Most rural Boston suburb with commute to Longwood (Cambridge, Newton: to rent, neighborhoods)

[howisbobbyformed]

A friend of mine is thinking about moving to the Boston area to work at Brigham and Women's in Longwood. The problem is that he and his girlfriend are looking to rent a place with the following restrictions:
-ideally a 30 to 45 minute commute to Longwood using a car/T/commuter rail/bus/whatever
-as rural and spread out as is possible
-not stupid expensive

I think they were a little freaked out about the population density after only seeing Boston/Cambridge/Somerville on a visit.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Extra Bonus points if it's at all accessible to Somerville where I live (though I doubt that's possible).

Thanks!

[NotAPrincess]

30/45 minutes is actually a pretty "short" commute to longwood. The only way they can get that and not be in the "city" is if they're on the Green line D branch going through Newton. Waban, Newton Highlands, etc. It's 30 minutes on the train from Riverside (the end of the line) to the Longwood stop, which means the door to door commute will be more like 45, considering walk times to the train stations, waiting for train, etc.

The commuter rail won't work for them because none of the stops are walkable to Longwood. The "Ruggles" stop is somewhat close, and there is a shuttle bus from Ruggles to Longwood, but that'll bump up the commute time significantly.

Is driving to Longwood really an option? There isn't much parking there, and as I've said elsewhere in this forum, that area is quite messy during rush hour and it might take 15/20 minutes to drive the last 2 miles. I suppose that would open a few more options, like maybe Dedham or Needham.

One thing I will mention, is that a hairy commute adds significantly to the feeling of urban exhaustion. If they were to, for example, live in Brookline a walkable distance from Longwood, they would be in a more populous area, but will be exempt from dealing with public transport or traffic, both of which are major causes of stress. The area of Brookline around Brookline Village and northwards toward Beacon street is very quiet and nice. It'll be expensive though.

[NotAPrincess]

Actually, let me add one thing to my previous post....the commuter rails do stop at Roxbury Crossing and Ruggles which are technically walkable to Longwood (especially to the Brigham). It's just that those neighborhoods can be a bit sketchy so most people don't do the walk.

[lukec]

Two areas close to Boston that get that rustic vibe fairly quickly is the west side of Waltham, heading out to Concord and Sudbury. Some of its very expensive, but not all. Another area close to the city that always sticks out to me is around the Blue Hill Reservation. Its amazing how quickly Milton turns rustic. Again, some of its expensive, not all. The backside of the reservation is cheaper. There are little pockets all around Blue Hills that are quiet, rural, spacious, but very close to the city.

[zaphod001]

Originally Posted by NotAPrincess

The commuter rails do stop at Roxbury Crossing and Ruggles which are technically walkable to Longwood (especially to the Brigham). It's just that those neighborhoods can be a bit sketchy so most people don't do the walk.

There are shuttles that go from Ruggles to Longwood, called the Ruggles Express I believe, run by MASCO (checkout masco.org for details). My wife used to take these when we lived along the Orange line to get to Children's and save herself the walk.

[wanderer71]

Everything in the greater Boston area is "stupid" expensive. Must realize that.

I don't think you can drive to Longwood and park. So the T is your best option.

I think Newton or Newton Highlands is your best bet. Maybe even check West Roxbury -- these are nice suburbs -- not rural. These areas are still very nice and relatively expensive (depending on where you're coming from and what you're used to for living expenses). The greater Boston area is high -- like NYC or San Francisco -- except maybe *slightly* less than those two areas.