Safest place to live outside of Boston (Quincy, Somerville: how much, home)

[mla2177]

My husband may be relocating to Boston by October. We are from New Jersey, but currently live in Little Rock Arkansas. We LOVE Arkansas and are going to be sad to leave (part of working for the Federal govt). Safety and good public schools are important. He is willing to commute up to an hour from Boston. Any suggestions?

[kmann-sherborn]

Hi, It depends on a few needs. Is your husband looking to take the train to work or drive? What are you looking for in a town (more suburban or urban?) roughly what budget are you looking in?

[Tinawina]

Boston in general is pretty safe, outside of a few neighborhoods. I was sometimes amazed at how much some of the natives thought otherwise. Anyway, I don't think there are very many unsafe suburbs when it comes to Boston.

[mla2177]

We prefer the suburbs. My husband will be driving his work vehicle everyday, so no need to take the train. I am mainly looking for great public schools for my two kids and a decent home. Our range is $300,000-$350,000. Is that possible in that area?

[ogre]

The best place to live could depend in part on your husband's work address. Depending on which part of Boston will be the location of his work, the commute from different directions could vary in how challenging it is.

Without knowing the workplace location, I'll say that usually Braintree is the first town that comes to mind when I think of a nice clean, safe suburb fairly close to Boston without the exorbitant housing costs of many Boston suburbs.

Getting farther from Boston, Hopkinton and Holliston may be pushing the limits on a one-hour commute to Boston, at least during the rush hours, but these towns are always high on my list of really nice suburbs where the housing costs are lower than you would expect given the quality of the towns. I'm less familiar with the vicinity of Walpole, but going on hearsay I think it might be another outer suburb which is clean and safe and not overly expensive for the Boston area, though Walpole too may push the limits on commuting time. I know pretty much nothing about the schools in Walpole. The schools in Hopkinton and Holliston are well regarded.

[joebloe]

Unfortunately, $300K-$350K will get you a tiny old shack in towns with good schools. I'm in the South Shore so have no comment on the North Shore. Towns in the South Shore with good schools and reasonable commute into Boston are Milton, Canton, Westwood, Sharon, North Quincy, Braintree, Easton. Avoid going further south than Braintree(Rt3) and Easton(Rt24) cause daily traffic is HORRENDOUS. Milton and Westwood have recently been named Top 5 places to live in America by Money magazine.

[mla2177]

I figured as much! We are spoiled here in Arkansas. I am aware of the high home costs up north though being from New Jersey. The move is only for 3-5 years, so I can rough it out if I have to. I am mainly concerned about the schools and nice, safe neighborhoods. I'll look into the towns you recommended. Thanks!

[colebe82255]

I am also relocating to the Boston area and safety is my big concern. I was looking at Braintree and noticed it was mentioned twice as a safe place to live. I am an african american but noticed that the % of african americans in Braintee is 1.8% in 2009. Has this inproved? Would I be welcomed? I hope so.

[vfrex]

To the OP, Natick is also worth a look. Train from there is around 45 minutes to the east most Boston stop. The three Boston stops on the line give you pretty good access to the entire city, and close subway connections bridge any gaps.

[nancy thereader]

How about Medford or Somerville? Is there access to the T to get to places like The Galleria Mall ?