Waltham, MA

[gassy]

So I spent my summers as a kid in Milton MA and on Cape Cod. Now good friends have a job op. in Waltham. Max, 45 min commute--where to live? Don't know his salary--any help would be cool. Jeff? CJ? Shawn?
TIA
Christian. Go Pats.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

really need to know:
kids: are schools important?
preference for city vs. suburbs vs. rural
salary isn't so important, but what does he do? both work?

Since Waltham is at the crossroads of 90 and 95 and 30, they have a lot to choose from.

I went to Brandeis in Waltham and lived there for a few years after. it has changed a lot since then, become much nicer, but still a mostly a working class town.

[Noah930]

Have friends who live in Waltham right now (they're in their 30s, both professionals, have one baby). They're fairly happy there. My wife and I considered living there. There are some restaurants and shops. It's becoming "nicer." But it's certainly not the same as living in urban Boston, or even one of the immediate surrounding neighborhoods (like Brookline or Cambridge). FWIW, Milton's probably about a 45-minute drive from Waltham. I've also had a few friends move to the Westwood area. They seem to be pretty happy, too.

[CJFusco]

Waltham is a very nice Boston suburb. It isn't as nice as Newton or Wellsley, but is definitely a good place to live.

[gassy]

thanks guys--I'll get more info
Christian.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

It's been a while since I lived out that way but my recollection is that it's a decent suburban area also. I believe it's serviced by the MBTA commuter rail which will make transportation options a lot easier on you. Watertown is partly decent and partly gritty/working class. Newton, Wellsley, Newton, Concord, Lexington, etc. are all good communities within reasonable distance.

Hope you like cold, snow, ice, etc.

[rammstein]

Newton is nice, but you pay sick money to live there. Waltham is better IMO- working class, reasonable in price compared to the alternatives, and people on the streets seem a bit less stuck up.

Great restaurants in that area too- there's a mom & pop Mexican restaurant nestled in with a bunch of bodyshops, best mexican I've ever had. Unbelievably cheap too.

The main drag street (was it Charles street?) is really nice, and honestly if you have a job there its pretty good. I vote yes, unless you can get something in Miami

Watertown is right next door- its where I used to live, and that is worth a look too.

[TyFenn]

Check out Newton Corner. Decent area in 'the safest town in the USA' according to USA today. Lived there a little while myself, before I moved out west (grew up in the city of Boston).

I've always thought that Waltham was an up and coming area.

Rammstein - I think you might mean Moody street.

[Tishabet]

My office is in Waltham (that's where I am at this moment), I commute from Lowell.

As Shaun pointed out, Waltham is something of a crossroads so it is very commutable. It wouldn't be on my top 5 list of actual area towns to live in, but you will have a wide variety of communities within the commutable area... with a wide variety of price points etc.

In order for the Waltham contingent to give your friend good advice, you need to let us know the basics i.e. buy vs rent, kids or no, suburban or urban, etc.

[rammstein]

Originally Posted by TyFenn

Rammstein - I think you might mean Moody street.

Yup- you got it. I guess Moody Street crosses the Charles River, and that's where my brain went awry.

[gassy]

So they have two kids--4 and 1--schools would be important. He's a writer/editor--she's in the interior design field. They want to buy, and they felt Framingham? might be a possibility.
Thanks again guys.
Christian.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Framingham: Schools not so good.

Have them look in Wayland, Lexington, Belmont, Wellesley, Weston.

All pricey markets, but all have excellent school systems, like "best in nation" excellent.

Frankly, with kids their ages and plans for a long-term stay, I'd live in a crappy home with excellent schools than a nice home with sub-par schools.