Am I crazy to consider Acton? (Boston, Worcester: renting, house, transfer)

[digijules]

Hi guys - first time poster here. My husband and I sold our house in Waltham in the spring and are currently renting while we look for somewhere to buy. He works in Bedford and I work in Downtown Crossing. We've been looking in the Bedford/Lexington/Concord area but just recently have been toying with the idea of Acton because of the wide open neighborhood feel, the excellent schools and the price of housing relative to closer-in areas.

So, the question is - am I crazy to think I can regularly commute downtown from Acton? How do people do it - drive in to Alewife on Rte 2 or commuter rail? One problem is that I work closer to South Station than north, and the Fitchburg line goes to North. I would have to transfer at Porter or walk from North.

I would love to hear from people who do this type of commute. How long does it take? What time do you have to leave the city in order to make it home for dinner (I have a son who I'd love to see every once in awhile

Thanks!

[kmann-sherborn]

Sorry I don't know the commute time to/from Acton but had a few other thoughts for you.

You could find something in North Wayland near the Lincoln train and have an easier commute for both of you. Wayland is a lovely quiet town with lots of open space, generous-sized house lots & very well regarded schools. And would still not be a bad commute headed to Bedford & is also closer to Boston for when you need to drive. Prices are high but are somewhat more reasonable than Lexington.

Or, you could consider towns that are along the train lines that go into South Station? Towns like Hopkinton are more reasonably priced but have highly regarded schools - with honorable mention from Money Magazine, US News & World Report, etc for its public schools, but would get you to South Station in about an hour vs driving & you'd still have access to lots of wide open spaces, good sized home lots, many trails & two lakes in town for swimming, boating, sailing, etc. The drive to Bedford wouldn't be great for your husband, but if he left really early or a little after rush hour it should be doable in less than an hour.

Anyhow, just a few ideas for what it's worth. :-)

[KellyCrash]

I've only drive through Acton once or twice, but I thought it a very lovely town. I don't think you're crazy at all. It's quite charming there.

Wayland tho with the commuter rail into South Station and relative closeness to Bedford sounds ideal to me tho.

[holden125]

You are right that Acton is pretty, has great schools and its housing prices are more affordable than Concord or Lexington, etc. But I'd give serious thought before communting from there downtown. People do it, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's a good 40-45 minutes from South Acton just to Porter, plus the Red Line, and that's with no delays. Remember you'd have to do that twice every day.

Not sure of prices but maybe Reading or Lynnfield would work for you. The train from Wakefield or Reading (or Anderson-Woburn) is about 25-30 minutes to North Station, where you can get the Orange Line.

[sblumberg]

I used to take the commuter rail from Lincoln to Govt Center. Door to door it was about 1 hr and 15 minutes. That includes 10 minute drive to rail, and a 10 / 15 minute walk from N. Station to Govt Center. You can xfr at porter, or take orange line from NS to DC. Acton will be a little longer. If I missed the train, I would drive to Alewife which actually may have saved a few minutes on the commute. Traffic was manageable, but I was east of the concord rotary...

[brightdoglover]

I think S. Acton train to Porter and then a quick rush on the Red Line to South Station is perfectly managable.

[rmikio]

Hi there,

I study at Tufts University (therefore near Davis Sq. in Red Line) and I commute either by driving or using the commuter rail + T + bus.

I chose Acton because:
- it IS a lovely and calm town with (I would say) zero violence, nice people, great parks, Starbucks (what is a grad student without coffee?) right next to my door;
- it has an excellent school system (I don't have kids, but I like to be in a community that valorizes education);
- the Fitchburg Line goes to the Red Line (via Porter Sq. Station) and personally I think that the Red Line is the best line to commute into Boston;
- and, of course, prices for home are lower here (and I expect they will rise in 5 years or so).

I hate driving (it stresses me out!) and I think the commuter rail is always running (while raining, snowing, etc.) and it gives me some time to read and study during the commute.

I am used to the Fitchburg Line since I used to live in Waltham. It is a quite reliable line. Although it has some delays sometimes, I just faced two or three times when the train didn't show up in 2 years (I took the 9:09AM from Waltham everyday during 2 years), and less than half a dozen times it was seriously delayed (more than 30 min delay).

It takes me about 1h15 to go to Tufts and it is fine for me, because I can read papers or study during the commute in the train.

The good thing about South Acton Station is its schedule. It is the only station (other than North Station) where the train stops/departs in every single time. All other stations have one or more blackout times.

You need to consider that Acton is Zone 6 (Waltham is Zone 2) and the fare is a little bit more expensive than Waltham.

I also noticed that the South Acton Station Parking lot gets full quickly in the morning (there are no spots to park if you want to catch the 8:41 train). However, the city provides another parking lot near the Fire Station (permit needed) and a shuttle (for a small fee).

Acton also offers a bus line (Yankee Line - [url=http://www.yankeeline.us/actonconcordcommuters.html]Yankee Line - Acton / Concord Commuters[/url]) from Acton-Colonial Spirits (at 7:00AM) to Copley Sq.

I hope this can help you and others to make a decision.

[MasstoMinn]

I used to commute to the Financial District from Acton. By car, on average, it took 90 minutes. I had my share of 2+ hour commutes due to accidents/snow/etc. I wanted to take the commuter rail (it's $50 for a parking pass) but as another poster noted it gets filled up quick. I considered driving to Alewife and taking the T, but for where I was going driving worked best. I've lived north, south and west of Boston and found that commuting into town will take at least an hour no matter where you live. Acton is a great town with a lot going for it so if you can handle the commute, you're not crazy!

[Frannyola]

My husband commutes to Cambridge daily from Acton with no trouble, by train. On those rare occasions when he misses the train and there is a big delay getting home, he reminds himself it is a small price to pay to live in such a great town.
Note that MART just opened up its medical shuttle to Bedford VA, Alewife, and BOston hospitals to the general public. It is an option now from the Acton area. The stop as of now is in Littleton. [url=http://www.mrta.us/bwshuttle.html]Boston and Worcester Shuttle Services* | MART[/url] .

[GAMEboyRU]

i thinking to move to acton myself how far is the commute to Lynn???