Wellesley or Lexington? (Boston, Newton, Brookline: fit in, homes, school districts)

[pb2]

We are moving to the Boston area and am considering which suburbs to live in. We are considering living in Wellesley or Lexington, largely because we have friends in those towns that speak highly of them.

Can you guys provide some comparisons between the two? The key things we are interested in are:

1) Commute in to Boston - my spouse and I will have jobs in the Beacon Hill area, so we'd like a manageable commute. We probably don't want to rely on public transportation. Our friends in Wellesley live near the east side of town and say that getting in on 90 is easier than route 2. Ideally, we'll spend about 30 minutes commuting in each direction.

2) Education - we have an infant and a toddler, so schools will quickly become of importance. I'd like a place that will eventually give my kids the opportunity to go to a top tier college. I've seen MCAS stats, but I haven't seen stats about where graduates end up going to college. I get the sense that Lexington is slightly more focused on education.

3) Diversity - Not a critical factor, but my wife and I are Indian, so having some diversity is nice. But we're okay without it if the other factors work out.

Thanks,
PB2

[ogre]

Both are affluent suburban towns. Both have fairly substantial downtowns for suburban towns of this size. Housing costs in Wellesley are higher on average than they are in Lexington.

Regarding your questions:

1) The commute to Beacon Hill is probably easier from Wellesley. There would be less driving on local city streets if traveling from Wellesley. If you should ever choose to use public transit, this too should be a quicker commute from Wellesley.

2) Both towns' schools are very highly regarded. I've heard that Lexington's schools have a reputation for putting pressure on the kids to be super-achievers, but this is only hearsay on my part, not based on personal experience.

3) Lexington would be a better fit in this regard. Wellesley is very WASPish. Lexington's population is also largely white and affluent, but there seems to be more of a mix of ethnicities in Lexington. I'm not personally highly familiar with Lexington, but I think I've heard that there is some Indian community in Lexington.

[jad79]

I would recommend you broaden your search a bit. When you say you don't want to rely on public transit, are you saying you don't plan to use it on a daily basis? Because driving from Lexington to Beacon Hill will take 45+ minutes most days at rush hour, then you're looking at $30/day for parking. It can take 10 minutes to go a few blocks around Beacon Hill at rush hour. Wellesley would be slightly better, but still over 30 minutes at rush hour + tolls + parking. I would look at Belmont or Arlington, where you can easily take the red line directly to Beacon Hill (connection required).

If you really want to drive to Beacon Hill, I would consider Newton and Winchester as towns that would allow you to get there in < 30 minutes with schools as good as Lexington and Wellesely.

Regarding schools, it would be a stretch to say that Lexington isn't as focused on education as Wellesely. They are both top 10 school districts (out of 300+) in the state, so that shouldn't be a concern. Same goes for Newton, Winchester, etc.

[kmann-sherborn]

I agree. Wellesley & Lexington are both top rated schools. Both are also listed among the top public high schools in the country MA: Best High Schools - USNews.com

[NotAPrincess]

Lexington will be a tough commute to Beacon Hill. Wellesley is very WASP-y. Personally, I'd look in Newton which would meet your criteria better than either of those towns.

If you were commuting anywhere other than downtown, I'd argue for Lexington in a heartbeat. Great town, reasonably diverse (and yes, there is a pretty strong Indian community there).

[purpelina]

What about Brookline? it has suburban parts, schools are great, and it's an easy commute to Beacon Hill via public transportation. It's diverse as well.

[pb2]

Does the answer change if I'm more interested in schools that can offer more advanced math and science coursework/extracurricular activities?

[NotAPrincess]

The Lexington math team has a long history of being really excellent. (my husband was on the team in the early-90's :-) They always have kids in the highest levels of the science fairs, too. Can't speak to the other towns.

[NotAPrincess]

Here's a little info about Lexington math teams:
Math Teams in Lexington Public Schools (Massachusetts) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[tacovine]

I'm familiar with both towns and they are very similar.. There is more high end in Wellesley ($4m+ homes), more downtown, Blue Ginger (although both have nice centers). Taxes are higher in Lexington and I'd say its a little more liberal politically. I'd call schools a wash with Lexington the edge in special needs and clubs, Wellesley a little higher ranked. Good luck..