Need Recommended Suburbs/Neighborhoods (Boston, Cambridge: school, to live, restaurants)

[notsobkcuf]

Arlington as a town is nothing special, but it is a prime location in a few ways...which I will choose not to list because some of the destinations it is close to are already overcrowded. But indeed, there is a huge housing bubble on both coasts, that is bound to burst.

[Whatsnext75]

Perhaps Arlington is an entirely different place than what i remember...I do have a friend that lives there in a tiny cape style house with vinyl siding and i cant believe what it's worth on zestimate. I guess people like it for the closer commute.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Partial Observer

Serious question: What are these jobs that allow the majority of posters in this forum to pay $900K and up for houses? I'd be happy to light my graduate degree on fire and go back to school for one of these plum gigs.

Thinking of the people I know that bought in Belmont: Private Equity Exec and high end RN

Somerville (Davis sq): Doctor x2 (one more research)

Arlington: Lawyer and Actuary, and Professor (tenured at one of the big Cambridge places) and Pharm Exec

I'll never be able to pay a third of that with my grad degree (unmarried), but I love my job and wouldn't trade it for the world.

Originally Posted by notsobkcuf

Arlington as a town is nothing special, but it is a prime location in a few ways...which I will choose not to list because some of the destinations it is close to are already overcrowded. But indeed, there is a huge housing bubble on both coasts, that is bound to burst.

The food scene there has improved greatly, and the schools have gotten better. Perfect place to jump on route 2 with great access to Cambridge and red line as well.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

Perhaps Arlington is an entirely different place than what i remember...I do have a friend that lives there in a tiny cape style house with vinyl siding and i cant believe what it's worth on zestimate. I guess people like it for the closer commute.

I've worked with a few clients over the last few years that were interested in Arlington so I've gotten to know it. It always seemed like a nice place to live to me. I grew up in Framingham so I had no previous exposure to it and I'm not aware of what it used to be like.

I wouldn't place too much stock in the Zestimate. If it says the house is worth $600K then it could actually be worth anywhere from $400K to $800K.

[Whatsnext75]

It used to be more townie/blue collar from what i recall

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

It used to be more townie/blue collar from what i recall

Not much, not in the 80s anyway.
We in Belmont looked at it as the less affluent side of the highway, but that while technically may still be true, the gap is narrowed greatly.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

It used to be more townie/blue collar from what i recall

And that's changed over the past 20 years. Arlington today is where the Cambridge and Somerville folks move to once they have kids. It's city-lite with good schools, great dining, and great access to Boston and Fresh Pond. And it doesn't come with the Lexington or Belmont prices.

I could easily see a house in the Heights or on Mystic Ave. right on the lake being $1 million plus. Heck, houses here in Burlington are cresting the 7 figure mark - not many but it's happened.

[mwbms28]

As a 35-year old, married male who lives in Wellesley, I can see the draw of Arlington. 10-15 minutes to Harvard Square, Porter Square, Davis Square, Inman Square... The dining, entertainment, and cultural options nearby are virtually unlimited. The towns nearby are mostly all places you want to go to: close to Rte 2 (15-20 minutes out to Concord, even), close to Lexington, close to Belmont, close to Waltham (lots of good restaurants if not the flashiest town). Suburban towns like Wellesley/Needham/Dover/Wayland/Sudbury/Natick simply do not have close to the dining/entertainment/cultural options at hand the way Arlington does.

The park by the water tower probably has the best skyline of Boston anywhere.

Arlington aside, you could get a big, newer house in Natick at your price - check out the neighborhoods by Leonard-Morse Hospital and off Glen Road. Needham would probably work but you're starting to get squeezed at $900K. The corner of Dedham near the Noble and Greenough School has some very nice houses, and nearby Dedham Center is solid. Medfield and Westwood are two other options, though you are starting to get a little far from the city. The part of Westwood near Legacy Place, though, especially around Gay Street, is close to 128 and thus more convenient.

[GeneX]

Will do. We are relocating from Seattle and, though we've visited Boston several times for work and as a tourist - this has primarily been in the city and we really know very little of the suburbs beyond the areas I mentioned that I visited in the OP and what we can dig up online. Fortunately we have several months to make the move - so this set of comments is exactly what I need - very useful.

We are a late 30s couple with 2 kids in middle school. Could maybe spend a bit over the 900k if the "perfect" home popped up with everything we wanted and no need to remodel - but not much more.

[Brave Stranger]

I would say check out Melrose, which is a great little town, but unless things have changed a lot the schools in that town are good, but not great. You would certainly get a great home at 900k there. I'm sure someone here can speak better about Melrose schools & what progress they have made than I. Coming from the Seattle area I'm sure you are used to inflated home prices. It's still a difficult market to buy into here. Good luck