Working Biotech in Cambridge, wanna get outta Boston to Suburbs.. FINALLY! (Somerville: low income, how much)

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by Linky2013

This might be a broad question but which CR is more reliable? Coming from N,W, or S?
I really don’t want to be in South Shore so that rules out Braintree or Quincy.
West (kinda ruled that out once my old job in Marlboro didn’t work out).
But geez, taxes are really high in Sharon, Acton, Boxborough.

Now I’m trying to reassess maybe updating my house (finish attic for possible master and opening up
the first level for a bigger kitchen) and sending the boys to Private school (probably
Equivalent to higher taxes) and hoping they get into Latin when older.

I’m currently on the Red line so my commute is super easy takes 20 minutes on a good day.
Again this could just be me being lazy or very accustomed to Dorchester and not wanting to
Leave, but if I can be in a nice town with familiar surroundings I’d totally take the

You will never have a commute like you have now if you move to the suburbs. Your commute on a bad day on the red line will become your regular commute if you move to the suburbs.

[SalamanderSmile]

Frankly, I would get a tutor before I would move. Owning a SFH with a 20 minute commute is a Boston w*tdream. I lived in Waltham and commuted to Charles St. zone by just walking from North Station. You could also walk to Kendall from there easily (but often wet.) That was a really easy enviable commute by Boston standards @ 45min door to door (three train stops). But Waltham schools are bad and there is no hope of the redemption of Latin. My response to you now is the same as it was in 2015. Do. not. move.

[bugelrex]

Originally Posted by SalamanderSmile

Frankly, I would get a tutor before I would move. .

Also factor in the peer group in a bad school zone, unless your child is very focused, a bad set of friends can drag you down...

Also please the estimates you get for attic and kitchen, renovation prices are out of control right now

[johngolf]

My advice to the OP is stay where you are or put the hubby back to work and spend more to live close to the city like Brookline.

[semiurbanite]

Originally Posted by bugelrex

Also factor in the peer group in a bad school zone, unless your child is very focused, a bad set of friends can drag you down...

Also please the estimates you get for attic and kitchen, renovation prices are out of control right now

A diverse group of friends can also be very enlightening and broaden perspectives greatly. We were told similar things in Somerville before we started K and we have no regrets, our school has been spectacular.

[johngolf]

Originally Posted by semiurbanite

A diverse group of friends can also be very enlightening and broaden perspectives greatly. We were told similar things in Somerville before we started K and we have no regrets, our school has been spectacular.

Are you still enjoying being in Kindergarten?

[bugelrex]

Originally Posted by semiurbanite

A diverse group of friends can also be very enlightening and broaden perspectives greatly. We were told similar things in Somerville before we started K and we have no regrets, our school has been spectacular.

There's a difference between diverse and having several kids aged 8 years plus in a class who come from broken homes with zero interest in education.

[SassiB33]

I interned in Somerville in 2015 and it’s come a long way. When I was a kid, it was a cesspool. A few decades later and it’s really not half bad. Granted, I’ve never lived in Somerville, but a handful of my friends do. I meet up with them for dinner/drinks after work and can tell you I’ve never felt safer. If I had a bigger budget, I’d leave SE Mass for there in a second.

[wolfgang239]

Originally Posted by SassiB33

I interned in Somerville in 2015 and it’s come a long way. When I was a kid, it was a cesspool. A few decades later and it’s really not half bad. Granted, I’ve never lived in Somerville, but a handful of my friends do. I meet up with them for dinner/drinks after work and can tell you I’ve never felt safer. If I had a bigger budget, I’d leave SE Mass for there in a second.

Different if you have school aged kids though. Many options much much higher on my list and I live here. Will probably look to move when my kid reaches school age

[semiurbanite]

Originally Posted by wolfgang239

Different if you have school aged kids though. Many options much much higher on my list and I live here. Will probably look to move when my kid reaches school age

Based on what? You wont know unless you try it, most people that try the schools in recent years end up loving them. But there are people who have already decided, no matter how much data you show them or families you talk to - they just want the suburbs due to space, SES of peers, or the illusion of safety. You don't seem all that fond of what Somerville has become so in that case sell for a huge profit and move on.

The % of ivy-league or MIT educated parents coming into our Somerville school is shocking. Most parents here could sell their 3-bed condo and buy a whole house in Belmont but fewer and fewer do it every year. 3 schools now have waitlists, 4 years ago only one did and that one sometimes doesn't even have a waitlist anymore. No district is changing for the better faster. As I already showed you, the #1 top performing 3rd grade MCAS scores of any school in the state was a Somerville school last year, out of over 300 schools, WITHOUT controlling for income. I don't put a ton of stock in MCAS because the high scoring schools often teach to the test and I'm sure this one does too, but that's pretty shocking.