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Many many thanks for this info everybody. To clarify—we can go 1.2 or higher if we have to. I was joking about the 12 stages of grief re: the real estate, though it is eye-wateringly expensive no matter what your reference points! TBH, we currently have a very large house and mild weather and general peace and quiet here in NC and it has not been the key to happiness—in fact, quite the opposite. I’m a native northerner and I don’t mind winter, misery or having an unenviable house. (That being said I would prefer not to have a hovel.) What I care most about is living in a neighborhood where there are not only generations of locals who all know each other and don’t want any more friends, good public schools for my kids and a good commute for my husband to South Station. Can I ask for thoughts about the South Shore? Hingham? Apparently there’s a ferry that goes to the Seaport? Thanks again!!
I hesitate in saying something like this because people's experiences vary, but I never found Hingham people to be particularly welcoming or friendly. It's also not really walkable at all once you leave the center area. The ferry is great if it's running, but you never know when a storm can throw things off especially in the winter time.
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Originally Posted by Bridge781
Hingham would be a long commute. Traffic around the hingham area and on 93 has gotten terrible. You could go far with 1.2 in Milton.
Milton is not walkable outside East Milton Square which is fairly limited. Absolutely not "perfect world walkable".
Hi - my husband received a job offer to work at a company in the Seaport area. It’s an offer he’s very excited about and ready for at this point in his careeer. Now we need to figure out where to live. Seems like Newton, Wellesley and points west, as well as some South Shore towns would be best for the commute. We have lived all over (New York, CT, Philly, London and most recently Chapel Hill NC). Our 2 kids will be entering middle and high school and we hope to make this the last move for quite a while. What are your opinions on best neighborhoods in terms of lots of transplants, good schools, commute, welcoming vibe and in a perfect world walkability? We have already been through the 12 stages of grief about housing prices and realize we’re looking at at least 1.2 for a house that fits our needs in some of these neighborhoods. Any insight you can provide would be great. Thanks!!
You've clearly been looking at the MBTA website and you've seen what commuter rail lines terminate at South Station. Looking west you have a lot of options like Wellesley, Newton, Needham, Natick, and Westwood. I'd probably avoid towns where lot sizes are larger like Weston, Wayland, and Sudbury. In my experience, larger lots tend to attract people who want privacy. Plus, Wayland and Sudbury are tough towns from a commuting perspective (no public transportation and small roadways in/out of town).
On the South Shore you've got places like Hingham, Cohasset, and Norwell. Hingham is probably the best of the three for commuting purposes. The town center in Hingham is cute too and then they also have the Derby Street shops and the Shipyard. I93 North heading into Boston from that area is one of the worst stretches of roadway in the state in terms of traffic though. Driving into Boston from there especially around rush hour is not a fun endeavor.
Also south of Boston are Milton and Sharon which may deserve some consideration. However, neither are walkable.
There are a lot of towns in the area with (at a minimum) commuter rail into South Station and well regarded schools. The more you can tell us about yourself and your family the better the advice you'll get back.
On the South Shore you've got places like Hingham, Cohasset, and Norwell. Hingham is probably the best of the three for commuting purposes. The town center in Hingham is cute too and then they also have the Derby Street shops and the Shipyard. I93 North heading into Boston from that area is one of the worst stretches of roadway in the state in terms of traffic though. Driving into Boston from there especially around rush hour is not a fun endeavor.
But as OP observed herself they have the (very pleasant) ferry from Hingham to Boston (she said Seaport rather than Rowes Wharf or one of the other downtown wharves, which if true would be ideal). Hingham and Cohasset also have the Greenbush commuter rail into South Station. So Hingham is well connected.
You could save a bundle buying in Weymouth, Quincy or Braintree if you want a more middle class environment.
Or Milton which is both affluent and diverse and on the T. Newton is hard to beat for convenience and overall amenity.
Thanks again. Here's a little more info - who am I kidding, it's a novella, not a "quick reply" -- though you have already provided some really valuable info to help us narrow things down:
We are in our 40s. Our eldest (girl) is going into 9th grade next school year; our youngest (boy) into 6th. My husband works in pharma/biotech. For personal hobbies, he likes to mountain bike and I run, and we currently live near a large forest with trails for both, which we love. However, we don't consider ourselves super outdoorsy or rural...having lived in lots of cities, we love the energy and culture of a city. We particularly love the history of an old city. We loved every minute that we lived in London - we were in an outer borough that had good schools and lots of parks and a train that got us to Waterloo station in 25 minutes. Our friend group comprised everyone from corporate executives to Oxbridge graduates in the civil service to actors/artists/designers who struggled to pay the mortgage. Our friends were equally from England and from all over the world. Same with where we lived in Philly before that - we were on the Main Line and though highly educated, white collar professionals and serious wealth were sort of the rep for that area, there were enough middle class or working class people that it was a really interesting mix. We are not pretentious; we live comfortably, we live within our means and we like a mix of people and experiences. Our kids are not super sporty, though our youngest loves baseball, and we'd like a town that offers good parks and rec where you're not on an endless wait list. We are more parks and rec/school team people than travel all over the region for kids sports people. We don't mind that our kids aren't deemed "gifted" but we do expect them to think critically and we expect their teachers to help in that process. Before Philly, we lived in Mystic, CT - and we loved the quaint New England whaling village and the access to the water and the main street and the colonial homes. We loved it there. Now that I read this, I don't know how to summarize what we are looking for -- a mix of quaint New England, urbane location and good schools with a little grit thrown in to keep it real? If anyone's made it this far and still has some ideas, I'd love to hear!
But as OP observed herself they have the (very pleasant) ferry from Hingham to Boston (she said Seaport rather than Rowes Wharf or one of the other downtown wharves, which if true would be ideal). Hingham and Cohasset also have the Greenbush commuter rail into South Station. So Hingham is well connected.
I would agree that Hingham has some commuting amenities. I would definitely balk at labeling Hingham as "well connected" to the city. The ferry is a great way to commute when it's warm out which around here is maybe 4 months out of the year. There is also the commuter rail stop at Greenbush. So again, some commuting amenities. Highway access from Hingham is not good and during the summer RT3 backs up from people going to the Cape.
One of the best parts of living in Metrowest (especially if you're near the intersection of RT128/I95 and the MA Pike/I90) is the various directions you can head easily. North, South, East and West are easy to accomplish because you're kind of in the middle. My family takes advantage of everything Vermont, Maine, Cape Cod, MV, Nantucket, Connecticut, RI, New Hampshire, NYC, Western MA, etc, etc, etc have to offer because we can head in any of those directions quite easily. It's easy for us to hop on the highway from where we live and we're near that intersection of highways so we can head in any direction quite easily or we're just a few minutes from the Amtrak station in Westwood which makes it easy to get to NYC.
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Originally Posted by planespeak
Thanks again. Here's a little more info - who am I kidding, it's a novella, not a "quick reply" -- though you have already provided some really valuable info to help us narrow things down:
We are in our 40s. Our eldest (girl) is going into 9th grade next school year; our youngest (boy) into 6th. My husband works in pharma/biotech. For personal hobbies, he likes to mountain bike and I run, and we currently live near a large forest with trails for both, which we love. However, we don't consider ourselves super outdoorsy or rural...having lived in lots of cities, we love the energy and culture of a city. We particularly love the history of an old city. We loved every minute that we lived in London - we were in an outer borough that had good schools and lots of parks and a train that got us to Waterloo station in 25 minutes. Our friend group comprised everyone from corporate executives to Oxbridge graduates in the civil service to actors/artists/designers who struggled to pay the mortgage. Our friends were equally from England and from all over the world. Same with where we lived in Philly before that - we were on the Main Line and though highly educated, white collar professionals and serious wealth were sort of the rep for that area, there were enough middle class or working class people that it was a really interesting mix. We are not pretentious; we live comfortably, we live within our means and we like a mix of people and experiences. Our kids are not super sporty, though our youngest loves baseball, and we'd like a town that offers good parks and rec where you're not on an endless wait list. We are more parks and rec/school team people than travel all over the region for kids sports people. We don't mind that our kids aren't deemed "gifted" but we do expect them to think critically and we expect their teachers to help in that process. Before Philly, we lived in Mystic, CT - and we loved the quaint New England whaling village and the access to the water and the main street and the colonial homes. We loved it there. Now that I read this, I don't know how to summarize what we are looking for -- a mix of quaint New England, urbane location and good schools with a little grit thrown in to keep it real? If anyone's made it this far and still has some ideas, I'd love to hear!
This is great information. In my opinion, the place you're describing doesn't exist in MA.
If you want something a little less densely populated (although IMO with the exception of downtown I don't really find Hingham to be "quaint") and a seaside location then Hingham definitely fits the bill. It definitely lacks the diversity you're mentioning and is not a place that's closely connected to the city,
If you want a place where you'll mix with a lot of different types of folks from a lot of different walks of life, backgrounds, etc and have an easy commute (by public transportation or car at least by Boston standards), and have access to a multitude of amenities and also live in a place where you have better access to multiple parts of New England then I would go with Newton. Plus, you'll feel a lot more connected to the city in Newton.
OP, a London Borough with good schools and close proximity to the city will be Brookline or Cambridge. Maybe parts of Newton. If you choose Brookline, you can certainly buy a condo for $1.2M.. Just don't expect a lot, as you will likely be in a "less desirable" area of the city/more urban area/less SFH residential.
If Main Line is what you want, Wellesley pretty much combines everything you'd like. It has the downtown of Ardmore (Wellesley's is probably bigger), with some walkable neighborhoods close to downtown, and other areas that feel more like Villanova or Gladwyne. Large homes, big lots. Wellesley is pretty transient, too, which would be nice. There are many other towns in the immediate area that would be a good fit based on the description you gave us- Places like Concord, Lexington, Belmont, Winchester- But they go to North Station or are reliant on the Red Line via Alewife. Neither will work for a Seaport commute, unless your husband is OK with the commuter train coupled with walk down the green way/bus.
If you want quaint, without going too far from the city, Hingham is the right fit. Nice little downtown, winding roads, a good mix of housing stock, great waterfront and outdoor amenities like Worlds End.. Everything from small cape neighborhoods up to the $5M waterfront estates. The water taxi is 30 minutes I believe, and you have the train in town as well. Again, there are many other coastal towns that I would suggest- Marblehead, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Newburyport. But, these aren't options as they fall north of the city.
Ultimately, I would focus on Brookline/Newton, Wellesley, or Hingham based on the info provided. I would expand that to Needham, and Belmont if your husband can swallow the bus/walk from North Station. I wouldn't want Milton, as there is almost no commercial activity, and no real town center or downtown.
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