HELP!! Quincy or Watertown? (Boston, Cambridge: middle-class, renting, home)

[ang.a.watson]

First, I am going to apologize for my rant before I start.

OK I have been trolling the Boston and Mass forum for about 4 months. We are in the process of relocating to the Boston area. We originally thought we would be in Portland Maine but things have changed a bit and Beantown here we come. So we are way down south in the Atlanta area and trying to find housing over the internet is tough. It is like riding a rollercoaster. My husband and I are both concerned that we will get up there and not be able to find anything. We are also dealing with so many contradicting opnions it is amazing. So I decided to ask you all Quincy or Watertown? if neither then where? We thought Quincy because there are three train stops, but someone told us it was the commute from hell and suggested Watertown. Then we hear from another friend of a family member that Watertown is extremely expensive. We have also looked at Medford and Malden...can some please add some sanity to this situation.

Thanks for any info or advice in advance.

[missionhill]

Without knowing your criteria it's hard to evaluate... If commuting to work in downtown Boston, the red line from Quincy is reasonable. Red line is a high capacity, heavy rail system, not too many stops--heavily used perhaps but hardly a commute from hell. I can't think why you'd have been told that Watertown in particular is extremely expensive. The whole Boston area may be extremely expensive compared to outside Atlanta. Within the Boston context Watertown is less expensive than a number of places like Boston Proper, Brookline and Cambridge, Newton, Belmont, etc. It may be more expensive on average than Quincy--I don't know. Watertown as you know is not right on the red line; you take the Mt Auburn Street bus into Harvard to get the red line. Less distance to downtown than from Quincy, so it may be comparable door-to-door. Both are solid residential communities with much of the housing pre-World War II although Quincy has lots of newer apt complexes. Neither community is all that exciting but Watertown is certainly closer to fun places like Cambridge. Quincy has its beaches and coastal areas--nice for walking and relaxing--but then Watertown has some lazy paths along the Charles River. I'd say if you want to be close at hand to the Boston cultural scene, go with Watertown. Malden is definitely cheaper than either Watertown or Quincy because it's more working class than they are. It has the orange line so it can be pretty convenient to central Boston. Much nicer than Malden is Melrose, just to the north. Medford is a mixed bag: West Medford near the Fells and the Mystic Lakes is a middle-class section of town on a commuter train line into North Station. A stop or two farther out is Winchester, an idyllic but expensive suburban town.

Are you trying to do this without visiting? Visit if you can too get a feel for the communities. In any case, good luck!

[shiver]

First, take a deep breath. It will work out. A few questions:

1) Where in the area will you both be working?
2) What is your housing budget (I'm assuming you're renting)

I've lived in Quincy and work in Watertown. Both are good areas. Watertown isn't much more expensive than Quincy. I'd say that they are fairly comparable in rent. Quincy is bigger and areas may be cheaper The commute from Quincy isn't hellish, but Watertown may be quicker if you're working in say, Cambridge.

[clevedark]

Quincy has become really popular lately.

[DreamworksSKG]

You might try the Medford area near Davis Square-Tufts University -
(also on the RED LINE)

and also Arlington - it is right on Route 2 has multiple bus routes to Alewife-Porter Square and Davis Sq. - to connect with the Red Line-

You can park your car for free on some side-roads in Arlington down by clarendon hill towers ---(and take the 87 bus to Davis Square) from Broadway St. - will be about a 10-15 min bus ride to Davis. Get on the Red line and zip into town - in about 20-25 min on the "T" once at Davis.
You could park at Alewife but why fight the Alewife area traffic---off route 2, when you can park for free -on the side streets. a block or two from Clarendon Hill towers, ride in on the bus and ride back on the 87 if before 7pm
if after 7pm you can get any 87,88,0r 89 to Clarendon Hill - from Davis Sq. and walk down Broadway a block or two to your car.

Either way you get free parking all day - they never tow as long as you dont park in a signed area. -
most areas aren't signed

save money on gas and such and help the environment at the same time by commuting via transit :-)

its a win-win for all then you have like a 5 min drive back home once you get in your car at the end of the day from Arlington

The 77 bus runs to Alewife From Arlington Heights and Arlington Center. along mass ave so you could get on that one too - (park on the side streets near the Capitol Movie theater)

all in all Arlington is a nice town with a diverse mix of people
and you woudln't believe you're only 6 miles from Boston
Arlington Heights is nice as well and some areas have good views of Boston skyline from up on the hill-
there's a neat park with a playground that you can see the skyline from and they have the Boston Pops 4th of july fire-works viewing
From there with the big screen tv

There is also Paul Revere's Ride Reinacted through Arlington as Arlington was on Paul Revere's route to Lexington-Concord
if youw ant to visit Concord or lexington you could drive out to Lexington Via Mass Ave. and then on to Concord

There's a bike path through town iN Arlington as well

I think home prices in Arlington are affordable in this time

Medford might be another option as well

The Teele Square neighborhood by Somerville isn't bad either

[DreamworksSKG]

Quincy or Weymouth would be my suggestions for South Shore living

[ScituateAl]

What type of living experience do you want?

Having lived in Quincy for 5 years, I can tell you that it is relatively convenient to Boston via Red Line but relatively urban compared to the suburbs outside 128. Quincy is more blue collar than Watertown and likely far more diverse. Not sure about Watertown, but Quincy for us was just a place to commute from....it has resturants and such, but not exactly a destination spot on weekends.

Where is the job?

One can commute to Boston by car, commuter rail, bus, express bus, subway, and even boat. Ideally, you find a way to get to town that gets you closest to your job. It can make a big difference whether you are going to work in Cambridge, the Financial District, Back Bay, etc.

[ang.a.watson]

I really appreciate the feedback.
missionhill and dreamworksSKG - Thanks for the info
shiver - i have taken alot of deep breaths - but I do appreciate your response. I will either be in Cambridge or Finance District. I have several interviews lined up along with the multitude of resumes that are still out there. The market here in Atlanta is horrible right now. How bad is the commute from Watertown to the Financial District?
scituateAl - for Quincy that is exactly what we were thinking. I was hoping to have a rail or bus commute and just park the car.
We also have a freshman in college that will be commuting via rail or bus to college and job.

thanks again for all the info,
Ang

[Citizen08]

Hi ang,

For Cambridge, Watertown is certainly the better commute - the towns border each other. Watertown might be slightly faster to the financial district; you could take the bus from Watertown Square to Harvard Square and be there quick on the Red Line. Quincy is more direct to the financial district but farther away.

One thing you could do is drive from Watertown to the Alewife red line station in Cambridge; it's a few dollars a day, which adds up, but that might be the fastest commute from Watertown.

Where is your freshman going to college?

[lz1982]

To get to the financial district from Watertown, you can also take the express bus from Watertown Yard.

I live in Quincy, but Watertown is pretty nice too. It has about a third of the population of Quincy, so it's hard to compare. Both areas are fairly safe and more affordable than many inner suburbs.