Boston! Great public transportation, very liberal, lots to do, lots of dog training places in the area, hiking places, and then you'd live near me, yaaaay!
Those in Boston - how far away would someone have to live to find a house on 0.5+acre for less than 500k?
I have trouble with dog sports here. No lure coursing (maybe...one or two AKC events a year, between MA and CT). I looked at IPO clubs, there are not many at all, I believe there is one around Boston that always says "Membership Full". There are plenty of agility/rally/obedience training places around (compO is becoming more phased out, from what I've seen). Dock diving competitions are frequent in the summer, but there are no training clubs in Massachusetts. Probably the closest is Seacoast Dock Dogs in Maine. I've only seen Barn Hunt events in CT.
Right now I live closer to Springfield, but I have lived in Middlesex County-Douglas, Hopkinton, Framingham area. Let me know if you have any more questions!