From MD to MA with 3 small kids (Boston, Worcester: real estate, crime)

[party of five]

My husband and I have three kids under five and are relocating to Boston soon. I have never been there and am looking at real estate on the internet. I have no idea what the towns are like that I am looking at.....
Which towns feel "unplugged", which are vibrant, which are "McMansion" riddled (ugh), which are quaint, which are too sleepy, where do the young families live, and how far out is too far?
I appreciate any feedback, the good the bad and the ugly, from people who are familiar with the town of Boston and surrounding areas!!

[smarty]

Are you looking to live in the city or the suburb?

What is acceptable commute?
How much are you willing to spend?

Boston only have 3 side. East is the ocean. Hence, only West, North and South. North and South has water front properties if you like the ocean. West generally has better schools and easier commute due to RT90 (turnpike). Just look at the google map. Basically, it has 2 loops (Rt95 and Rt495). The further you are away from Boston the cheaper the price.

A good start is Bostonmagazine.com best place to live pdf file. It will give you an idea/comparison about prices, SAT scores and crime rate.

You can also use Boston.com realestate section to compare two towns.

The "W" towns (Weston, Wellesley, Wayland) on the West are most desired due to good schools and closeness to Boston.

[party of five]

Thanks, Smarty, for the reply,
well, let's see, my husband would commute up to 45-60 minutes on the train.
We are looking for a quiet, neighborly area, with a good sized yard and lots of nature, open areas, without being so far out that we feel completely disconnected to this century......small town, but not "hick", if that is even remotely pc to say...
The biggest MUST HAVE is a fairly high "lowest common denominator", as we both have post graduate level education, and a Doctorate, are very interested in the arts, but don't want to raise the kids in the city. How far outside the first beltway is too far to feel like Boston is still your town?

S

[maggiekate]

Originally Posted by party of five

Thanks, Smarty, for the reply,
well, let's see, my husband would commute up to 45-60 minutes on the train.
We are looking for a quiet, neighborly area, with a good sized yard and lots of nature, open areas, without being so far out that we feel completely disconnected to this century......small town, but not "hick", if that is even remotely pc to say...
The biggest MUST HAVE is a fairly high "lowest common denominator", as we both have post graduate level education, and a Doctorate, are very interested in the arts, but don't want to raise the kids in the city. How far outside the first beltway is too far to feel like Boston is still your town?

S

check out plymouth, norwood, west roxbury, roslindale, even dedham

[smarty]

Originally Posted by party of five

Thanks, Smarty, for the reply,
well, let's see, my husband would commute up to 45-60 minutes on the train.
We are looking for a quiet, neighborly area, with a good sized yard and lots of nature, open areas, without being so far out that we feel completely disconnected to this century......small town, but not "hick", if that is even remotely pc to say...
The biggest MUST HAVE is a fairly high "lowest common denominator", as we both have post graduate level education, and a Doctorate, are very interested in the arts, but don't want to raise the kids in the city. How far outside the first beltway is too far to feel like Boston is still your town?

S

Just look at the MBTA commuter rail map (the purple line). It is pretty much the only train available outside of the subway system. You can goto MBTA.com to check out the routes, map, and schedule.

As far as distance is concern, anything EAST of Worcester is consider eastern MA. You can go all the way North to NH. South to RI. Most commute are around 1 hour depending on the time of travel. There are lots of choices. Anything around RT495 will satisfy your search. If you like more land, towns like Harvard, Acton, Boxborough, Lincoln, Sudbury or even Concord are good school towns on the Northwest train line.
On the West/Southwest side, Hopkinton, Southborough, Westborough, Holliston, Medfield, Franklin. North has Andover. So many choices.

If you want to be closer to Boston, Weston, Wellesley, Newton, Lexington, Needham, Winchester are all very nice town. They usually have smaller yard unless you are willing to pay big $,$$$,$$$.

If you want arty or liberal towns, I would suggest Newburyport, Lincoln. More and more artist are moving into Boston South End. In any case, you are usually with an hour from downtown Boston or Cambridge.

Duxbury and Marshfield (South Shore) has pretty shore lines.