Braintree vs Waltham? Or somewhere in between? (Boston, Newton: house, neighborhoods)

[tribechamy]

We're looking at towns that would allow us an easy(-ish) commute both to 128 companies and to Boston. We're also looking for affordability (want to buy a decent house for <$400), a family-friendly community, good schools, and safety.

In a perfect world we'd love to live in Lexington or Newton, but we don't want to wait until our kids are grown to afford our own back yard. So Braintree and Waltham have come up on the affordability side, but we're still evaluating everything else.

Any thoughts on both towns, particularly desirable neighborhoods & schools or ones to avoid?

[raveabouttoast]

When I was looking for a house, Braintree was one of the places I looked into - so I can talk about that at least.

How far up 128 would you plan on going? I'd probably make that the deciding factor. Driving north from Braintree or the south shore sucks in the morning.

But if you're not going too far, Braintree would meet your other requirements. It's definitely safe and seems to have a good reputation with its schools. It has a nice suburban feel without having a ton of snobby sub-developments. Depending on where you live, you could be within walking distance to the Red Line.

Finally, for $400k you can find a very nice 3-4 bedroom house with a garage. Most in the area are older, but well built.

[tribechamy]

Unfortunately it would be commuting to Waltham right now. We're trying to take the long view and evaluate all the commutes we've ever had and might have in the next three decades - we probably wouldn't go much further north than Burlington or Bedford, but easy south shore access would be needed too, and access to Boston is a must. The proximity of Braintree to the 93/95 split and other roadways (rt 3, 3A, 24, 37, 53) is a plus, as are the T options. Waltham would be good because it's the most affordable of the centrally located 128 towns (and the site of the current and some past employers) but I have my reservations (see my other posts).