From So Cali to Boston (Quincy, Waltham: to rent, car insurance, houses)

[sejinro]

I am married with two kids and there is a strong possibility that I might have a job opportunity with a very large software company in the Boston area. Th position will be in inside sales. I currently live in Los Angeles and was born, raised and educated here.

Most likely, I will be visiting the hiring manager in the next couple of weeks in Boston. In any case, I am nervous as this might be a big decision for me. Both of my kids are young, one is in pre-school and the other entering Kindergarten.

There is a possibility of moving back to Los Angeles for the same company once I have "learned the ropes" in Boston (HQ is here) for a few years (3-5).

Both my wife and I are in our early 30s.

In terms of locations, where are some good places to live? I currently live in a nice suburb of Los Angeles with very good schools, safe and diverse (good number of Asians).

Anyways, just looking for some feedback.

THanks!

[smarty]

The major differences you'll experience are
snow in your driveway instead of the mountains
much less traffic jam
lack of sun light (especially during winter when sun sets at 3:30pm)
temperature shift 40-105 to 10-90
Much less Chinese and Japanese restaurants
Restaurant food prices are much higher here.
You find more Asians in malls and Costco.. :-) Asian is only 5-6% here in MA but growing... almost double every 10 years. (from 2 to 4% and may grow to 8%)

No problem with kids...
What is your concern with kids?

What kind of place do you want to live? Urban.. suburban or rural? They are all within 50 miles.

[MagicTouch]

I moved from SoCal to MA in Oct. 2007 (born, educated and raised in SoCal - 47 yrs). What I can tell you is that I love it here, I found the change in weather and snow to not be an issue as so many told me it would be. I wish I would have raised my kids here instead of CA, but that is hindsight for me. I live in Bedford which is about 30 min. outside of Boston. Lexington has a great walkable downtown as does Concord. There is so much history and so many things to do here. If you are going to be in Boston for a few days I would suggest you check out some areas that may interest you, and you can check out the driving distance. Lexington, Bedford and Concord are know here to be expensive (for me it's priced just like CA) and the schools, from what I know, are good and safe. I think it will all depend upon what you are looking for, will you be buying or rent first, what price range are you looking at, what feel do you want from the town you live in. MA has so much to offer .... Best wishes to you on this opportunity.

[sejinro]

The job location is in Burlington (Waltham area?). At first, we would rent and would need a 3 bedroom at least. My primary concern is excellent schools and safe. Where are some areas to live given the job location and requirement for excellent public schools? Thanks.

[MagicTouch]

I live in Bedford in a complex that has 3 bdr apts. and the schools are really good in Bedford. Bedford, and my apt, are on the Bedford Burlington border. Bedford is a really safe town and the car insurance and taxes reflect that. There are a few new complexes in Bedford area that have 3 bedrooms and there are plenty of children in the complex I live in. My complex has some great amenities and the children have a front lawn that they play on and there is a tot lot for young children. We have an outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi and a great work out facility.

Lexington from what I know also has good schools and is safe, has a walkable town center as well.

If you go to rent.com and put in the town you will get the complexes, including mine, with what they have and the monthly costs.

If you want the names of the complexes that are brand new, built last year, send me a DM. Both complexes have the washer/dryer in unit, are in Bedford, and are safe and quiet.

Best wishes to you.

[EricaLorraine]

The north shore is a great place to live. Burlington, Stoneham, Woburn, Reading and Wakefield are great. If you've got the $$$ Andover is nice too. Not too sure about the south shore.
If your job is in Boston you may want to live close to public transportation but then you get into icky parts of the city.
Wellesley and Natick are nice too. Good luck

[EricaLorraine]

I used to work in Waltham. Its safe. All the schools are really good out here.

[missionhill]

Boston suburbs are much less dense than LA. Especially outside the Route 128 loop highway, house lots are comparatively huge, often a half acre, an acre, or more. You might like that, or not.

[Easy Pick]

The problem is that every North Shore town you are mentioning are extremely expensive. More than likely the houses people look at will be in Malden, Methuen, Braintree, Quincy, Medford, etc...