Is it reasonable to commute between Cape Cod and Westwood(or Dover,Sharon)? (Boston: rental, crime)

[sjdzwj]

Hi all,

I am an Asian woman.My family is likely to relocate in Mass because my husband is considering to take a job offer near Cape Cod. But his job location might change two years later and I also plan to find a job in city so we choose to settle down in certain area near Boston but it is also possible for him to commute.

I have combed these threads except commute:

1.We have two children aged 5 and 12 so great schools are important for us.
2.Our ideal area would be low-crime and friendly.
3.A middle school with ESL programme would be preferred.My son is pretty shy he hoped he could find any friends who have similar English level like him
4.Personally,I love living in a walkable town.Hopefully the area would put various facilities very close like grocery,library,swimming pool,gym...and so on. I usually drive when I have to drive
5.As for budget we are looking at around 700K.

We've never been Mass before.From everything I've read,I am considering Westwood,Dover,Sharon...actually I have less confidence about my thoughts at all. Would it be resonable to commute so long distance?

Any help would be so very appreciated!

[Austin023]

Hi there,
I grew up around the Westwood area so I know it well. What part of Cape Cod are you thinking about?
(Cape Cod technically is all the towns east of the canal) Route 3 and I-495 are the main highways to the from the Cape to towns south and west of Boston, but commute can be quite difficult in the morning due to large traffic volume.

Sharon, Westwood, Dover are pretty to very affluent towns, though I would not consider any of them especially walkable....Westwood and Sharon do have commuter trains into Boston, however...Dover does not and the nearest would probably be Wellesley. The schools in any of those 3 towns are excellent. Home prices in any of those towns are very high..a small, decent home is going to go for well over 350,000--the towns on the Cape vary considerably in home prices but you'd be able to find something for noticeably less...the schools also vary a lot too....what towns on the Cape have you been considering?

[Austin023]

woops, sorry I realized I meant to type the job is on the Cape---which town or area is it? I would say a commute from say Westwood down by the Cape could be pretty hard due to the high traffic volume..

[sjdzwj]

Austin023,thank you so much for your help!

My husband's future job will likely be near Harwich of Cape Cod.He will probably just work there for two years so we choose not to buy room there. We plan to live near Boston because there might be more chance for me to find a job,plus,these towns seems very attractive

How difficult commute would be in the morning from westwood to Cape Cod? How long would it take? One and a half hour? And if I take train to go into Boston how much time I have to spend on road? I am so eager to know the possibility to live in westwood or any other towns.

Thanks again!

[Austin023]

Well I used to spend every summer on the upper Cape in Eastham and my grandparents lived in Brewster which is next to Harwich....personally I would not consider a commute that far, from Westwood to Harwich.
The distance is roughly 60-70 miles and the highways are very heavy with traffic weekdays....the commute will involve getting on Rte 128/95 and taking Rte 3 thru Plymouth and over the canal bridge to the Cape---many areas of the route are typically backed up in the morning/evening---and in the summer driving to the cape is often met with considerable delays due to vacation traffic in addition to rush hour. Your best bet is to buy a house near Harwich---very nice area but like you mentioned, those towns are small and might not meet all of your needs. Have you looked closer to Plymouth or south shore?

[Beachcomber4]

The commute would be awful. Harwich is the lower Cape so he would, on a good day have a 90 minute commute each way. Unfortunately there are very few good days in regard to traffic on a commute like that. There is no easy way to get here from Westwood. If he comes down 3 from 93-128, nightmare. Forget the hell that is that part of the commute-the Sagamore often backs up for miles once on Cape and then 6 bottlenecks down near exit 9. If he takes 495/24 down to 25, the Bourne Bridge backs up and Sandwich Road can be a nightmare (40 minutes to go 3 miles last Thursday). Then he still would have to choose between 6 or (UGH 28). Summer traffic is bad but off season on Cape too because every road project gets put off until Sept- Nov and then April- June. If you have to, I would suggest buying a less expensive home in the Westwood area and consider some type of cheap (relatively speaking) rental on Cape. You will pay a premium during summer but you get something much cheaper as a seasonal rental off season. Good luck.

[Parsec]

If your husband's salary is much higher than yours, I would personally find a rental in a good school district on the Cape - look in Sandwich or Bourne. You can also try to find a job in either Hyannis or in a suburban office park off I-495 (you didn't mention what line of work you are in). You can then move and buy a house in 2 years once you know where your husband's next job will be. Buying a house now in between Boston and Harwich will put too much unnecessary stress on yourself and especially your husband. Besides, you don't even know where you or your husband will be working in 2 years.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber4

The commute would be awful. Harwich is the lower Cape so he would, on a good day have a 90 minute commute each way. Unfortunately there are very few good days in regard to traffic on a commute like that. There is no easy way to get here from Westwood. If he comes down 3 from 93-128, nightmare. Forget the hell that is that part of the commute-the Sagamore often backs up for miles once on Cape and then 6 bottlenecks down near exit 9. If he takes 495/24 down to 25, the Bourne Bridge backs up and Sandwich Road can be a nightmare (40 minutes to go 3 miles last Thursday). Then he still would have to choose between 6 or (UGH 28). Summer traffic is bad but off season on Cape too because every road project gets put off until Sept- Nov and then April- June. If you have to, I would suggest buying a less expensive home in the Westwood area and consider some type of cheap (relatively speaking) rental on Cape. You will pay a premium during summer but you get something much cheaper as a seasonal rental off season. Good luck.

If there's a snow storm then I would double or triple all those times.

Originally Posted by Parsec

If your husband's salary is much higher than yours, I would personally find a rental in a good school district on the Cape - look in Sandwich or Bourne. You can also try to find a job in either Hyannis or in a suburban office park off I-495 (you didn't mention what line of work you are in). You can then move and buy a house in 2 years once you know where your husband's next job will be. Buying a house now in between Boston and Harwich will put too much unnecessary stress on yourself and especially your husband. Besides, you don't even know where you or your husband will be working in 2 years.

While I understand the OP's desire to own their own little piece of the world, I think if the Cape job is truly a short term thing then a rental is the way to go.

[sjdzwj]

Thanks Austin023，Beachcomber4,Parsec,MikePRU for all your help!
Your description about traffic really scared me Yeah it might be wise choice to rent near harwich if I would not want a job.I was once a college teacher in Beijing teaching Chinese as second language to foreignor,so I am afraid it would be difficult to find any job near Cap Cod.I guess it might be possible in Boston.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Austin023

Well I used to spend every summer on the upper Cape in Eastham and my grandparents lived in Brewster which is next to Harwich....personally I would not consider a commute that far, from Westwood to Harwich.
The distance is roughly 60-70 miles and the highways are very heavy with traffic weekdays....the commute will involve getting on Rte 128/95 and taking Rte 3 thru Plymouth and over the canal bridge to the Cape---many areas of the route are typically backed up in the morning/evening---and in the summer driving to the cape is often met with considerable delays due to vacation traffic in addition to rush hour. Your best bet is to buy a house near Harwich---very nice area but like you mentioned, those towns are small and might not meet all of your needs. Have you looked closer to Plymouth or south shore?

I second looking on the South Shore to make this even doable. I hear good things about Pembroke. You could also look in Plymouth, Duxbury, Marshfield and the other towns close to those. This gets you close enough to Boston to have some job options. With experience teaching Chinese to English speaking people, I would think there would be opportunities at Bridgewater State, Curry College or even Milton Academy.

Higher up on the South Shore, the community of North Quincy has a thriving Asian community. North Quincy High School just won the T.V. High School quiz show. Would your husband be willing to temporarily rent a small studio on the Cape and have the whole family be together on weekends?