HELP - Need advice on Hingham, Needham, Lexington, and Concord (Boston: house, neighborhoods)

[BostonMom77]

My husband and I are hoping to relocate within the year to a town with:

- fabulous schools (our oldest is going into kindergarten)... feel free to brag about or critique individual schools, too
- a good, safe community for young families like ours... we would like to make friends with our neighbors
- a reasonable commute to Cambridge and the Back Bay... we can drive or take the train
- a town with a good center and things to do there, so we don't have to leave for everything

We had our hearts set on Hingham, but are getting cold feet about the commute. We thought we should expand our horizons a bit to weigh the pros & cons of things, and have recently added Needham, Lexington and Concord to our list. I understand so much of this is subjective, but I would love a list of pros and cons for each town, from those who may know more about them than we do. Anyone care to put a quick list of those together, and if you're in a position to compare, to weigh in on which of these may be best, given the criteria listed above?

Many, many thanks!

[kmann-sherborn]

You definitely picked communities that consistently have highly regarded public school systems & there are certainly a wide variety of community activities and ways to get to know your neighbors. I really can't say that any of these is far better than another. It's really just a matter of personal taste. If you're new to the area you might have someone show you around the neighborhoods in each town of interest so you can get a better sense of the overall community. I also had clients who used to stop and get breakfast before our showings and spend some time strolling around the town centers in the areas of interest to them. They often ended up striking up a conversation with people along the way and learning more about the area.

For commuting by train, Needham is the easiest to Back Bay, as the train line goes directly there where as the Concord train goes to N Station.

Have you also looked at Wellesley? It's also on the train line that goes to Back Bay & South Station and has easy access to Boston. It has everything you're looking for. Many of my clients who fall in love with Concord also are keen on Wellesley. I think it's a lovelier version of Needham. There are lots of wonderful children's programs as well, including hundreds through the Wellesley Free Library.

[kmann-sherborn]

Here's a bit more school data:
Boston's Best Schools 2012: Boston Magazine's Best Schools Ranking | Boston Magazine
Top Massachusetts High Schools | Best High Schools | US News
GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

[kingeorge]

To have reasonable commute to Cambridge you need to stay west or north of the Boston. Going to Hingham or Needham, Cambridge commute will not be easy. Going to Concord both commute destinations are far away. If you go to Lexington, Cambridge is not bad, but Back Bay is much longer commute. I would add Brookline and Winchester to your list. I think both offer more reasonable commute to both locations--which is hard to get in this area. Great neighborhoods and excellent schools. Winchester more sleepy and quiet, Brookline more semi-urban, bustling with energy and things to do. There are more quieter parts in Brookline too. Good luck.

[MikePRU]

All the towns mentioned really tick the boxes for your requests like good school system, safe, friendly, etc. However . . .

A commute from Hingham to Back Bay wouldn't be too bad. Driving from Hingham isn't all that fun, but taking the commuter boat or the commuter train are good options. However, a commute from Hingham to Cambridge would be pretty unpleasant. Public transportation from Hingham to Cambridge would require a lot of switching and waiting. Driving from Hingham to Cambridge I picture as being a pretty ugly commute.

Concord is a nice town too but commuting from Concord to Back Bay is not a wonderful commute. Concord to Cambridge is pretty easy though. Lexington is a lovely town as well but has similar commuting issues as Concord.

Wellesley is also a lovely town and I think offers a bit more of a balance between the two commutes but it's quite pricey and you will not be able to buy as much house in Wellesley as you would in other towns. Wellesley does have a great town center with lots of shops & restaurants.

Needham offers a similar commute to Wellesley. I live in Needham and my wife commutes to Harvard Square in Cambridge. The drive for her is about 30 minutes but she commutes outside of rush hour so during rush hour I would add 10-15 minutes to that number. Needham has a smaller town center than Wellesley or Lexington but considering the size of the town the center is a good size. Your dollar will go further in Needham than Wellesley or Lexington as well.

It sounds to me you're looking for something rather suburban. I know Cambridge and Brookline were mentioned and they do have some suburban feeling areas but those areas can be quite expensive. The rest of Cambridge and Brookline is very dense and more urban feeling.

I would second the suggestion that you take some time to explore these towns yourself. I find each will offer a different environ which may or may not be a good fit for you. People can offer their opinion on here all day long but at the end of the day the most important opinion is yours.

[measured1]

Did you look into Newton at all? Just curious because your needs sound like this is the right place, location-wise. (pricy, but not sure if you would give up house for commute ease)

[BostonMom77]

Thank you for your input. We are local so we know these areas a bit, yet we've still been struggling with this choice for quite some time. We're now onto the stage of visiting towns more religiously and meeting with realtors, which as other posters indicated, should surely help.

For those who suggested it, I have considered Wellesley at various times, but lovely as it is (and it is a gorgeous town), I have my concerns with how affected it is. I have friends who grew up there but wont go back, for fear it's becoming more & more pretentious. That has also been the vibe I've gotten when spending time there. While it's a broad generalization, I am not sure that town is right for us, despite all it offers.

[mdovell]

"Driving from Hingham to Cambridge I picture as being a pretty ugly commute."

Perhaps but driving in itself in Cambridge is ugly all the time. I take 93 rather than 95 to work. Initially I thought cambridge would be scenic and it is...but you cannot realistically drive in Cambridge more than 15 feet without having to stop. Pedestrian friendly on their standards is not exactly car friendly. Crosswalks without lights, people going in and out all the time, few signaling, traffic from MIT etc. Either they should totally 100% ban cars in the area or have some ramp to drive around it. Otherwise it is the slowest traffic I've seen in the state.

[Cato the Elder]

As people have pointed out, taking the train from Concord to the Back Bay is not ideal, but there is a non-stop commuter bus (Yankee Line) that picks up near the rotary (7am) and depot (7:10) and gets you to Copley before 8.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by mdovell

"Driving from Hingham to Cambridge I picture as being a pretty ugly commute."

Perhaps but driving in itself in Cambridge is ugly all the time. I take 93 rather than 95 to work. Initially I thought cambridge would be scenic and it is...but you cannot realistically drive in Cambridge more than 15 feet without having to stop. Pedestrian friendly on their standards is not exactly car friendly. Crosswalks without lights, people going in and out all the time, few signaling, traffic from MIT etc. Either they should totally 100% ban cars in the area or have some ramp to drive around it. Otherwise it is the slowest traffic I've seen in the state.

When I met my wife she was living in Cambridge and driving through there you really have to be extra careful not to hit the bike riders and pedestrians who come darting out in front of your car. It's really something else.

Driving from Hingham to Back Bay is not exactly a party either, but at least there are good public transportation options as alternatives.