What about Waltham for a family with two small kids? (Boston: middle-class, condos)

[Brooke05]

Found a great house on the MLS in Waltham but don't know anything about the town. What is it like for children, schools, parks, restaurants, activities, crime?

And, what is the commute like into Boston? Would you like to grow up there?

Thanks all for helping!!!

[Citizen08]

Hi Brooke,

I went to college at Brandeis in Waltham and lived there for four years. Waltham has racial and economic diversity; most of it is quite nice and suburban, the area around Main Street and Brandeis itself has more multi-family houses and has seen better days, though it is filling up with immigrants. The center of town is Moody Street and the park at the intersection of Main and Moody Street. There's some decent nightlife there and a lot of good food - check out the Guatemalan restaurants (Guanachapi's), French-Cambodian (Elephant Walk) as well as the usual Thai, American Bistro and Italian fare and even a Ugandan cafe (not sure if that's still there). Waltham is pretty good for restaurants; you can also go to neighboring Newton for some more upscale dining.

The schools are good, not great. Neighboring Watertown has better schools but less of a town center and fewer good restaurants; Newton has some of the top public schools in the state but it is far more expensive than Waltham. Watertown and Waltham are comparable middle-class/blue collar towns; Watertown is smaller and less international and diverse than Waltham is.

The commute to Boston is one of Waltham's great advantages. I-95 and I-90 (the Mass. Pike) both go through Waltham, making commuting to the city quite convenient. Also, Waltham has commuter rail stops at the Main-Moody intersection (Waltham) and at Brandeis (Brandeis-Roberts).

Overall, I'd say Waltham is a pretty good place to grow up. Drive around your neighborhood and scout it out since some Waltham neighborhoods are nicer than others. However, Newton is right next door and has all the advantages plus some of the top schools in the state (including the newest and most expensive high school, Newton North). If schools are a top priority and you can afford to spend over $500,000 try to buy in Newton if at all possible. If not, check out Watertown; the schools are ranked better but the commute is less convenient (no commuter rail, farther from the highway) and it is about the same price. All in all, Waltham isn't half bad.

Hope this helps.

[Dougdog]

Waltham does have average schools, but great restaurants. It has great municipal services and a great tax base due to the massive development along Interstate 95 (route 128.) Beware ...Waltham has awful traffic problems. The city is very crowded and built up. Please note that I 90 is close to Waltham, but does not go through it.

[ogre]

The previous posts have covered the basics of Waltham very well. I would like to add just some brief info on the town's layout. Physically Waltham has kind of a split personality. Downtown is fairly densely built and a bit urban. Downtown and vicinity is where you will find especially strong evidence of the growing international tone. South and southeast of downtown are mostly residential, but still kind of urban in character, with small yards and the houses kind of close together. To the southwest there is a small area that has more of a suburban look, and the north side of town has a very suburban look and feel. Generally, on the north side you have some local commercial activity along and near Lexington street, and large high-tech firms, and some hotels, in the area immediately east of rt. 128.

[sna77]

I work in Waltham, and can honestly say I hate the town. Its reffered to as "suburban hell" around our office.

[Urban Peasant]

I had a former colleague who went to Waltham High School, worked hard, and made it to Harvard and she was not even the valecdictorian in her class (who also made it to Harvard). Waltham is definitely much more low to middle class than its richer neighbors Newton, Lexington, and Weston but doesn't mean it is not decent. I actually think it is a good bargain. As previous posters said, there are plenty of restaurants in Central Square and great diversity but the commute to Boston is not very easy. Driving into Boston is a nightmare (and I don't recommend it anyway because there is no parking in downtown Boston) and you have choices of commuter rail, a local bus (#70) that goes a long way to the Red Line in Cambridge, and several express buses that take you straight into Boston but do not run at all times.

[cmo1984]

Originally Posted by sna77

I work in Waltham, and can honestly say I hate the town. Its reffered to as "suburban hell" around our office.

the only real suburban parts of waltham are near the office parks in the northwest part of the city. central and south waltham is very urban, with population densities approaching 10,000/sq mi (the city was 4,705/sq mi overall in 2000 has has seen a mini housing boom since, especially in side facing condos)