Leominster to Burlington- realistic commute? (Boston, Lowell: apartments, rentals, affordable house)

[Mumtosum]

So- I am completely overwhelmed searching for a good place for my family to live once my husband accepts his job offer in Burlington MA. I am not familiar with the areas but from other posts, previous Q's I have posted and jsut researching... Im really questioning whether we can afford to live in the Burlington area comfortably at all. I know we couldnt live IN Burlington but even the area near by seem like they would be difficult for us.

We have two young children (newborn and toddler) and are looking for a 2 bedroom house (preferably- for the yard) or apartment for preferably- around 1300 but we could go up to $1550.

The area doesnt have to have a ton going on but we would like to not have a huge commute to do things like go foodshopping or occasionally go out to eat. Playgrounds are a plus but more importantly- we need to feel comfortable enough in the area to be outside with the kids playing and to take walks and stuff. We are more accustomed to suburbs but are open to change.

I have slowly been extending my search further and further out away from Burlington. I have found a *few* apartments within 30 mins of Burlington that are in our price range but reviews I have read have alarmed me a bit (on apartmentratings site)

From what I have read.. Leominster seems to be a bit more in our affordability and I have seen houses for rent, which is a huge plus to me over having to rent an apartment. Im not sure if there is a "bad area" of leominster or not or if the houses I have seen in our range are IN that area...

Anyways- would would the commute realistically be like for my DH if we lived in Leominster and he had to drive to Burlington each day? What about during the snowy months?

Thanks for any advice!

[readymade]

I used to live in Malden (about 15 minutes SE of Burlington) and my husband & I would drive to Leominster fairly often as his family lived there. It was at LEAST an hour's drive without much traffic. It seemed like it took forever.

I can't even imagine doing it during rush hour.

Back in November, I found a decent-sized 3 bedroom house in Wilmington (not far from Burlington) for rent for $1500. I found some other houses for rent for around that much in the surrounding areas... Reading, Arlington (where I live now), etc...

Maybe try Lowell/Billerica/Andover, etc...

Personally, I would NEVER want to commute to Burlington from Leominster.

[LeavingMA]

The commute is about 30-40 minutes on a good day. There are a couple of ways you can get to Burlington from Leominster. You can go Rt. 2 to 95 North, or go Rt. 2 to 495 North and then to Rt. 3 South. If you catch the traffic before you leave or in the car you can avoid accidents. With traffic it can take about an hour to an hour and half. Be aware though, you could live close to Burlington and because of the traffic on 93 and 95 it can take you an hour or more just to get to work.

Leominster is safe and many of the single-family homes are in good areas. There are a couple of "dumpy" looking areas, but the city is safe. There are parks and plenty of shopping in the area. The New Hampshire border is about 20 minutes away and I've made it to Logan Airport from Leominster in 45-50 minutes without traffic. Rt. 2 isn't the greatest road to drive. When you get to Concord you hit the rotary and lights which really slows things down.

Overall, the commute isn't that bad. Many people commute into Boston from Leominster and that is worse. Like I mentioned there are ways around some of the Boston traffic if you know your way. And you should be able to get a single-family house to rent for somewhere between $1,200 to $1,600.

[brightdoglover]

Leominster to Boston would be a straighter shot than to Burlington.
I lived in Leominster for nine months while my house was being built. I worked in Belmont (straight shot west on Rt.2 against traffic, 40 miles) and also in Malden, which was closer to 60 miles and I had to get to Rt.93 north from 495 from 2. It was against traffic, again, but coming back in the morning was a death-defying experience, the speeding/tailgaiting/weaving on the interstates, especially 93.
Regarding snowy times, there are separate weather belts as you go west from the coast. Boston and the coast have the mitigating effect of being sea level and coastal. West of 128, it gets higher and the temperatures are more extreme (sometimes as much as ten degrees either way). West of 495, another leap up. Often it would be snowing like crazy in Leominster and raining in Malden or Belmont. The highways were built with the natural changes in the land, it seems and they align the altitude/weather belts pretty well.
If wanting something more affordable than Burlington, I think maybe a downsizing of housing type/size might work better. Or look somewhere more in line with commuting to Burlington (and remember than 93 South from New Hampshire is like a parking lot during normal business hours. The commute could get really old really fast, not to mention wear and tear on the can and gas expenses (especially if they boom back up).
I like Leominster, aside from the tired parts near Fitchburg. But the commute would really get old.
Maybe something closer to the highway from Rt.2- Ayer?

[LeavingMA]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

Leominster to Boston would be a straighter shot than to Burlington.
I lived in Leominster for nine months while my house was being built. I worked in Belmont (straight shot west on Rt.2 against traffic, 40 miles) and also in Malden, which was closer to 60 miles and I had to get to Rt.93 north from 495 from 2. It was against traffic, again, but coming back in the morning was a death-defying experience, the speeding/tailgaiting/weaving on the interstates, especially 93.
Regarding snowy times, there are separate weather belts as you go west from the coast. Boston and the coast have the mitigating effect of being sea level and coastal. West of 128, it gets higher and the temperatures are more extreme (sometimes as much as ten degrees either way). West of 495, another leap up. Often it would be snowing like crazy in Leominster and raining in Malden or Belmont. The highways were built with the natural changes in the land, it seems and they align the altitude/weather belts pretty well.
If wanting something more affordable than Burlington, I think maybe a downsizing of housing type/size might work better. Or look somewhere more in line with commuting to Burlington (and remember than 93 South from New Hampshire is like a parking lot during normal business hours. The commute could get really old really fast, not to mention wear and tear on the can and gas expenses (especially if they boom back up).
I like Leominster, aside from the tired parts near Fitchburg. But the commute would really get old.
Maybe something closer to the highway from Rt.2- Ayer?

Leominster to Boston isn't even the same. Although it is a straighter shot down Rt. 2 you hit the rotary in Concord and all the lights. Then once you get close to Boston around the Cambridge/Somerville/Alewife area traffic is awful and takes forever to move even 5 miles.

[jaywalkin]

Avoid that commute if you can. I am originally from the Burlington area and moved to the Leominster area. I still travel down that way to see family but I would not make that commute every day. Rush hour both ways would be pretty bad.
I see that Billerica and Wilmington were suggested. Both have affordable house/duplex rentals if you look. I'd also try Tewksbury, Woburn, Bedford, Reading and some of the Southern NH towns (Nashua, Bedford NH, Merrimack).
Good luck!