Texas to Boston area move, family of 4 (Newton, Woburn: rent, houses)

[brightdoglover]

Isn't there a dedicated bus- the Silver Line- between North and South Stations?

[robr2]

Originally Posted by thenewtexan

Newton is Boston's Plano.

...and a friend describes South Lake as Dallas' Lexington.

[Idontwanttocheckmymessage]

Originally Posted by jbasser

Yes this is all very helpful. We are in Southlake, TX but I'm not a fan of Plano either. I'm trying super hard not to hate on North Texas as it's been good financially for my family and is a very nice place to live....it's just not a great fit for my family socially and politically. I'm in my early 40s so finally realizing life is too short to not try to optimize our daily living.

A lack of gifted programs does not bother me at all. I'm not overly impressed with the one here anyway. I'm looking forward to the Massachusetts school system in comparison to the one in Texas. My 10 yr old wants to know if your school system has state mandated standardized testing. For instance, we have STAAR here.

We are definitely reform jews and would be good with a small Jewish population.

My brain is super stuck on Newburyport but the commute could get old quickly for my husband. Just found the ride C&J bus line from NBPT to Boston South station. Any one have experience with it? thanks again!

Yes, Massachusetts has standardized testing with MCAS or PARC. Not a big deal at all in the school systems you are looking at - easy for most kids to pass there. NBPT may be an exception, but I don't know for sure. I can tell you that the elementary and middle schools here are not considered great. Many opt for the city's charter school (lottery) or catholic school through 8th grade and then send their kids to the public high school which is considered very good. My youngest is at NHS now and we have been very happy so far. However, I don't think I would have moved here when my children were elementary school age. My kids went through the Acton public schools starting in kindergarten so I'm probably a bit biased.

I have taken the C&J bus to the airport and it's great. Not sure how it would work out for a daily commute to South Station, though. Might be very tough.

I LOVE living in NBPT and it ticks many of your boxes. However, to be honest, I think it might be a fail for you in terms of schools and commute. Sorry!

[G-fused]

I was going to agree with Marblehead until I heard about commuting into South Station. I'd put Sharon on the list of possibilities. Not a beach town but has a lake with a beach. No town center to speak of though but good in terms of nature. Good diversity, great schools, large Jewish population (I'm Jewish), family friendly. Doesn't tick all the boxes but definitely ticks many. Taxes are high. It's a good town. Put it on the list to research.

Best of luck and welcome.

Edit: just saw your post about being stuck on Newburyport. That's a nice town. Fun town center but yeah the commute may be a bit much depending on when and how you commute. 10 minutes can make a big difference (i.e. if you leave early, you can avoid the major traffic if you commute by car). I used to work with someone who lives in Newburyport. The office he worked at moved less than 5 minutes north, saved him over 20 minutes commute time (he drives in). Many I work with now get in between 6 and 7am to avoid the BS. I walk so doesn't matter to me...sorry, just gloating.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

Isn't there a dedicated bus- the Silver Line- between North and South Stations?

No. There is no bus from North to South Station. You can either take Orange to Red at DTX, Green to Red at Park, or just Orange to DTX and walk. Unless it's really hot, I'd personally just walk from North to wherever I needed to be (it's about 1.3 miles to South Station). Transfers really mess up your schedule, especially if one of the modes is Commuter Rail.

To the OP, I'd look to Hingham, Sharon, or Newton. All are great and all are different. Your budget is a bit iffy for Newton, especially if you've gotten used to Texas-sized housing. It's a great city, though (probably why it's so expensive). Sharon is the most affordable, is reasonably diverse, is very liberal and (at least for the area) very Jewish. The train to South Station is really fast, but Sharon is pretty far, especially compared to Newton. Hingham has the water.

If you like Newton but can't quite make it fit your budget, you could look at Needham and Natick, as well. Both are more suburban but more affordable.

[jbasser]

Thank you all! I'm starting to focus on Hingham now. Newburyport is just too far. The ferry commute sealed it for my husband. Newton looks amazing but definitely out of my budget. I'm quoting my top budget when I say up to 950k.

I've always lived below my means but that's not hard in Texas (except Austin of course...homes are going 300K over what we paid in 2006 there.) Very nervous about stretching my housing budget for this move but think it will be worth it for all the other benefits.

Any yes Southlake, TX has a reputation outside the bubble. It is a very nice place to live though...just not for me

thanks again!

[Idontwanttocheckmymessage]

OP, Hingham is a lovely harbor town. It was love at first sight for me and I cried when we moved due to my husband leaving his job in Boston. Hingham to Boston was really the only workable commute at that time so we had to move out to the to Metrowest area. Now, were talking about 16-17 years ago, in the pre-commuter rail days when the ferry was the only option in Hingham.

My oldest daughter was just 2 when we left. Still, I found Hingham to be very family oriented and social, with a walkable downtown, lots of shopping and restaurants (there are TONS more now), close to great beaches in neighboring towns and home to a wonderful down to earth reform temple (we are Jewish too). And, a huge boating town if that interests you. Yes, Hingham was very preppy/conservative back then but this might have changed with the times. The commuter rail has opened the town up and I really don't think it's exclusively old money anymore. Check it out in person and see what you think. Granted, it's not Newburyport, but Hingham may be the best option within your parameters. And Newburyport isn't going anywhere if you want to come as an empty nester ! Good luck.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by jbasser

Hello,

I've looked through the threads to gather information yet I still want all your opinions...

My husband's job is most likely set to transfer him to Boston. We currently live in a suburb of Dallas in one of the top school districts. We have a 10yr old and 6 yr old boy. Both are already identified as gifted through testing the school administered and are in pull out classes geared towards GT kids. We are interested in living in a suburb with good schools (actually prefer not the very top tier as I'm over the pressure on my kids to score in the top and don't want to produce burned out/stressed out children before they even head to college.) Here is what we are looking for and I would love feedback if my thought process is correct. I've only been to Boston one time for 4 days so need so much help!

1. liberal environment
2. Good school (doesn't have to be the best of the best but challenging enough)
3. Close to beach/ocean - port town even better
4. very walkable town center with small business
5. parks, trails for running/biking
6. live music
7. family neighborhoods
8. rock climbing gym
9. Jewish people
10. diversity
11. train to boston access - 1 hour commute max each way give or take a few minutes of course

Texas has been good to us but basically looking for everything Texas is not And not bashing TX as both my boys are native Austinites!

Max housing budget $950k

So, from my internet search Newburyport appears to fit what I'm looking for. Thoughts? recommendations? Thank you!

Newburyport is pretty darned nice. You do trade off some commuting time, but if you like nature, it's nicer further from the city for sure. We have the two nicest parks on the North Shore (Maudslay State Park and Parker River National Wildlife Refuge), a nice "rail trail" in town and lots of walkable neighborhoods, a pretty harborfront to watch the sun go down from, numerous events with live music, a quaint 19th century business district, a beautiful barrier island beach...

I can't speak too much to the Jewish community, but you could ask these folks at Ahavas Achim:
https://www.caa-newburyport.org/
...I can tell you that you can get first-class bagels at Abraham's

The other nice thing about Newburyport if you like being outside, is beyond the great places right here, it's an easy drive up to seacoast NH - Portsmouth, Rye, Exeter, Dover and the Great Bay/Little Bay... and the towns in southern Maine like York, Kittery and Ogunquit, and if going overnight, you can also get a jump on trips up to New Hampshire's White Mountains and Maine's lovely midcoast region.

[SalamanderSmile]

As an Austin/SanFrancisco-esque person myself I think Hingham would be a misery. It is very concerned with affluence and the trappings of affluence in a way that much of greater Boston is not. Google-up some Hingham streetview and you will see more Mercedes than Toyotas, which in some parts of the country would just be a normal sign of affluence, but -get this- in greater Boston it is actually frowned upon to demonstrate your wealth in that ostentatious a manner. There is something about Hingham, and I don't know what it is. Maybe "late to the party fishing town turns fancy" ? But Hingham is really really focused on outwards demonstrations of wealth. It is also an island of affluence so maybe they feel like they have to "represent" to keep out the filthy hoardes.

I know you would love to be on the ocean, and you need a south station commute. You have to decide if the ocean is more important than living amidst more like-minded people. Arlington has great connection to the redline for a commute directly to south station and Newton has the commuter rail to south station. Both are better suited to you, if less exotic, than Hingham.

I don't know much about the south shore but I imagine there are more down-to-earth choices than Hingham without going full townie.

[jbasser]

Lots to think about. I greatly appreciate all the feedback. I’m starting to lean towards renting for 6 months to get this right. Moving twice is tiring but worth it to make sure I truly like the area.