Moving to Boston area: Where to live? (Framingham, Braintree: new home, neighborhoods)

[LN in Illinois]

Hello:
I have been reading the posts on this forum for the past 6 months since we knew we might be moving to the Boston area. We just found out that my husband will be starting a new position in South Boston in August. We currently live in the Chicago area and have 3 kids. Being as that we have never lived anywhere on the east coast, the move feels a bit daunting. We went for a visit to Boston this past summer and stayed for a week in Needham. We did lots of touristy things, exploring and eating. We enjoyed the area and it reminded me of living in Seattle with the water and the greenery. We have friends that live in Natick that love it there and because we trust their judgment, we would consider living there. My husband will be working mainly in South Boston. Because of the traffic, he would love to be able to take public transportation in to the office and ideally would like to have less than an hour commute. Down the road, he may also have to work in Natick or at the CVS headquarters in Rhode Island.
We would like to find a single family home with a budget of $700k. I am sure many of you recall the post from Sunnyhoney, but I was always hoping to hear where she eventually settled since I am looking for a similar feel for wherever we end up. This will be the home that (fingers crossed!) all three of our sons will grow up and graduate from high school. Naturally, great schools are a must! We currently live in a wonderful community where we run into friends at Trader Joes or at the library. Although our current town has a population of about 55,000 people, it has a small town feel. Social justice, diversity and genuine friendliness are also an important factors. We are currently in a suburb west of Chicago but we can walk to the El and be in downtown Chicago to enjoy the city in 15 minutes. We don't necessarily need to be that close to Boston, but in an area where it doesn't feel like a chore to take the kids on an adventure. My husband has been to Boston often for work and he seems to think Braintree is an option. I think I would prefer the metrowest area (most likely Natick because of our price range).

Any help in pointing us in the right direction would be appreciated. Thanks so much!

[MikePRU]

I have a number of friends that live in Natick and with only one exception they all rave about living there. I've had many clients who have bought in Natick and none of them have a negative word to say about it. In fact, my wife & I strongly considered settling in Natick before we ended up buying in Needham. We felt Natick had a lot to offer and housing prices were lower than Needham. Personally, I don't like to advise people commuting into Boston to live south of the city because the rush hour traffic coming in from that direction (and out in the afternoon of course) is some of the worst in the city. Even if you take public transportation to work, it's nice to know you can drive if you want to.

One question I do have about your situation is . . . where in South Boston will your husband be working? The Seaport District maybe? Also, will he need his car during the day or can he take public transportation?

[LN in Illinois]

Thanks, MikePRU. I was hoping you would reply to the post!

My husband will be working near the Gillette plant which he said has a red line station nearby. Down the line, there is the possibility that he might have work in Natick or in Woonsocket, RI, but I suppose the South Boston commute is our main focus. I don't think he will have to do much driving, but many of his coworkers do drive in.
We liked visiting Needham and when we drove around Natick, I think we were a bit worried by the neighborhood inconsistencies that we found (a street with a brand new home, next to a home with the rusted out pick up truck with no wheels on the lawn. Maybe we were looking in the wrong area, but we would appreciate a neighborhood with good, consistent street support.
I remember reading on past posts that housing inventory should increase with spring here, but I have been a bit depressed with what we have seen.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by LN in Illinois

Thanks, MikePRU. I was hoping you would reply to the post!

My husband will be working near the Gillette plant which he said has a red line station nearby. Down the line, there is the possibility that he might have work in Natick or in Woonsocket, RI, but I suppose the South Boston commute is our main focus. I don't think he will have to do much driving, but many of his coworkers do drive in.
We liked visiting Needham and when we drove around Natick, I think we were a bit worried by the neighborhood inconsistencies that we found (a street with a brand new home, next to a home with the rusted out pick up truck with no wheels on the lawn. Maybe we were looking in the wrong area, but we would appreciate a neighborhood with good, consistent street support.
I remember reading on past posts that housing inventory should increase with spring here, but I have been a bit depressed with what we have seen.

Natick is a bit of a patch work quilt and some of the neighborhoods have better aesthetics than others. In your budget, I would imagine you could get yourself into a good neighborhood in Natick although it would be an older home and not a new one.

[Cliff Clavin]

Originally Posted by LN in Illinois

My husband will be working near the Gillette plant which he said has a red line station nearby. Down the line, there is the possibility that he might have work in Natick or in Woonsocket, RI, but I suppose the South Boston commute is our main focus. I don't think he will have to do much driving, but many of his coworkers do drive in.

I work right there as well. In addition to the Broadway T stop on the red, it's maybe a 10 minute walk from South Station for commuter rail access. Many of the companies in that area run shuttle buses to and from South Station as well.

[LN in Illinois]

Thanks for your responses, MikePRU and Cliff. So would a Natick to South Boston commute be doable? Or does anyone have any other suggestions on where to live?

[Cliff Clavin]

Originally Posted by LN in Illinois

Thanks for your responses, MikePRU and Cliff. So would a Natick to South Boston commute be doable?

Very doable. Looks like 35-45 minutes (depends if it's an express train or not) from Natick to South Station via the commuter rail. That's about as good as it gets in the Boston area.

http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/r...route=WORCSTER

[kingeorge]

I would add Westwood and Hopkinton to your list. Westwood is best positioned to commute to Boston with strong schools and probably is better pick than Natick.

Hopkinton is further than Natick, not the most ideal, but still doable with commute from Ashland or Framingham into Boston. Hopkinton has great schools, better priced/sized homes than most places already mentioned, and is very family friendly, very good schools included. Great state park with the lake as well.

Hope it helps. Welcome.

[495neighbor]

Natick, Walpole and Franklin would well suit the vibe and commute you are seeking and all of these would be doable commutes to Providence, RI too.

[LN in Illinois]

Thanks to all for the great suggestions. Some of those cities were not on my radar so I appreciate all of the input. I am off to do some research (and hopefully not be too depressed when I look at the housing inventory!).

Also, thanks to Cliff for the mbta schedule!