Where Should We Live?

[preppy]

DH and I have been debating about moving to Hingham but we have determined that we aren't quite ready to commit to the burbs and want to put that on hold for another 2ish years. We are on a month to month lease now but want to move this spring because we would like more room since we are expecting. DH works from home so we would really like 3 bedrooms to have room for an office and a nursery. We are all over the place with areas and I need some help narrowing it down. We are looking at Somerville, Arlington, Newton, Watertown, and Belmont right now. I don't know much about Somerville in terms of neighborhoods. 

I work in Watertown, would like to keep my commute to about 20ish mins, would like an area that is moderately walkable to restaurants, and would like 3 bedrooms with a budget of $3000 or less. $2500 would be preferable because daycare is expensive as hell, lol. 

Thoughts?

[preppy]

Jan 15, 2015 10:39:26 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

You can buy my house in Waltham Under 15 mins. to your office, too!

We need to sell our house in CT before buying again. UGH. I hate my anti-income property:(

[preppy]

Jan 15, 2015 10:41:11 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

On a more serious note, there is so much inventory going up in Watertown I have to imagine you could get something decent with your budget. But all the towns you mentioned are good choices so I'm not sure what you're asking us?

I guess I am asking which area we should focus on? And if people know things about Somerville I am hoping for info on neighborhoods. All I know is Davis Square!

[noodleoo]

I think this is really going to be up to personal preference. They are all really nice towns. You won't need to worry about school district since you are only staying for 2 years or so. You are planning to rent for now, right? I think you just need to start looking at inventory/prices and go from there!

Sorry I'm not more help! Personally, I'd prefer Arlington, Newton or Belmont, but I like the suburbs and would want to stay away from the more urban areas. I'd also maybe add Waltham to your list. I really liked renting there and it is also an easy drive to both Watertown and 128.

[5kcandlesinthewind]

I've lived in Newton, Watertown, and Belmont. I loved Newton the best, and if we were billionaires, we totally would have bought there. But really, it depends on where in each town you live. Our Belmont apartment was kind of crappy, but because my husband doesn't drive, we needed to be close on the bus line.

I'm not sure if you could keep your commute from Somerville or Arlington to 20 minutes, but there are probably some back roads I'm not thinking of.

[drloretta]

No advice, but congrats on your baby!

[preppy]

Good point on Arlington and Somerville that my commute would be a little longer. I know backroads from Arlington via Belmont that could work in certain areas of Arlington.

I love Newton but I am unsure I could find something I like in our price range in the areas I would prefer. I think Watertown and Belmont might be the best bet.

I have some coworkers who drive from Somerville I will have to get their feedback on the commute.

[preppy]

Jan 15, 2015 10:56:29 GMT -5 drloretta said:

No advice, but congrats on your baby!

Thank you!

[liveintheville]

Jan 15, 2015 10:44:15 GMT -5 preppy said:

Jan 15, 2015 10:41:11 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

On a more serious note, there is so much inventory going up in Watertown I have to imagine you could get something decent with your budget. But all the towns you mentioned are good choices so I'm not sure what you're asking us?

I guess I am asking which area we should focus on? And if people know things about Somerville I am hoping for info on neighborhoods. All I know is Davis Square!

I live in Union Sq. What do you want to know?

[soxin2]

Congrats on the baby!

We were renting in Waltham when the now 4yo was a baby (in the complex made infamous by a certain child of a certain personality)

[5kcandlesinthewind]

You might get lucky in Newton, but it definitely depends on where you look. I lived in a gorgeous 3 bedroom in West Newton when I moves to Boston, and we paid $1500. Granted that was 10 years ago, but when my husband and I were scoping out rentals a coupleof years ago, there was a bunch in the $2500 range.
I have no idea what the rental market is, but you might want to peek at Wellesley, too, since you could just take 16 right over. It's probably outrageous, but worth a look.

[liveintheville]

Oh and H worked in Watertown for a while. The commute was right around 20 minutes from Somerville.

[preppy]

Jan 15, 2015 12:51:59 GMT -5 liveintheville said:

Oh and H worked in Watertown for a while. The commute was right around 20 minutes from Somerville.

This is good to know:) 

Are there any specific areas in Somerville to avoid or on the flip side are better for young families? I am not concerned about T access but would like walkable to restaurants. Do you like living in Union Square?

[preppy]

Jan 15, 2015 12:50:27 GMT -5 5kcandlesinthewind said:

You might get lucky in Newton, but it definitely depends on where you look. I lived in a gorgeous 3 bedroom in West Newton when I moves to Boston, and we paid $1500. Granted that was 10 years ago, but when my husband and I were scoping out rentals a coupleof years ago, there was a bunch in the $2500 range.
I have no idea what the rental market is, but you might want to peek at Wellesley, too, since you could just take 16 right over. It's probably outrageous, but worth a look.

I looked in Wellesley briefly but 3beds are mostly 3600+ in that area. I wish!! I will look in West Newton, might be able to get more in that part then in Newton Center. Would be super close to work:)

[liveintheville]

Jan 15, 2015 13:30:26 GMT -5 preppy said:

Jan 15, 2015 12:51:59 GMT -5 liveintheville said:

Oh and H worked in Watertown for a while. The commute was right around 20 minutes from Somerville.

This is good to know:) 

Are there any specific areas in Somerville to avoid or on the flip side are better for young families? I am not concerned about T access but would like walkable to restaurants. Do you like living in Union Square?

We LOVE it here. The T is coming in 2000 never. But it's coming. Definitely walkable to restaurants and bars. Not as many as Davis but a good selection. I'd say there are more families here and fewer students than Davis. I have zero plans to move from this location.
As to what to avoid, I'd avoid 02145 zip code.

[preppy]

Jan 15, 2015 14:08:03 GMT -5 liveintheville said:

Jan 15, 2015 13:30:26 GMT -5 preppy said:

This is good to know:) 

Are there any specific areas in Somerville to avoid or on the flip side are better for young families? I am not concerned about T access but would like walkable to restaurants. Do you like living in Union Square?

We LOVE it here. The T is coming in 2000 never. But it's coming. Definitely walkable to restaurants and bars. Not as many as Davis but a good selection. I'd say there are more families here and fewer students than Davis. I have zero plans to move from this location.
As to what to avoid, I'd avoid 02145 zip code.

Thank you!! More families and less students sounds like what we would be looking for:)

[soxin2]

I'm liking liveintheville 's post just for the "2000 never"

[Deleted]

We live in Winchester and h works in Watertown. He takes a ton of very complicated back roads through Arlington and Belmont to cut down on his commute time. Depending on where in Arlington you were the commute could be long. Traffic gets bad! The morning commute is ok because he heads in around 630/644 but in the evenings it still takes him 45mins sometimes because he leaves around 5/530. And thats with his backroads avoiding all the traffic. If you do end up in Arlington let me know and I will try and pass on some of his backroad tips!

[imimahoney]

My Dh then bf lived on the Waltham, Newton line so super close to Watertown and near everything. Moody Street was right there with lots of restaurants and shops and right off 90. The Newton side is a bit quieter but in general the area was nice, full of young professionals and full of walkable areas. There were even some elementary school near by with playgrounds. At the time I was student teaching in Watertown and it was very convenient for me.

[mannah]

@preppy

Hi! I'm late to this thread but just wanted to give another vote for union square, Somerville! We've lived here for two and a half years and really like it. Let me know if you want specifics or anything!