Looking for experiences with moving from/to these locations...

[Anonymous]

We are considering staying in DC and MD (lived in both) but are also considering relocating to CO (Golden area), MA (Framingham area) and NOVA (looking into applying at Mantua for a teaching position, graduating with a degree in bilingual deaf education).

We don't have a lot of money, but would like to find a reasonable place to rent a home, condo, or town home. Obviously it won't be in the works for another year or so, we'll be sending out job apps and seeing where that leads us. School districts are not an immediate concern as we'll be renting for a bit and don't have school aged kids.

TIA!

[Anonymous]

I am familiar with New England OP. Curious as to why you chose Framingham. It is comparable (somewhat) to Arlington. Framingham is large - they do things by towns (NOT counties) there, so IMHO, it is much nicer that way (you see where your money goes). The public schools are okay, not great. There are other affluent suburbs west of Boston, as you likely know, with outstanding schools, (but more expensive than expensive suburbs here). Let's see - the Salem End Road is the area you want, not downtown (which is sketchy). Route 9 is usually fine, where there are many apartments/condos and you will be close to lots of shopping. They don't generally do townhouses. Natick is a bit nicer and has a new high school, closer to Boston is $$$$$$$. More info? Profession? Commute? Schools? Other?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am familiar with New England OP. Curious as to why you chose Framingham. It is comparable (somewhat) to Arlington. Framingham is large - they do things by towns (NOT counties) there, so IMHO, it is much nicer that way (you see where your money goes). The public schools are okay, not great. There are other affluent suburbs west of Boston, as you likely know, with outstanding schools, (but more expensive than expensive suburbs here). Let's see - the Salem End Road is the area you want, not downtown (which is sketchy). Route 9 is usually fine, where there are many apartments/condos and you will be close to lots of shopping. They don't generally do townhouses. Natick is a bit nicer and has a new high school, closer to Boston is $$$$$$$. More info? Profession? Commute? Schools? Other?

There is a school in Framingham that I'm looking into applying to. All of the above locations are near potential schools I'd like to work at.

I don't need to live in or close to Boston. And I know Boston is expensive. But I'd like to not have a terribly long commute like I do now.

Of course, I may end up elsewhere! Those are just the top picks.

[Anonymous]

Marion HS? Framingham State? I know people who went to both. I am not sure of deaf schools (proper name?). PP here. Anything else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Marion HS? Framingham State? I know people who went to both. I am not sure of deaf schools (proper name?). PP here. Anything else?

The Learning Center for the Deaf is in Framingham MA, which is why I'm interested in areas around Framingham if I was to get a job there. My grad degree is going to be K-12 but my undergrad degree is in elementary. There's also Horace Mann School...I forget exactly where that is but its under Boston Public Schools (and I believe its philosophy is different then TLC but they are making some changes). I'm just wondering about places that are good/places to avoid, any busy routes that are horrendous to travel on during rush hour, etc. Trying get a better picture of the area to narrow down ideas so if I get hired it is easier to hunt for rentals.

My only criteria is reasonably priced (budget would be less then 2000 a month, preferably more like 1200-1500) and a fairly good area. I can deal with busier areas or quieter ones (honestly prefer quieter ones but can cope either way).

In Colorado there is Rocky Mountain Deaf School and Colorado School for the Deaf. Colorado School for the Deaf is in the Denver area. Rocky Mountain is a small charter school in Golden. In VA - Mantua Elementary has a deaf/hard of hearing program so that is another option I am looking into.

[Anonymous]

NE PP hère. Got it. So, if you commuting into the city (Boston), you will take the Mass Pike. Framingham (see above) is good for that, as you seem to know. Not familiar with the specific schools. Ideally, you could take the commuter rail (purple line) from Framingham Center (I suggest you do not reside there, however it is fine for parking) into the city - South Station or Back Bay (both safe areas if the location helps you). GREAT commuter line! You can easily get work done on the train, it is clean and quiet. There is also The "T" which connects at certain points, so you can transfer if you have to. Look at the "T"/"MBTA site to see if it meets your needs. Keep in mind the "T' is one of/the oldest subways. But at least it doesn't smell bad Anything else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NE PP hère. Got it. So, if you commuting into the city (Boston), you will take the Mass Pike. Framingham (see above) is good for that, as you seem to know. Not familiar with the specific schools. Ideally, you could take the commuter rail (purple line) from Framingham Center (I suggest you do not reside there, however it is fine for parking) into the city - South Station or Back Bay (both safe areas if the location helps you). GREAT commuter line! You can easily get work done on the train, it is clean and quiet. There is also The "T" which connects at certain points, so you can transfer if you have to. Look at the "T"/"MBTA site to see if it meets your needs. Keep in mind the "T' is one of/the oldest subways. But at least it doesn't smell bad Anything else?

I think that's it. Are you familiar with any other towns surrounding Framingham (ie: Westborough?)

I am somewhat familiar with South Station, Back Bay and the T (Charlie cards, hah. And pedestrians are nuts!). I did some exploring while on a layover while taking Amtrak. Otherwise the last time I was in Boston I was just a kid (I grew up in CT). I think after experiencing this area it is fairly easy to navigate other subway systems. I'll keep the commuter train in mind as well. I currently have a very long commute with bus/MARC train and would rather avoid a similar experience if/when we move but I can make do.

[Anonymous]

I can't believe no one has experiences with NOVA, at least...

[Anonymous]

Wow, can't believe my hometown was mentioned on DCUM (Westborough!) You can live in the Framingham area much less expensively than in DC or NOVA. An older 3 or 4 br house in a town with good schools (like Westborough) will probably run you somewhere in the $300-400k range, although obviously you can spend a ton more if you want. Framingham itself is probably cheaper. Rents would be commensurately lower than here as well, although there are also correspondingly fewer particularly in the small towns. There are lots of other nice small towns near Framingham, like Hopkington.

If you've got a spouse's career to consider, the commute to Boston isn't totally fun but lots of people do it. There is a commuter rail that runs via Framingham all the way west to Worcester, with stops at most of the towns. The time in Boston via commuter rail from Westborough is 1.5 hours; in the car without traffic it is usually in the 40 min range but can take much longer during rush hour. The roads throughout this area tend to be small and clogged, but living in any of the small towns near Framingham would be a perfectly reasonable commute.

Just one other thought: if you're interested in teaching the deaf, have you considered Clark School out in Northampton? It's beautiful and has all the nice liberal arts colleges around so the area does attract a lot of interesting smart people, plus the COL there is even less than the Metrowest/Boston area.

[Anonymous]

OP, PP here. You might notice there is much more to love about New England such as the helpful people, I hope (such as I have found).

I am not overly familiar with the other suburbs other than to say that they are safe and clean. In order of my opinion:
(taking into consideration safe/clean/family oriented; school reputation in the past; cost of housing in the past, et al) - A being most expensive and "best"; C being lesser expensive and "eh" (likely little crime if any, but still not that great, depending on how street accustomed you might be). Note: this is based on friends who have resided there, NOT my own personal experience - i.e.: this is one persons opinion, so don't bank on it:

A+ category (extremely pricey, much moreso than this area in terms of the quality you get for the money):
Wellesley
Sudbury
Sherborn
Weston

A category:
Wayland
Ashland
Natick
Southboro

B category:
Framingham
Westboro
Hopkinton
Needham
Millis
Medway
Upton

C category:
Worcester (it has been cleaned up and continues so)
Marlboro
Maynard

Hope this helps. Also hope it doesn't spark an exodus of DC people, as it is VERY different than DC and most would not like it. Likely you are familiar if you are asking OP?

Did I leave anything out?

[Anonymous]

OP, if you are used to snow, New England is the place. Also, their seasons are very different. If you are accustomed to southern weather (NOVA) and more diversity than I would choose Mantua. NOVA is more south than people think it is!

[Anonymous]

OP here.

I grew up in CT, so I am used to snow.

If I was to get a job at Mantua, best place to live? Again, not a whole lot of money and would be looking for rentals. I'm not familiar with NOVA at all.

I am familiar with Clarke School - they are an oral school and do not support the use of ASL so that is not what I would be looking at. I have no issue with cochlear implants and hearing aids and AVT and spoken English but I don't think I would do well in an environment where ASL was prohibited (I do have experience with CI/hearing aid using kids who also sign, and my understanding is TLC has a good bilingual program).

[Anonymous]

Golden CO is nice, I have friends who moved there from DC and they are active in the community and are walking distance to the downtown area. It has a small town feel. He commutes to Downtown Denver and she teleworks from home. Golden is nice because it's close to the mountains, most of Denver is easily an hour away. Of course, that also means you're at higher risk for wildfires.

There's also the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind in Colorado Springs. You could probably rent a really affordable home within walking distance People tend to write Colorado Springs off because of all of the military/conservative/religious institutions here, but it's really a great place. It is conservative, but as the local paper said during the 2008 Dem convention in Denver, there is a "chewy liberal center." The west side of town and the town of Manitou Springs are definitely not conservative. There also the Colorado College community. We like it because it's just a more livable size of city, and you're closer to the mountains than you are if you live in most of the Denver area. Great school and plenty of kids' activities. There are actually quite a few people we've met who lived in the DC area previously, many because of military connections, but also lots of doctors, etc. who just wanted the lifestyle change.

[Anonymous]

We live on the South Shore of Boston, 3 miles from the beach. I think of framingham as not being as nice as Arlington. I would not live there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live on the South Shore of Boston, 3 miles from the beach. I think of framingham as not being as nice as Arlington. I would not live there

Care to elaborate why?