Where to live - working in Mansfield, spouse working in Boston (Cambridge: townhouse, neighborhoods)

[dimitri1000]

I am going for an interview next week for a job that I think is in Mansfield. If I take it my husband would work in Cambridge. I don't know too much about Boston, but on the map these look very far apart. Can someone tell me if this is doable? We have kids so would like to live in a house, in a very good school district. We'd like a semi-urban environment though. A huge priority also is minimizing the commute.

If anyone has thoughts on where to live and what the commute might be, I'd love to hear them. Thanks.

[ogre]

A lot depends on your housing budget. Also, what you mean by "semi-urban" makes a difference, as does the question of whether you'd want to be somewhere in the middle between both workplaces or closer to one or the other. One more question would be whether either of you would be likely to use public transit for the commute.

To get things started, I'm not sure what the schools are like, but the first place that comes to mind somewhere roughly midway between Cambridge and Mansfield that might be described as "semi-urban" is Quincy. Quincy is an inner-suburban small city with a mix of urban and suburban character. Nearby is Milton, which could be another possibility, if you would like, and can afford, a town that's a bit more upscale, and can go with a town that leans more toward suburban than Quincy, though older suburban with some population density.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by dimitri1000

I am going for an interview next week for a job that I think is in Mansfield. If I take it my husband would work in Cambridge. I don't know too much about Boston, but on the map these look very far apart. Can someone tell me if this is doable? We have kids so would like to live in a house, in a very good school district. We'd like a semi-urban environment though. A huge priority also is minimizing the commute.

If anyone has thoughts on where to live and what the commute might be, I'd love to hear them. Thanks.

I agree that a lot depends on your housing budget and what you consider "semi-urban". If you want to minimize your dual commute, why not choose one of the many towns that are between Boston and Mansfield down the I-95 corridor? Some possibilities include Dedham, Canton, Westwood, Norwood, Sharon, Walpole, and Mansfield itself. I'm sure there are other possibilities, but these towns would minimize the total travel the two of you would have to do. I don't know that any of these towns meet your requirement of "semi-urban", altough Dedham is pretty dense and Norwood has a nice, walkable town center. Westwood and Sharon both have well regarded schools if that is more important to you--the other towns have reasonable schools as well.

Of course, there are more urban towns and towns with better schools, but those will be a little more out of the way. Depending on your budget you might want to consider Newton--it might be a hike to Mansfield, but it will be closer to Cambridge and will be more urban with good schools.

Finally, I know people who live as far as Mansfield itself and make the commute in to Boston, so it is definitely doable. If you want better recomendations, I think you'll need to be more specific about what your budget is and what "semi-urban" means.

[dimitri1000]

I think our budget will be somewhere between 600-900k for a 3 bedroom house or townhouse, the higher end for a more desirable location. Schools are a top priority. As far as the type of town, we'd love to be able to walk out of our house to a coffee shop or restaurant without driving. We currently live in a city, so a direct move to the suburbs may be a bit much for us right now. We'd rather be closer to Boston, if possible on a train line that goes into Cambridge if that is possible. I am assuming the drive to Mansfield would be a reverse commute so I wouldn't be running into too much traffic? Thanks for your help.

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by dimitri1000

I think our budget will be somewhere between 600-900k for a 3 bedroom house or townhouse, the higher end for a more desirable location. Schools are a top priority. As far as the type of town, we'd love to be able to walk out of our house to a coffee shop or restaurant without driving. We currently live in a city, so a direct move to the suburbs may be a bit much for us right now. We'd rather be closer to Boston, if possible on a train line that goes into Cambridge if that is possible. I am assuming the drive to Mansfield would be a reverse commute so I wouldn't be running into too much traffic? Thanks for your help.

600-900k ought to be enough for most Boston neighborhoods though perhaps not right in the downtown. Mansfield is close by Interstate 95 and also has a commuter rail station (on the Attleboro/Providence Line if I can recall). Boston has an excellent transportation system, the MBTA, that has numerous rapid transit lines that service most neighborhoods and inner ring suburbs as well. The Red Line runs right through Cambridge with stops at MIT and Harvard Square while the Green Line terminates at the northeastern corner of Cambridge near the Cambridgeside Galleria Mall.

Schools are a different issue however. While some affluent suburbs such as Newton, Brookline, Belmont, Watertown, and Needhan have excellent schools, it is very competitive to get into a good public elementary or high school in Boston. The Boston Public Schools are by and large horrible (I currently teach in one of the district high schools) with the exception of examination schools such as the renowned Boston Latin School, its sister school Boston Latin Academy, and a handful of small pilot schools. I suggest looking at private and parochial schools as well or else try moving to an inner ring suburb with quality education such as Brookline.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by dimitri1000

I think our budget will be somewhere between 600-900k for a 3 bedroom house or townhouse, the higher end for a more desirable location. Schools are a top priority. As far as the type of town, we'd love to be able to walk out of our house to a coffee shop or restaurant without driving. We currently live in a city, so a direct move to the suburbs may be a bit much for us right now. We'd rather be closer to Boston, if possible on a train line that goes into Cambridge if that is possible. I am assuming the drive to Mansfield would be a reverse commute so I wouldn't be running into too much traffic? Thanks for your help.

You would be reverse commuting from most locations closer to the city--except if you end up north of the turnpike, in which case you will be forward-commuting until you get south of the turnpike. This would be relevant for towns like Belmont or Arlington. It seems that Newton or Brookline would be your best bets if you don't mind a somewhat long commute to Mansfield (google maps is a good way of estimating the time without traffic). Neither are particularly convenient to Cambridge on public transit, but are close enough that the commute should be bearable. Both have good schools and are more urban than all of the towns I mentioned--with Brookline being more urban than Newton.

[ogre]

Based on your additional info, another vote for Newton or Brookline. Between the two, you can find neighborhoods that range in character anywhere from established older suburban to urban. Both towns have neighborhoods that have coffee shops, small restaurants, and other local shopping nearby. There are negatives with these towns. Both would definitely be at the top of your housing budget. In fact, there will be houses selling for well above 900k in either town. The other possible drawback is that the public transit commute to Cambridge would involve a change of trains. Not a bad commute at all compared to driving in from the outer suburbs, but still not quite as convenient as the shortest, most direct commutes that it's possible to have if living right in the city.

You might also think about Belmont and Arlington. They would offer some of the coffee-shop-around-the-corner amentities, and are likely to have more housing options within your budget. I'm not sure one way or the other what the schools are like in either of those towns, so you would want to check into that. Also, those towns are north of the turnpike, with that situation where you would not be doing the reverse commute to Mansfield until partway into the commute. Another point to consider is that Arlington may offer more in the way of local shopping and dining, but in some areas would involve using the bus for public transit (though the east side of Arlington is very close to a subway station just over the line in Cambridge), while Belmont has commuter rail service. Belmont and Arlington are worth at least having on your initial list of possibilities, though, despite the fact that they may fall short of the ideal in some ways.

[MissMee]

We LOVE Mansfield and are sad to be selling our home here. We have lived in many towns around here (Sharon and Canton being the closest), and Mansfield is by FAR the best one. Sharon schools are supposed to be top-notch, but we honestly couldn't stand them or the town. We made it there only a year before moving to Mansfield and thank our lucky stars every day! We love the schools here and have 3 in the schools at the moment. The preschools are also great and have done a great job at preparing them for kindergarten. My kindergartener is already reading, skip counting by 5s and 10s, working on clocks, and some other things I remember teaching in the latter part of the 1st grade year back when I was a teacher in NH.

We have neighbors who commute by the train into Boston every day, and they say it's not too bad. Definitely beats battling traffic!

We have a 4-5 bedroom home here in Mansfield that is only $550k, so the prices here are a little lower, too, because of its location down 95. But you definitely get more yard around here!

[MissMee]

Oh, and another thing about Mansfield schools since you mentioned wanting good schools - When we lived in Sharon, my oldest was in kindergarten and 1st grade. He was struggling in school with reading, but the teachers in his school there didn't seem to care that much. They didn't offer support of any kind, even though that age is a crucial stepping stone for the grades to come. He was basically left alone to the point where he dreaded going to school. As soon as we moved to Mansfield mid-year of his 1st grade year, they immediately coded him as needing reading support. He attended reading help class during his regular class' reading time (so he didn't miss anything) on a daily basis where they helped him rebuild what he had missed over the last year. His reading improved 100%, and he began to enjoy reading. He was dismissed from the program before the end of the year in 2nd grade and hasn't had any problems since. He's only improved.

Same with my daughter who is in 1st grade now. She was actually what I'd consider a good reader, but they still felt that she could benefit from a little help. They confirmed that she didn't need much help and that she *got* it, but that any extra work was a benefit. It's been absolutely wonderful for her!

Not to mention that all the schools are separated by ages, so there aren't small children in with older kids. Same for the busses, which I think is great.

[sheffield]

Hi, Missme! I was very interested in your description of Mansfield. I've been researching for over a year now and have narrowed my search to Mansfield-haven't heard a bad thing about it yet. Our only hesitation is the commute to Boston for my husband. We live in Boston now, Roslindale, and are used to a quick commute for both of us, but we need a town with a great family community and a great school system. I am not impressed with Foxborough, Canton, or Walpole. How bad is the commute by car? Have you sold your house yet, or are you looking for a buyer?