Husband got a job in Boston (Woburn) and we have never been to the New England region. Need advise where to live (big house, buying)

[Shizim]

Originally Posted by Bruins_Fan

I'd say about 35-40 minute commute to Woburn with average rush hour traffic...maybe longer on a bad day.

Optimistic

on an average day its longer. its gonna be 35-40 minutes from the Rt 1./128 exchange. at least another 20 to get to 128 or 30 if you cut through Lynn.

[Bruins_Fan]

Originally Posted by Shizim

Optimistic

on an average day its longer. its gonna be 35-40 minutes from the Rt 1./128 exchange. at least another 20 to get to 128 or 30 if you cut through Lynn.

I wouldn't even get on 128 until the rotary at the Wakefield/Reading line. I'd ride out Salem St/Lowell St.

[chanamiryam]

Well, for the record, hubby will not necessarily be driving into the office every day. He is a Security Systems Engineer and will be working in the field (pretty much the whole Boston region) - his daily commutes will be all over the place depending on the site he is going to each day. He is used to being on the road alot. so to be honest, distance does not matter that much. IMHO

[ozgal]

Originally Posted by chanamiryam

Well, for the record, hubby will not necessarily be driving into the office every day. He is a Security Systems Engineer and will be working in the field (pretty much the whole Boston region) - his daily commutes will be all over the place depending on the site he is going to each day. He is used to being on the road alot. so to be honest, distance does not matter that much. IMHO

Did your husband do any research on comparable salaries in the area before accepting the offer? $100K is nice, but if he's got a wealth of experience behind him and is doing a lot of travel, it seems kind of on the light end.

[konfetka]

Closest to Woburn Nordstrom and Macy's are at the North Shore Mall in Peabody.

Hamilton is a horse capital of Massachussets.

Marblehead and Swampscott are the affluent Jewish enclaves on the beach.

Gloucester and Ipswich are the top summer beach destinations.

Whole Foods - Swampscott, Lynnfield, one planned in Beverly, Trader Joes in Danvers.

Essex is the antique capital of USA (I think), Newbury has the biggest flea market in the state on Sundays.

There is an arcade at Salem Willows with small rides for little kids. Amusement park in Salem NH.

Salem is a cultural, historic and restaurant hub of the North Shore, with festivals monthly if not weekly.

Outside of 128 you get the biggest lots.

Swampscott, Marblehead, Lynnfield, Manchester, Nahant are the most affluent on the North Shore, but most expensive.

The cheapest towns between Woburn and beach are Peabody, Woburn, Salem, Danvers, Beverly, Gloucester.

Beverly does have an affluent section in Beverly Farms and Prides Crossing ($5 million type homes), with a private beach, Gloucester has one in Magnolia, and along the coast.

You would absolutely love the North Shore, Cape Ann area.

Europeans in Boston like Salem, Beverly, Swampscott, Marblehead, Gloucester, Melrose. (and Newton and Brookline, but too far for Woburn)

I am European! In Beverly you can meet Italians, Greeks, Brazilians, Polish. I meet the most Europeans in Salem at playgrounds.

There are many one income families and stay at home moms in Beverly, Salem, Peabody, Danvers, Gloucester, where the average household income is about $65,000, because they are more affordable.

Do you mean affluent as in wealthy, or as in well rounded and cultured? Then you shouldnt have a problem meeting people based on your interests, regardless of where you live.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by chanamiryam

We are moving from Melbourne (Satellite Beach) to Boston (Woburn) for husbands new job and have no idea where to begin looking to live. We are world travellers and rarely stay anywhere longer than a year. The longest we lived anywhere in the last 20 years is Houston TX (Sugarland). We love Texas. We also like Florida although the best parts of FL are Naples, The Space Coast and Emerald Coasts. We lived in Savannah GA - hated it. We lived in Chicagoland (Naperville) hated it. We lived in Austin TX - didnt care for it (too many college kids) We lived in Iceland - loved it. We lived in Toronto Canada- hated it (way too many Pakistans/Muslims (nothing against them just too many and we felt like minority) and gloomy weather. Lived in Dublin Ireland - loved it. So you see we have a diverse lifestyle and we are hoping to settle down and stay put now that we are older. I homeschool my children and my kids are ages 10, 13 and 17. We are Orthodox Jews but live like conservative Jews. We are a pet friendly family with 3 dogs and 4 cats. We love nature, trees, mountains, lakes, ocean, etc. But need to be near big cities for its culture, nightlife, fabulous restaurants and shopping centers. We love festivals, amusement parks, ice skating, rodeos, flea markets, garage sales, horses, coastal lifestyles etc. Hubby makes about 100K per year income....I dont work although I am a figure skating coach (27 yrs) so I might take up a skating job there. On this income, I feel like Boston is going to be a tough place to call home. Especially since I am used to having a 3000 sq ft sprawling ranch style home with a huge backyard and still close to major shopping regions. I understand that is not going to happen in Boston. One of the reasons I hated living in Toronto is because of the style of houses there...everything is narrow and goes up. I hate shoebox homes. I like my house to be on one floor or a split level bungalow is fine. I love a huge yard that is landscaped like a tropical paradise. I had hoped to have a nice inground pool for the kids. In Houston a home like this rents for about $1400 a month. I am going to freak when I get to Boston and cant find what I want. I am afraid of old houses and prefer a modern home.
We dont mind to commute....however, where in the region say an hour radius of Woburn MA should we look to live? I love rain and thunderstorms. I love the ocean. I love boating and beachlife. I love shopping at Whole Foods, Ikea, Nordstroms, Saks, and Crate and Barrel. I love to be near affluent people and Europeans.
I cant stand small town mentality and small minded people. We love to entertain so meeting nice families is important to us. We love going to the movies especially the Drive IN. I dont like living in the heart of all the hustle and bustle because I love the countryside style of living but it has to be close to all the amenities of a big city. Sugarland TX was the perfect spot for us. Clean, low crime, affluent but affordable, kid and pet friendly, affordable homes, large properties, plenty to see and do, yet very close to all the big city amenities. Will I find something like this in the Boston area? We were told to look in Southern New Hampshire too. Help....any suggestions are much appreciated.

There is a Chabad house in Acton:
Acton-Concord Chabad

Woburn is about a 45 minute commute from Acton.

You will need to up your budget considerably to rent here.

There are a number of people employed in security and defense engineering in Acton, Boxborough and Sudbury.

You might also try Marblehead, Swampscott, although something tells me from your post, the North Shore might be too liberal and arty for you.

Sudbury could be a good fit for you politically and spiritually, and it is close to a nice mall the Natick Collection. However, not many rentals and very much on the high end price wise.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by cwaggy

I'd say Newton or Brookline would be by far your best bet and deal with an hour commute. Both those towns have conservative and orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, few if any Muslims, Whole Foods, Chestnut Hill Mall is pretty upscale. Unfortunately, that $100K salary won't go too far so plan on making some sacrifices of some sort. Housing and overall cost of living is very high here only slightly lower than NYC or San Fran. It will be an adjustment - Massachusetts can be a hard place to live and learning to love it...well....it is not for everybody.

I've seen Islamic families with the wife in hijab or nijab in Brookline, especially around Longwood, many times.

[Martha Anne]

"I cant stand small town mentality and small minded people. We love to entertain so meeting nice families is important to us."

If you loved Dublin maybe you will pay attention to what I, an Irish American whose parents went to the top schools (MIT and Radcliffe) would have to say to you: You sound like a very difficult person, very small minded and very over-impressed with yourself. One of the wonderful things, you see, is that Boston has always been loved by those who know it as inhabiting people who are not overly impressed with the material things or with themselves and who are more impressed with such boring values as helping one's neighbor, social justice, intellectual and artistic pursuit - and not worrying about the quality of the people they are going to invite over. You list wanting to be near certain stores! And heaven forbid that the "small minded people" are actually just small town folks who are more broad minded and less impressed with themselves than you show yourself to be. One of the endearing traits of the Irish is humility: You loved Dublin. Too bad this didn't rub off.

[Bruins_Fan]

[chanamiryam]

Wow, that was rude and mean Martha Anne. I did not deserve that. You do not know me at all. You have no idea obviously what kind of person I am. You cannot judge me by my Posts on here...because I had to be extremely vague and to the point to get as much opinion as possible so I can discern for ourselves what and where is the best place to live. How dare you call me small minded and over impressed with myself!!! are you kidding me? I have lived in the deep south where the small town mentality is prevalent and I know for a fact I do not want to end up in some hick town like those again. I have NEVER been to Boston or the New England Area....I have no idea what is out there at all. so I can only tell what I have experienced in places I have lived and how I want to live. Excuse me if I rubbed you the wrong way....but you are very quick to judge and label.

I love Dublin....it was clean, lively, friendly, great shopping and restaurants, the squares, the gardens, the ruins, the streets, etc. I love it all. I loved Germany, Iceland and England too. MOst of Europe appeals to me because of its culture and sophistication. I hated living in Georgia and Florida for instance. Low class uneducated ignorant people were all around us....that is not to say there are not pockets of wonderful areas and people....but in whole it was not my cup of tea. I hated Toronto because of the gray skies 300 days of the year, too many people, rude people, too many Pakistans and I felt like a minority there. Excuse me...I am not prejudiced by any means of any culture....i love all peoples....but I am not going to live in Canada or the USA where I am the minority and have to feel out of zone. ITs just not my cup of tea.

I am a Republican.....I dont care for liberals....and I am told Boston is liberal....so what. I am sure there is a good mix and we will fit in just fine. We just have to find an area that fits with what I like. I need to be close to fine upscale shops and amenities because I like nice things. I do not want to live where there is just a freaking Walmart !!! I hate WAlmart

I like to buy fresh flowers and fresh baked things at a bakery, I like to go to the local butcher and get my meats and I love to shop organic and healthy. I am a mom and need to be close to things that families like to do.....festivals, ice skating, parks, dog parks, biking, camping, fishing, skiing, etc.

I am a humanitarian....You have no idea what I do for people....and animals. you owe me an apology