Can anyone say anything good about living in Boston area? Waltham? (Newton: best cities, rental)

[Jkinsell]

We (mom, dad, 11-year old) are considering moving to Boston, to work in educational field. Is it possible to move to the area, be within 40-minute commute of Northeastern and live in (rent, preferably) in a home? How is Waltham? Schools? Thanks!

[Highwyre237]

Sure it is, but it depends on price.

Waltham has good parts and not so good parts. I dont know much about the schools though.

[wivenhoe]

Waltham schools are meh to less than meh. Not as highly rated as some swanky neighboring towns and cities (Belmont, Lincoln, Newton).

Moody Street is a trendy area for young people (i.e. twenty-somethings without children) but there's not much in Waltham for families compared to Arlington, Belmont, Newton, etc. It's not a 'family-friendly' town except for the townies.

Unless you're children are going to Gann Academy, personally I'd suggest looking in a neighboring town to rent if you've got kids.

[NotAPrincess]

Agree with others that Waltham schools aren't great. Watertown schools would be a bit better, IMO. Belmont and Newton would be other options with great schools, but will be more expensive. But those towns all have rental options. Some towns that are more suburban might have great schools, but it will be harder to find a rental.

[RC1981]

I know I sound like a broken record, but I'd recommend Melrose. It has Orange Line access in the southern tip, very easy bus access to the Orange Line in the rest of the town, and three commuter rail stations. Easy as pie to commute from Melrose. Great schools, too, above state average, which means when you compare them to the country as a whole, they're probably among the best of the best. Also, you can't beat it price-wise for what you get. One of the nicest, friendliest, safest, and commuter-friendly towns in the entire metro area, with great schools, and a really nice old-school New England atmosphere, all with probably the most reasonable prices when you consider what you get. Restaurants, shops, banks, etc. are pretty much all within walking distance and there's some great parks there too. I can't recommend Melrose highly enough to somebody in your situation.

[ogre]

What is your rental budget? That affects the options you have for a house in a nice area with good schools fairly close to Northeastern. Newton and Brookline are expensive, but if you can afford the housing costs there, they would be the first two towns I'd recommend for towns with single-family houses and good schools, not too far from Northeastern. I might recommend Newton over Brookline because of the potential inconvenience of Brookline's overnight parking ban, but that depends on individual circumstances, such as the property you rent and whether it has on-site parking.

[xS☺B☺s]

Countless good things could be said about living in Boston - it's one of the best cities in the world. The two majors negatives are cost and cold winter.

Here, I'll say one good thing right now: "Hampton Beach - today"

[Trish94]

Waltham - North Waltham is nice. I liked the area near Brandeis because I could easy get on the pike (route 90) and get to Moody Street. I live in Arlington and love it but also enjoyed my time in Waltham and go back there frequently.

[nancy thereader]

Where is Hampton Beach? Isn't that in New Hampshire? Is that a long drive from Boston?

[dngirard]

Hampton Beach is within 50 miles of downtown, exact distance/driving time would depend on where somebody's driving from. But it's definitely possible to get there within an hour from the Boston area if it's timed well with traffic.