Where should I live?

Submitted by salem913 t3_125qpgv in boston

So, we've lived in Salem for the past several years and really love it here (when it's not October) - it's walkable, beautiful, there are lots of great restaurants and shops and things to do, and the North Shore in general is beautiful. But, we now have a kid, and we're thinking about moving because A) grandparents are in Milford and down the Cape, and getting to either from Salem is a slog and B) the schools in Salem leave a lot to be desired.
I'm having trouble figuring out where we should even look - it seems like there aren't any towns that check all of these boxes:
--Walkable(ish) - even just a few decent restaurants / coffee shops etc would be okay
--Within an hour(ish) commute to Boston by car or train (offices are in Back Bay and Bowdoin Square, FWIW, but we only have to go in a few days a week)
--Within 45 minutes(ish) of Milford and somewhere we wouldn't have to drive through Boston to get to the Cape
--Decent(ish) schools - they don't have to be the very best (which we likely can't afford) - but somewhere you'd feel comfortable sending your kid to public school
--Decent housing (preferably single family, but could also do a townhouse/condo) under $1 mil - which rules out many of the obvious towns that fit these criteria

so - does such a place exist?

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man2010 t1_je5chsp wrote

Canton and Norwood seem to check your boxes for having walkable areas, easy commutes to Boston, within 45 minutes of Milford, and don't require going through Boston to get to the Cape. Idk what their schools are like or if you can find housing that meets your needs for under $1 million, but it's somewhere to start looking at least

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mileylols t1_je5cpt2 wrote

How negotiable is the walkable part? Does this matter more to you than the housing component? Areas that are primarily single family are going to be more suburby and spread out and inherently less walkable.

If I needed to live within 45 minutes of Milford and south of the city, in a place with a strong public school, Canton is probably near the top of my list.

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salem913 OP t1_je5djug wrote

Replying to mileylols (#2,449,789)

At least somewhat walkable is pretty important... there are lots of towns that would otherwise be great, but likely not within my budget (Newton, Arlington, Wellesley, etc)

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mileylols t1_je5f0fu wrote

Replying to salem913 (#2,449,954)

Ayy gotcha, thanks. People have different ideas about what is walkable lol, when I read walkable my interpretation is something dense and downtown-like, but that's because I don't like walking. But based on those examples I get the sense that your definition is like a place with greenery and real sidewalks, where you can get to the middle of town for ice cream or bread in 15-20 minutes without being worried about getting hit by a car. I may reiterate my recommendation for Canton, in that case. The school system is good - 99% graduation rate, 90% college bound

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bbc733 t1_je5h1fh wrote

Medford or Melrose sounds like it could be a good fit.

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singalong37 t1_je5jckb wrote

OP, I may be missing something in your criteria but seems like many many options. Dedham, Norwood, Natick, Franklin, Walpole, Framingham, Westborough, Foxborough, Mansfield, Wrentham and others have somewhat walkable core areas, are commutable, not a far drive to Milford, decent schools and houses under $1 mil.

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Professional_Wolf_11 t1_je5kooe wrote

I'm also a teacher and I am happy to give input on what I know about local MASS schools :)

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charons-voyage t1_je5poa9 wrote

My in laws live on mid-Cape and it’s like 75 mins door to door to our house in Quincy if you go off-peak. We love Quincy. Walkable, decent schools, close to city, beach, parks. And affordable relative to most of GBA. Can’t really complain much.

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leeann0923 t1_je6en6e wrote

We live in Natick and it would fit your criteria. We just sold our townhome last year and bought a single family under a million here in a great neighborhood.

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