Cheapest places to live 45-60 min from Boston? (Cambridge, Haverhill: renting, low crime)

[ArizonaMommy]

Boston area is proving to be pretty expensive so ive been looking into nearby surrounding areas. They seem to be more affordable since they are 45-60 minutes away from Boston. It will be quite a commute but I need something more affordable!

[Beachcomber4]

What's your budget and do you have children of an age that make quality of education a concern?

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber4

What's your budget and do you have children of an age that make quality of education a concern?

This is important because some of the most affordable places are the outlying urban areas which generally have schools that range from OK to awful.

Beyond that, what type of place would you like to have? Would you rather be in a city where you can walk to amenities or a suburb, rural area, etc? Are you planning on renting or owning?

[Valerie C]

You could consider Haverhill. It's got the train to Boston (North Station), a downtown that is getting lots of attention from out-of-towners (I mean this in a good way). There are some neighborhoods that are kind of terrible, but many that are really great. And the schools--much will depend on your families needs. In my family, 3 out of 3 nephews have graduated from the Haverhill school system, all 3 have gone on to 4-year university, 1 graduated magna *** laude, and the other 2 will be graduating next year. Each of these families places high value on education, no nonsense is tolerated (from the student or the school system). However, if you do have kids and they require SPED-services, Haverhill may not be the best fit (budget issues, cuts in services). This can be said of many other cities and towns, however...

[RedSoxFan4eva]

Leominster,Ayer or Gardner are fairly cheaper,Leominster has a commuter train that goes into Boston,45-60 minutes on rte.2 depending on the time,also has much shopping districts,decent schools(pop.44.000) low crime rate,generally a nice place to live as I moved here from Chicago 25 years ago rents from $600-$1200,depending on what you need.Houses go for $120,000-$300,00 again depends on your style. So there it is Good Luck in your search!

[forrestgump]

I like Andover, Methuen, Chelmsford, North Andover, Peabody, and Beverly (all within about 30-minute commutes to Boston during non-rush hour). If you're going for the 45-minute commutes, Newburyport and Amesbury are awesome and Leominster and Fitchburg are also nice.

[cwaggy]

Salem and Beverly are nice just learn which neighborhoods are best. Commuter rail and close to Gloucester for beaches and authentic seacoast New England.

[western mass and love it]

lol Fitchburg is so not nice,that whole area of rt2 is like hitting a time warp back to the mid 90's

[miu]

When will you be commuting? The time of day that you are traveling will determine the real time it takes you to get back and forth from Boston to your home.

The problem with living 45-60 minutes away from the Boston area is that it will cost you a lot more in commuting and travel costs. Then factor in the added time you will lose in rush hour traffic. Housing also generally costs more when it's locating close to amenities like a commuter rail service. And although rents are cheaper in more remote locations, you will lose on having to own a car to get places.

[boston999]

I would not recommend Leominster or Fitchburg. Both are pretty dumpy IMO. I can't say I've ever lived there but it was the closest towns with shopping by where I used to live (still it was 25 mins). It is like a time warp and the stores are all pretty low end.

I also wouldn't recommend Gardner. You're over 60 minutes even without traffic.

If you want to move somewhere and mapquest says it is 60 minutes PLEASE do a test run during rush hour and to make sure the commute is something you can deal with. Gardner, Leominster, and Fitchburg you would come down Rt 2 which is a nightmare once you get to the end of Rt 2 by Alewife in Cambridge.