Dear Sajhites,

Got a new job (permanet) at Andover MA (01810), and need suggestion regarding which city to live (or avoid).
Preferences are - nepali communities, at max 30 min commute from work, affordable and secure location. In couple of years, my kid will go to school, so good schooling is also important. Looking for 2BR appartment for now, but will by house in a year or so..

thanks in advance..

You have quite a few options based on how you rate your priorities. Woburn, Burlington, Arlington, Stoneham, Lexington, Cambridge, Somerville are a few cities you can start with. As you will be traveling North(via I-93/I-95) from these cities in the morning, you will be heading in the opposite direction to the much more busier rush hour traffic which will be heading South in the morning. All of these towns I think, has a presence of Nepalese Community to some degree, with a very strong presence in Somerville. Cambridge might be the most costliest with greater "T"(the transport system here) accessibility. Lexington I think might have the best public school among these if you are interested particularly in that. Do check out Arlington(a nice neighborhood I think) as well. It is accessible via public transportation(particularly easily if you are closer to East Arlington and within a walkable distance to 'Alewife' Station). People commuting North(to Andover or near-by)regularly from Arlington might be able to give you a more precise estimate but I think the commute will not be more than 35-40 mins and perhaps even shorter. Woburn/Stoneham/Burlington might have the shortest commute for you based on how close you can be to the Interstate, but then again public transportation in these places is not as good as Cambridge/Somerville or even Arlington. The caveat here is, as you get closer to Boston, though you will have more options with public transportation and the cities will get more vibrant, your cost and commute time will increase.
Goodluck with your search and with your new Job.

Hi,
Have you found a place around Andover?
I will be taking classes in that area and was looking for a room to rent.
If you know of any places that has room available please let me know.