Should we live in Milton or Canton? (house, neighborhoods)

[cailindeascork]

Hello - some help please!
We are torn between living in Milton or Canton. I want Milton, my husband prefers a house in Canton.
Schools are a big priority, as is the general neighborhood being kid friendly as we have a 4.5 year old, 19 month old and are due twins in 6 weeks. We have seen a house in Canton that is very lovely and could work but I'm just not convinced by the Canton area. I can't even articulate what doesn't 'click' for me; I just prefer the feeling I get from the Cunningham Park neighborhood of Milton.
Can anyone tell me if the impression I have of Milton having more of a community/neighborhood feel is rational??! Any advice regarding Canton in general? What is the JFK elementary school like?

Thanks so much!

[proudestmonkey]

I prefer the feel of Milton, too, as parts of it feel a little more urban and are better connected to public transport, but it all depends on what you want. If you ask my MIL who grew up in Milton and is now going to sell the family home there, she warns us not to live there unless we "live in the really nice part". Not sure exactly what the really nice part is, but a lot of the neighborhoods that border the Mattapan/Dorchester area have been having crime/drug problems. I'm sure that's not a new thing, but I think that it's spreading.

I used to work in Milton, but I don't know much about Canton, other than driving through it, and it's not really my thing.

[cailindeascork]

Thanks for the response proudest monkey! I guess there is just something about Milton that connects with me so much more than Canton, but I feel I have to give Canton at least some consideration. We moved here 7 weeks ago from the UK (via Ireland!) so we're still just finding our feet but have spent the past 6-8 months prior to moving doing lots of research on areas to live. I have heard that the areas of Milton that border Mattapan are dodgy but we are not looking in that area. If we can't find a house in the Cunningham Park area then Milton is not an option as that's the neighborhood we really like. We lived in New Haven CT before we moved to the UK and found that there you can live in the most gorgeous of neighborhoods but walk over a few blocks and it's not so nice. For me, now being a stay at home mom with 4 kids under 5, a family friendly neighborhood with good schools is essential. Also, we will have a steady stream of family visiting from Ireland and Canada so proximity to public transportation etc... is definitely a bonus.
Thanks again for your thoughts. I really appreciate it!