Moving to Boston with young children (Cambridge, Newton: credit, real estate, budget)

[memfamily]

My wife and I are considering a job opportunity in Boston. We have two young children, ages 5 years and 4 months. We are moving from the South and prefer to live in the city - looking to rent or possibly buy. We understand the cost of living index, etc.

Our question is regarding neighborhoods that are family-friendly. What are the best choices? We are interested in a two-bedroom or loft-style living situation, close to parks, Boston Common or other green spaces. Ideally would like to have one car only and use public transit as much as possible. The more shopping and day-to-day retail in walking distance, the better.

We also plan to attend a Protestant church and would love to find one with a daycare/preschool and possibly an elementary school. Any suggestions there are also helpful, or schools with Christian-based curriculum/teaching.

[septimus]

Originally Posted by memfamily

My wife and I are considering a job opportunity in Boston. We have two young children, ages 5 years and 4 months. We are moving from the South and prefer to live in the city - looking to rent or possibly buy. We understand the cost of living index, etc.

Our question is regarding neighborhoods that are family-friendly. What are the best choices? We are interested in a two-bedroom or loft-style living situation, close to parks, Boston Common or other green spaces. Ideally would like to have one car only and use public transit as much as possible. The more shopping and day-to-day retail in walking distance, the better.

We also plan to attend a Protestant church and would love to find one with a daycare/preschool and possibly an elementary school. Any suggestions there are also helpful, or schools with Christian-based curriculum/teaching.

Charlestown has parts that are very family friendly and there is an active Mom's group. Parts of Cambridge are great for kids too, especially Cambridgeport and Huron Village. If we had the money I would have lived in Back Bay with my young kids, but you don't get a lot of space and carrying a stroller upstairs isn't a lot of fun. You might also look at Brookline, but parts of it are pretty suburban and it is on the green line which is the worst/slowest subway line.

As for pre-schools, around the Common I would look at Park St. which also has an elementary school and Spruce St. Cambridge has some good pre-schools as well but a lot are only 1/2 day programs like Aggassiz, Garden St. co-op, Tot Lot and Cambridge Ellis. There is a really good montessori school in Cambridge as well. Just be prepared to write applications for preschool just like college apps.

Unlike the south you will not find a lot of "christian" based schools in Boston. If they have religious affliations they are more likely to be Roman Catholic or Jewish. Park St. is the only school I know of that is affiliated with a church that isn't RC

[HowGoesIt]

If you are going to live in the city. I would check out Brookline or Cambridge. Raising kids in the city is not the same as it use to be years ago. It can get pretty expensive.

Chances are you don't want to send your kids to Boston Public Schools or even worse, Cambridge Public Schools. Some of the elite private schools, like Windsor Academy and Milton Academy cost roughly 35k a year. Also, starter homes or large condo's in those areas run roughly 700k-900k. Check out real estate prices on Boston.com.

[septimus]

Originally Posted by HowGoesIt

If you are going to live in the city. I would check out Brookline or Cambridge. Raising kids in the city is not the same as it use to be years ago. It can get pretty expensive.

Chances are you don't want to send your kids to Boston Public Schools or even worse, Cambridge Public Schools. Some of the elite private schools, like Windsor Academy and Milton Academy cost roughly 35k a year. Also, starter homes or large condo's in those areas run roughly 700k-900k. Check out real estate prices on Boston.com.

woah... Cambridge Public Schools are actually pretty good and don't get the credit they deserve. There are so many options in CPS and I think my daughter received an excellent education from CPS

[Parsec]

Hmm, I'd rather send my kids to Cambridge Public Schools than to Boston Public schools too.

If private schools are out of your budget, I'd try to find a condo in Brookline. You can find some pretty affordable 2 bedroom condos there, and the public schools are easily ranked in the top 10 in the state. Stay in Washington Square, Coolidge Corner, or Brookline Village for a more urban atmosphere.

[smarty]

I agree with Parsec.

In addition... many areas in Newton will also meet your criteria.

If bus ride is acceptable, check out Jamaica Plain also.
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Check out the public transporation map
MBTA.com > Complete Public Transportation System Map

[memfamily]

All great info and much appreciated. We are planning to visit in December to look at the area in more detail. We've seen Brookline briefly, but really want to take a closer look. It appears to be along the line of what we are looking for.