UmMusa Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Hey y'all, I am sure I can get some help from you awesome mammas here. I don't know anything about New England, aside from history of course :tongue_smilie:, and suddenly, DH might be offered a job there. He asked me how I would feel about moving there, and so I'm still trying to think about how I really do feel. We're used to moving. We were married in Jordan and lived there for 3 years before moving to Seattle where our 4 children were born. We lived there for 8 years. Now we've been in DFW for nearly 3 years and are not thrilled with it here so we're happy to move. Honestly, though, we were looking to either move back to Seattle or to the Bay Area in CA. So for this job opportunity to come up in Boston is waaaay out of the blue for me. I have no friends or family there, but I do have friends in Seattle and in CA. So what can you tell me? If the job is in Boston where does one live? Is it crazy to expect a house on a half acre where I can garden or something? I love to have a large outdoor area for myself and my kids to play and just be outside. I probably won't be homeschooling my eldest (the 5th grader who is hating homeschool and wants to go to public school). I honestly don't know if the other 3 will go into the system or not. If we will consider the job, then we'll both go out there to visit the area and check it out, but I'm wondering what y'all can tell me in the meantime. The only thing I know is that it's by the water and that Boston has a European feel in that you don't have to drive everywhere, there are little shops, and things are close together. (big contrast to Dallas!) Looking forward to your replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 The areas around Boston are lovely. We lived in Chestnut Hill for a year (rental) and then Wrentham for another year (purchased). Anything within the 95 corridor is very expensive. Anything within the 495 corridor is more reasonable, but not cheap by any means. Usually to get something reasonably priced (under $500,000) you have to live about an hour outside the city. My dh worked in Boston but took the T (train) in every day. To give you an example, we left Wrentham in 2000 and our small (1700 sq ft) home sold for $323K. Prices continued to rise after we left, although maybe they have been affected some by the economy. If you have any specific questions about the area, feel free to PM me. Again, it's a great place to live. The only reason we moved was to be closer to our families once we started having children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 Thank you! We left Seattle to DFW to be closer to family, but, alas, it wasn't all we imagined it to be and we're not so excited with the lifestyle here. It's scary to think of a city I have no clue about especially b/c there are always the 'nice' neighborhoods to live and the not so nice ones. I'll PM you if I have any specific questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 (edited) Try to rent first. To live within the city of Boston is extremely expensive. The nicest area, imo, is Brookline (mixed housing - from gorgeous mansions to tiny apartments, no yards to huge ones). This is my favorite area and incredibly convenient to everything . Boston meanders seemlessly into Brookline. There are some medium priced rentals, maybe barely affordable condos, depending on your budget. Other lovely areas are Weston (wealthiest area of MA, per capita.) Newton, Wellesley, Lexington, Chesnut Hill, Arlington, Belmont (only dry town in MA, no liquor sold) Cambridge (very mixed). Further away are more the affordable-but still pricey -Natick and Frammingham areas. The commute into Boston is terrible no matter how you slice it. Small area, lots of people. Edited November 15, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Sorry for the repeats. I'm on my phone. At least let me say Lake I'll should be Lakeville. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lux Et Veritas Academy Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Feel free to instant message or call - I live in New England and my husband has worked in Boston, he is now a regional manager so doesn't get there as much, but I can give you the ins and outs- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lux Et Veritas Academy Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I agree with the above poster The commute into Boston is terrible no matter how you slice it. Small area, lots of people. Where his company located? I love the area, but I don't go into the city as often as I like because Boston traffic is some of the worst, most confusing in the US. Where is the company located? Any sort of commute is pretty lousy. The traffic going is horrendous. Amen to this- I love the Weston and Belmont area, but all depends how much you want to spend. I am more partial to the North side too vs. South Side. Many of my friends commute in from NH over the border- Nashua and Bedford, a headache of a commute but the prices are reasonable and NH is fabulous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 The commute into Boston is terrible no matter how you slice it. Small area, lots of people. Where his company located? I love the area, but I don't go into the city as often as I like because Boston traffic is some of the worst, most confusing in the US. Where is the company located? Any sort of commute is pretty lousy. The traffic going is horrendous. :iagree: I grew up in CA and commuted into San Francisco. Traffic is horrific at pretty much any major city, BUT, what LL says above is SO true. In Boston, people honk their horns and are aggressive to keep you moving quickly. QUICKLY!!! The streets make no sense to me. I told dh it's like a huge bowl of spaghetti was thrown onto the floor, maps were made, and that is your Boston city road system. :lol: We live in NH so I can't comment on the towns near Boston, but I can tell you that I think New England is such a LOVELY place to raise a family. Nothing beats the quaint New England towns. I *LOVE* it here!!! You may want to consider towns in NH which are near 93. There are park and ride options. You get more house for your money, and you may even be able to find acreage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 (edited) I wrote my original post from my phone. As a passenger in a car. In stop & go traffic. ;) I tried to fix it up. I agree, Denise, with everything. I can't leave here for good. It's so lovely. But I find it easier to drive just about anywhere else. :iagree: I grew up in CA and commuted into San Francisco. Traffic is horrific at pretty much any major city, BUT, what LL says above is SO true. In Boston, people honk their horns and are aggressive to keep you moving quickly. QUICKLY!!! The streets make no sense to me. I told dh it's like a huge bowl of spaghetti was thrown onto the floor, maps were made, and that is your Boston city road system. :lol: We live in NH so I can't comment on the towns near Boston, but I can tell you that I think New England is such a LOVELY place to raise a family. Nothing beats the quaint New England towns. I *LOVE* it here!!! You may want to consider towns in NH which are near 93. There are park and ride options. You get more house for your money, and you may even be able to find acreage. Edited November 15, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 I'm showing how ignorant I am of the area, but is it friendly for cyclists? DH used to ride in to work from Redmond into downtown Seattle using I90, but there are bike lanes all along. It was a great time for him. He'd love to be able to commute by bike again. By the way, he and I looked on Zillow last night at all the areas y'all listed in the above posts, thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nyssa Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Ummusa, how are you with WEATHER? To compare with Seattle, Boston has 4 more days of sun per month (I looked this up when we moved the other way), but it will be seriously cold in winter and there will be snow. The autumn and spring are beautiful there, but not everyone likes the winter. I am from there & love it, but not everybody does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 DH used to commute by bike from Jamaica Plain (south) to Cambridge (north across the Charles river). It was a nice long ride, but mostly on bike/walking paths, so it was reasonably safe for a cyclist. I used to ride part of the way with him, from JP to the Longwood medical area. My graduate program director, however, had to cycle mostly on city streets. Despite being a skilled cyclist with a flashy vest, she got hit by a motorist approximately once a year. Her injuries ran the gamut from nasty scrapes to broken limbs. I recall a broken wrist and a broken leg, from two different accidents. So I think whether or not you can commute safely by bike depends a lot on where you start and where you're going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Haverhill, Andover, Methuen? My home town of course. I have friends who commute from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Ummusa, how are you with WEATHER? To compare with Seattle, Boston has 4 more days of sun per month (I looked this up when we moved the other way), but it will be seriously cold in winter and there will be snow. The autumn and spring are beautiful there, but not everyone likes the winter. I am from there & love it, but not everybody does. I've gotten used to the spectrum when it comes to weather. I definitely hate the summer in DFW. From May through September I am unhappy from it. I learned to cope with Seattle cloudiness and cool temps. I don't mind snow, but I've never been snowed in like for real. Is Boston buried in snow for certain weeks of the winter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nyssa Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 It's different every year-- once in a while there is very little snow, and once in a while there's a ton. There's also less now than I remember as a kid... to try to generalize, there are usually several snowfalls of 3-12 inches, ranging from Dec to March. Sometimes roads shut down for a day, but not usually more than that. It's really beautiful, but messy to walk in and clear your car out of. That is why I recommend living near the T (subway/above-ground train) because then you don't have to worry about driving in it. And also invest in good snowboots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 (edited) One can drive within the city and from certain bordering towns. One cannot bike on the highways. Nope. I know exactly what you're talking about because dh used to bike on some of the highways in CA. No can do here. Is this company * in* the city of Boston? If it is, and you lived in Brookline, for instance, yes, he could bike. I could be a lot more help if I knew the location of the company. You don't have to give the name, just location. Edited November 15, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Yes, it's down in Boston by the water. From our search on Zillow, it looks like Brookline might be just a bit out of our budget :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 (edited) Yes, it's down in Boston by the water. From our search on Zillow, it looks like Brookline might be just a bit out of our budget :D Water-- Charles River or harbor? If it's harbor, you might do better money & commute-wise to go towards NH. Brookline is $, but it is a wonderful (large) community with everything, including excellent diversity and a fabulous high school. Most "Boston" hospitals are in Brookline, so the area is incredibly diverse. There is a range of housing and prices., although nothing cheap. I have known people to live in small apartments simply for the ease. Good luck in the search. I'm happy to answer questions if I can. Edited November 15, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Hey UmMusa, Yes! Move over here. It is gorgeous. I would have to disagree a bit with most of the posters, though, about driving in Boston. I go there weekly at least and really don't have issues with driving. True, I avoid the rush hour so I leave my house near Methuen MA (I am in NH, across the border from Methuen) after 8.15 AM and don't try to leave Boston between 3-5 PM, so I rarely sit in traffic (unless there is construction on the highway....). We have an amazing Islamic center in Roxbury and many people on middle class income live in Medford, Malden (towns which can be fine, but do your homework first when getting a place as there are gangs), some live around Quincy (which has a neat mosque as well, but smaller). Methuen, Sharon, Shrewsbury (area) have mosques and are nice towns (Methuen more worker class, but next town Salem NH is nice). These three towns have easy train access to Boston especially Sharon which also has an amazing public school system (as does Shrewsbury actually). There is also a huge mosque in Burlington but it is more Indo-Pakistani than Arab/diverse. Sharon, Quincy, ISBCC in Roxbury are diverse with more Arab influence (if that matters to you). Biking into Boston, there are biking paths from around Belmont and Arlington and I know some people bike from there and even from Concord. Feel free to ask more questions. I am typing without glasses so sorry for jumping around. We have a growing number of Muslim homeschoolers now and tons of options in general for homeschoolers. Living is expensive here, but not sure how it compares to where you are moving from. Right now you can get very decent housing from $300k in most of the areas I mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 Sharon is nice. Very 'burby, and I think chickens are ok. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Sorry, LibraryLover, it's by the Harbor, so now we're thinking to just look up towards NH. I used everyone's tips here and shared with DH while we've been browsing Zillow fir areas and homes. Thank y'all so much, really! OsmosisMom, I would like to pick a home in a Muslim friendly area, so if you can guide me a little that would be so helpful. If we end up going up for a visit I'll ask you in more detail. I think we'll know pretty soon now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Just PM or email me and we can talk if you get an offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I am jealous! Always wanted to move to Boston. Hope it works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 When will you know? Waiting and wondering is the worst IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Aarrgghh! Isn't that the truth! Hopefully this week we'll know if they want to see him "live". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsbeth Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 DH and I grew up in MA and NH, but migrated south about 6 years ago. The last home we owned up there was in a NH border town. Be sure to investigate property taxes carefully. The vary widely from community to community. NH is odd in that they don't use a sales or income tax, everything is funded through property taxes, so they are $$. We had purchased over the line to get a better deal on a house than we would have in Mass., but Mass. will require you to pay full income taxes (which just went up again) whether you are a resident or not. In essence you end up double paying which really adds up. In retrospect we'd have been better off buying on the MA side of the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted November 29, 2011 Author Share Posted November 29, 2011 DH and I grew up in MA and NH, but migrated south about 6 years ago. The last home we owned up there was in a NH border town. Be sure to investigate property taxes carefully. The vary widely from community to community. NH is odd in that they don't use a sales or income tax, everything is funded through property taxes, so they are $$. We had purchased over the line to get a better deal on a house than we would have in Mass., but Mass. will require you to pay full income taxes (which just went up again) whether you are a resident or not. In essence you end up double paying which really adds up. In retrospect we'd have been better off buying on the MA side of the line. Thank you so much for this b/c that was DH's plan so I'll be sure to tell him about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 :iagree: I grew up in CA and commuted into San Francisco. Traffic is horrific at pretty much any major city, BUT, what LL says above is SO true. In Boston, people honk their horns and are aggressive to keep you moving quickly. QUICKLY!!! The streets make no sense to me. I told dh it's like a huge bowl of spaghetti was thrown onto the floor, maps were made, and that is your Boston city road system. :lol: We live in NH so I can't comment on the towns near Boston, but I can tell you that I think New England is such a LOVELY place to raise a family. Nothing beats the quaint New England towns. I *LOVE* it here!!! You may want to consider towns in NH which are near 93. There are park and ride options. You get more house for your money, and you may even be able to find acreage. Yes to this, and yes to the tax info, too. Even with the high NH property taxes, though, you can often STILL get more house / land for the money than closer in to the city. Also, if you're moving here from a lower cost-of-living area, be prepared for sticker shock (for pretty much everything). Another factor you may or may not consider is that in MA, some towns are easier to home school in than others (none are impossible, but some are ornery). That wouldn't really be a heavy consideration for me, but - things in New England are run on a much more local level than many other parts of the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 I wanted to update and thank everyone for their input. After so many ups and downs, we're taking a job in Seattle. We've lived there before for 8+ years, so we're happy to be going back :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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