Boston, Worcester or where? (Cambridge, Newton: rental, find a job, schools)

[Indyking]

I have a potential job opportunity in Worcester that I plan to accept if my wife can find a job in a biotech company or in a lab looking for a post-doc. She would fit better in a medical school, so I know there is UMASS in Worcester but it seems like that Harvard Medical School or Tufts in Boston would have more opportunities for her. Besides, places like Cambridge have a lot of Biotech companies that she could be looking for a job.

So, I'm coming for an interview and will be visiting potential places to live. We have kids at elementary age, so good school quality and safety are the 2 major priorities. I'm thinking maybe to look at places near Boston since that would leave me with the long commute instead of my wife, but since it's going against traffic, I'm assuming it wouldn't be too bad. Living somewhere in the middle is less desirable because we like to have at least one of us close to our kid's school in case of emergency.

So, I'm looking for suggestions and advice from people here that know well the area. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

[Bob Lanata]

My first thought on this is if you have a job in Worcester, it may work for you both if you wife worked in that area as well. The rental and housing marked is less expensive in Worcester. Depending on where you work/live, traffice can eat up a few hours or more each day. Quality of life then comes into play.

[495neighbor]

There are many biotech companies in Waltham as well as Cambridge, so if you split the difference with you doing the longer reverse commute, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley or Newton depending on your budget would be best for you.

[Indyking]

Thanks! Ideally, we would both live in Worcester, though I'm not sure if their schools are as good as the ones in towns west of Boston. The problem is that it would be much easier for my wife to find a job in Boston metro.