We are in our mid 30s with two young kids under 2 years old. I work in tech and my wife stays at home with the kids. Remote work has been really great while the kids are young. Our current house is 45 minutes from Boston and only 5-10 minutes from both of our parents. One of the grandmothers helps a decent amount with the kids, usually 1-2 days a week.
If I had to quickly describe the town:
- busy suburb with lots of people coming in for tax-free shopping
- increasing number of big chain restaurants and stores, fewer local businesses
- not many opportunities for outdoor activities, the nicer hikes, parks, etc. tend to be 15-25 minute drives
We found new construction in a town that’s 35 minutes north from our current home. It’s closer to 1 hour and 15 minutes from Boston and 40 minutes from both of our parents.
That town is quite a bit different:
- smaller and quieter suburb (8000ish people), very beautiful area as it’s closer to the mountains
- very good schools (at the cost of $4k more in property taxes)
- has some nice hiking trails, multiple undeveloped ponds, nice parks, all within 5-10 minutes
- 10-15 minutes from nice orchards and farms
- 10 minutes to a nice small city downtown (Concord, NH)
- 10 minutes to a major hospital
- 1 hour to the White Mountains in NH, 1 hour to Vermont
We really like small cities with nice downtowns, but at the same time love outdoor activities. So, this is almost like an ideal balance while still being closer to things we may need in the future like hospitals. There are some towns that are closer to our current home that have some aspects of the above list, but PFAS is increasingly an issue in this area, so we’re trying to stay far away from towns where it’s a widespread issue.
The issues are:
1. Being 40 minutes from family might mean we see them less. That being said, my family has some ties to the area, but my siblings are not yet established (families of their own), so could end up anywhere. My parents like the area and could potentially move in the future (lots of condos in the area in neighboring towns.
2. 1 hour and 15 minutes from Boston, with moderate traffic, would be a tough commute if I ever needed to return to the office. I’ve historically worked in Boston suburbs that’d be closer to a 50 minute commute (maybe an extra 15-20 with traffic). Public transportation is limited, but there is a bus into the city. There has been talk of commuter rail for a while, but I’m not holding my breath.
3. A more minor issue, but the $4k/year in taxes seems to be a trade-off of being a quieter town with no industry, while having to maintain the schools.
I see people I know moving many states away from family, so being 35-40 minutes from family doesn’t seem terrible. We tend to go out to eat with family to restaurants, so picking somewhere halfway in-between makes it even less of a distance to travel. I’d also hate to make decisions around family and then have them move. The work side of things is probably harder to predict. I’m currently designated as a remote worker, and I still see plenty of jobs listed as remote.
Did anyone make a similar move and not regret it?
If I had to quickly describe the town:
- busy suburb with lots of people coming in for tax-free shopping
- increasing number of big chain restaurants and stores, fewer local businesses
- not many opportunities for outdoor activities, the nicer hikes, parks, etc. tend to be 15-25 minute drives
We found new construction in a town that’s 35 minutes north from our current home. It’s closer to 1 hour and 15 minutes from Boston and 40 minutes from both of our parents.
That town is quite a bit different:
- smaller and quieter suburb (8000ish people), very beautiful area as it’s closer to the mountains
- very good schools (at the cost of $4k more in property taxes)
- has some nice hiking trails, multiple undeveloped ponds, nice parks, all within 5-10 minutes
- 10-15 minutes from nice orchards and farms
- 10 minutes to a nice small city downtown (Concord, NH)
- 10 minutes to a major hospital
- 1 hour to the White Mountains in NH, 1 hour to Vermont
We really like small cities with nice downtowns, but at the same time love outdoor activities. So, this is almost like an ideal balance while still being closer to things we may need in the future like hospitals. There are some towns that are closer to our current home that have some aspects of the above list, but PFAS is increasingly an issue in this area, so we’re trying to stay far away from towns where it’s a widespread issue.
The issues are:
1. Being 40 minutes from family might mean we see them less. That being said, my family has some ties to the area, but my siblings are not yet established (families of their own), so could end up anywhere. My parents like the area and could potentially move in the future (lots of condos in the area in neighboring towns.
2. 1 hour and 15 minutes from Boston, with moderate traffic, would be a tough commute if I ever needed to return to the office. I’ve historically worked in Boston suburbs that’d be closer to a 50 minute commute (maybe an extra 15-20 with traffic). Public transportation is limited, but there is a bus into the city. There has been talk of commuter rail for a while, but I’m not holding my breath.
3. A more minor issue, but the $4k/year in taxes seems to be a trade-off of being a quieter town with no industry, while having to maintain the schools.
I see people I know moving many states away from family, so being 35-40 minutes from family doesn’t seem terrible. We tend to go out to eat with family to restaurants, so picking somewhere halfway in-between makes it even less of a distance to travel. I’d also hate to make decisions around family and then have them move. The work side of things is probably harder to predict. I’m currently designated as a remote worker, and I still see plenty of jobs listed as remote.
Did anyone make a similar move and not regret it?
Statistics: Posted by saj — Fri May 03, 2024 7:08 am — Replies 0 — Views 75