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Old 06-22-2008, 10:24 AM
 
1 posts, read 6,780 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi,

My husband is considering a job offer in Cambridge and we're wondering if moving with our two kids (4 and 3 yrs) is a good idea. We have lived in the Silicon Valley/Bay area all our lives so am a bit terrified of moving east.

Is the area kid friendly? What are the schools like? Is public school an option?

Also what is the cost of living as compared to the SFO/Bay Area.

What is the job market like?

Any advice is most welcome.

Thanks!
Anxious-in-San-Jose
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Old 06-22-2008, 11:40 AM
 
2,428 posts, read 5,519,459 times
Reputation: 1836
we lived in Cambridge before we relocated. If you are looking for a suburban 1 acre lot it isn't for you, but we loved living in Cambridge with our 3 kids. The parks are very good for younger children and generally well maintained.

As for the schools we were very happy and I regret that I now live in the south where the *best* schools aren't as good as Cambridge. Cambridge doesn't have neighborhood schools, but rather you apply to a lottery. Each school has a different theme such as montessori, spanish immersion, extended day, core knowledge, mix grade classrooms, chinese language, etc. You can visit each school and then pick your top 3. Some schools are more popular with certain demographics than others, but the school board tries to keep every school within 10-15% of the economic balance of the city. If you look solely at test scores Cambridge can't compare to Weston or other western burbs, but if you dig a little you'll see a great urban school district with a lot to offer (Cambridge Ridge and Latin's college placement is quite impressive even if its drop out rate is also a little high--but trending downward). What matters most with any school is how involved you are as a parent. Our school in Cambridge had kids from all over the world, kids who lived in the projects, lawyer's kids, professor's kids, business owner's kids, etc.
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Old 06-22-2008, 08:30 PM
 
Location: Dallas
4,630 posts, read 10,427,624 times
Reputation: 3898
The only thing not to love about Cambridge is the cost, the snow, and the drivers. Other than three issues, Cambridge blows Silicon Valley away in every category. You're gonna love it here.

You don't need a car in CAM so that solves the driving issue. Cambridge is gorgeous, intellectual. Just bring a coat and lots of $$$. CAM has Harvard and MIT . How can you go wrong?!

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Old 06-26-2008, 06:07 PM
 
348 posts, read 1,047,530 times
Reputation: 85
>>>Also what is the cost of living as compared to the SFO/Bay Area<<<

Google "Cost of Living Calculator"
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Old 06-28-2008, 08:09 AM
 
Location: Cambridge, MA
4,882 posts, read 13,750,571 times
Reputation: 6947
Re septimus' post: "What s/he said."
I take an anecdote over statistical charts any day. Here's mine to share relative to housing costs: When friends with location flexibility for their jobs decided to pull up stakes and move to the Bay Area to be near their daughter and daughter-in-law-equivalent (maybe now "legal" what with the decision in Cali) they were hit with major sticker shock. Here, they epitomized gracious living with their "wedding cake" Victorian house - thematic connection unintended lol - on a quiet street in pricy Newton. There, they had to downgrade to a '70s "contemporary" dwelling in less prestigious Fremont. ("But it does have a hot tub on the deck! Didn't have that in Newton!") Cambridge made the news last year for being the American city (population of 100,000 or more - just barely qualified) with the most homes valued at $1m or higher. But seeing as how you're from the land of $800,000 cottages, that should be no big deal.
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Old 06-28-2008, 12:28 PM
 
Location: Cambridge, MA
20 posts, read 119,166 times
Reputation: 17
My husband and I live in Cambridge and absolutely love it. We plan to have children within the next two years and are really hoping that they can go to the new public Montessori school. I know that Grahm and Park, and Baldwin are also very good schools. I agree with previous posts that besides the snow and driving, everything else is awesome! We also have many friends who live in Cambridge and love it too =)
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