nice neighborhoods near Boston?

[pocomom]

We're debating over a potential job offer and move. We're looking for nice town and neighborhoods near Boston. Hopefully with not more than a 45 minute commute preferably on public transit, where we could have a nice 4 bedroom with a little land, and good schools. Any suggestions on towns to start in?

 

[bemily]

It would depend on your budget as housing fluctuates greatly between cities and towns/north or south or west of Boston...A 4 bedroom in Winchester with land would cost your triple or quadruple than what a 4 bedroom with land in Lynn, for instance, would cost you.

 

[princess barbara]

Agree with Bemily. Prices are all over the place. Greater Boston can get very expensive especially if one needs good schools never mind public transportation. Sometimes a pay increase doesn't go very far compared to other areas of the country.

 

[Gigi22]

DBil and DSis lived in Cambridge several years ago. Close to Boston. It was a very nice, quiet town. My bet is that property values are fairly high. FYI, Julia Child lived there!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

There are many, many excellent choices, depending on whether you want to live north, south or west, and the amount of your budget. Massachusetts is an expensive state with high taxes (I have lived there), so take that into consideration.

Your best bet would be to consult with a realtor familiar with the area. Usually a potential employer can help you with this.

 

[crjack]

OP, do you know what area of Boston the job would be located? That might help to narrow down the general vicinity and the towns that would make the most sense.

There are lots of nice towns in every direction of Boston but some are much more expensive than others. You also have to go further out, typically, to have some land but you can certainly find many towns within a 45 min commute that could potentially work for you.

 

[liloca]

Also make sure to factor the traffic!!! My house is 30 miles north of Boston and it takes me 2:30-3hrs commuting round trip if there is snow or rain it can go up to 2rs each way!
What is your budget? Boston area is very expensive and what part of Boston is the job located?

 

[pocomom]

His work will be in Cambridge... and we already know we can't afford to live there We will be talking to a realtor eventually if we move forward, we were just trying to figure out if there is ANYWHERE nearby that we could possibly afford and have the type of house/property/schools we would like. Whether it is worth even pursuing.

 

[pocomom]

Also make sure to factor the traffic!!! My house is 30 miles north of Boston and it takes me 2:30-3hrs commuting round trip if there is snow or rain it can go up to 2rs each way!
What is your budget? Boston area is very expensive and what part of Boston is the job located?

We're in the very early stages but I would like to stay under 450,000 and have 4 bedrooms, and enough land for a good garden and kids to play. Is it a dream?

 

[maddiebee]

Are you looking for public transit into the city or from where you live straight to work? Because land and a 45 minute public transportation commute will be very very hard to manage if you're looking to live outside the city. You take the commuter rail from outside the city into the city and I know that from North Station to Newburyport (the end of that line), it takes at least an hour to get to the city. Your commute from there to wherever your job inside the city could be more.

 

[fairy8i8]

His work will be in Cambridge... and we already know we can't afford to live there We will be talking to a realtor eventually if we move forward, we were just trying to figure out if there is ANYWHERE nearby that we could possibly afford and have the type of house/property/schools we would like. Whether it is worth even pursuing.

My parents moved us over the border to NH - grew up in Londonderry. 45 minutes without traffic, commuter buses to North and South Station take an hour or so, but when you hit rush hour, commute times can increase dramatically, especially with accidents.

There are many nice communities closer to Boston that have access to public transportation, but you will be paying for it, especially if you want good schools.

Because housing is much higher than the median income in Cambridge, they have special housing programs in Cambridge that provide housing at 30% median income levels. 10% of all new construction in the town goes to this program. I had several friends who did it, and if you work in Cambridge and have kids, it is really a great way to go. You can PM me if you want more details, as a realtor isn't likely to tell you about the program because they don't make a commission on it.

 

[mrsp1030]

Went to grad school in Boston and my husband and I have several close friends that commute into the city. All have kids and looked for good schools, etc. Try Reading, Beverly to the north. to the south rockland has been recommended to me also.

 

[lauti]

I grew up in Milton, right south of the city. For towns in that area some of Milton would be in that budget but I'd also suggest Braintree, Canton, Sharon, Quincy, Norwood to name a few.

This will also depend if he plans to drive or use public transportation.

 

[dimimi]

I have family in North Andover and Andover. They like where they live...especially North Andover.....but....they think nothing of an hour commute to work! We are spoiled and after our move have a 30 minute commute (we used to have a 10 minute commute with traffic! lol)....

 

[liloca]

We're in the very early stages but I would like to stay under 450,000 and have 4 bedrooms, and enough land for a good garden and kids to play. Is it a dream?

From up North you can look at Wilmington, Reading, North Reading - they all have commuter rail stop but $450K with 4 bedrooms probably won't happen - maybe a 2 bedroom?

 

[WENDYDOTS]

We're debating over a potential job offer and move. We're looking for nice town and neighborhoods near Boston. Hopefully with not more than a 45 minute commute preferably on public transit, where we could have a nice 4 bedroom with a little land, and good schools. Any suggestions on towns to start in?

Take a look at Wilmington. You may be able to find a property with land and they have access to public transportation close by. Good luck!

 

[princess barbara]

If you go west of Cambridge, you can look at Waltham or Watertown or even Framingham. If you go slightly northwest, you can consider Burlington, Billerica or maybe Woburn- not too sure about schools in this area though. You will have to drive to public transportation though. Not sure how much land you will be able to get especially in your price range with 4 BRs at 450k.

 

[Jimsig]

Here is a map of the Commuter Rail (lines in Purple), not to scale, but to give you a general idea where the towns are located in relation to Boston.

http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/

 

[bellanotte10]

Also gonna say the Readings are nice. Apparently Reading was recently voted one of the top suburbs in the country. I lost the article but it should easily be Google searched. Nice new schools (for the most part) and they're building a new library. North Reading has more land though, but north reading doesn't have a commuter rail station while reading and next town over andover do.

 

[Lisa71]

My BFF lives in north Brookfield it is 2 hours by tran but they love it..they previously lived in Shirley and liked that too.