Relocating from SLC to the Boston Area. (Worcester, Springfield: best towns, sales)

[WanderingGypsy]

Hi friends. We are looking to re-locate from the SLC, Ut area to somewhere in and around Boston (within a 2 hour drive, reasonably). My husbands job is remote, so we wont need to look for employment. I'll begin looking once we are there & settled. We would like a 4bdrm home to rent, in and around the $2k range. If we can keep under that, awesome, if not that's okay too. I am looking for cities and/or zip codes in and around the Boston area that is family friend. I've been looking at a map to try and get a better feel for the area, but it's a bit daunting. We plan on flying out end of April to look & hopefully put a deposit on a home. Any city/location suggestion input would be greatly appreciated. We are hoping to zero in on the cities we want to visit while there as we'll only have a few days to find something.

Thanks you guys!

[bler144]

Are you talking 2 hours off-peak, or two hours at rush?

2 hours off-peak draws a pretty big radius - something like 75% of the population of New England falls in that circle. Providence RI (65 min), Concord NH (90 min), and even Biddeford ME are within that radius.

Now, if you're wanting to get to Logan during rush hour within 2 hours, that's much tougher. But Manchester NH and Providence both have pretty good airports as well.

For a good recommendation, you'll have to throw a few more preferences on the table of things you want/don't: Beaches, skiing, urban/rural, etc.

[WanderingGypsy]

And there is where my ignorance shows! lol We probably wont be commuting much as my husband will be working from home when he's not traveling, and I will find a job close by (hopefully), it's mostly to get to & from the airport, when we do I'd like the driving distance to not be miserably long and unless those other airports have direct flights to & from Ireland, we'll be sticking with that one. I really don't mind if it's beaches, skiing, urban/rural - as long as it's affordable & schools are decent. I'd really prefer rent to not be more than $2k a month.

I'm not sure how accurate this list is, but I've been looking at these cities as well - mostly out of curiosity & to see what's out there.


The Best Towns in Massachusetts for Raising Kids

[lrmsd]

In addition to the towns people recommend in MA, you might want to check out Dover/Durham area of NH. Great schools, a little over an hour from Boston [without traffic], near the coast and mountains and no state sales or income tax. [Property taxes are high, but if you are renting, that's not a problem]. Check out Oyster River School District. Durham is a college town, and nearby Portsmouth NH is a highly rated little city, too.

[WanderingGypsy]

Originally Posted by lrmsd

In addition to the towns people recommend in MA, you might want to check out Dover/Durham area of NH. Great schools, a little over an hour from Boston [without traffic], near the coast and mountains and no state sales or income tax. [Property taxes are high, but if you are renting, that's not a problem]. Check out Oyster River School District. Durham is a college town, and nearby Portsmouth NH is a highly rated little city, too.

Thank you! That's helpful. I'll look into it

[CaseyB]

Many of those towns are going to be out of your price range, at least the ones close to Boston. Longmeadow is nice, but since it's outside Springfield, that's too far. I have no idea how they came up with places like Somerset and Wilmington.

Would you want the $2000 budget to include utilities? It's going to cost you a lot to heat a 4 bedroom home.

[WanderingGypsy]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

Many of those towns are going to be out of your price range, at least the ones close to Boston. Longmeadow is nice, but since it's outside Springfield, that's too far. I have no idea how they came up with places like Somerset and Wilmington.

Would you want the $2000 budget to include utilities? It's going to cost you a lot to heat a 4 bedroom home.

Yeah. I wasn't taking all of them seriously, just curious about the cities themselves No, I am only adding in the $2k for rent. Utilities would be separate from that, although having it included would be awesome! That would be crazy affordable. I am guessing with this area of the country that's not going to happen, if we want to live in a nice area.

[CaseyB]

The suggestion of southern New Hampshire is a good one. The rents will be lower and many of the school districts are good. Check on the New Hampshire forum.

[WanderingGypsy]

Thanks for the input you guys, I appreciate it

[magicshark]

As far as NH is concerned be very careful of the school districts, some are not very good. Dover schools are not good and my stepdaughter goes to UNH, she finds parts of Dover sketchy. Exeter right down the street would be a good bet. Incredible school system, the train to Boston, and just a really cute town. I think Hampton, in that area too, has great schools. I would stay away from any city in southern NH, Nashua, Salem, Manchester, etc. The Hollis/Brookline school district and towns themselves are highly regarded.
Also at that budget check towns in Midddlesex county out where it borders Worcester county and towns like Sutton, Blackstone, etc. There are great affordable towns out here that get ignored here on CD. I pay 1400 for a 3 bedroom, 1 and half bath with a huge yard in a school district that bends over backwards for my son. We are about an hour northwest of Boston, still in Massachusetts though.