My husband may have the opportunity to get a job in south boston (we currently live in CT) We would want to do a search to see how much housing would be etc...before he goes further with the job search at this company. What are the desirable towns (outside of boston) to live in that would be convenient for working in south boston? We have a 2 year old so thing for kids is important as well. I would love to get a job at Harvard (I currently work at Yale) so somewhere convenient to both would be nice but I could find a position elsewhere if a town isn't reasonable for the both. We found a house that we love the looks of online but it is in Salem which does not seem convenient to south boston but I really have no idea. Thanks for your help!

Get a map of the city so you have some ideas of the town surrounding where the new job is located. There are some nice towns in that area that are very commutable.

Salem is on the water but it is quite a bit north of Boston and to get to his new job, he would have to travel through Boston and all that traffic daily, probably not a great location.

You might think about traveling up for a weekend and contacting some realtors for ideas.

You should try to get a copy of the Boston Globe for tomorrow and get a picture of what houses cost in the Boston area - it is really scarey how much even a basic house in a safe community costs. That plus the above mentioned map is a start.

Like most of us who live in this area (and many others) the balance will be length of commute versus costs versus quality of schools/town versus size of house/apartment. Many people who work in Boston and live in suburbs are used to a commute of about an hour each way.

Regarding working at Harvard, obviously do not know in what field you are in, but besides the main campus (in Cambridge - which is directly north of Boston) there is a medical school campus in Boston and a smaller business school campus, also in Boston. Parking at Harvard is generally difficult, expensive and often involves an outlying lot with shuttle bus service. All are in congested areas anyway - so you will likely want some sort of public transportation.

If he is in South Boston, one of the shouth shore towns might make sense, as would something somewhat west of Boston - again, factoring in distance versus cost. As far as your 2 year old, towns with decent school systems often have the most for younger kids to do as well.

You ask a really general question that many of us could offer more specific info on - I would start with the Globe and then repost.

And regarding Salem, while some people like to visit and there is a commuter rail stop there, a car commute to almost anywhere would be a pain. And while some areas are nice, as an older New England city, it has some really awful areas as well. School system is not highly regarded.

Don't know whether to laugh or cry for you... Grew up in S.Boston many moons ago and real estate is way out of sight now.. It is important for you to check out communities..I would think South of Boston..Randolph, Quincy, Braintree...check out too...as has been recommended the BostonGlobe real estate section... will be important for you to be near a rail or MBTA line http://www.boston.com Sadly for you this is a very expensive housing market....especially in a decent community. Good Luck

As others have said, towns north of Boston would lead to a desperate commute. It would help if you get a map of the area (say, all towns inside Route 128, or even Route 495) and also consult the public-transit info at www.mbta.com.

I would like to recommend my own town, Milton, which borders the southern edge of Boston. We have easy access to public transportation on the Red Line of the subway system, which has stops in Southie and one at Harvard (Cambridge). My daughter's boyfriend lives in Southie, they make the public-transit commute all the time!

Milton has relatively high housing prices and taxes, but we have an excellent school system, especially strong in languages, music and other arts, and are in the process of rebuilding all 6 schools (4 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school). We have many kid-oriented parks, including an enormous privately-funded (endowed) public park (Cunningham park) which I'm told has the largest public outdoor pool east of the Mississippi. With the Red Line at one end, and the Blue Hills with skiing at the other, it's the best of all possible suburbs! Don't underestimate the quality-of-life advantage of a MUCH shorter commute than towns farther out, if you choose to drive. You could probably get by with one car.

If you want to discuss further, just e-mail me at londonbound @aol.com

Besides checking the Boston Globe (www.boston.com/globe), I strongly recommend consulting www.realtor.com, where you can search by town or ZIP code to do a reality check on towns you're considering. Time and mileage estimates at mapquest, yahoo, etc. would also be informative.

In general, the quality of local public schools is directly proportional to median home prices, just as in other suburban areas.

Do you have any particular interests or requirements? What was it about the Salem house that attracted you?

thank you to everyone who has responded so far. It is hard just to look at a map and decide from that. It would be like looking at a map of New Haven and seeing the surrounding towns and picking one from that when it looks close and you may find some houses that look decent but in reality you really wouldn't want to live there. (Not that I am comparing new haven with boston) Milton looks nice and it seems somewhat affordable. Realtor.com doesn't have taxes so it is hard to know what they are. CT isnt cheap either so I don't think it will be quite the sticker shock as it may be for some coming from other areas. I will keep looking and seeing what is out there. Once his job interest in the company progresses we will definetly go up and do more talking with people at the company for more info. Any more suggestions for you would be great!

It's true that a map has limited utility, but it can at least help you rule OUT places that would, for instance, require commuting 50 miles or through the center of the city. It can help you narrow down the list of places to investigate further.

Even if you find a chart of towns' tax rates, they're not strictly comparable because many places aren't basing their bills on 100-percent valuation. The realtors' listing sheet for each property includes exact current annual taxes, of course.

Costs for water and trash collection vary a great deal from one town to the next, too, though probably not to the degree that would affect a home-buying decision.

I hear New Haven has improved a lot in the last few years -- the last time I drove around there was in the late 80s when my older daughter was looking at colleges and we tried to find the Yale equivalent of Harvard Square!

There are several towns south of Boston that are within commuting distance to the city. They are considered upper middle class communities with good school systems and other amenities. We are particularly impressed with the towns of Hanover and Norwell. Southwest of Boston are towns like Medfield and Norfolk. There is a commuter rail system that stops in Norfolk Center. I would avoid any commute that requires driving into the heart of the city and all that it entails. Good luck with your search.

Hanover and Norwell are indeed lovely towns with excellent schools. But anyone thinking of commuting into Boston from those towns MUST do a dry run up Route 3 between 6 - 9 AM on a weekday before committing. I spent one summer commuting into Boston from Weymouth (which is several miles north/closer to Boston, on Route 3) and found it quite gruelling.

If you are looking for towns with good school systems, look at the MCAS test results or in the Boston Magazine issue that contained similar information. There are also many private schools if you can afford them. Boston Magazine also rated them.

someone had mentioned Braintree, Milton, Randolf and Quincy. They all seem to have houses in our price range. I guess we will have to see if this job pans out and then explore those. They seem convenient. If any of these should be avoided please let me know so I can cross them off my list!

Regardless of where you choose in the Boston 'burbs, the traffic and the housing cost will be alot worse than Modesto.

On the other hand -- everything else will be better

Thanks bigdog. My husband did turn down that opportunity in Modesto. I don't think there was a person who said anything positive about the place! We figure this is our chance to move (we moved here to CT from Rochester NY 8 years ago) we are now 31 years old and now is the time to move, once we have more children and they are settled into school it would be tough to move. We do want to make a move but want it to be the right one because we will most likely settle in our next place for a long time. Luckily his profession is still in high demand and there are many jobs available and places to go (though not Modesto!).

With all said and done.. the Boston vicinity is a great place to raise a family...theatre, museums able to be at a beach, the mountains and the Cape..all within an hour or so..We live west of the city and think nothing of going to theatre in Boston or running up to Kittery or down to Newport...BTW..South Boston is a wonderful community..I don't know where your husband is going to be working, but there are beaches, bath houses, the Kennedy Museum and lots of new restaurants on Broadway..With the Mass. Turnpike you can even head out towards Framingam, Natick, Sudbury, Southboro and Marlboro..

Southie is indeed a great neighborhood, a lot of my daughter's friends live there. But unless you're interested in sending your children to a parochial school populated mostly by blue-collar families, it's not a good choice for a family with a 2-year-old.

I just moved to Milton 4 years ago, with kids ages 11 and 13, so I did a lot of school-related research that's relatively current. You will find a very very close correlation between scores on MCAS (the statewide test that all kids must pass to graduate) and the housing prices and general socioeconomic profile of a community -- surprise! Quincy and Randolph were places I wouldn't consider, Braintree was actually my second choice, my sister lives there, it's a bit more affordable than Milton. Braintree is a VERY different community, partly because of its very extensive commercial base -- it's the locale of a huge regional mall as well as other malls (big box type, strip, everything); they have virtually every chain store in America (except Wal-Mart), several hotels, and over 200 restaurant licenses!

If you were to consider Boston south, I would not necessarily include Quincy and Braintree. They are very busy, populated areas. I am sure there are lovely sections of each, however. In that same area, are the communities of Canton and Sharon, which have become upscale, while retaining the feeling of a small town. There are SO many options in the Boston area, and you can go in any direction to find excellent communities.

The commercial sections of Braintree are mostly along the major roads, and the residential areas of the town are typical suburban neighborhoods, with no congestion or urban feeling at all. The same is true of other towns with major mall activity along the highways, such as Dedham, Hanover, and Norwood.

The OP hasn't indicated whether they prefer "busy, populated areas" or the feeling of a small town.

dc2002:
From one upsate NYer to another, I grew up in Corning, and lived in the Long Island for five years, I love the Boston area. When I first got married I lived in the South Shore and many of the towns that people are recommending I would stay clear of for many reasons...Braintree, Quincy, Randolph, Southie etc. Milton is very nice as is Canton. I should tell you I settled on the Northshore once we had children, Marblehead (the town next to Salem). I love the North shore but it may not be right for you due to the commute to Southie. I would steer yourself west. Look into Newton, framingham, Wellsley, Natick. If you have more specific questions

The area around Dover might appeal to you if you can afford it. Small towns, definately upscale with excellent schools.