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If it were me, I’d pick Newton. You want civilization, not pulse-free outer suburbs where people go to die. You have lots of public transportation options for that soul-crushing Boston commute. You want to optimize for that. The Springfield commute is a cruise control drive out the Pike. It doesn’t matter much if it’s an extra 20 minutes in the car compared to the outer reaches of Metro West.
Quote:
Originally Posted by masssachoicetts
Yes you'll find the MBTA Commuter Rail + T much better than the NJ Transit. I never understood how trains cancel so frequently in the NYC Area. lol. My commute in Queens (Albeit, the MTA) took 60+ minutes and was 4 miles LOL.... when the trains weren't canceled.
However, the MBTA is far from perfect and I do second the suggestion of living in an area with multiple ways to get to Boston just in case of an MBTA throw off. Newton is perfect, however it is 80 minutes to Springfield... but youll make up for it by enjoying the urban core of Boston. But you have many options to get into the city if all goes wrong (The T, The Commuter Rail, Driving, Bus, etc). With your budget, you could find something in newton or a neighboring town, with top-notch public schools.
I think GeoffD brings up a stellar point. those suburbs where you go to die should be crossed off... the urban feel of Boston, if you have the budget, is second to none. And you have the budget, so why not look at Newton or Needham or even Wellesley?
I find myself drawn to these suggestions. I have a strong preference for urban areas, and my top priority when we moved here was easy access to the city. We are in Newton. My husband (who, incidentally, is from northern NJ) recently changed jobs - he was in Back Bay but is now in the financial district. I don't want you to start thinking that the commute is heavenly, though. Sometimes his commute reached an hour from Back Bay, and is often an hour from the financial district, whether on the T or the car. But, keep in mind, this is almost as good as it gets, so if you're even further out, those days when it was an hour from Back Bay to Newton could easily be 2 hours if you're going out further toward 495. But, we do love that he can commute into the city via the T, or car, or even by commuter rail if he so chose.
The commute to/from Springfield, though, I don't think would be so much worse if you're going to Newton, Needham or Wellesley than if you were going to one of the other further out towns you mention.
The budget will be tight in those towns, and you'll have to make some sacrifices -- probably a small lot size, smaller house, etc. But there are workable options. If you really want a larger and newer house for that money, I'd look at Natick. It's a touch closer to Springfield (not a whole lot but a smidge) and it isn't unreasonable to get to Boston. And there are lots of restaurants there. I would think there are plenty that deliver, etc.
Reading your posts it does sound like you'd be better off avoiding some of the sleepier suburbs that were on your original list. Wayland and Hopkinton are especially sleepy places. Living in places like Wellesley, Needham, or Newton would definitely give you a different lifestyle and an improved commute to Boston which will almost definitely be the less pleasant of the two commutes due to traffic. Plus, having good access to Boston and all it has to offer is a big plus and big reason to move here. It's not NYC by any stretch of the imagination but it's still a great city in it's own right.
I'm a bit concerned by your housing budget in towns like Newton, Needham, and Wellesley. You're definitely looking at a fairly modest house possibly in a bit of a questionable location (busy street) or maybe in a style that many people don't love (ex. split level style house) in that price range or maybe a pretty nice town home if you're wiling to share some walls. A little bit more of a compromise to consider might be Natick. It will stretch your budget a bit but you'll be a little further out than Newton, Needham, Wellesley. Still a well regarded school system and two commuter rail stops that can take you into Boston.
At the end of the day, it really depends upon what kind of house you're looking for. You mentioned 4 bedrooms . . . is there any other detail you can offer? Are we talking about a 2k sq ft house or a 5k sq ft house that you're looking for? How much land do you want? Are you thinking 1/4 acre or 5 acres? Are you OK with a dated home or does it need to be recently updated or maybe you insist on new construction? The more detail you can provide, the more helpful the answers you get back will be.
I could be wrong but isn't it maybe an hour and a half to Springfield from Newton? That would be without traffic. If they are commuting to Springfield twice a week during regular business hours would they not also encounter Worcester and Springfield's traffic? I don't know Springfield but rush hour traffic in the Worcester area can be heavy and slow. Do you want that twice a week especially in the winter weather?
anyone saying Netown is being silly. That'll be over an hour and a half as a commute door to door. Lets be real.
Commute time doesn't add linearly, though. You'll travel west from Newton at close to the limit, but east from wherever will be much slower. For total commute time, the best think you could do is live exactly where you work in Boston and take the hit to Springfield twice a week.
The only reason to move further out is affordability, or if you want to sacrifice total commute time for a more even commute time. If you do move out, map out the path between them and live close to that route.
Going from the centers of each town (because that's what Google makes easy)
From Boston right now, it's 99 minutes to Springfield = 49.5 min average
From Newton right now, it's 31 minutes to Boston and 86 minutes to Springfield = 58.5 min average
From Natick, right now, it's 63 minutes to Boston and 84 minutes to Springfield = 73.5 min average
From Westborough, right now, it's 74 minutes to Boston and 70 minutes to Springfield = 72 min average
I could be wrong but isn't it maybe an hour and a half to Springfield from Newton? That would be without traffic. If they are commuting to Springfield twice a week during regular business hours would they not also encounter Worcester and Springfield's traffic? I don't know Springfield but rush hour traffic in the Worcester area can be heavy and slow. Do you want that twice a week especially in the winter weather?
Yes, but in your alternative, you're going west of Worcester, which yes, makes the Springfield commute better but makes the Boston commute much worse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade
anyone saying Netown is being silly. That'll be over an hour and a half as a commute door to door. Lets be real.
It wasn't my initial thought, but in thinking about it, I think it makes sense, given what OP wants. I wouldn't suggest it if every day the commute was to Springfield, but with half the commute being to Boston, something is going to give. I'd rather drive a little further in a highway commute with little traffic than I would want to spend in bumper to bumper traffic.
Commute time doesn't add linearly, though. You'll travel west from Newton at close to the limit, but east from wherever will be much slower. For total commute time, the best think you could do is live exactly where you work in Boston and take the hit to Springfield twice a week.
Anything West of Worcester would be just as silly. I would never suggest that!
The only reason to move further out is affordability, or if you want to sacrifice total commute time for a more even commute time. If you do move out, map out the path between them and live close to that route.
Going from the centers of each town (because that's what Google makes easy)
I don't know i still think Shrewsbury is a better fit. According to Google it an hour and four minutes right now (8:30am) to Springfield. As for Boston Google says an hour and eleven minutes right now (again 8:30am). I know it's hard for some on this board to believe but there is more out there in this state then just Boston and it's wealthy inner suburbs!
From Boston right now, it's 99 minutes to Springfield = 49.5 min average
From Newton right now, it's 31 minutes to Boston and 86 minutes to Springfield = 58.5 min average
From Natick, right now, it's 63 minutes to Boston and 84 minutes to Springfield = 73.5 min average
From Westborough, right now, it's 74 minutes to Boston and 70 minutes to Springfield = 72 min average
I don't know i still think Shrewsbury is a better fit. According to Google it will be an hour and four minutes from Shrewsbury to Springfield right now (8:30am). For Shrewsbury to Boston Google says an hour and eleven minutes right now. Once again at 8:30am. That seems like a much better compromise to me. I know it's hard for some on this board to believe that there is more to this state then Boston and it's wealthy inner suburbs!
Commute time doesn't add linearly, though. You'll travel west from Newton at close to the limit, but east from wherever will be much slower. For total commute time, the best think you could do is live exactly where you work in Boston and take the hit to Springfield twice a week.
The only reason to move further out is affordability, or if you want to sacrifice total commute time for a more even commute time. If you do move out, map out the path between them and live close to that route.
Going from the centers of each town (because that's what Google makes easy)
From Boston right now, it's 99 minutes to Springfield = 49.5 min average
From Newton right now, it's 31 minutes to Boston and 86 minutes to Springfield = 58.5 min average
From Natick, right now, it's 63 minutes to Boston and 84 minutes to Springfield = 73.5 min average
From Westborough, right now, it's 74 minutes to Boston and 70 minutes to Springfield = 72 min average
"from Newton" and "from Natick" are pretty broad terms.
Depending on where in town and what type of housing it can be significantly longer. (e.g. a North Newton Condo with elevator and security might take longer than living in Western/Southern Newton in a single family home)
How close can OP reasonably get to where they work in Boston? I get everyone point and maybe its best for OP, I just personally wouldn't. That drive back from Springfield into Boston proper?? No, absolutely not-no thanks.
"from Newton" and "from Natick" are pretty broad terms.
Depending on where in town and what type of housing it can be significantly longer. (e.g. a North Newton Condo with elevator and security might take longer than living in Western/Southern Newton in a single family home)
How close can OP reasonably get to where they work in Boston? I get everyone point and maybe its best for OP, I just personally wouldn't. That drive back from Springfield into Boston proper?? No, absolutely not-no thanks.
Of course not everywhere in Newton would work. You need to be reasonably close to the pike for that to make sense. If there were absolutely no traffic, the best choice for minimizing commute time would be anywhere on the route between the two places you have to travel to. You could live at work in Springfield, or at work in Boston, or anywhere in between. They would all give the same total commute time. Living off that route, for whatever reason, would increase your commute time both ways.
Once you break symmetry with traffic, it makes sense to live closer to the place where everyone else is going. Of course you don't want to live too far off that route, especially in Newton. If you live in Oak Hill, for instance, you will likely be fighting rush hour traffic all the way north before you can start toward Springfield. The same is true of Natick. South Natick is nice, but you'll be fighting traffic to the pike both ways.
And, beyond total commute time, I agree that Newton doesn't make a ton of sense given their budget and housing desires. If I only had to commute into Boston two days a week, I would consider saving money and living further out.
Springfield traffic isn't that bad outside of the time of the Big E but if you live or work in the area you'll know ways around it. There's a bit of a tie up on 91 south maybe around 445-530 but it isn't nearly as bad as boston traffic.
Eventually we'll see rail service across the state but it will take awhile (see other threads on that)
What about something between? What about Hudson?
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