Family-friendly towns within commuting distance to Cambridge? (Boston, Arlington: rental, how much)

[Francofilly]

Hi all, this is my first post here! I have read a lot on this web site about Cambridge suburbs, but not all relate to our situation so I thought i would register and put it out there!

We will most likely be locating to MA from New Jersey next year. Since I am from NJ, I am not shocked at housing prices (townhomes where I live cost 300k). My husband was relocated to Cambridge, specifically Albany Street area.

We have a 3 year old and one on the way. I will probably either work from home or need to find a new job when I get there, as I am currently working here in NJ. We need to narrow down our selection of towns to include the following:

-Homes under $420k (single family homes), nothing huge, but def a 3 bdrm with at least a LITTLE bit of yard.
-Suburbs, family friendly town, night life not important
-Close to transportation (no more than 1 hour commute) to Cambridge VERY important
-Good schools VERY important
-Safety is very important as well.

Any suggestions? We are scheduling a meeting with a relocation counselor and realtor eventually, but I wanted to throw it out there early.
Thanks very much for your help!!!

[wivenhoe]

Arlington. It borders Cambridge and has good schools. It would be a short commute to Cambridge. It's very family friendly with a lot of families moving into the town from out of state. Buses run to the red subway line and Cambridge. Single family houses in your budget, though the town is becoming quite popular and you may have to look a bit more for your budget.

Lexington is another possibility, though you may have to look a bit to find a single family house in your budget and the house may need some updating and not be in the best location. Excellent schools. Buses run to Cambridge.

I'd say Winchester, but there's not many single family houses under $420K though you may find something if you look.

[kmann-sherborn]

Wayland is a little further west & would definately be worth a look. Very well regarded schools (named one of the top public high schools in the state), pretty leafy suburb, lots of activities for kids & families. I think there was a mention of it in Boston Magazine's Best Places to Live but I can't find the link at the moment.

[Francofilly]

Thanks! I appreciate the replies!

[lz1982]

Wouldn't a single family home be a little hard to swing in Wayland for under $420K?

[kmann-sherborn]

Actually there are a few nice homes in Wayland in that price range.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by kmann-sherborn

Wayland is a little further west & would definately be worth a look. Very well regarded schools (named one of the top public high schools in the state), pretty leafy suburb, lots of activities for kids & families. I think there was a mention of it in Boston Magazine's Best Places to Live but I can't find the link at the moment.

Wayland's nice. Leafy suburb in Mass. = rural by NJ standards. It's about as built up as Mendham or the Hunterdon County townships.

Commute by transit to Cambridge? There is no train in Wayland. In Weston or Lincoln there are a couple of stops (Silver Hill, Kendal Green) but I don't know if there's any parking readily available there. That train line connects with the Red Line at Porter Sq. in Cambridge, 3 stops from Kendall Sq. Not sure if, between driving to train, commuter train and subway, the commute's under an hour.

[sblumberg]

If you live in North Wayland, you can easily get to rte 2 (in Lincoln) and drive into Cambridge. Or you can also take the commuter rail from Lincoln Station to Porter Sq (red line service). Silver Hill and Kendall Green in Weston don't have as frequent of service. Wayland is not as convenient as Arlington or Winchester but not too bad. Bedford is another option for good schools and fairly close to Cambridge. The 420 budget may be a little difficult in all of these towns, but coming from NJ you probably have a realistic perspective as to how much (or little) you get for your money in the most convenient towns with the best schools!

[Francofilly]

Thanks, all! Yes, I am a native NJ resident (No jersey shore or NJ Housewife jokes, lol) and the housing costs here are ridiculous. $300k for a townhome in central NJ...total rip off but that's what we are used to here. I used to work in NYC and commuted from Hoboken, NJ and it could take up to 2 hrs on a bad day even though the city was 2 miles from Hoboken.So needless to say, a commute that is shorter is something I would prefer. Also, are there any rental HOUSES available ? I'd prefer to rent a house rather than a townhouse or apt when we first relocate.

Thanks again!

[kmann-sherborn]

Sure, there are usually at least a handful good ones in most towns in the area.