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My older brother and his wife who currently live in Toronto are expecting their first child, and they have decided they want to move back to the US. My brother and his wife are both doctors, so they have job opportunities in any city and should be able to afford to live in any city. They are looking to move to a suburb of a major city since they don't want to raise a kid in the city. I know a lot about cities, but I don't know very much about suburbs, so this is where I need your help. They are considering Seattle, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Boston, Denver, San Diego, DC, Dallas, and Atlanta. They are looking for a suburb that isn't too cookie cutter that have a lot of young families such as themselves that is very close to the city so they can still conveniently enjoy all of the amenities of the city. What are some great suburbs of these cities (or of other cities you think might be a good fit) that fit the description? Any suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks!
Brookline, MA - right next to Boston (parts of it feel like you're still in Boston), the T (train) runs through it, very close to one of the major medical areas, top notch school district, cute, walkable commercial areas with shops and restaurants. Very expensive though - single family homes are probably around 1M+ and we're not talking new construction. Lots of charm though.
Newton, MA as well. Right next to Brookline and another very nice suburb.
Many medical professionals with families live in these areas because, well, they can afford it, the public schools are great and close proximity to Boston hospitals.
ETA - Brookline is the birthplace of JFK. One can tour the childhood home.
The job market is really tough in California right now for most professions, so I don't know how easy it would be to get a job, even for doctors.
DC has a relatively good job market and has many family-friendly suburbs with some character (and good schools). I'm not sure of the schools, but areas around Alexandria, for example, are filled with character, are convenient to getting into DC, and have a lot of kids.
They might want to consider Minneapolis as well. There are many neighborhoods within the city that aren't traditionally "city," as well as some very non-cookie cutter but very nice inner suburbs with character and convenience (St. Louis Park, for one), great schools, and lots of young kids. Minneapolis/St. Paul offers a lot of the amenities associated with bigger cities but at a lower price tag (but still relatively high salaries), so although they may be able to afford anywhere, they'd still get a lot more for their money in Minneapolis than in somewhere like Boston. Minnesota is known for its good schools.
Leucadia is great; so, too, is neighboring Encinitas. If you live in the older part closer to the beach you can still get a sense of the traditional beach town. Beautiful beaches, nice weather, great downtown. Scripps Hospital is very convenient, otherwise there's also commuter rail (or not an unbearable drive) to get into San Diego.
The job market even now continues to be good and has great family friendly suburbs with character as uptown_urbanist pointed out. In Northern Virginia, other than Alexandria (where schools overall are just OK) they might want to look at Vienna (the old center section versus the newer section to the west) or the town of Fairfax (central core as well). Both are served by the Fairfax County School System which is one of the best in the nation. Vienna, Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Town of Vienna, Virginia, Town Government . (http://www.viennava.gov/Town_Info/visitorinfo.htm - broken link) Fairfax, Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Destination Fairfax: City of Fairfax, Virginia
My brother and his wife have (as of now) narrowed it down to Boston, Minneapolis, and SF. They are looking into Needham, Newton, Wellesley, and Brookline in the Boston area, Edina, Eden Prairie, and Wayzata in the Minneapolis area, and San Mateo and Berkeley in the SF area. Thanks for all the help, it is very much appreciated.
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