Where are the best locations to live in the Greater Boston area from a commuting perspective? (Cambridge: living in, centers)

[mdovell]

Uh I mean what part of boston first of all. Boston isn't small by a long shot. As much as we might bash the mbta I'd argue just live in Quincy and take the redline in. Dorchester *is* part of Boston. Now if your definition of Boston is just the downtown and back bay that's different. Some of my family is from Westwood and frankly it could feel like the middle of nowhere but boston would be 15 minutes away. I think it depends really in terms of what you want to go to specifically in boston.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

Probably the Belmont/Arlington/Watertown area

Yeah, I'd go with Arlington. You can get to Logan cutting through Chelsea. Getting out to 128 on Route 2 is trivial. Alewife is right there. I used to reverse commute up 93 and out to 495 in places like Westborough, Marlborough, and Chelmsford when I lived there.

[robr2]

But if your going to consider all the possibilities, what happens if you get a job in Gloucester, Chelmsford, Newburyport, Marlboro, Pembroke, Auburn....

There is no perfect solution. When a new job is offered, commute has to be a factor.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by robr2

But if your going to consider all the possibilities, what happens if you get a job in Gloucester, Chelmsford, Newburyport, Marlboro, Pembroke, Auburn....

There is no perfect solution. When a new job is offered, commute has to be a factor.

Those are all reverse commutes. I commuted to Marlborough from Arlington. I used to commute to southern New Hampshire from Winchester.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Those are all reverse commutes. I commuted to Marlborough from Arlington. I used to commute to southern New Hampshire from Winchester.

Yes they are reverse commutes but they all involve time on 128 which is a horror show. We all have our tolerance for some commutes.

[fieldsofathenry]

Originally Posted by robr2

But if your going to consider all the possibilities, what happens if you get a job in Gloucester, Chelmsford, Newburyport, Marlboro, Pembroke, Auburn....

There is no perfect solution. When a new job is offered, commute has to be a factor.

Sure, but there are still areas that are better than all others (i.e. the best). You can probably model this out on a job weighted basis. For example, downtown Boston probably has several orders of magnitude more jobs than any of the towns you listed, so an area with a shorter commute to Boston has more value than an area closer to any of these towns, since the average person is several orders of magnitude more likely to be commuting to downtown Boston than one of those towns.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by gf2020

I moved to Lynnfield in 2005. Since then, I have worked in Boston, Merrimack, Billerica, Lexington and Cambridge. It's been a pretty good location.

That would be my vote as well. I'm in that area and it's great highway access to the specific locations I need to get to.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Yeah, I'd go with Arlington. You can get to Logan cutting through Chelsea. Getting out to 128 on Route 2 is trivial. Alewife is right there. I used to reverse commute up 93 and out to 495 in places like Westborough, Marlborough, and Chelmsford when I lived there.

Eh, that may have been good trick a while ago, but think the bold is a bit of an oversell in 2022. I lived on the Somerville/Arlington line a few years ago and would never have considered cutting through Chelsea to get to Logan. Even during the morning rush, 93 to the Callahan will be quicker. Fresh Pond Parkway to Storrow was always option B if there was a rollover or something on 93 and it (and the McGrath, Rutherford Ave, etc.) was particularly jammed. The Revere Beach Parkway is always a mess. And if 93 is backed up during the moning commute, 1A will be too. The surface roads around downtown Chelsea are a gridlock nightmare and if you happen to catch one of the bridges at the wrong time, you're toast.

I also wouldn't call Arlington to 128 on Route 2 "trivial." I did that regularly from West Somerville to Westborough until they closed the office in 2020) and even if you're in Arlington and don't have to deal with the Route 2/Alewife Brook Parkway mess, you still have to deal with the 128/2 interchange which is also a mess if you're trying to get onto 128 during the rush regardless which direction you're headed. If you're continuing on Route 2 it's a little better (I used to do this and take 495 South to Route 9), as you can stay to the left, but it's still not fun and definitely not trivial, even as a reverse commute.

For me, Newton would be the easy choice for a "best of everything" option. Outside of that, I'd probably look for another town that's directly on both commuter rail (or rapid transit) and a major interchange with 128. Lynnfield, Woburn, Waltham, etc. I'd probably skip Canton, Westwood, and anything around the 24/128 or southern I-95/93/128 interchange as a commute to the north or west would be tough.

[simplexsimon]

Several years ago, buddy of mine built his own custom camper van with the idea of being able to live anywhere/in the employer's parking lot.

He's married with a kid now, but still has the van.

[G-fused]

Newton is probably best in this scenario. Has the green line for those wanting to use the T, can hop on I90 to go East into Boston (or use the roads rather than Interstate), Waltham for Bio Science and Tech orgs. is just North, and ok access to both I90 fo East/West and 95 for North/South. That gets my vote.