (in a good way). El Huipil is a great Mexican spot there, on main street.
I grew up in Concord and went to that theater dozens of times as a kid. It has a ton of charm.
Maynard is very safe - I grew up there and am happy to answer any questions you may have :) The town is developing a lot, and it has a lot of amenities for being so small. That being said, the size is a double edged sword…depends on how deeply you plan to embed into the community, but I haven’t lived there in ten years and through my parents I still get up to the minute intel on deep dark family secrets for peripheral acquaintances.
I am not trying to disparage Maynard but I use to work there about 10 years ago and every once in a while there had issues with their town water. How is it today? Anyone know? It is a pretty town.
Town water is always a conversation, I've never had problems with it though
They had to stop using their main water source (a big pond the Sudbury/Hudson line) and they have been using wells since. Other than that Maynard seem to do ok, but have water mandatory restrictions every summer.
My sister and her family have lived in Maynard for many years. Now is totally the time to buy in Maynard. A lot of the smaller homes are being replaced and upgraded, so your property value is going to increase significantly over the next 10 years. As far as education, all I can say is all three of my sister’s kids are adults now and doing extremely well and have solid careers.
We’re next door in west concord and we love Maynard! Excellent food options and you can tell the Main Street area is making a comeback. I eventually want to start a small business and am going to give Maynard a hard look bc I really love the vibe there. We are also Asian so I think you’ll really like the diversity of cuisine offered - more younger families are moving in so I do think the demographics will get better with time. We’re in a similar position in concord and it’s a legitimate concern. We really loved Concord Montessori and the director there is Chinese American and absolutely lovely. Worth a look if you have younger kiddos
Live there and love it. The only negative is that it's a bit too small of a town and with some major financial issues to deal with (as a town) IMHO it's more diverse than most of MA -- and we felt like that was important. But I'm always so shocked at how white Mass is. It's walkable and most people are pretty friendly. We know almost all of our neighbors and have become friends. Great for people in their 30s and 40s with small children.
Usually in maynard for lunch. Always seems like a good vibe. I like it because it feels more down to earth compared to surrounding towns.
Good town, high property tax.
I'm enjoying living here. It's getting a bit pricy. We buy water because of the concerns but it's not a huge issue or making us want to move. Lots of options in terms of restaurants and whatnot, all of the grocery stores in nearby towns with market basket right in town.
Nice town, has a lot of diversity and character. Much more affordable than its neighbors mother only downside, as far as I can tell, is the lack of public transportation. Definitely need a car. To commute in to Boston, you would have to drive to neighboring towns to use the commuter rail (South Acton, I believe).
I grew up in Acton. Maynard has a massive problem with racists/homophobes, FYI. They’re all over the Facebook groups. I see them daily lol
Haha, I bet we "know" a lot of the same people. I think they're a drop in the bucket. They're just vocal. to OP there is this unusual nativist sentiment among a few "townies" -- mostly it's a reaction to how much it is changing (for the better).
Oh definitely hahah
That’s every town in Massachusetts, unfortunately. Thankfully they’re easy to ignore.
Hello! Thank you for this insight. Can you elaborate? What do you mean when you say a massive problem?
It is \*not\* a massive problem in Maynard. Ignore that comment. It's BS. \*Every\* town has a handful of these people, and they are very vocal in Facebook groups. Big deal. Most people don't post there, so their voices get amplified. A good benchmark for whether or not a town is homophobic is to look at the the result of the 2018 "Question 3" vote.. That was a ballot measure some right wingers tried to push through in order to prevent transgender people from using bathrooms appropriate to their gender identity. A "Yes" vote meant that you supported transgender rights. Massachusetts voted "Yes" at a 67.8% rate. Maynard voted yes at at a 75.7% rate, That's a little less than Acton (78.6%), and more than Stow (74.6%), or L:ittleton (72.3%). I don't know of a similar "racist" measure, but I can tell you that Maynard voted for Biden over Trump 73.2% to 24.9%. That's significantly higher than the rest of MA I think you will love Maynard.
u/critterwalk is full of shit. You can cherry pick this filth from any community unfortunately, 1 example from 2021? and another article on the history of the town? I'm confused, sounds like they're the racist and trying to scare you away from an otherwise open, accepting and wonderful community. I've lived here for 6 years, and still do, I've never witnessed anything homophobic in town (not to say its never happened, just haven't experienced it myself). There are loads of LGBTQ flags and we just had a pride event that had many tents and lots of people there. On my street alone people are: White, Hispanic, Pilipino, gay, straight, trans, cis, disabled, retired, and many more things I'm unaware of. We get along great, people let their kids walk to neighbors' houses at night without worrying about anything crazy happening.
I mean, I can send you screenshots of that business owner saying what he did, as well as screenshots of what was posted today about immigrants and low income housing
I'm not saying that everyone is a saint. There is one location I walk by with my middle finger held high in their window. But I'm not going to let those 1 or two assholes ruin the town
I think I know the one you’re referring to. By the rail trail? But like I said - they make themselves very well known in the groups and that alone makes me not want to live there.
I live literally opposite that place (rail trail one side, 117 the other? Just before the gas station?). I have a very similar reaction the the other poster with the middle finger salute, especially being an immigrant myself.
Yep, that’s the one.
My back window looks out onto the rail trail and therefore that house as my house is that end of that section of the trail. Hate having to see those flags every single day
Well the good thing is the guy with the call the protestors sign is dead now.
WHAT? Oh I’m gonna go googling now
what guy is that?
It’s a different guy than the one I was talking about
The guy who owns the building that has the sign "call a protestor when someone breaks into your house" someone tried going into the store the other day and couldn't get into one of those fb to ask about it and someone said they passed away.
Currently the post of the day is someone mad that more affordable housing is going up, because they think it’s going to be filled with “illegals”. They also can’t spell “immigrants” properly. Last week there was someone very upset about Maynard Pride. Anything related to foreigners in town who may be moving here for a better life is met with hate. When there were protests for George Floyd/BLM in Acton, a Maynard business owner threatened (on the group page) to attach his plow to his truck and run the protesters over. So on and so forth. Here are some articles: [https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/beacon-villager/2022/03/29/life-outdoors-maynard-sundown-town-part-2/7157816001/](https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/beacon-villager/2022/03/29/life-outdoors-maynard-sundown-town-part-2/7157816001/) [https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/12/17/white-supremacist-group-posts-hate-speech-in-massachusetts-town/](https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/12/17/white-supremacist-group-posts-hate-speech-in-massachusetts-town/)
One of them tried to run for Select Board during the last election and she was absolutely annihilated. Then she moved to Acton. So there ya go.
Oh is that why I don't hear about her anymore? She was something else, with her poorly photoshopped campaign pictures. The best part was when people started dunking on her in the fb groups. Glad she's gone
HAHA I saw that too
You gotta get take that group with a grain of salt. It's where the bullies who got kicked out of every other group go.
I got banned from RHOM for making a post about that business owner when it happened 😒 that group is garbage. MFF is the good one
There are 3 people upset about “illeguls” on that post. At least one lives in Waltham, and a dozen people have jumped on them telling them to take their racist bullshit and shove it up their asses.
That’s not the only post. That’s just the one from today. This happens weekly