Coming to Boston from Dallas - Need some advice (Worcester: real estate, apartment complex)

[masalamomma]

Hi everyone. My husband is being offered a job on Bedford Street downtown, nearby to the Federal Reserve Building. I don't know if this part of Boston has a special name, sorry.

Anyway, the private school we want to send our children to is in Shrewsbury. I guess if we live in Shrewsbury we can even pay a small fee per year for bus service to and from school for them, which is a great help to me.

My questions are:

1. About how long would it take for my husband to commute to work from Shrewsbury to Bedford Street? Could he take a train?

2. How do we go about finding a rental in Shrewsbury? We want a townhouse or condo, but need 3 - 4 bedrooms as we have 5 children. Are there websites or agents that can help in finding a good rental for us? There were a few on realtor.com, but not many.

3. My eldest daughter is planning on going into nursing. She was about to start a nursing program at a community college here in Dallas in the fall. Can you recommend some community colleges nearby to Shrewsbury or within an easy commute that might offer a decent RN program for her?

4. When we are ready to buy a home, again we want a townhouse as we are not single family home people, would Shrewsbury be a good area to buy in?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[ctrres]

The train station closest to Shrewsbury is two or three miles south down Centech Blvd. in Grafton, at the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. That train (the Worcester Line) terminates at South Station, which is right across the street from the Federal Reserve Bank.

(The downtown location name is probably South Station and/or Fort Point Channel.)

Train schedules at MBTA.com > Official Website for Greater Boston's Public Transportation System

[scarletfire]

There's also a train station on the Westboro/Shrewsbury line (Off Rt 9 near Otis St). I would think it would take a bit more than an hour on the "express" train but it would probably be easier than driving & having to fight the traffic on Rt 9 and then the Mass Pike to get to Boston. Plus he wouldn't have to worry about paying to park.

Shrewsbury is a nice town with lots of parks & kids activities and good schools. There are plenty of nice towns around there to choose from as well like Westboro, Northboro, Grafton.

Have you tried Craigslist for rentals?

Framingham State College I believe has an RN program, and there are seven colleges in Worcester (which is adjacent to Shrewsbury) that you might check with:

College of the Holy Cross, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Clark University, the University of Massachusetts Medical School (ranked fourth in primary care education among America’s 125 medical schools in the U.S. News & World Report annual guide “America’s Best Graduate Schools”), the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Worcester State College, Assumption College, and Quinsigamond Community College

[ethan02113]

I own an executive recruiting business and can assure you that Shrewsbury is a tough commute. If your husband takes the train -- great! But the drive is 1.5 hours up to 2 per day if things are backed up, and they always are. The part of Boston your husband is working is the Financial District. Depending on where on Bedford Street he is, Bedford Street is mostly in the Leather District, not to be confused with the Ladder District (Boston Common side of Downtown Crossing).

Shrewsbury is a lovely town, and people have said correct nice things about it. However, you would be better off living between Boston and Worcester, not closer to Worcester. Being in the Middle, I would recommend looking around the Framingham area, but EAST of Framingham. If you go to MBTA.com, you can find which towns' comuter rails serve South Station.

Incidentally, I used to live in Las Colinas! On North O'Conner Blvd!

Boston and Massachusetts have an immense and comprehensive transportation system. Do yourself a favor and live closer to Boston. Make a square on a map around Sudbury, Newton, Needham and Framingham.

Be careful! Some people even consider Framingham a haul. And if you move somewhere where the commuter rail goes into North Station, your hubby will have just a short trolley ride (Green Line subway) or Orange Line subway ride to downtown.

Good Luck. If you're well to do - -

Best restaurants (consistent winners)
Clio, Radius, No. 9 Park (The last is my favorite and just about every foodie's staple. It's right in front of the State House on Park Street)
Best Family Restaurants
The No Name, Atlantic Fish Company
Best Steakhouse - Grill 23 - hands down

Best North End restaurants (this is a genuine Italian point of view)
Antico Forno
Giacomo's
Terramia (same owner as Antico Forno)
Maurizio's (Sardinian)
Mamma Maria's (home style)
Strega (if you wan to go where a lot of local celebs go, but I won't say it's my favorite food)
Taranta (peruvian-italian fusion)
Eclano (always has something from the north, middle and south of Italy. VERY authentic, but no red sauce - gourmet)

Best Seafood
Neptune Oyster

[smarty]

Most apartments are studio-2 bedroom. There are a few 3 bedrooms. I almost never heard of 4bedroom condo/apartment.

With Shrewsbury, there are not that many apartments to rent. Many more in Worcester and some in Westborough.

For the big apartment complex rentals, try this site
Shrewsbury Apartments

Shrewsbury Apartments for Rent - Find Shrewsbury, MA Apartment Rentals


If you want a house, you'll have to check the local paper.
Telegram.com Real Estate | Rentals Search Results

[ctrres]

Originally Posted by ethan02113

...and I realize that your lives are far more limited on the cultural front.

Er, in what way?