30 minute commute to Kendall Square? (Boston, Cambridge: apartment, rentals, how much)

[empearls]

It's looking likely my husband will be securing a job near Kendall Square in Cambridge. I was set on Brookline but my husband was speaking with one of the company's representatives and they were saying how Brookline might be too expensive.
From craigslist it looks like we could secure a 3 bedroom in Brookline for ~$2400-2600 that includes one parking spot and heat/hot water.

I am well aware we will not be renting a 3 bedroom detached house with a yard in Brookline. We just spent 5 years living in less than 700 sq feet - the last year and a half we lived in less than 700 sq feet with 2 children. I do not need a 2000 sq ft home. I am happy to sacrifice square footage for an urban vibe (walkability!) and awesome schools. However, a 3 bedroom home with a basement sounds pretty awesome too!

From a previous post, I learned that we could get away with a 30 minute commute if we lived near the CB2-something or other (sorry, I know I'm butchering it!) bus line near Brookline Village.

What I need now are maybe some other, more-bang-for-your-buck communities. Would Milton be a viable option? I'm really not interested in Arlington or Belmont - the schools seem hit-or-miss and from some other posts, it reads like they are facing mass budget cuts. Would it be horrible to live in Newton and commute to Kendall Sq?

Also, how imperative is it that heat and hot water are included in the rent? Most places seem to include it - we'll be moving from Southern California so I'm sure we'll be frozen for the first year or two until we get acclimatized. I'm also a SAHM so the heat will need to be running all day. What is the avg. heating bill in January for someone who has the heat on ALL THE TIME for a 1000 sq foot apartment?


RENTAL BUDGET:

$2400


Background on us:
young 30's
college/grad school educated
Jewish
2 children
1 car


Ideally:
30 minute door-to-door commute to Kendall Sq but willing to go as high as 50 min DTD commute


Required:

2 bedrooms minimum
1000 sq feet minimum
1 parking spot
10 minute walking distance to public transit
EXCELLENT elementary schools

(balcony/porch would be ideal)


Fantasy List:

2 bathrooms
yard
extra den/bedroom/space to be used as office
walking distance to a synagogue, market, restaurants
dog-friendly (we don't have one but I'd like to get a small apartment-sized dog eventually)

[jad79]

I would look in Arlington in the Brackett school district, that should give you all you're looking for (except synagogue?). Short bus ride (very frequent routes) to Harvard Square then 2 stops to Kendall.

Brookline would also work although the commute would be longer, and Newton would even be an option if you're willing to go > 30 minutes and take a bus. Both of those towns have more active Jewish communities than Arlington.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by empearls

What I need now are maybe some other, more-bang-for-your-buck communities. Would Milton be a viable option? I'm really not interested in Arlington or Belmont - the schools seem hit-or-miss and from some other posts, it reads like they are facing mass budget cuts. Would it be horrible to live in Newton and commute to Kendall Sq?

Milton would be a viable option if you lived close to the T stops, which are all in the northern extreme of the town along the Boston line. Milton's on the Mattapan connector trolley, so he'd have to change at Ashmont. All told Milton to Kendall probably takes more than 30 mins.

I'm not sure where you're getting your info from on Arlington and Belmont, but I wouldn't be so fast to take them off the list. Budget cuts are an issue in many towns these days and many towns' budget situtation seems to fluctuate significantly from year to year. Who's to say where the budget cuts will hit in a year's time. I wouldn't consider the schools in either town "hit-or-miss" (any more than any school has the potential to be hit-or-miss for a particular child). They're strong school districts in an area full of strong school districts. I live in Belmont now after having grown up largely in Arlington and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either.

I'd second the Brackett school district in Arlington. I actually graduated from that school long before they got their nice new building. It's been rated among the top in the state many times in recent years and in my opinion that's the nicest part of Arlington. Only caveat is that there are not as many rentals in that part of town.

Newton to Kendall is a tricky commute by mass transit, but it's doable if you're willing to go beyond the 30 minutes. During the rush hour the commuter rail stops at Auburndale, West Newton and Newtonville along the Mass. Pike. It's about 20 mins from Newtonville to South Station and the Red Line to Kendall is another 10-15 mins. I think you'd be quite happy with the rentals you'd find there, particularly in Newtonville, in your price range.

The only other transit option that readily comes to mind is the 71 bus from Watertown Square to Harvard via Mt. Auburn Street. But that's not a great option because, although Watertown Square is not far from the NE corner of Newton, it's not really close enough to walk and and there's no real parking there. It's only an option if someone drops him at the bus each morning. Even then, it's 20 mins just on the bus from Watertown Square to Harvard, plus two stops on the Red Line. Plus to-and-from at each end.

Originally Posted by empearls

Fantasy List:

2 bathrooms
yard
extra den/bedroom/space to be used as office
walking distance to a synagogue, market, restaurants
dog-friendly (we don't have one but I'd like to get a small apartment-sized dog eventually)

Assuming you get just a tiny bit outside the urban core of Boston-Cambridge-Somerville-Brookline, much of this list seems doable, particularly in your price range. The only items that strike me as unlikely are the 2 bathrooms (not easily found in older Boston-area apts) and the dog-friendly (local landlords are notorious for not allowing dogs).

Again, the northern parts of Newton seem like a good fit. A lot of places come with yard access, parking, and an extra den space. Newton is divided (unofficially) into 13 "villages," most of which have their own small downtown with restaurants, markets and stores. There's a significant Jewish population there (I think I recently saw a figure like 1/3) and thus multiple synagogues to choose from.

[jad79]

I don't live in Arlington or Belmont, but I would certainly not describe schools like Brackett as hit or miss either. I realize MCAS isn't everything, but it is the most quantifiable data point.

2009 MCAS Results - Arlington Public Schools - The Boston Globe - Boston.com

Brackett School, 2009 MCAS rankings
4th grade English: 2 of 967 schools
4th grade Math: 4 of 967
5th grade English: 3 of 896
5th grade Math: 4 of 896
5th grade Science: 8 of 896

[empearls]

Originally Posted by holden125

All told Milton to Kendall probably takes more than 30 mins.

Newton to Kendall is a tricky commute by mass transit, but it's doable if you're willing to go beyond the 30 minutes.

Again, the northern parts of Newton seem like a good fit. Newton is divided (unofficially) into 13 "villages," most of which have their own small downtown with restaurants, markets and stores..

Hmmm... well, I have discovered I definitely need to add Jewish preschool to my required list (funny as how this wasn't obvious to me from the start!).

Brookline and Newton seem to have the largest Jewish populations. Milton has one Jewish preschool as does Lexington. I don't think Arlington or Belmont do (could be mistaken).

Let me see if I have this right:

Newton seems to be more affordable than Brookline.

Brookline seems to have ~30 min commute to K.Sq.

Newton is on the higher end - maybe 50 min?

Milton is maybe 50 min?


Is there a link to learn more about Newton's villages?


Also, would living in Cambridge itself be a viable option? Or am I crazy given my required list?

[breezy1]

Can you please confirm - are you looking for a commute on public transportation only, or are you considering driving? I think the commute into Cambridge/Kendall Square from Newton area is faster driving than via public transport.

I'm renting a house in Newtonville and I drive into Cambridge/Kendall Square. If I leave about 7:15-7:30a, the commute driving is 20-25 minutes on the Pike (Route 90 expressway) and 30-35 minutes down Commonwealth (which I may take to avoid toll on the Pike). Add 10-15 minutes if leave 7:45-8:00a. The commute coming home if I leave around 4:30p is 30-35 minutes on the Pike and 45-50 minutes on Commonwealth. (Add 15-20 minutes if leave after 5pm).

[holden125]

Originally Posted by breezy1

Can you please confirm - are you looking for a commute on public transportation only, or are you considering driving? I think the commute into Cambridge/Kendall Square from Newton area is faster driving than via public transport.

I'm renting a house in Newtonville and I drive into Cambridge/Kendall Square. If I leave about 7:15-7:30a, the commute driving is 20-25 minutes on the Pike (Route 90 expressway) and 30-35 minutes down Commonwealth (which I may take to avoid toll on the Pike). Add 10-15 minutes if leave 7:45-8:00a. The commute coming home if I leave around 4:30p is 30-35 minutes on the Pike and 45-50 minutes on Commonwealth. (Add 15-20 minutes if leave after 5pm).

I'd agree that it can be faster commuting by car. Because Newton's close to Cambridge, but is south of the Charles, the roads are more direct. When you say the Pike, do you mean getting off at Exit 18 in Allston for Cambridge? I'm assuming you don't go downtown.

You can also avoid the toll on the Pike with some combination of Nonantum Rd/Soldiers Field Rd. to Western Av. You can get Western Av in Brighton just past the Martignetti's or stay on Soldier's Field Rd past Harvard Stadium and pick it up near the Pike entrance.

One other option by transit. It's possible during the rush hours to take the Newtonville train to Yawkey station near Fenway (a 10 minute ride) and then get the CT-2 bus on Park Drive. It stops at Park Drive and Beacon, which can be reached from Fenway station by going up Maitland St (a dead end by a big parking lot).

[empearls]

We'd like to downsize to one vehicle if/when we move to the Boston area.

I was assuming my husband would be the one taking public trans since I'll be schlepping the kids and running errands. Or maybe he'd take the car a couple days/week and we'd simply share it.

I'm not sure if his employer will have parking (I'm thinking they will) but something else we need to consider is how much it will cost to take Public Transport. If Public Trans is going to cost $10/day and 2 hours of his life, it might be more cost-and-time-efficient if he drove - assuming his employer provided free parking and we had free parking at home.

[kmann-sherborn]

oops, posted the wrong link. Here it is: Newton, Massachusetts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[sblumberg]

Newton, Brookline and Lexington have the most vibrant Jewish communities of the towns you identified. There is a very large JCC in Newton with a pre-school, gym etc. I think that Lexington has a bus to Alewife Train Station (Cambridge) and you are only a few stops away from Kendall / MIT. The schools in all three towns are excellent. You may want to look at the Combined Jewish Philanthropies website - they have a lot of information about moving to Boston and Jewish Resources.

Belmont and Arlington are also very well known here for having excellent schools. You would probably not hear very many locals here describe them as hit or miss. In this economy, most school systems in MA have had to deal with budget cuts. It is important to try to find out what exactly is being cut. A wealthy top-perfoming school's (like Belmont) budget cuts may look very different and impact the student less than an average school that may have few offerings to being with...

Good Luck!