Job at Mass Gen..where to live? (Boston, Cambridge: middle-class, fit in)

[joycee12]

Hi all.

We are a family of 4 (moving from Texas).
housing budget maximum =2500 (we plan to rent for about 1-2yrs before settling)

Please recommend a good area to rent with good public schools and about 20minutes commute for my husband. We're not a city or rural type. i like the suburbs or outskirts.

Thanks

[ogre]

First a dose of reality: Limiting yourself to areas within 20 minutes' commuting time to Mass. General does not offer a lot of options. Depending on the direction from Mass. Gen., most places within that range would be within the city limits of Boston, where the schools generally are not highly regarded, and where at least it helps to be an old-timer who's very familiar with the school system in order to know how to negotiate the school lottery to get your kids into one of the better schools; or in any of several somewhat run down, or faded at least, urban in character small cities adjacent to Boston; or in one or two very expensive inner suburbs where your rental budget might not fetch much that would fit a family of four.

The one town that comes to mind that might at least not be much beyond a 20-minute commute (though it depends on traffic) would be Arlington. Arlington is a nice middle-class town, kind of in the transitional zone between urban and suburban in character. That means you could find some suburban neighborhoods and still have a decent amount of local shopping in other sections of town.

If your husband can expand his idea of commuting time (which I recommend if you're going to have many options at all), you might want to look at Wakefield, Dedham, and Braintree. Be advised that I don't know much about the schools in any of those towns, so that is something you'd need more info about. I do know that they are all pleasant suburban towns that are not off the charts in terms of cost of living (at least not by Boston metro area standards), and are some of the closer towns other than Arlington that could meet your housing budget and your preference for suburban living. From Braintree, the driving commute is likely to be tough, because there is heavy traffic into Boston from that direction. If you landed in that town, your husband might do well to drive to the T (subway/light rail) station in Braintree, and ride the T to Mass. Gen., which is on the same line as Braintree, so there would be no transfers involved.

[bostonguy1960]

You may want to check Boston Magazine's "Best Schools" annual issue. It may have a link on their website.

Yes, the Red Line is what you're striving for, or even a North Station commuter rail line. Sure, the cost is more than the red line depending how far the commute, but it's just a bit longer of a walk from North Station's commuter rail than the stroll from the Red Line subway.

Melrose is a nice community near several commuter rail stops, and also near an Orange Line subway which also feeds into North Station for a ten-minute walk to MGH. I'm not aware of the exact quality of schools but you'd have no tolls if driving, plus Melrose has a small but nice town center with a family-oriented YMCA, not far from the mall in Saugus and all the stores and restaurants on Rt. 1, etc. And it's next to Wakefield which was recommended above.

Winchester is a great option, next to Arlington, but may not fit into your price range. It's also on the commuter rail to North Station and a quick drive on off-peak hours.

Quincy, a city I live in, is closer to MGH than Braintree and near several subway stops, but I'm unsure of the quality of its two high schools, one of which is a sparkling new structure. I rent here and have no children. It's a city of neighborhoods, whether blue-collar, middle-class, Chinese or yuppie rental apartments. Lots of bungalows in various neighborhoods, some near Wollaston Beach adjacent to Quincy Shore Drive. The Blue Hills Reservation is adjacent to Braintree and Quincy for family fun. We're expecting our state-of-the- art YMCA to open next fall.

[TAM88]

I would suggest living somewhere off of the Red Line. It will provide a direct and easy commute to MGH and if the weather is bad you don't have to worry about sitting in traffic or dealing with it.

It will also depend on how you plan on getting to/from work. I believe there is a waiting list for employees to get a spot in the garages on site at the hospital. However, they do have satellite lots that have shuttles taking people to the hospital. I know they have a lot in Charlestown so that will open up your options as far as driving goes.

[SteveJunior]

Definitely somewhere near the train. You're not going to want to drive/park in Mass General area. 20 minutes to MGH will force you to live in the city. If you want suburbs, Quincy or Braintree has access to the subway, not sure what their public schools are like. If you want further out in the suburbs Hingham is desirable. It's safe but pricier. It has the commuter rail to South Station and then from there MGH is a couple stops away on the red line.

[charleschap]

For MGH you can go with Red Line or North Station commuter rails. Anything from South Station would be a hassle. For that price range I would look at Wakefield, Reading, or Wilmington.

[BostonRevealed]

MGH is close to the Redline but is also walkable from Northstation which means you also have access to the Green, Orange Lines and the commuter rail.

Orange Line - I would pass, the towns on this track aren't great

Redline - Towns up north Cambridge & Somerville, are mainly college/young professional towns so I would pass. Belmont and Arlington are nice but you'll have to take the bus, then train. Commute might be 30-50mins. If you want to go down South you can go to Braintree but the commute might be 40mins+. Braintree is nicer than quincy.

Greenline - Brookline and Newton, great towns but pricey, commute of 40mins+

Commuter Rail - This opens your doors but the commuter rail is pricey and you'll have to time your life around the train schedule. Winchester is only two stops and is a great but pricey town. Wakefield is another stop and is a nice town, relatively affordable, and close to the city.

I would probably find a place to rent close to work for a few months than take a car out and drive around all these towns to see which one you like. Then try to commute these places via-train and time it.

[G-fused]

TX to Boston eh? If you're not familiar with the North East it can be a bit of a culture shock. Less pick up trucks, more wit and sarcasm, and not as proud to be from Mass as a texan. And, your average person that grew up here is not nearly as cheery and friendly as the average person raised in TX. Good and bad about both areas I guess...but I digress.

Welcome to Boston and welcome to MGH. We moved here from NY 3 yrs ago and I started at MGH at the same time. I interviewed with a bunch of diffrent healthcare places and decided MGH was the best fit for me...I was right (I think). It's a great place and I can go on and on about all the terrific things about it but I won't (you're welcome).

We are the opposite of you - we like the city and we like rural too, yes we are dichotomous people but need to live in a city environment for reasons that I won't get into. We do not like the burbs however. Just like you want to do, we rented for a little over a year and then bought. However, because the burbs aren't our thing we did not look at those areas when deciding where to live. I do however agree with Ogre that you will have to expand that 20 minutes. I would make it at least 40 (door to door) to be realistic. Will he be taking public transportation or driving in? If he is high up enough, MGH can work something out for parking but it's easier to do that up front during the negotiation process. Otherwise there is a long waiting list for parking, and when I say long I mean it so if he didn't put his name in when he was 6, he likely won't get anything very close. The best he can hope for is to park at the Charlestown Navy Yard and then take the shuttle over, which will add a good chunk of time to his commute - Welcome to Boston! I think I get it though, we have a kid too and I would love to have a 20 minute commute but it's just not realistic, sorry - tough love. And don't let real estate agents BS you into thinking it'll be 20 min. - check it out for yourself by using the MBTA website (good app on there that tells you the time it'll take you to get from place to place using public transportation). It's very hard to find a place that has a nice safe neighborhood, is family freindly, clean, good schools, in the burbs, affordable, etc. that is within 20 minutes (door to door) of MGH. Maybe he'll be on the train for 20 minutes but it'll take him 10 or likely more just to get to the station and catch the train.

We are in Brookline, which is a city type environment but is less gritty. It's expensive but suits us so we feel it's worth it. Since you are looking for suburban, I don't think it's the best place for you. I am most familiar with Newton in terms of suburbs. Nice place, family friendly, great schools (on par with Brookline). You get a bit more for your $ than Brookline but public transportation is limited and the closer you are to a train stop, the more expensive and the real estate is, and those areas tend to be more dense in population. Personally, I commute mostly by bike (can you imagine, a grown man on a bike! Actually, it's a very popular form of travel here), or I run sometimes, and other times I take the train. Here's a tip for your man - get a Red Sox schedule and tell him to avoid the green line on days they are playing at home if he gets out of work around game time.

Other places like Belmont, arlington, quincy, etc. are less expensive than Newton. All the places are different and each different place has neighborhoods with different characters so it can get mind boggling. My wife and I made a couple trips here to drive around to narrow it down, and then we eventualy walked around to narrow it down even more. We decided on Brookline and then looked at each of the Brookline neighborhoods until narrowing it down with respect paid to things like feel, walkability, commuting, cost, etc. that's likely harder for you because you are in TX and we were in NY but it you can do that at all, I would highly suggest picking some areas, taking a couple days and driving around (map in hand - not GPS). We came once with our kid and once without (left him with family) - guess which was more productive :-).

Lastly, Brookline is a place with many transplants from other areas so there are bunches of people with no close connections here - no family or close friends. Therefore, people (especially families) tend to be friendly because there are less cliques. I don't know if it's the same in other areas but I really like that about Brookline, it contributes to the community feel. If you are like us and have no family or other support here, that may be important to you.

Best of luck with whatever you decide and again, welcome to Boston and the MGH.