Curious about Boston area
June 2, 2011 11:32 AM   Subscribe

Boston & surrounding area: What is the best neighborhood for affordable (under 400K) single family homes with a small yard? Safe, family/kid friendly, near public transit, good schools.
posted by flesti to Grab Bag (6 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
The cheaper part of Arlington might work. No subway, but it's pretty well-served by bus routes.
posted by rmd1023 at 11:47 AM on June 2, 2011


Quincy? Has surprisingly good schools, red line stops, and I think my boss' former cute little 3 bedroom was about that price. Maybe you could get a sf house for that price in East Somerville, not far from Sullivan Square, but I'm not sure quite how kid-friendly that neighborhood is (and the orange line is less frequent than the red on weekends). The Globe pretty frequently runs features on affordable parts of the city / metro area.
posted by ldthomps at 11:48 AM on June 2, 2011


Also, it'd help to know if you're willing to be on the commuter rail rather than the T, as that will open up a lot of options for you.
posted by ldthomps at 11:50 AM on June 2, 2011


Yeah.

You are so SET if you were to consider Salem. You'd get a nice house, probably a decent yard for $400k, and the elementary schools are pretty darn good. Also, incredibly family friendly.

Half hour trip on the commuter rail into North Station, and sometimes can be a shorter commute than living many places on the T.

Also, Massachusetts doesn't have districted schools, so it may free up some of your options on that. Each town has an obligation to its own residents, but if they have vacancy in their school system, they may consider taking non-residents. Up on the North Shore where I live, this is incredibly common, especially at the high school level. Students from Salem will attend Beverly High, students in my husband's district (he's a teacher) will go to Ipswich and vice-versa. You may have some more choice than you would think on schools in some areas of Mass.
posted by zizzle at 12:29 PM on June 2, 2011


Pretty big fan of my town: Melrose. Pretty good schools (although the middle school may not be so hot, but most middle schools have their issues), on bus lines, commuter rail, less than a mile to the T, and you can get a reasonable house for $400K.
posted by gregvr at 1:59 PM on June 2, 2011


Salem, Swampscott, and Beverly would all be in your price range, and all have commuter rail stops and bus service. I live in Salem with a tiny yard, although my backyard abuts a public park so it's like my yard is huge with a playground and a softball field.
posted by mkb at 6:39 PM on June 2, 2011


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