William 'Mo' Cowan: Why I Love Stoughton

Photo by Scott M. Lacey

As part of our annual cover story Best Places to Live 2012, we invited prominent Boston residents to tell us what they love about their ‘hood. Here, Mo Cowan, Governor Deval Patrick’s Chief of Staff, shares the reasons why he loves Stoughton. As told to Courtney Hollands.

There’s a diner called Zachary’s that sort of epitomizes all that is good about a town like Stoughton: Families, friends, neighbors, and workers all congregate over some outstanding, affordable breakfast food. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do — everybody is treated the same. When my wife, Stacy, and I were ready to move out of Cambridge, we were looking for communities close to Boston that also had a small-town feel. And frankly, as a native North Carolinian, I was looking for a place where I could build a house that could become a home, with a decent amount of backyard — and Stoughton is a town with plenty of wooded areas and open spaces. Now we have young kids, and we love all the parks in the area. A lot of our outdoor time is spent in the neighborhood, with kids running around our yard and our neighbors’ yards. Depending on traffic, it’s relatively quick and easy to get to most places — Stoughton is a good choice for you if you work downtown or perhaps even farther down the South Shore. Property is affordable, and it’s a safe community. For us, Stoughton has been a great place to start and raise a family — so great that we just celebrated 10 years there in October. — Courtney Hollands

This post originally appeared in Best Places to Live 2012. Check out the story to find out how much your house is worth, and see our top Boston real estate picks.