Job in Lexington - where to live? (Boston, Cambridge: townhouse, to buy)

[kostia]

Hi!
We're a family moving to the Boston area - relocating from CT for a job in Lexington MA. Two young kids (3 and under) and a dog - looking to buy in the 400-500k range within half hour comute of Lexington - would like to find a good town with good schools and good links to the city - possible? Thinking Acton would be a good fit?
Any advice or thoughts would be welcome!

[kmann-sherborn]

When you say good links to the city, do you mean train access? Acton does have well rated schools & an easy commute to Lexington, plus train access to Boston.
School Rankings
MBTA.com > Commuter Rail Maps and Schedules

[Cold Up North]

I would go in the other direction. I live in Reading. There is a cute walkable downtown that is improving all the time. New stores, new restaurants. A train to Boston and good schools. It gets you closer to the beaches too, if you like the north shore. We actually drive in and out of Boston all the time it only takes about 15 minutes (off peak naturally).

[NotAPrincess]

Depending on what exactly you mean by "good links to the city", I would second the recommendation for Acton and add Bedford. It might be worth looking in Lexington and Carlisle too. You might find something there in your price range if you can deal with a small house (small meaning 1400-1600sqft) or possibly a townhouse. Winchester might be worth a look. There are a lot of very expensive homes in Winchester but there are some smaller homes too.

Although I like the town of Reading, you might be setting yourself up for a potentially rough commute. Rte 128 is awful during rush hour, and not much better at other times. The back roads will be not really smooth sailing either, though depending exactly on where your office is in Lexington and where you live, it might be ok.

Personally, I think you're lucky. So many people (myself included) have to deal with commuting to Cambridge and/or Boston. I'd love to be able to live in Bedford or Acton, but that would mean an hour commute, and I just can't do that. If you want to drive into Boston on the weekends, you can park at the Alewife T station and ride the red line in really easily. That can be done from any of the towns near Lexington.

[ogre]

Your focus on Acton is probably a good idea, as long as you're okay with the fact that Acton is a bit out in the country. The town's nice, the schools have a good reputation, there is commuter rail service, and for some reason the housing costs don't seem outlandish for as nice a town as Acton is. (Maybe because it's somewhat out in the sticks? Not sure.)

For expanding your options in the early stages of your search, I like the suggestions people have made here. I don't know how the schools are in Wakefield, but if research turns up positive information about them, that's another town you might want to add to your list. It's a good fit for your other criteria.

[karen330]

Maybe look into Chelmsford. Good school system according to the ratings and you can get a good house for the money. It's also a pretty easy commute to Lexington. Not sure about trains to Boston from there.

[Bedford1776]

I would look into Burlington as well. Very good schools and recreation programs because of the huge corporate tax base and you can do fairly well in the 400-500k range as far as houses go. Also a short drive to either Lexington or the city.

[Thomas144]

It would help to know exactly where you'll be working (at least the street name). I work in Lexington and live in Winchester. Not clear to me why you aren't looking for a house in Lexington...

[kostia]

Thanks to all for your help.
I've managed to get up to the area and drive around a small amount but not much to date.
One other criteria which folks may be able to help me with is the possibility of finding a town with a 'downtown' area that may have a handful of restaurants or a bar or two and a few stores.
I was unable to find much that really fit this description in Acton and Bedford but may easily have been looking in the wrong place.

[Coolhand68]

Acton is good. You can also check out Burlington, Billerica, and Bedford if you get lucky to find a nice place in that range.