Commuting to work from the South Shore to the North Shore? (Boston: home, schools)

[Boston Lover]

Hi,

First post here. Love the forums! So much info...

I am currently living in Salem and working in Lynn. I love the area but it is just very expensive to be honest. Hence, I've been pondering upon moving. I've been looking at several places such as Southern NH, Amesbury/Salisbury, Merrimack area, Nashua, and the South Shore. This last one seems to draw my attention the most. I am looking into towns such as Needham, Dedham, Norwood, Canton, Sharon, Quincy, etc. We are a family of 4, hence schools are also important for us. Does anyone feel like I would be in horrible traffic everyday while going to work and returning back? My work schedule fluctuates every day, but let's say for conversation's sake that it's an 8am-6pm.

I truly appreciate all of the honest feedback from everyone here!

[gf2020]

That is a terrible idea.

What is your price range? If you are looking in Needham, Canton and Sharon, then you can definitely find comparable towns north of Boston.

[scorpio516]

Needham, Dedham, Sharon, Canton, Norwood aren't South Shore. The drive would quickly kill you. Take the most MetroWest of towns, Needham. If you commute during normal hours, you might hit 30 mph on 128 until you pass the 93 interchange. Then you'll probably take 129 into Lynn.

Even the commute from Lowell and Nashua would be miserable. 3 is a parking lot every morning. When I have 10am meetings in Beverly I give myself 2 hours to get there from Worcester. Even at 9, 3 is stopped.

[wfoley85]

This is an atrocious idea. Although traffic may be lighter now, it will get back to normal in time. To get from Needham to Lynn, you are probably looking at upwards of two hours during peak commuting hours, each way. If you can afford Needham, you can find towns on the North Shore that you can afford with good school systems. Lynnfield may be a good option.

[GeoffD]

Driving the length of 128 every day. How bad could it be?

[Boston Lover]

Thanks for dropping great knowledge on me! I forgot to mention that I'm not originally from MA and that I've only lived here for a couple of years. Hence, I might have confused exactly what area does the South Shore entails. I wonder what ya'll might think about commuting from Amesbury/Salisbury to Lynn? Thanks in advance!

[Boston Lover]

I'm currently looking to shave some monthly expenses, and would honestly like a place under $2k with decent space for 4.

[BostonMike7]

Amesbury to Lynn still might be a 45-60min commute once things get back to normal.

[mdovell]

Are you crazy? I worked out of Lexington and lived on the south shore. I was looking at 90 minutes each way that's the baseline. If you didn't leave by 4pm it would take you another half hour back. If it was a friday you'd be looking at three hours back. Some would get dinner and then go home or rig it up to have four long days and fridays off.

128 is the red ring of death. I could physically feel the stress from driving day in and day out. I'm sorry but I'm glad I'm out west, make more and don't deal with that anymore.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by mdovell

Are you crazy? I worked out of Lexington and lived on the south shore. I was looking at 90 minutes each way that's the baseline. If you didn't leave by 4pm it would take you another half hour back. If it was a friday you'd be looking at three hours back. Some would get dinner and then go home or rig it up to have four long days and fridays off.

128 is the red ring of death. I could physically feel the stress from driving day in and day out. I'm sorry but I'm glad I'm out west, make more and don't deal with that anymore.

It was really awful the last few years of the 128 widening the last 3 miles around Route 9. If you weren’t clear of it by 3pm, you had a gigantic delay. So many people flexed in the morning that even 6am was a problem.