Best town to commute into Boston (Lynn, Newton: home, to buy, school districts)

[jan0105]

I agree with the others that finding that much land within a short commute is going to be next to impossible. Norwell is rural and has larger lots while also being close to rte 3, shopping, etc. Also has very good schools ... but at least an hour drive during rush hour.

[Steephill2]

lol you mean the mbta is always delayed? thats news to me!!

These are approximate estimates including a 15 to 35 min buffer. Its also going to depend on how close the OP will live to station. The commuting time on most days is perhaps a couple minutes to 5 min late pulling in to station from my own experience. I imagine its different for all the lines, and hence mentioned how actually taking the commute as a test is a better gauge. Its a different ballgame when the thing is delayed across the board or bad weather, but there will also be a day here and there it will just run slow and get you to your destination 10 or so min late, but thats not the norm. I do notice express trains to run closer to on time vs the ones where you have to stop at like 10 stops, which make sense. I assume the OP has read the millions of posts regarding the mbta and its issues on this forum.

[MrLinderman]

Originally Posted by jan0105

I agree with the others that finding that much land within a short commute is going to be next to impossible. Norwell is rural and has larger lots while also being close to rte 3, shopping, etc. Also has very good schools ... but at least an hour drive during rush hour.

Realistically it's probably closer to 90 if you aren't taking the HOV lane. Any backup on rt 3 and you're done. I mean I guess you can go 53 through Weymouth and get on the highway there, but that's going to take a while as well.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by MArelocate

Thanks, I just started looking at Carlisle/Concord due to their school rankings and it seems to be a pretty nice area and the commuter rail options seem to be decent too. Considering it cost 500+ a month for parking in my husband's building he is leaning towards the commuter rail options since he can also work on the train. How is parking in the commuter rail stations? I use to live by the Metro here in MD (walking) and if you didn't make it in before 7:15 you weren't finding any parking.

Parking is going to vary quite a bit by station. They all have different size lots and some stations are more popular than others. MBTA.com does show how many spaces are at each train station. If you end up targeting a specific town or specific area then certainly there are tons of people on here who can give you commuting advice.

Also, before you get too excited about Concord I would recommend doing a search here and reading up on the town a bit. It's a nice town but like all populations it has a personality to it. If you don't want to live in a town where they've banned bottled water then you don't want to live in Concord. Then again, it might be a perfect fit for you. Only you would know that.

Originally Posted by MArelocate

I just need to take a week vacation at some point to really go house shopping and look at the towns. I hate feeling pressured into buying right now.

You could rent for a while as someone else said, but moving multiple times stinks especially if you end up in a different school zone and your child or children have to change schools. Also, many relocation benefit packages have an expiration date on them and they can be worth a lot of money.

Asking lots of questions here is a good way to start off the process to insure that you'll find a landing spot that works for you.

[jan0105]

Concord has banned bottled water??

[Steephill2]

what was the town where someone got arrested over a leafblower?

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by jan0105

Concord has banned bottled water??

No, only small bottles that are incredibly wasteful.

[NewfieMama]

How do you like Bethesda? Are you looking for something similar?

I feel like given your budget, the importance of schools, and the commute, Hingham is a good option. It's similar to Bethesda in some ways. Lots of historic homes, similar lot sizes, cute downtown (I'd say Hingham's town center is much smaller than Bethesda's, but it's on the water, so very charming), similar in cost. Bethesda is closer to DC than Hingham is to Boston, though.

I also feel like Hingham gives you good commuting options if your husband doesn't want to drive. The ferry would drop him off at his front door, basically. And south station via the commuter rail would be an easy walk.

I'm a Norwell resident (who moved from Chevy Chase, MD), but I think the commute from Norwell would be too long. We're close to the Hingham line and my commute to the Financial District used to be an hour and 5 minutes taking the commuter rail.

[jan0105]

I always like to push Hingham but you're most likely not going to get a half acre lot here. Norwell's lot sizes tend to be a lot bigger (or, at least, the houses back up to woods so that the lots feel bigger). Commuting is definitely better than from Norwell, though, especially if you can take the boat.

[chicagoliz]

I'm finishing up doing the same thing, OP, relocating from Philly. Grew up in Potomac, so I know Bethesda, and I'd say the closest town to Bethesda is probably Newton. But you threw me when you said you want rural or rural-ish. I don't see how you can get rural in a half hour commute from Boston. We looked heavily at Lexington, Arlington, Belmont, Needham and Newton. We're landing in Newton. We're ecstatic that we are able to walk to a T stop.

I keep hearing Dover for something a little more rural feeling, and I see others have mentioned it. The real estate market here is unreal - most trying house hunt I've ever had. And we're putting our two kids into school now, too, so we really had to be set. If you're moving over the summer, you won't have that same pressure/worry.

I suggest you check out Winchester. We looked there a bit, and it's a beautiful town, with a great nature trail. The trail was right across the street from some houses we saw. Great schools, and it has, I believe 2 stops on the commuter rail, so good commute to Boston. Definitely houses in your price range there. (Although there are also many for much more than that.)