safe cities that are a 30 minute commute to boston (Newton: bankrupt, college)

[creative36]

Check out Milton, ma. It's very nice and safe. And inexpensive. 30 min to boston.

[cmvikings31]

hows hyde park and roxbury in boston

[Mekka02124]

Good morning,
Any suggestions on towns or cities that are a 30 minute or less drive from Lynn Ma to move too? I currently live in Worcester and need to commute every other weekend so my son can see his father. I definitely dont want to live in boston. I'm not sure about the other places that surrounds boston. I will be transfering my job to boston. I would to move somewhere where there's diversity.

[OutdoorLover]

Max $1600/month, nice neighborhood, and max 30 minutes into downtown Boston - that's a difficult set of parameters to satisfy. Eastern Massachusetts is one of the highest priced real estate markets in the country, so the baseline here is expensive. And if we're talking driving, it can easily take 30-45 minutes just to drive across town when there's traffic.

You mentioned public transport, and that's good - at least if you stick with the T (subway), most of it is unaffected by traffic. The commuter rail is entirely unaffected by traffic, but many of the towns would be more than a half hour commute, especially when you factor in local transport at each end. Even though the commuter rail is fast, you need to stay inside Rte 128 to be within 30 mins by train.

In terms of northern suburbs accessible by commuter rail within 30 minutes to North Station, pretty nice towns, and you *might* find something for $1600, I'd look at Salem, Melrose, West Medford, and Waltham.

[tysmith95]

Originally Posted by Mekka02124

Good morning,
Any suggestions on towns or cities that are a 30 minute or less drive from Lynn Ma to move too? I currently live in Worcester and need to commute every other weekend so my son can see his father. I definitely dont want to live in boston. I'm not sure about the other places that surrounds boston. I will be transfering my job to boston. I would to move somewhere where there's diversity.

Not sure what you're looking for or your budget but Salem is diverse and a great city.

With an unlimited budget Marblehead is beautiful. Swampscott is another good option.

[tysmith95]

Originally Posted by cmvikings31

hows hyde park and roxbury in boston

Roxbury is the hood. In a great location so it has seen some gentrification, but it's still the hood.

[missionhill]

Salem, Swampscott, Peabody, Danvers, Saugus, Beverly all could be good choices near Lynn, but why not look right in Lynn? It has some nice neighborhoods.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by Mekka02124

Good morning,
Any suggestions on towns or cities that are a 30 minute or less drive from Lynn Ma to move too? I currently live in Worcester and need to commute every other weekend so my son can see his father. I definitely dont want to live in boston. I'm not sure about the other places that surrounds boston. I will be transfering my job to boston. I would to move somewhere where there's diversity.

That sounds like Salem to me.

[gf2020]

I would look in Lynn itself.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by azaleaeight

Newton is very nice. Wellesley is nicer. Less upscale is Arlington, Lexington, and Belmont. I don't think I'd second Quincy as a recommendation.

A few cities immediately around Boston aren't particularly known for being dangerous, but they aren't all that nice either - Chelsea, Somerville, Everett, Malden. Reading and North Reading are nicer. Chelsea is the worst. Revere is generally not too great. Somerville has worked to make itself nicer. Malden is a city - not a horrible one, but not like Newton by any means. I, personally, wouldn't gravitate toward Watertown.

Stoneham is a nice suburb, Wakefield, and Melrose are kind of nice (again, not Newton). Cambridge has everything - good and bad, although, in general, Cambridge isn't making the news for murders the way Dorchester usually does.

Generally, the city-type "suburbs" North or South of Boston are less safe than the very suburban-type suburbs. Generally, too, you don't get anywhere very rural or country-like within 30 minutes of Boston. For the most part, that 30-minutes would have to include a lot of sitting in traffic, which would mean staying within, say, 15 or 20 miles of Boston at the most.

Technically, my town is said to be "30 minutes from Boston" (which it is if you use Route 93 in the middle of the night or on some Sunday mornings). In reality, 45 minutes or an hour are more like what my commute to Boston would be.

Of course, a 30-minute commuter rail would get you quite a bit farther away from Boston. Most of the towns and cities within a commuter rail ride are pretty safe. Nothing is ever 100% safe. "Tougher" cities are Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Brockton, Lynn. I, personally, wouldn't choose Quincy, Braintree, Hyde Park, Fall River, New Bedford, or Springfield (which is pretty far from Boston anywhere).

If I were choosing the place handiest to Boston (and the least aggravating to get home to) I'd choose Newton, Wellesley or Belmont if money weren't the issue. If I had to watch the money factor I may choose Wakefield, Stoneham, or Melrose. The North and South Shore (both mostly safe) have commuter rails. So does Wilmington/Reading. Andover is a very nice town, farther up from Boston but with a commuter rail.

No big deal, but I know some people would argue that Belmont and Lexington and not "less upscale". Maybe cheaper p/sq ft? Median income would be higher in the latter towns, and while some villages in Newton are probably higher end, some are lower end.

Newton, Belmont, Watertown, Arlington are good options. Waltham is another I'd throw into the ring. It's truly "less upscale", but certainly more in the way of restaurants and watering holes. It's got a few neighborhoods, some more urban than others. At this point, they're all safe, active, and constantly evolving.

Maybe check out Milton, Melrose while you're at it.