Kendall Square <-> Lexington commute times (Boston, Newton: real estate, how much)

[kb927]

Hi,

Commute questions
We are thinking about moving to Lexington, and we need to commute to Kendall Square. I know that commute times vary dramatically based on what part of Lexington you live in, so I'm interested in getting real data on actual commute times from different parts of town (i.e. where do you live, where are you going, and how long does it take?).

Are there parts of town that are better to commute in from than others? Are there roads that are always congested? We have preschool/elementary school aged kids, so our mornings will typically start after drop-off and evenings will be between 5-6.

Generally speaking, I think we'll drive in to Kendall Square. Both my spouse and I have parking spots and don't mind spending a bit of time in the car, but we'd love to hear if parking @ Alewife and taking the T in is quicker.

School questions
Related but tangential question - I know Lexington schools were amazing back when I was in high school (90s), in particular in math and science. Though the ratings I've seen recently don't seem to reflect this (Boston Magazine, US News & World Report), my perception has always been that Lexington schools are the best in the metro Boston area. How has the school system fared over the last two decades? Are there other school systems that are closing the gap?

I know I could live in Wellesley or Newton and have a better commute, but I believe my kids will have more opportunities at Lexington. Am I wrong here? My wife and I are both research scientists, so our leanings are towards schools that excel academically in science and math.

Thanks,
KB

[MikePRU]

I can't really comment about commuting from Lexington as I've never done it. What I would say about the schools is that Lexington has an excellent school system. Are they regarded as the best in the state? Like you I've reviewed several lists and have not found Lexington in the #1 spot on any of them. I'm sure also in reviewing these lists you noticed there doesn't seem to be a consensus #1 among them either. In fact, the only thing I noticed that was consistent was that everyone seems to think that the Weston school system is #5. I've found in life that if you look hard enough you can find something to claim you're #1 in.

If you like Lexington, then live in Lexington. I don't think it's going to make or break your child's education if you live in Lexington vs Newton vs Wellesley. They all have great school systems. The important thing is that the school your child attends is a good fit for them and their learning style. Many people complain that Lexington's school system is too high pressure although I couldn't really say if Wellesley or Newton are much better in that regard.

As you can't go wrong with any of these towns, you may want to think a little more about having a shorter commute. As a parent, I value every minute I get to spend with my son. If I were a commuter and could get an extra 20 minutes or so back in my day to spend with him, I would jump at the chance.

[kb927]

Very good points. I completely agree that spending time with the family is important, and understanding commute times is critical to optimizing that. I'm unwilling to live in Lexington if the commute is substantially worse than other towns, but my suspicion is that I can find parts of Lexington that have longer commutes than Wellesley/Newton and other parts that have shorter commutes. I want to find the parts that have better commutes.

I agree that ratings are only as good as the data points they use as inputs (e.g. we all know MCAS scores poorly correlate with teaching ability once you're comparing top schools) and the algorithms they use (how much should you weigh the number of clubs available? AP classes? sports teams? SAT scores?). I know what I found personally advantageous when I was in high school, so I try to use those when I can. But I've got imperfect data, especially when I think about the fact that I have no idea what kind of environment my kids will thrive in.

What got me thinking about this was a set of articles I ran across in a short period of time that painted Lexington in a very favorable light:
Lexington High science department has big year - Lexington, MA - Lexington Minuteman
Lexington mathletes help Massachusetts team win national title - Lexington, MA - Lexington Minuteman
Debate championship brings prestige to Lexington High team - Lexington, MA - Lexington Minuteman
Lexington High team has trivia competition down to a science - Lexington, MA - Lexington Minuteman

Who knows, maybe my kids will lack the caliber to do things like this, and that's completely fine with me. My hope is that having them in an environment that fosters these types of activities makes it easier for them to follow pursuits like this. I know that I did a lot of things in high school because other kids were doing them (research at the local university, taking numerous AP classes, math competitions, etc.) The sense I get is that Newton and Wellesley don't have these same successes that Lexington has.

Maybe I'm missing something here - do Wellesley and Newton have similar successes that I just don't hear about?

Thanks,
KB

P.S. Is there any way to get stats on WHERE kids go to colleges from each of these towns? I've seen percentage going to college, but not destinations...

[MikePRU]

Obviously, where to put down your roots is a big decision. It might behoove you to get your questions answered straight from the source. Many clients I've dealt with who are moving from other areas of the country have taken a day (or two depending on how many towns they're considering) to meet with officials from the town's school systems. Of course, you'll likely get a picture of the school system painted in the best possible light but you'll also get your questions answered about what each school system offers. I know here in Needham the school department puts out a pretty comprehensive school report every year. I imagine Newton, Wellesley, and Lexington do the same and would be happy to provide you with this at your meeting or perhaps you may even get it off their website.

If you want to get some information from parents, there are websites where parents can post reviews. I think GreatSchools.org might have that feature. I always take internet reviews with a grain of salt though. You never know who's making them (I recently came across a real estate agent writing a review on a website about how great her office is and posing as a customer. It was obvious she didn't even use a fake name.). Also, I find those that speak loudest are always the complainers. Happy customers don't say much and there could be 10 happy parents for every 1 bad school review on the internet.

[InternationalOrange]

Originally Posted by kb927

Hi,

Commute questions
We are thinking about moving to Lexington, and we need to commute to Kendall Square. I know that commute times vary dramatically based on what part of Lexington you live in, so I'm interested in getting real data on actual commute times from different parts of town (i.e. where do you live, where are you going, and how long does it take?).

Are there parts of town that are better to commute in from than others? Are there roads that are always congested? We have preschool/elementary school aged kids, so our mornings will typically start after drop-off and evenings will be between 5-6.

Generally speaking, I think we'll drive in to Kendall Square. Both my spouse and I have parking spots and don't mind spending a bit of time in the car, but we'd love to hear if parking @ Alewife and taking the T in is quicker.

I lived in east Lexington (near Wilson Farm) for a while, and at the time I worked in Harvard Square, so I did a similar commute to what you'd be doing. What I found worked best was driving to the Alewife T garage, parking there (I think it was $7/day), and taking the red line in. Keep in mind that Route 2 gets pretty jammed during AM/PM rush hour -- I used to leave my house no later than 7:45am so that I wouldn't get stuck in too much traffic on Route 2. If I left home at 7:45am, it took me 'til about 8:15 to get to Alewife. Also, during the week, the Alewife garage fills up quickly -- sometimes I'd park on the top/roof level (there's an overflow garage that they open when the main garage is full, so you won't get stuck without parking, which is good).