Moving from San Diego, CA to Needham, MA: HELP! (Boston: fit in, rental)
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Most people I know think I'm nuts for even considering it, however, these folks aren't being offered a nice six figure compensation package with a great company.
I'm seriously considering the relo but would like to get more information on life in Needham. I have friends from MA but not Needham, I hear living in the west of MA is far better than living in Boston.
A few particulars, the great part is the job itself is located in Needham, not Boston proper.
My concern is obviously the weather, I'm a San Diego, CA native. I find the 4 seasons beautiful and don't mind snow, this said, living in it is something altogether different. Do Needham folks find it difficult to get around the town in the winter? I would think a lot more folks get sick from being stuck in doors with sick people at work as well?
Just how bad does the weather get in Needham? Can you actually go out during certain winter months?
How good is Beth Israel Deaconess hospital?
I have a wife and 2 kids, aged 1 year and 10 months and 4 years and 10 months.
My biggest worry is uprooting the family to make the move, I think the environment is such a change, I'm worried about psychological impact on the kids. The youngest is so sweet and sensitive, it kills me to think I could cause her long lasting psychological affects from pursuing my interests which will always and rightly take a lower precedence.
Anyone out there with a similar situation or who has actually experienced this?
I want to further my career but never at the expense of family's well being.
Any advise/help is much appreciated.
Last edited by bostontcup; 09-20-2009 at 12:14 PM..
First off, Needham is a smaller suburb of Boston, so you'll be able to live in a variety of town in the Boston area--even Boston proper if you so desire. There are a lot of different towns in that area--from the rural to the suburban to the rural, so you'll have a lot of options depending on your budget and preferences. If you can be more specific on your requirements we'll be able to give a more detailed recommendation.
Needham itself is a quit town with good schools and a more suburban feel. It has a cute town center and a commuter rail line in to Boston. The median home price is around 700k, which is on the high end around here but it's probably not too shocking if you're coming from San Diego. If that's too expensive there are cheaper areas--there are also more expensive and exclusive areas if that's something your after.
As for moving, I don't think that your kids are going to be too traumatized, especially at their young age. I moved a few times as a kid and while it was hard at the time in the long run I think it was good for me.
I don't want to move outside of Needham since the job is in Needham. My only requirements are that I'm moving into a safe neighborhood. I have read that neighboring Newton has been the FBI's safest city for many years.
As far as home prices, $700k isn't shocking at all to me as you stated. This said, initially we would be renting. $2500 a month is my rental cap not including utilities. I have researched a few places with heated garages, pretty nice really.
The good schools is a relief, we're not Catholic though. I want to place my oldest in a non-denominational or Baptist private school if at all possible.
Thanks for the comments about your moving experience as a kid, I'm just very concerned uprooting them could be traumatic. It's so different from SD, I suppose that's my greatest concern. Currently we live with my wife's parents whom they have grown very attached to, they have relatives who have also become mainstays in their young lives. Just worried that if we pack up and move cross country that it may be too much for them. Not experienced with this. The nice thing is if things don't work out, we can always move right back to SD with my wife's folks. Just concerns me.
I know kids are resiliant, my youngest is just sensitive, I'm worried that it could cause developmental problems or something. Just a lot of worries, just love my kids more than myself.
Last edited by bostontcup; 09-20-2009 at 02:38 PM..
I moved from Vista (san diego county) to Maine....but then again I was a native New Englander to begin with. My comparison is from the perspective of someone who loved New England and after 5 years in San Diego area.....decided I would never adjust and longed for home. I have lived in MA, RI, NH and now Maine.
I think you will find the quality of life in New England to be a positive part of the change....values, crime, neighborliness, managability and mobility are all better. I did go to BU for grad school so I have some acquaintance with the Boston area....tho I never lived there.
The climate will be a definate change.....but it won't keep you indoors over the winter.....most winter days are beautiful....cold but beautiful. We always believed that the cold cut down on sickness.....maybe thats an old wives tale....but until there was a hard freeze....we thought the germs lived over and some really cold nights cleared and then snow cleaned the air. Your kids will definately not be housebound....winter and kids seem made for each other and kids with wind bussed cheeks and cherry noses (even if a little sniffly) puffing frosty breath.....a picture of health and vigor.
I dont know hospitals....but Deaconess has enjoyed an excellent reputation .... I really dont know... but the name Deaconess goes right along with Boston Womens Hospital and then Mayo Clinic.....it has a good rep....at least as far as I know.
I wouldnt be afraid of the move.......I grew up as a kid in the NE and wouldnt trade the experience....and I raised 3 kids in a little NH town....and I always felt it was perfect.
Needham is a lovely town. My brother-in-law and family relocated there when they moved back here from living overseas and loved being so close to the train and plenty of little shops. Their kids were young and adjusted easily. I would think it would be tougher on you than the kids. Winters here can be long and dreary. My husband moved back here after attending UCSD and he still has a tough time when it gets colder.
That being said, the public schools are excellent, and you have access to wonderful museums and culture in Boston, as well as terrific medical facilities (including Beth Israel Deaconness).
Yeah, I'm just sick of San Diego believe it or not, it's a big world out there and I want to acculturate myself. We would have no family back there, but then again, I have heard the people are very good back there, neighborly as you put it.
I have heard many many good things about MA and Maine. My entire family has pretty much spent their lives within a 100 mile radius of their birth place, I just don't want that route for myself.
Of course they are all urging me not to go, most of the concerns they have reflect their own fears which speaks to why they haven't grown as people.
So far I've got 2 responses from 2 people from NE and they have both been very cordial. If this is any indication of the friendliness back there, I'm impressed.
You mentioned Vista, I'm living in Escondido so you can relate I'm sure.
I'm only 36 and my wife is 31, our logic is if we don't try something new now, we may never be able to do so.
My wife's school is in SD and she would need to travel back their maybe once a month for about 4-6 months. I would watch the kids on the weekend while she was gone. My little one is super attached and it may be hard for her, that's a concern, but it would only be for 2 days at a time.
Needham is a lovely town. My brother-in-law and family relocated there when they moved back here from living overseas and loved being so close to the train and plenty of little shops. Their kids were young and adjusted easily. I would think it would be tougher on you than the kids. Winters here can be long and dreary. My husband moved back here after attending UCSD and he still has a tough time when it gets colder.
That being said, the public schools are excellent, and you have access to wonderful museums and culture in Boston, as well as terrific medical facilities (including Beth Israel Deaconness).
When you say long and dreary, do you equate this to a liklihood of depression?I've found that if you suffer from depression, it really doesn't matter where you live, it's going to hit you.
SD is gorgeous, no denying that, at some point however, you got to maximize your earning potential, this job back in MA would do that for me. I could easily come back to SD if I wanted after a few years of tenure.
We're looking for acculturation and I'm quite sure MA would provide that. It's the blizzards I'm concerned with! LOL.
Yeah, I'm just sick of San Diego believe it or not, it's a big world out there and I want to acculturate myself. We would have no family back there, but then again, I have heard the people are very good back there, neighborly as you put it.
I have heard many many good things about MA and Maine. My entire family has pretty much spent their lives within a 100 mile radius of their birth place, I just don't want that route for myself.
Of course they are all urging me not to go, most of the concerns they have reflect their own fears which speaks to why they haven't grown as people.
So far I've got 2 responses from 2 people from NE and they have both been very cordial. If this is any indication of the friendliness back there, I'm impressed.
You mentioned Vista, I'm living in Escondido so you can relate I'm sure.
I'm only 36 and my wife is 31, our logic is if we don't try something new now, we may never be able to do so.
My wife's school is in SD and she would need to travel back their maybe once a month for about 4-6 months. I would watch the kids on the weekend while she was gone. My little one is super attached and it may be hard for her, that's a concern, but it would only be for 2 days at a time.
I moved to San Marcos and then Escondido when I retired....I am a tad older than you....after a year....I bought a house in Vista.
I am not going to run Escondido or San Diego County down.....when I first moved there... I thought it was "paradise".....but after a couple of years...I was really missing New England.....for our weather, especially rain! I love New England scenery.....people......villages.....history....bu t then again for me it is home.
I was in Escondido when the fires burned the highway from Valley Center almost to East Valley Parkway....and then when they burned around Lake Hodges. And in general if it isnt irrigated its burned and parched fire or no fire.
You are young....I moved west and didnt like it and came home.....that is a possibility.....but I bet you like it. You are moving to a nice area and to a very good job....I bet you will all do just fine. (The commute back and forth to CA sounds like a pain...(its a long flight) .but I commuted from Providence RI to Boston University 3 days a week for 2 years....thru all that snow.
I moved to San Marcos and then Escondido when I retired....I am a tad older than you....after a year....I bought a house in Vista.
I am not going to run Escondido or San Diego County down.....when I first moved there... I thought it was "paradise".....but after a couple of years...I was really missing New England.....for our weather, especially rain! I love New England scenery.....people......villages.....history....bu t then again for me it is home.
I was in Escondido when the fires burned the highway from Valley Center almost to East Valley Parkway....and then when they burned around Lake Hodges. And in general if it isnt irrigated its burned and parched fire or no fire.
You are young....I moved west and didnt like it and came home.....that is a possibility.....but I bet you like it. You are moving to a nice area and to a very good job....I bet you will all do just fine. (The commute back and forth to CA sounds like a pain...(its a long flight) .but I commuted from Providence RI to Boston University 3 days a week for 2 years....thru all that snow.
Good Luck.
Wow,
You were here through the fires, yeah that was brutal. It's always burning out here because of the warm/dry CA climate, as you can imagine, the air quality sucks!
I'm a history buff and have a voracious appetite for learning. I just love experiencing new things. I've heard many good things about New Englanders, I'm Irish/English with an Italian mother, I'm betting I would fit in nicely with the ethnic predominate.
I love San Diego, I just feel like I may not get another good opportunity like this again. You know the old saying, when oppotunity knocks, take it! The company is big enough and good enough to retire with, I'm actually doing it for the family.
San Marcos is a nice area.
Just like folks from the east want to try something new, I want to check out the east to try something new.
We looked very seriously at Needham when we relocated from Texas. Needham is a lovely town with a very nice walkable town center (restaurants, shops). The schools are quite good, and life there seems very focused on the children/family. When we looked at houses in the afternoons, there were always kids out playing on the streets, parents visiting each other, etc. Very small, safe, suburban-feeling, but close enough to Boston to take advantage of all the cultural opportunities there. I think your children are so young that this is a perfect time to move. My children are 3.5, 4.5, and 10. It has been three months since the move. The youngest doesn't even talk about Texas anymore. My almost-5-year-old will rarely talk about missing her grandma. They've both made new best friends here. It has been more difficult for my ten-year-old, but he is adapting. I think in the long run, this will be a wonderful, positive environment in which to grow up.
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