Best place to live in the city of Boston with a suburban feel?|195380

We need to move to Boston to became a City residents (work related).
We have a small child and we are used to suburban life, lots of green space, good schools, and safe.
What area of Boston should we consider? Which area is the most family friendly?

ITA with the first answer. A friend had to do the same for her hubby_s job for many years and they got a house in West Roxbury close to the Dedham line. That specific area is IMHO by far the most suburban not only in feel, but in being close to burb stuff. I hate to tell you they ended up putting the kids in Catholic School, which wasn_t the plan, cause I don_t think they were thrilled with the schools, but her hubby_s Mom was also pushing so that factored in.

I_m not a huge fan of realtors but in this case it might be a good idea because West Roxbury has some good, safe areas like this one, and some fairly high crime ones. Not super bad/dangerous, but statistically higher than I know I_d like. There is another part with big grass lawns, but I don_t know the name of that section, but am sure a local realtor there would. And when you find a few places you like I_d ask for statistical info on that area to make sure you are ok (or find out the name of the section and call the local police, or ask here but they would be most accurate lol).

Also there are a few areas of Hyde Park that are pretty nice. I_m not that familiar with it, but again I_d guess that those closer to Dedham, to give direction, would likely be the most suburban. The one good thing about Hyde Park is there are many families who live there for generations.

I think with both you_ll have to pick and choose and find just th right spot, but there should be one out there!
Hope you find the perfect home!

I agree with the other responses so far - if you have to live within Boston city limits then West Roxbury is a good bet (and it_s nothing like Roxbury, which you should avoid - but they_re not even directly next to each other). Also I would look into parts of Brighton, particularly the western edge of Brighton towards Newton/Chestnut Hill area and around Oak Square. There are lots of apartment buildings on the main streets (Washington St. and Commonwealth Ave. with lots of college students - Boston College and Boston University especially - but there are more single-family homes or duplex/triple decker homes as well with yards and such. And it_s a safe area as well.

West Roxbury_s very suburban; as is Roslindale south of Rozzie Square. They_re both safe and both are in the West Zone, which has some very good elementary schools. But be warned: You_ll need to put in a fair amount of work (like site visits) to find the public school you_d feel most comfortable sending your kid to.

Brookline, although technically not part of the City of Boston has parts that feel very suburban - yet it_s still close by public transit to the main parts of Boston. It has good schools and a family friendly vibe.

I think the Western suburbs would best fit your criteria. Newton, Weston, Watertown, Wayland and other similar areas are safe, have great schools and lots of parks. The closer you are to the city, the more expensive they will be, unfortunately.

No child should ever have to attend a Boston Public School. I would call it child abuse.

Move to a real suburb and keep a phony Boston address, very common among Boston city employees!

Welcome to the corruption capitol of the world!