Living somewhere between Cambridge and North Easton MA (Boston, Brockton: rentals, condo)

[kathleen47]

Dear all Boston Forumites,

The significant other and I may be moving to the Boston area. Sig. would be working in Cambridge and I in the Easton/Brockton area. We would like Sigs commute to be either shorter than mine or at least with buses and the T. Given some budget constraint of around $1700/month for a 2B/1+Bath condo with at least one space (and on street parking as an option), where would you recommend?

We like the idea of Watertown, Waltham, or Newton. How bad would the commute to Brockton/Easton be?

How about South Boston?

We also like the idea of Quincy.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

We would like to be able to walk to a few restaurants and shops. A nearby park for our one year old would be nice as well.

Thank you for all of your advice.

[Bexo]

I would think that West Roxbury (in Boston), Dedham or Milton would be ideal for you in terms of commute. All would be safe for your family and provide the park option that you seek. They are a little more suburban than urban and offer restaurants and retail but not so sure you will find a central location for bistro/cafe type places to stroll around in Dedham or Milton. Keep in mind that one of the worst commute areas in the state is I-93/128 from the Braintree split to Route 24 so moving to Quincy or Southie would put you right in that mess plus in Southie you would have to deal w/ the expressway every day which is never good. Watertown/Waltham/Newton all would fulfill your needs but in the commute to Easton/Brockton you will be dealing w/ 128 in the morning and afternoon and even though you will be going against the commute in theory there is still going to be significant traffic to contend with (probably not as bad as the other route I mentioned though). Newton would be the priciest of the three. Another town to consider would be Needham, it's pricey and I don't know how many rentals there are but it would have the shops to stroll to, parks for the little one and commuter rail into Boston's South Station then Red Line to Cambridge.

[kathleen47]

Thanks Bexo. We will update our search and look at West Roxbury and Dedham. I like the idea of west roxbury, but worry about the Boston schools. Another town that has been added to the search is Norwood. Any comments on Norwood?

[holden125]

Milton seems like perhaps the best fit. The red line (mattapan connector) goes there, and it's got access to the south. Needham to South Station alone takes something like 45 minutes (who knows why, except the route loops around) and with an added ride to Cambridge it's over an hour.

Something near the Auburndale, West Newton, or Newtonville stops on the Framingham line has quicker train access to South Station than Needham, but it's still probably 45 mintues one way to Cambridge. Auburndale is very nice and is closest to 128 for the drive south, but 128 is not much fun. It can be very slow. Anything else in Newton (say along the D line) would take too long to downtown Boston for the switch to the Red Line).

Norwood is OK, a nice downtown area (real small town USA feel) but the schools might be better in Westwood, which also has a pretty quick ride to South Station from the 128 stop. It's something like 20 mins. You can go through Norwood from Westwood to 95 South. Westwood's a bit more woodsy but Norwood's pretty quiet too.

I like Watertown a lot but I wouldn't want to commute to Easton from there.