place to live in between cape and boston? (Cambridge, Quincy: condo, house)

[sci_girl2]

Hi,
My husband and I will start new jobs this winter (one in cambridge, one in woods hole) and we are looking for a place to buy that would be a reasonable commute for both of us. We would like to be closer to Boston than the cape to take advantage of city amenities, but still keep both commutes at or under an hour each way. The ideal place would be near the freeway to cut down on driving times, near public transit for commuting into cambridge, and near parks/ocean for recreation. obviously can't have all these things together, but I'm curious for your opinions on how to get at least a few. Our budget is max 600K but prefer to keep it closer to 500K (combined salary ~200K). We don't have children now but may in a few years, so schools could also be important. Seems like Milton and Quincy might be good choices for us- any thoughts on neighborhoods in these towns, or other towns we haven't thought of? I'm coming from the sf bay area so have a preference for "walkable" neighborhoods as well.

[goyguy]

Kingston and Plymouth would be best situated in terms of being "in between." Both are served by Route 3 and by commuter rail stations; but although each (especially Plymouth) have town centers the feel is largely suburban with all that implies. Affordability is a relative thing in this part of the country, but as a Bay Area relocatee you know of what I speak. The rule of thumb for housing costs is "more house for more money the farther from town you go."
A colleague loooooves Pembroke, which is in that same area but lacks a train station or any bus service. Its pluses are that it's a very family- and child-friendly community, so much so that its citizens voted in favor of breaking off from the regional school district and building a new high school. Though it's a collection of subdivisions in search of a downtown the way people say Los Angeles is a collection of towns in search of a city, there are a few strip malls within its boundaries - as well as the nearby Hanover and Independence malls - for necessity and other shopping.
Hingham might merit another look too, with its newly reopened commuter-rail station and a big waterfront condo/retail development welcoming its first merchants and residents. A big positive about that town is that it has lots of "preserved" land in the form of working farms and the "World's End" peninsula, as well as convenience to the miles-long Nantasket Beach in neighboring Hull. One can also commute downtown by boat and make subway connections there, instead of making the long haul by train or by parking at Braintree and riding the Red Line.
There's lots about Milton and Quincy in other threads, so I won't repeat what's been posted before (some of the material's mine, LOL!)

[Atlantica]

I'd suggest you push your budget closer to the 600K and buy in Hingham. Great access to commuter rails, highway, ocean and top notch schools. Norwell is great too but parts are a bit farther removed from conveniences.

For future reference, South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell has a fabulous preschool and sounds like it would be something you would be interested in.

[clevedark]

Hingham has lots of recreation opptys and good schools. If you buy near the town center it will be walkable otherwise you're in your car. It's a white-bread upper middle class suburb. If you go any further south than Hingham you will never go into Boston. It will seem like a million miles away.

Quincy is kinda nice, but I've never heard anyone rave about the schools. It's more of a blue-collar town with large immigrant population with some lovely upscale neighborhods mixed in.

Weymouth is another coastal possibility similar to Quincy in many ways.

[capecodcathy]

Another option is Middleboro/Carver area. Has commuter rail to South Station but easier access to Woods Hole than the communities mentioned above.

[sci_girl2]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Hingham does look nice but the commute via public transit to cambridge seems long (boat + subway transfer), so my husband is not enthused about that. We will take a look there anyways as well as at Weymouth.

[capecodcathy]

Sci Girl2: You won't find any direct transportation to Cambridge from that far south of the city. No matter where you are, you'll either have to take the commuter rail or ferry and then transfer to the Red Line for the trip to Cambridge. I did it for many years. Weymouth and Quincy are convenient to the Red Line but they are a very inconvenient trip to Woods Hole.
You could take a look at Canton/Stoughton. Also on the commuter rail. Closer to Boston but not so bad getting to Woods Hole.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by capecodcathy

Sci Girl2: You won't find any direct transportation to Cambridge from that far south of the city. No matter where you are, you'll either have to take the commuter rail or ferry and then transfer to the Red Line for the trip to Cambridge. I did it for many years. Weymouth and Quincy are convenient to the Red Line but they are a very inconvenient trip to Woods Hole.
You could take a look at Canton/Stoughton. Also on the commuter rail. Closer to Boston but not so bad getting to Woods Hole.

Driving to Quincy and taking the Red Line directly to Cambridge is always an option. Quincy's not inconvenient to Hingham at all.

I like the Carver/Middleborough suggestions and will add Lakeville. Lakeville's a wonderful town centered around two lakes (go figure!) with some excellent neighborhoods. There is commuter rail from Lakeville with service to South Station (where you can transfer to the Red Line for a quick ride to Cambridge). The schools are good and the scenery is wonderful. You can find historic old homes or really nice new constructions. Your budget will serve you well in Lakeville.

Lakeville's located along I-495 so the commute to Woods Hole is quite simple.

[DreamworksSKG]

You could take commuter rail to South Station (RED LINE) and then go on the red line to Cambridge . it still beats fighting Boston traffic for 2-3 hours any day hands down

I'd suggest Kingston, Plymouth, Scituate, Hingham, Cohasset, or even Quincy. (parts of Quincy are nice and have red line stops)
Norwood , Whitman or Hanson might be possibilities as well.
Also with commuter access

There's also a new community forming called Southfield that will have a movie studio, hiking trails, and a planned mixed use development town
on the grounds of a former military reservation and airfield. with a South Weymouth commuter rail stop on the line to south station
SouthField — Classic New England with A Twist

Weymouth might be another option as well as Hingham

All of these areas go to South Station and you can get the RED LINE subway to Cambridge

[kaioak36]

Lakeville is not a good investment and is far from everything! I'd recommend Norwell or Hingham. A bit closer to Cambridge than Woods Hole but a good compromise.