So really, how bad is the green line? Newton and the T. (Boston: best town)

[litomass]

We are relocating to Boston and Newton keeps coming up as a good place to commute to both the financial district and Dorchester as well as great schools. What's the best area in Newton to live to use the T for commuting or should we just DRIVE to the financial district? And how long will that REALLY take? 20 or 30 minutes?

[kmann-sherborn]

I used to take the D Green line & it was sometimes late. Even with that, I vastly prefer taking the T vs. driving because it's a relatively more predictable commute time & you don't have to pay for parking, which is a small fortune in Boston.

[Cantabridgienne]

Who told you Newton would be an easy commute to Dorchester?

[proudestmonkey]

Originally Posted by Cantabridgienne

Who told you Newton would be an easy commute to Dorchester?

That's just what I was going to write! I would not want to commute from Newton to Dorchester if I was going to choose where to live. Not by car or public transit. It's not even the most ideal place to commute to the financial district. Where in Dorchester?

[proudestmonkey]

And you won't be getting to or from the financial district in 20-30 minutes during rush hour.

[litomass]

I was told that it was a 20-25 minute ride to Dorchester from Newton. Exit 15 on 93. How long would you estimate the T ride would be in the morning from Newton Centre, 45 minutes? And how long the drive? We're trying to find the best town that would give us proximity to Dorchester and Downtown. Newton was top on my husbands list, but I'm not sure that the commute is any better than other areas and the house prices, ugh.

[proudestmonkey]

On Google Maps maybe it would take that long, but not in actuality if you're traveling during a high traffic time. And I was calculating from Newton Centre, because that's the area I'm familiar with. Did someone who does this drive tell you? Maybe it's so. But I would highly doubt it. I would think it would take a lot longer if you're driving during rush hour at all.

As for the T, the D line can be VERY crowded at rush hour. And when you get a Red Sox game then it's even more crazy. The train is more reliable when it comes to commuting times, though. Where exactly would he be going? Could he walk from the green line or would he have to transfer to the red line?

It's doable if you really want to be in Newton, just be aware that the commute times are probably going to be longer than you think. I think Hingham is a much better choice for commuting to those areas, but if you want more of an urban feeling, like Newton Centre, then you just have to figure out what your priorities are.

[holden125]

I live in Newton, but in Newtonville near the Pike and commuter rail, not near the Green Line. I find the Green Line slow and crowded. The commuter rail doesn't run as often as I'd like but for a rush hour commute it's fine. If you take the commuter rail from, say, Newtonville, it's 20 mins to South Station. That's right at the financial district and you also can get the Red Line to Dorchester right there. The JFK stop is right near Exit 15 off 93, and that's only 3 quick stops from South Station.

Driving might not be that bad - if you're right near a Pike entrance (e.g. Newton Corner for Exit 17 or West Newton for Exit 16). For a couple of weeks I had to drive in and from Exit 17 it wasn't too bad at 7:45-8 AM. I was pleasantly surprised. The big Pike trouble in the morning is west of 128. Once you get on 93 the majority of the traffic's going the other way. But if you live in Newton Center or anwywhere near the Green Line, you'll take 15 mins just to get to the Pike.

[litomass]

Should I consider Arlington since it's on the red line??? This info is soooo helpful. PM thanks for keeping Hingham in the running. It was beautiful there. holden I've found the most affordable homes with yards seem to be in the Newtonville and Newton Highlands so that is a huge relief. Glad to see that the traffic lessens east of 128. That is a big help. Thank you!