Looking for kid-friendly neighborhood for commuting to near Fenway Park (Boston: rent, condo)

[MichToBalt]

Thanks in advance for reading and any suggestions!

We are planning to move to Boston from Baltimore this summer. Can you recommend any great neighborhoods to live in? Home size/space is pretty flexible, but ideal would be 3-4 bedrooms.

Our priorities:
- <30 minute commute to Fenway park area (preferably on public transportation)
- Kid friendly neighborhood (doesn't need to be quiet necessarily, but a neighborhood that welcomes kids, where kids can be outside playing with friends easily)
- Great elementary school and middle school (tech or language intensive programs a plus, this is probably the key factor)
- Dense and walkable neighborhood (more on the urban than the suburban side; kids playing outside; parks, playgrounds, and greenspace nearby)
- Local downtown (local businesses, restaurants, neighborhood store, etc.)
- Nearby gymnastics program and soccer (both youth and adult)
- Close to the water (not essential, but would be nice).

Would be nice if its reasonably affordable, but at this point we're just looking for ideas as we know very little about Boston.

[bjimmy24]

Of course, almost everyone wants the perfect neighborhood.

You're going to have to define "Reasonably affordable." It's going to be a lot more expensive than Baltimore, regardless where you move to.

The first thing I think of is Coolidge Corner or Washington Square in Brookline. But these are not really "affordable" areas by my definition. Washington Square is more affordable and you can find some cheap-ish rent there, but such a place will be straight out of 1964 about, and probably not what you're looking for.

[timberline742]

Throw out "affordable" (to me anyway), Brookline would be good. Otherwise, double (to start) your transit time.

[G-fused]

Yes, you need to define affordable and if you are wanting a house or can do a condo, how many beds, etc.? Brookline and some areas of Newton come to mind and like bjimmy said, neither is affordable, even by Boston standards (they are some of the 2 least affordable because they check the boxes of many folks so are in demand). Both are expensive but would check your boxes in a hard and fast way.

Best of luck

[MikePRU]

You mentioned that you're looking for something dense and urban. Would I be off base if I assumed you were willing to live in a condo?

As others have mentioned, the Boston area is far more expensive than where you're coming from. Knowing what kind of budget you'd like to stick to will help greatly with the quality of advice you receive.

[MichToBalt]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Affordable is certainly subjective; as a baseline, rents where we are now (Rodgers Forge, one of the best family neighborhoods in Baltimore) ballpark around $1.5 - 2k / mos. We're assuming costs in Boston will be 50% more, but definitely appreciate feedback on that.

We're open to house, flat, or condo. We'll probably rent for a year, but would like to be in an area where buying is an option. Three bedrooms is a must (3 kids), four would be a bonus.

I'm sure there will be tradeoffs to finding the right place (e.g. straight out of 1964 might work for the right neighborhood at the right price ;-) ), we're just trying to get an idea of neighborhoods or blocks that hit some of what we want.

[Dm84]

You are screwed. What you want costs double what you pay in Baltimore.

[bjimmy24]

That in Brookline is going to be at least $4,000 per month.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

That in Brookline is going to be at least $4,000 per month.

Yeah, time to double (or more) the commute estimate.

[tysmith95]

The Worcester line stops at Yawkey, near Fenway. I'd look at Natick or Framingham.

It sounds like Brookline or Newton would be too expensive for you.