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Brookline and Cambridge span from SFH, owned by families with private jet money, all the way to apartment living. Somerville is a recent addition to those two. They're far more economically diverse, and urban, not dissimilar to living inside a major city itself. I suppose it'd be more like Arlington than Vienna or McLean or Bethesda. Which is not to say they aren't great places to raise your family.
I'd argue that places in Massachusetts like Winchester, or Belmont, or Arlington probably fit your list better.
Maybe. But it depends on what you value as a parent.
Do you want more diversity, transit options and access to city amenities? Cambridge and Somerville.
Kinda dense but white picket fence, Single Family Homes and PTA Moms? Belmont, Winchester or Arlington.
There are a lot of great places to raise kids. A few places that immediately come to mind are:
Bellevue/Mercer Island, WA
Fairfield County, CT
Westchester County, NY
Brookline/Newton/Cambridge, MA
Bethesda/Silver Spring, MD
Vienna/McLean, VA
Alpharetta, GA
Irvine, CA
Take your pick, it's just a matter of what your other preferences are.
I see that they are mostly suburbs of large vibrant cities.
I agree that accessing the cultural options and global and diverse learning opportunities at a younger age are transformational.
Not only does it open the young mind to a world of opportunities but it provides quality entertainment for the whole family. The suburb is safer and easier for family life than inner city.
Maybe. But it depends on what you value as a parent.
Do you want more diversity, transit options and access to city amenities? Cambridge and Somerville.
Kinda dense but white picket fence, Single Family Homes and PTA Moms? Belmont, Winchester or Arlington.
That wasn't my point.
My point was, based on his list of suburbs across those major metros, Cambridge and Brookline would be more of an outlier than places like Newton, Winchester, Belmont.
Unfortunately, I think you need to consider climate change (research that). If not for that I'd say a small town in Idaho. But, due to climate change I'd head to the great lake states (Madison WI).
Big walkable and transit-oriented cities, hands down. As someone who spent their childhood being raised in West Philadelphia, I can say that growing up in the city benefitted me in a number of ways. Too many suburban and rural kids lack street smarts and can't do something as simple as ride a bus due to where they grew up. I find that city kids are generally more confident, more aware of their surroundings, are more comfortable interacting with a myriad of different people, and have an easier time adapting to new environments.
It's interesting that you see it that way. You are completely discounting that there are advantages to suburban and rural environments as well.
Many people who live in those environments see "the city" as a place to go to "put up with" and leave once you have taken advantage of whatever amenity you are choosing to access.
Plenty of others find the city intriguing and contrary to what you claim, will adapt to living there. Yes, it might take them a couple of times to get the hang of the bus or the subway. But it would take you longer to learn how to ride a horse, or a four wheeler if you lived in the country.
It's interesting that you see it that way. You are completely discounting that there are advantages to suburban and rural environments as well.
Many people who live in those environments see "the city" as a place to go to "put up with" and leave once you have taken advantage of whatever amenity you are choosing to access.
Plenty of others find the city intriguing and contrary to what you claim, will adapt to living there. Yes, it might take them a couple of times to get the hang of the bus or the subway. But it would take you longer to learn how to ride a horse, or a four wheeler if you lived in the country.
I don't mean to discount how challenging a four wheeler is to drive for those who find it challenging, but I learned how to drive a four wheeler in about 5 minutes.
A lot of cities are fine places to raise kids too. Many cities have suburban like neighborhoods with good access to amenities and a less sheltered disposition.
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