Talk to me about moving to Boston
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Anonymous
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Went to college at Northeastern 20+ years ago, met DH there, have moved all over since, and looking to move back to the Boston area within the next year.
No family in the area, but friends on North Shore and South Shore. Job for spouse would be at or near Hanscom AFB. I’d likely be a combo of commuting downtown and WFH. 3 elementary age kids Housing Budget of up to $1.5 M Good schools, walkability to activities and community feel too our list of priorities. Would also like to be not so far from downtown that we wouldn’t pop into the city regularly for activities with and without kids. What towns should we look at? Just beginning to get serious about this and would love any tips or words of wisdom. |
Anonymous
| I love Lexington and would be an easy commute to hanscombe. If you want something a little denser, Arlington is a good option as well. |
Anonymous
| You’re not going to get that close to downtown on that budget. Try the suburbs |
Anonymous
| Hingham. Take the commuter boat or T into Boston, easy. |
Anonymous
That's a horrible commute to Hanscom. OP, try Sudbury, Lincoln, Concord, or -maybe- Weston |
Anonymous
| Somerville or Arlington you can get a 3 bed fixer upper forc1.5. Easy access to public transport/the city plus great public schools. |
Anonymous
| Medford? |
Anonymous
| don't |
Anonymous
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I’d go with Bedford, Wayland, Sudbury, or Acton. Although none would be great commutes to downtown. Another thought is Westwood or Dedham. Commutes to downtown would be better, and while they’re farther from Hanscom, the commute on 95 hasn’t been as bad as it used to be.
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Anonymous
The first four are horribly boring, but maybe OP wants that. They're also relatively cheaper and close to Hanscomb. Acton has notably good public schools, I think top avg SAT scores in MA come from from Acton, but at the cost of its high school being a pressure cooker. Dedham is definitely more lively, with a picturesque new england core and downtown area, but the public schools are worse than most surrounding towns, and families in the nice half of Dedham almost all use private schools. There are really great private schools across the area, and more wealthy families—even in towns with good publics—will often go private. Westwood is more expensive, no downtown, a bit farther out, but good public schools. Lincoln is gorgeous in a rural way, but boring. Great public schools—district shared with Sudbury. Lexington is known for incredible schools, but they're known as a pressure cooker environment at the upper levels. Honestly, look for what you can get in each town and the vibe of each house and neighborhood. Do you want civilization or a very suburban vibe? I think your best bets might be Belmont. It's well within civilization, close to Boston and Cambridge, good public transit, excellent schools, and close enough to Hanscomb. Arlington would be similar to Belmont, with lower home prices, but your budget should allow you to find something good in Belmont. |
Anonymous
| Lincoln is beautiful but the schools are awful until high school. The high school is run by Sudbury and is great. But there is no way I would send my children to public before then. |
Anonymous
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Best quality of life in the US, beautiful city with a lot of history and access to all new england has to offer - but you will pay for it.
If you like the burbs and need access to Hanscom, Lexington is a great option. Great schools, one of the best districts in the nation. Might need to stretch that budget to $2M to find something decent. Weston, Lincoln also options If you want to reverse commute, you can look in the city. Taxes are lower there but you'll need well north of $2M if you want any space. In between those two options I'd consider Cambridge, Arlington, Charlestown (technically Boston but area off of it's own by the water with easy access to 93N) |
Anonymous
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Concord (West Concord), Lexington, Arlington would be my top choices.
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Anonymous
Seriously? Lincoln schools are amazing. Oh my! In fact, ALL of the schools along Rte 2 near Hanscom are excellent. You won't go wrong, OP. Anyhow, speaking as a lifelong resident (who lived in DC for a bit, hence my being on the board): Acton is a pressure cooker high school. Town is sleepy. Schools are excellent. There is no real town center, although West Acton Center is coming along and is very cute. Boxboro is the adjacent town; they share a school system. More rural, lots of land. You can probably get more for your money there. The high school is AB. Concord is ultra-prep. Think Gilmore Girls. Adorable town. More expensive. Again, has an adjacent town which, like Boxboro, is more rural. High school is CC. Lincoln has fun modern architecture and lots of farmland. The schools are great! They share with Sudbury, which is again, a very large sprawling rural town adjacent. I have found some good home prices there, which surprises me! Lexington is sort of like Concord. PRESSURE cooker high school. Pricy pricy. Arlington is now more expensive than Belmont at times, believe it or not -- Arlington is kind of the formerly blue collar but now up and coming hot town for young families. Smaller lots but a fun vibe with a few different "centers" (East Arlington, Arlington Center, Arlington Heights) and is along the bike path. Has a younger and more diverse feel. Belmont is very republican (as is Winchester) - they have VERY similar vibes. I have heard not wonderful thigns about elementary schools in Belmont from friends with kids there, but it's all anecdotal. Both Winchester and Belmont have adorable town centers - similar to those in Lexington. Belmont does have a slightly more "industrial" side closer to Watertown with more duplexes. Bedford is sleepy with no real town center but very close to Hanscom. Dedham is a mixed bag and far from everything. |
Anonymous
| Also good lord do not commute from Hingham to Hanscom - they are nowhere near one another. Look west. |