Lesbian couple with kids moving to New England (Boston, Cambridge: house, teaching jobs)

[twinmoms]

Hello,
We are currently living in Los Angeles and looking to relocate soon. We are a mid-30s lesbian couple with infant twin boys and two small dogs. We are both special education teachers but not currently under contract so we can move soon. Living in Los Angeles is not ideal for us any longer as we want to find an area where we can eventually afford to buy a house and live in an area where it is liberal, green (lots of trees/parks), where we can find jobs, is safe for our children to go outside to play with other kids, and has good schools... Are we asking too much? I am from Los Angeles and my family lives here and in San Diego. My wife's family is in the Boston area. The areas we are strongly considering include Northern CA, Portland OR, or New England (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or southern Maine). In MA we love Boston, the South Shore (in-laws are in Braintree), the Cape, Northampton... we are open to anywhere honestly! Can anyone help us narrow down our options? Suggestions for the best areas in MA to consider?

Since we have babies, finding jobs is absolutely essential and we would not move without securing at least one job... Any teachers out there who have dealt with credentialing from CA to MA please help

[Scriptkitten]

Cambridge and all of the suburbs surrounding it along rt2 are pretty liberal and intellectual. So somerville, Arlington, Belmont, Lexington, bedford, concord, etc. in my experience people are open minded

[goyguy]

Originally Posted by Scriptkitten

Cambridge and all of the suburbs surrounding it along rt2 are pretty liberal and intellectual. So somerville, Arlington, Belmont, Lexington, bedford, concord, etc. in my experience people are open minded

...on the South Shore (save for perhaps Milton and Sharon), not so much.
"Massachusetts" and "affordable housing" don't normally occur in the same sentence very often. But if you're selling your current home in high-priced California you can probably find something equivalent or better here. The odds increase the farther west in the state you go.
Perhaps one of the more progressive towns in the Berkshires, such as Great Barrington or Williamstown, might be worth looking into. However, there as well as in the Pioneer Valley (Northampton, Amherst, etc) the social environment is very "small-towny." I found out the hard way as a city kid that this doesn't always work when you're not accustomed to it. (I lived in "Noho" for two years, which equated to about 20 months too many.) The artistic and musical communities are thriving, restaurant choices are far from limited to national-chain franchises, school system quality ranges from "just OK" to "top-tier," traffic problems are laughable - particularly to anyone used to LA, the overall vibe is friendly on the surface, etc. But running into the same people all the time, navigating cliques, and plotting one's next escape to Boston or NYC isn't for everybody.
On the West Coast, comparable cities to Northampton and Amherst would be Eugene and Chico.
Along the ocean, the North Shore towns of Rockport and Newburyport offer much the same experience as the places across the state I mentioned. In New Hampshire your best bets along those lines would be Durham, Portsmouth, and Exeter. Bear in mind that the population of NH has been climbing since the '80s, with much of this brought on by "refugees" from what they perceive as an overtaxed "nanny state." It's where a certain former US Senator, elected on a fluke and then voted out at the first opportunity, is trying to carpetbag his way back to Washington. We progressives are happy right where we are.

[timberline742]

Yeah, not sure how this will be "affordable". Honestly, if you like Northern CA, I'd check out Arcata. Sure, there are drug problems in Northern CA (where aren't there now?), but Arcata is a great town with a liberal university, good town square and nice farmers market and chill vibe.

[gf2020]

I suspect that pretty much any community in Eastern Mass. will meet your lifestyle requirements. The problem, however, will be landing full-time teaching jobs prior to moving to MA.

My wife is a public elementary school teacher in a North of Boston town. Since all MA teachers must be certified and most school districts require graduate degrees, jobs invariably go to teachers who have connections within the local school system. I'm not saying it's impossible to break in to that environment, I'm just trying to paint the picture that it is very hard to do so. Special education may be one of the few areas where you have a better opportunity.

Here is the info on state reciprocity for teacher certification: Educator Preparation Programs - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

MA teaching requirements and job postings: Amazing Educators

More job postings: Find Massachusetts teaching jobs at SchoolSpring.com!

[baysky]

Northampton!