Moving to/near Winchester (Cambridge, Lexington: house prices, neighborhoods, to live in)

[undecided mama]

Hello everyone.

i am from brooklyn. I have lived in NY (queens, manhattan and now brooklyn) my entire life. i am rather liberal, a vegetarian, love the arts, love to be physically active (in gym or hike/bike/swin etc.), care for the environment deeply (recycle, reduce and reuse!), have a 10 month old daughter and would love to live in a pedistrian-friendly "happening" area with plenty to do.

Based on the brief description above, can anyone suggest an area (in or near Winchester) that would be a good fit? I have taken a look at the MA forum and understand the MA is pretty expensive so i guess we won't be getting much of a break in that respect compared to NY (which is not experiencing a housing slump) but affordability is very important to us since I will not be working initially.

Any suggestions or feed back would be great!
Thanks so much for your help.

[airedaly]

Winchester doesn't seem very "green". You'll probably see more SUV's than bikes and Priuses in Winchester. Lexington is next to Winchester and is very bike friendly (there is the Minuteman bike path that is heavily used for commuting as well as recreation). There is an active global warming group and the town seems very eco-aware - it is working to reduce emissions thru a new task force. Lots of stuff to do for kids, plus it's close to Cambridge where there is even more to do, in arts and education. There is bus service which goes to the MBTA red line, and brings you anywhere in boston and vicinity. Both Winchester and Lexington are very expensive. Both towns have nice centers, with shopping/dining. House prices are similar. I think the prices have come down a little bit, but the more desirable neighborhoods are still very pricey!