please Help ! Between New Bedford and Boston (Brockton, Quincy: oceanfront, apartment)

[vgoyal1]

Hi

I am currently living in Michigan and will be relocating to MA. I will be working in new bedford and my wife will be studying in boston. I am looking to rent an apartment/condo some were in between.

quick facts about my family:
We are late 20,s. we both are physicians. I will be working in new bedford and my wife has one year of fellowship after which she will be working in boston. I am looking for an accommodation somewhere in between new bedford and boston. Though I do not want to commute more than 30-40 min. to work I would like to live as close as possible to boston.

budget: $2000-3000
I would like to live close to water with a nice view. I have heard about nice condos in that area. Some one suggested Taunton, lakeville, bridgewater. Are these good areas ?

Kindly help me out as i have never lived in the the area and have no family around to help. Also if some one could suggest Realtor/agents who could help me find a place.

Thank you so much for your time

[brightdoglover]

I think there's a shortage of answers for the OP because, at least in my eyes, there is no good answer. If I think clearly, New Bedford is a serious drive away from Boston, and my guess is the M.D. wife would want to take a train into Boston, whether it's the Harvard/Longwood area, BI, MGH or Brigham. I can't think of a Boston hospital that would be OK for a drive in- too much traffic/parking issues.
And so a waterview, on a train line, that close to New Bedford- I am drawing a blank. The budget sounds more than adequate. Am I confused about where things are and how far apart?
Hope someone has more helpful answers for the OP.

[vgoyal1]

Thank you " brightdoglover" for your respose
If you could suggest a place some where in between new bedford and boston. I am ok if there is no water view
Thank you

[bigfatturkey]

hihi,

you can consider Easton (45min to NB) or Bridgewater (40min to NB)? the commuter rail goes to bridgewater.

if you want to be near the water....plymouth/kingston (45-50min to NB) are also possibilities. the commuter rail also goes to both plymouth and kingston.

if you are alright with lake views instead of the ocean, Lakeville could be another good option too. the MBTA also passes through there.

[MAtmstr]

You may need to be ready for a bit longer of a commute than you bargained for.
Pretty much anyplace where your wife can reasonably commute to Boston, will be a tough commute to New Bedford. You won't be dealing with Boston area traffic, but in the summer you'll have Cape Cod traffic to deal with as the weekend approaches.
On your budget, you would be able to afford any town in the area. The Bridgewater/Middleboro area has rail service into Boston, as does the Plymouth area. If it was up to me, I'd choose the Plymouth area. Plymouth is a huge town area-wise, so there are lots of neighborhoods to choose from, including many that are oceanfront. It is also quite affordable for a seaside town.
Keep in mind that the only nuclear power plant in MA, is located in southern Plymouth.
I saw in your original post that someone suggested Taunton. I'm sorry if this offends some readers, but there is no reason for a family of 2 physicians to live in Taunton.
Good luck. Hope this helps.

[lrfox]

Tough call.

As physicians, do you have regular hours? The reason I ask is because one suggestion would be to look for places closer to Boston. The traffic is worst nearest to the city so even though the drive may be twice the distance to New Bedford than it is to Boston, the shorter stretch to Boston will likely be the more arduous one in terms of dealing with traffic. Commuting from the Boston area to New Bedford would also be in the opposite direction of the rush traffic making it a bit easier.

You could consider places along the South Shore for ocean views (Hingham, Weymouth, Norwell, Scituate, etc) and they'll have transit into Boston. However, a commute to New Bedford would be long (and even Boston is no picnic). Even as far down as Plymouth. Still, you're looking at an hour or so to Boston and 35-45 minutes to New Bedford (easily).

Lakeville makes the most sense to me, initially. You could get a place on Long Pond (really a lake) or Assawampsett Pond (lake/reservoir) and be near the commuter rail and a fairly easy commute to Boston. Taunton can be OK if you don't have kids requiring public schools (which are pretty bad). Taunton covers a huge area and ranges from urban to rural depending on where you are within the city limits. On the northern end of 140 (nearest to Norton/Mansfield), there are some very pretty neighborhoods near ponds and streams. However, the urban center of Taunton is a bit run down and more than a little "gritty." There are a few nice old historic homes there, but the state of center of Taunton as a whole is not great right now. The urban core of Taunton gives the city a bad name, but outside of that city center it can be nice. Unfortunately, the rentals in Taunton tend to be more heavily concentrated in the center of town.

Bridgewater is OK. It's a college town and a suburb. I don't think you'll find it super exciting, or strikingly beautiful but it may fit for your commute. Also check out Mansfield and Easton nearby (both a little "prettier" than Bridgewater).

It's unfortunate that you couldn't live closer to New Bedford. Fairhaven, Dartmouth, Mattapoisett and Westport are all pretty attractive waterfront communities; and cheaper (comparatively speaking) than waterfront communities on the North and South Shores closer to Boston. If you DID choose to live in that area, New Bedford is right down the road, but Boston is an hour + away. My father commuted from Freetown to Boston for a while. He mostly drove to Quincy and took the Red Line in, but occasionally went to Middleborough/Lakeville and took the commuter rail. It was a stressful commute but he was hardly the only one doing it and he enjoyed the time relaxing (or getting work done) on the train. Your money wold go further in terms of rentals in the New Bedford area, but you'd quickly make up for it in lengthy Boston commutes.

I don't know how the tax breakdown would work, but the Providence area may work too. You're looking at 1/2 hour from PVD to New Bedford via 195 which is a straight shot. Boston is an hour away (more in peak traffic), but you do have Commuter Rail, Amtrak and bus service from Providence to Boston. Barrington or Riverside may put a little more strain on your commute, but you could also get the water views you seek. $2,000-$3,0000/mo would do you well in Providence's historic East Side too.

There's no easy answer given your constraints, but your budget should allow you to make the best of it.

[Bostonmania]

I'd recommend Taunton if you want to lean closer to New Bedford, or Brockton if you want to live closer to Boston. People complain about Brockton being a dangerous and ghetto-ish place but my opinion of it is that is it is an interesting and diverse area, with stuff to do and easy access to Boston. Your budget will fit anywhere really, but i recommend you visit those places if you're looking to move there.

[bigfatturkey]

given a choice and with that sort of housing budget....personally, i really wouldn't recommend brockton or taunton as good options honestly.

i live in marion and it's a really charming seaside town if you are into waterfront houses (plenty of them!). with your budget, i'm sure you could find a very good waterfront rental here. i'm renting a waterfront too and paying only $1300/month (incl utilities except gas/electricity) but it's a fully furnished winter rental. it's a short drive to new bedford but boston is about an hour's drive away (during non-peak traffic).

mattapoisett is great too! rental pricing about the same as marion and plenty of waterfront rentals

[docvaibhavgoyal]

thank you all for your response and your time. your help means a lot !

do you think i can find nice condos. in these areas for rent ?
I am told that condos are difficult to rent in and around boston as most have "no rent policy" is it true ?
can any one suggest nice communites ?