Family relocating for work in Dedham/Hyde Park (Boston, Newton: transplants, house)

[riley1319]

I was here a couple of months ago asking for relocation advice for a particular job that fell through, but another one has bubbled up and DH and I are flying up in 2-3 weeks to look around.

He'll be working in the Dedham/Hyde Park area (don't have the address). I think I've narrowed the towns I'm interested down to Needham, Westwood, Wellesley (maybe) and Newton (maybe).

Here are some questions I have...

1) What kind of a driving commute should he expect?
2) I'm a stay at home mom - are any of these towns better than others for transplant SAHMs - in terms of acceptance and activities (after relocating a couple of times I find it's been easier to make friends with other transplants than locals - not impossible, just easier)?
3) We have a 2 children and are expecting a third - the elementary schools in these areas all seem pretty good - is there anything I should avoid?
4) What are the feel of these towns? Is Westwood more rural?
5) I think I know the answer to this question, but where will our dollar go farther (we expect to have around 900K to spend on a house)?
6) Do I have any shot of getting my 5 year old into a part time preschool mid-year?

Thanks a bunch and let me know if I've left anything out that would be helpful!

[BriInNH]

All of those towns are nice.
Newton is mostly very nice, but is the most congested.
Wellesley is very nice , a bit less dense than Newton but farther from Boston.
Needham similar to Wellesley, though overall not quite as upscale. Not too dissimilar

I lived in Belmont and Watertown, and will vouch that Newton is generally great place to live. Just keep in mind - (1) it's a large city with 9? zipcodes, so it certainly varies in convenience and etc. (2) some areas there is quite a bit of traffic, especially Newton Center.

Might I suggest Dover, Medfield, Canton, as well. All would be under 25 minute commute. Canton is around 15 minutes. Dover is probably the most upscale and least populated/Dense of the 3. You will have the most buying power in Canton of the 3, Medfield is probably comparable too.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by riley1319

I was here a couple of months ago asking for relocation advice for a particular job that fell through, but another one has bubbled up and DH and I are flying up in 2-3 weeks to look around.

He'll be working in the Dedham/Hyde Park area (don't have the address). I think I've narrowed the towns I'm interested down to Needham, Westwood, Wellesley (maybe) and Newton (maybe).

Here are some questions I have...

1) What kind of a driving commute should he expect?
2) I'm a stay at home mom - are any of these towns better than others for transplant SAHMs - in terms of acceptance and activities (after relocating a couple of times I find it's been easier to make friends with other transplants than locals - not impossible, just easier)?
3) We have a 2 children and are expecting a third - the elementary schools in these areas all seem pretty good - is there anything I should avoid?
4) What are the feel of these towns? Is Westwood more rural?
5) I think I know the answer to this question, but where will our dollar go farther (we expect to have around 900K to spend on a house)?
6) Do I have any shot of getting my 5 year old into a part time preschool mid-year?

Thanks a bunch and let me know if I've left anything out that would be helpful!

I'll answer the ones I can. No kids so can't answer a lot of these.

1) Depends on where you're coming from. Westwood and Needham are closest (probably Westwood, but depends on the address) and both would be reasonable 10-15 minute drives. Little to no interstate. Wellesley and Newton are further and he'll have to come a bit on 128 (what we call 95) but he would be going against traffic. Without addresses its hard to say exactly.
3) All four have good to great schools. A typical ranking would put Wellesley than Newton than Needham than Westwood, but it's not like you're going from A to D, more like A++ to A-.
4) Newton is dense and big. It has enough going on to be its own city, but serves as an upscale Boston suburb. Needham is very suburban with a nice center. Wellesley is one of the toniest suburbs and has a nice (some say nicer, but its too upscale for me) suburbs. Westwood has no real town center and has some dense suburban parts and some sparser suburban parts. If you're looking for rural your best bets are nearby Dover and Sherborn.
5) Your dollar will go farthest in Westwood, than Needham, than Newton, than Wellesley. There's a strong correlation between perceived school ranking and income/housing prices. It's hard to say which is the cause and which the effect. Dover is even more expensive than Wellesley.

[riley1319]

Thanks for the responses.

I'd looked a bit at Dover online, but I'm worried it's so spread out we'd feel like we don't have neighbors (I can currently see what either neighbor is eating for breakfast - while I don't want to be that close again - large property is more than we want).

Newton is lower on my list b/c of distance (and now maybe size) and Wellesley b/c it sounds a little too upscale and I don't think we could get the size home we'd want. If I were going to look at Newton more, any areas to focus on?

On greatschools.net 4 of the 5 public elementary schools in Westwood rank a 10 - the highest of any of the 4 towns. I realize a greatschools.net ranking isn't enough to hang your hat on, but when you are coming from no comparison point it helps. Are there any other sites that rank schools?

[CaseyB]

Yes, we have some school stats on City-data. Click on the town name.

I strongly 2nd the suggestion that BriInNH made about Medfield.

[riley1319]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

Yes, we have some school stats on City-data. Click on the town name.

I strongly 2nd the suggestion that BriInNH made about Medfield.

Thank you for that information. What makes Medfield a stand out for you?

[BriInNH]

Newton is not too far, depending upon which area in Newton (as I mentioned). It is a large city and commute times can vary. For example, Auburndale and Waban are quite a bit more of a drive to Hyde Park than Newton Center or Newtonville.

Also, parts of Newton you would NOT have to venture onto I95/128. VFW parkway isn't too bad down through West Roxbury and into Hyde Park/Dedham.

I highly recommend checking out areas such as Newton Highlands, Chestnut Hill, Newton Center. Basically, any area of Newton south of Route 9 puts you in a great spot that isn't a bad commute and is very desirable.

[riley1319]

Originally Posted by BriInNH

Newton is not too far, depending upon which area in Newton (as I mentioned).

Sorry. I must have misunderstood you, I just caught the part about Newton being congestion.

Would considering anything north of 90 add considerable drive time to the commute?

And on a different vein - how's Milton?

[riley1319]

Originally Posted by BriInNH

Newton is not too far, depending upon which area in Newton (as I mentioned).

Sorry. I must have misunderstood you, I just caught the part about Newton being congestion.

Would considering anything north of 90 add considerable drive time to the commute?

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by riley1319

Thank you for that information. What makes Medfield a stand out for you?

Based on your citeria: excellent schools (check out the MCAS scores), you can get a nicer house for your $$, easy commute without taking the highway. It has a real center of town, SAFE, and you'd find a lot of stay at home moms.