Relocating to Boston from the Midwest with young children? (Cambridge: middle-class, transplants)

[fourinamillion]

Hello,

We'll possibly be relocating to Boston at the end of the year due to my husband's job. The offer is more than sufficient to cover the costs of moving and the higher COL. Now, we've just got to determine where, specifically, we'd like to live for this first year.

We have a first-grader and a five-year-old who will begin Kindergarten in the fall. Obviously, schools are a high priority for us. Our second highest priority is the commute. Husband's new job is located *right on* the bay in the Seaport District. We'd like to keep the commute to 30 min. or less. We're open to public transit options.

Our budget is around $3000/mo. We'd love to get lower than that, but I'll be working from home alone all day. We really need 3 bedrooms in a safe area, so we're willing to spend for it.

Right now, we're heavily leaning toward Brookline. Any input or suggestions? What do we need to know about moving to Boston, aside from the much higher COL and odd vocabulary?

Thanks for any help and advice!

[fourinamillion]

Sorry! I meant to post this in the Boston forum. Don't know how it ended up in the Mass forum.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by fourinamillion

Sorry! I meant to post this in the Boston forum. Don't know how it ended up in the Mass forum.

Maybe the moderators moved it. The general Massachusetts forum is really the correct place for your question though.

Brookline is a great place to live. The schools are solid, there are tons of shops & restaurants in town, great public transportation options, and easy access to Boston. One thing Brookline certainly is not is cheap to live in. A decent single family home in a decent location in Brookline is going to easily run you $5K/month or more. If you're willing to do a condo then you could probably get something for $3K/month.

The further out from Boston, the cheaper things tend to get generally speaking. We don't have a ton of rentals out here in the 'burbs though probably because home prices are so high. As far out as Needham (where I live), a decent single family rental is going to run you a minimum of $3500-$4K/month. The good news is Boston has a fairly extensive public transportation system. Many commuter rail lines will drop you right at South Station where you can switch to the T's Silver Line and a couple of stops later you're in the Seaport District. 30 minutes is a rather ambitious mark to set for your commute especially combined with your stated budget (if you want a single family home). I think you could find something you'd like if you upped your budget to about $3500/month and your target commute to around 40-45 minutes.

For a few years I actually commuted from Newton to the Seaport District. I used to drive to a T Green Line station, switch to the red line, and then switch to the Silver Line. It took me about 45 minutes each way. The Seaport District has really become a vibrant area in the last 10 years or so. There are so many good restaurants and bars popping up down there. Plus, you have the Bank of America Pavilion which hosts concerts down there, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Harpoon Brewery which does free tastings and often has things going on, and much more.

[495neighbor]

I second Newton.

[goyguy]

Either Brookline or Newton would stand you in good stead. The former, however, is significantly more walkable for grocery shopping, movies, etc etc.
"Not that it matters," or should, but both of these communities not only have outstanding public schools (and good mass-transit access, particularly in Brookline.) Compared to all too much of Greater Boston to this day, they have a relatively diverse population in addition to being heavily Jewish. I grew up outside New England in a somewhat similar, though smaller, suburb - extensively but far from exclusively middle- to upper-middle-class, with a "preppy" tone and stupendous schools. My best and most lasting life lessons stemmed from being able to interact with kids who had much more or less money, weren't also WASP or even White, etc.
Any child of mine would've been educated in Cambridge, the public schools that is, but that points back to my personal sensibilities. (My home 'burb - of Cincinnati - is "inner ring," and I was definitely raised to be a city kid.) The schools here are well-regarded, but in a relative way; they fare extremely well in national ratings BUT by way of comparison with other cities that have 100,000+ residents. Neighbors and friends have nothing but good to say about them, though, and their offspring who've reached "that age" have gone on to great colleges. However, it takes a lot of "gaming the system" starting with the elementary-school lottery - 'tain't for the faint of heart!

The Belmont, Marblehead, Westwood, Melrose, and Lexington schools are also unqualifiedly excellent, as well as situated in towns which are "close in."

Please let us know whence you're moving, since Greater Boston (and this very forum) are full of transplants. You know my native town now. I also have a sister in Chicago. So I'm fairly well-versed about each of those metro areas.

[gf2020]

Milton

[fourinamillion]

Thank you for the input, everyone!

We're actually not dedicated to a SFH. We'd be happy in a condo or apartment, so long as we've got 3 bedrooms. We're looking for a short-term housing option (*definitely renting*) while we get to know the area. Ideally, we'd love to get the kids in the school system where they'll stay for the remainder of the time we're in Boston. However, I realize that might not be possible on such a tight timeline.

Walkability would be a big plus, since we're considering going down to 1 car due to the parking horror stories we've heard. I know we've set the bar high with our desire for a 30 min. commute, but it's really, really important to us that my husband doesn't miss out on any more than he has to. (We currently own our own business that we run from home, so our flexibility has been off the charts. Going back into the corporate world will be a shock for us, especially for our kids. We'd like to keep the shock as minimal as possible.)

Can anyone give me a quick overview of the school systems? For instance, do the kids ride busses to the schools or do they ride public transit? Are the districts strictly assigned or is it more of a free-for-all until capacity is reached? Are there programs for children who have been labeled high-ability? What about for children with special needs?

I ask because my husband had also been contacted about a position in San Jose, and the school systems there are *CRAZY.* Totally unlike the Midwest. I'm just trying to get an idea of what we'll be facing in Boston.

So, any advice you can share (related to schools or ANYTHING) will be VERY welcome! Thank you again!

[shrinkberry]

What would your budget be if/when you buy a house? This may help others suggest towns if you want to keep your children in the same school.

If the 30 minute commute is really important, then I suggest Quincy or Milton.

[fourinamillion]

I don't know that we'll ever be able to afford a house, honestly. With rent as high as it is, I don't see how we could save for a down-payment...

If we do ever buy, it will almost definitely be several years in the future: 3-5 at least.

[SpringMom3]

I would go for brookline, you could definitely find a 3BR for under 3k a month there, it wont be a huge SFH but a nice apartment possibly with a parking spot included or heat/hot water included etc. something like one of these:

AMAZING 5bd RENOVATED!! HT/HW & parking included!!
Brookline, Avail Now*Huge 3 Bd B-Stone on Winchester, Eat-in Kitch,

if thats not your type of living situation and youd like something more private/bigger, I would go for chestnut hill like the hancock village apartments (not as easily accessible to the city by public transportation though) or newton.

both brookline and newton are close to the city and have great schools.