what is the easiest commute to Cambridge? (Boston, Lynn: renting, how much)

[Snydley]

Hi-
We will be buying a house soon have a question about commute times. My husband works in Danvers, MA. I am not working currently but will likely wind up working in Cambridge. We are currently renting in Wakefield and like it a lot.

The towns we are considering are: Wakefield, Melrose, Stoneham, Reading, Woburn, and Burlington. Which of these would be the shortest commute to Cambridge? How long would the relative commutes be? My car or train?

Any info much appreciated!

thanks
Jen

[gf2020]

Melrose is the closest by far and would have the shortest commute time by car or public transportation.

The other towns get a little more complicated because of the different public transportation options: commuter rail to North Station, Red or Orange subway lines, express bus options from Woburn. It's really a toss-up among some of those towns, commute-wise. Saugus or Lynnfield would be good choices too.

You may want to consider some other factors (budget, schools, recreational opportunities, etc.) in helping you narrow down your choices further.

[Snydley]

Hi-
Thanks for your reply. We have looked at all the other factors, and feel any of those towns would be great for us.

I'm kinda surprised you wrote Melrose was the closest 'by far'. Is this because it is near the Oak Grove T stop? What do you predict the commute time from Woburn or Burlington would be?

thanks
Jen

[Beantown_mama]

I agree, out of those towns, Melrose is the closest by far (unless you live in one tiny area of Stoneham east of the Fells that borders Melrose). From Melrose, you can either drive down 28S through Somerville to Cambridge and it would take about 30-40 minutes (during rush hour), or take the Commuter Rail to North Station (15 minutes) and then take the EZ Ride Shuttle (depending on what area of Cambridge you are in, it would be anywhere for 10-35 minutes on the shuttle once you got off the train). As you go up the Haverill Line to the stops in Wakefield and Reading, you can add the train times to the commute above to see how much longer it would take.

However, it really matters where in Cambridge you think you would work. If you were working at Alewife or North Cambridge, you'd have a different commute than if you worked in Lechmere or Kendall Square.

Commuting from Reading, Burlington, or Woburn is probably closer to 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. Again, it depends on where in Cambridge you would work but if you have to go down 93S, then it is a nightmare. From Burlington, you may have more luck heading over to Route 2 and heading through Alewife and down Mass Ave. But the trip on 128N (to 93S) or 128S (to 2S) isn't good. From Woburn, you could take the T from Anderson. It is about 1/2 hour to North Station, and then the EZ Ride Shuttle (see above).

[nshorehomes]

You are splitting hairs. The commute to Cambridge will not vary significantly and it really depends on where in Cambridge you will end up that will impact your commute from any of these communities.

If I read youre message correctly, your husband will continue to work in Danvers. The commute up to Danvers will vary much more if you are leaning towards Woburn or Burlington. Wakefield, Stoneham and Melrose offer a good central location between Cambridge and Danvers. In any case, consider what the schools, cummunity and recreational opportunities are and choose a community that fits your lifestyle.

You said that you like Wakefield. Wakefield offers a lot of lifestyle choices. My daughter lives there and works in Boston. We live and work up on the North Shore in Topsfield. She visits us often but loves the location in Wakefield because it suits her lifestyle. Access to biking trails, reasonable commute to Boston, a quaint downtown and Lake Q. I had a business in Woburn for many years and commuting to and from the North Shore over Rte 128 was always a nightmare. Wakefield, Stoneham, Melrose offer you many choices to Cambridge via public transportation or an easy drive while still offering easy access to and from Danvers.

Best of luck!

[Snydley]

thanks so much for the replies! After reading your comments, I think we will focus on Melrose, Stoneham, and Wakefield (maybe Reading).