Not what you asked, but make sure your teaching license will be valid here, MA has pretty strict educator guidelines and will not accept licenses from all states. Although with the teacher shortage, they may be more lenient with hiring someone and letting them work on getting appropriate licensure in a set amount of time.

I live in Worcester on a teacher's salary. It's not bad, but it's gotten a lot more expensive since I bought my house in 2012. I probably could not afford to buy here now.

My suggestion would be to get a job first. There are many teacher candidates and not enough jobs, unless you’re certified in a high demand area like math, science, EL, or sped. You also need your masters in addition to a MA teaching license WITH an SEI endorsement. You will not be offered a job without them.

Hi! I'm a teacher in MA. Feel free tonreach of you have any education questions.

As a Massachusetts teacher I wouldn’t move anywhere here without a job lined up. Since you can apply over the whole state I would then figure out housing after. It’s HIGHLY competitive up here, so not sure what you are certified in, but I hope it’s physics to give you the most possible districts. And yes, you will need a masters within 10 years if you plan on staying teaching here. Happy to answer any teaching questions you might have.

Western MA is a good bet if you like a less crowded area. Springfield, Ludlow, Westfield, Chicopee, anywhere in the Pioneer valley. It is cheaper to live out here, but not much. A teacher's salary will be a bit tight. but doable. You start around 48K and 20 years in you are in the high 80's or 90K with excellent Union protections. It has fewer social outlets for a young person, so you will have to seek out cool things to do. Also we are close to Hartford, Boston, New York, the Cape, and the CT shore. If you are a Math, Science, or SPED teacher you should do OK. Other subject areas will be more difficult to land a job.

People will disparage Western MA because it is not as fabulously wealthy as the other parts of MA, but it has great natural beauty and areas where you will be able to live comfortably on a teacher salary provided you don't need to buy a house.

Lowell might fit the bill. It's somewhat affordable, has things to do, decent food, and has a commuter rail stop that goes to Boston. It also has concerts and festivals in it's own right. It's not the "nicest" place but it's not bad. UMass Lowell is there so it has a decent number of younger people.

I grew up in the Boston area- 7miles north. It's great, lots of fun culture to join in on. I now live just outside 495. I love it. I did commute to Boston from slightly west of 495 for two years and it was a mental health nightmare (that i only realized after i changed jobs).

There are great areas around 495 that have varying prices of homes - Hudson is kind of the middle side. It has a nice downtown with restaurants, a rail trail, and nearby a large shopping plaza with big chain stores but pretty much one of every kind of store so it's helpful.

The boroughs are nice areas too (west, north, and south).

If you like the outdoors i really recommend central MA. I had no idea how great it was when living in/around Boston. Central MA starts just west of 495. Worcester is "getting nicer" it has good parts and bad parts, but overall improving. And Wachusett Mt and Wachusett reservoir have really nice hiking trails kind of spread out everywhere.

So nothing is big and metropolitan out here. But the commuter rail isn't terrible (it's not great to take it daily, but to go out for a night in town without driving is fantastic).

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Merrimac Valley is pretty nice. I live in Haverhill, and it is the start of the commuter rail into Boston (when it is working). Also it is near New Hampshire which is tax-free.

To be honest. I love reading posts like these and immediately started laughing my ass off when you mentioned living close to Boston on a teacher's salary.

Honestly. Your best option would be Western Massachusetts specifically the City of Springfield. This city had a bad reputation something like 20 years ago, hell in 2011 it was bad but today Springfield is an amazing place to live in.

There is so much diversity, history and things to do. Oh and the jobs, lots and lots and lots of jobs. Specially in the public sector.

It is surprisingly affordable not as much as it used to be in 2019 but it is a lot more affordable than Worcester or Boston Metro.

People from other states have this idea that the further away from the city the cheaper it gets... that is not true in Massachusetts, people here value their privacy. The further you go the more expensive it gets. The cities are the usually the cheapest areas to live in with the exception being Boston Metro

Check out Springfield and it's surrounding towns. Don't listen to the people who shit on this city. Most of them don't live there or have never even visited they mostly mouth off what someone else has told them.

This city has changed so much, there is so much money being invested here. You have access with a relatively short drive to Boston, NYC, Hartford, Upstate NY, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire.

If you are adamant on living near Boston, your cheapest option will be to rent a room which are going for about $1000 at the moment.

Western Mass is the place to be in my opinion.

I love living in this state. This winter was extremely mild if we could even have called it a winter. But most winters here are harsh. Even with the harsh winters we chose to live hete because the quality of life is high, the incomes are high, the quality education is high even on public schools. There is good public support that the state provides (with your tax dollars) to get you back on your feet if you fall on hard times. Like Mass health and the FMLA.

Overall this state is awesome and wherever you chose to go you will succeed.

Note that we have a lot of traffic. This is true. We moved out of Chelsea Mass because the traffic was awful it was fucking awful. A ten minute drive without traffic was usually 50 minutes bumper to bumper at peak hour.

Traffic used to be light in Springfield but after covid hit holy shit we had so many people move here. The traffic has definitely picked up.

The houses here are still affordable on a 45k yr wage. Have a good time searching for your next place to live.

Howdy.

Progressive Texans welcome.

We can be much more helpful if you provide more detail about renting vs owning and if you will be buying a home, a guesstimate on the price range?

Nothing in Massachusetts is affordable. Any apartment units built in the last 2/3 years are charging 1800+ for a studio. It's insanity.

>Always liked Massachusetts

Where did you visit before? As someone who lived down south and now MA is my new home, you are making a great decision. We got our jobs figured out first and then moved, so I recommend applying for jobs first. Last thing you want is to commute across Boston because work and home are opposite ends.

If you are outside of Boston and looking for weekend trips on public transit, check out the MBTA (public transit) maps here: https://www.mbta.com/maps

Just stay flexible! If you find a job you like but don't like living in the town, move. Rip the band-aid off and come up and figure it out as you enjoy all the Commonwealth has to offer.

I’d say Worcester and Lowell both sufficiently fit your description. Swiftly Developing cities with pretty vibrant downtowns, a commuter rail line straight into Boston, and still relatively affordable (though it’s getting a lot worse especially for a single income). The kicker is that they’re both still a bit gritty. If you haven’t been to former industrial towns in New England, you’ll understand when you get here. But don’t let that out you off. They’re safe.

My personal pick would be Worcester. 2nd largest city by population in New England and it’s growing very fast. Lots of food and bars and shopping and what-not. Also lots of parks and nature.

>easy travel to the big cities

Boston is really the only "big" city around. Worcester and Providence are much smaller.

Maybe check out Waltham, Framingham, Hudson, Worcester area, Leominster, Lowell, Lawrence, or Quincy.

Hello, fellow Texan transplant! My husband and I are both from Texas and moved up to MA in 2019. We also do not have kids and couldn’t have made a better decision for ourselves. Originally, we moved to Everett, which is closer to the city but is really getting pricey (and busy) now because of the casino.

We bought a house in 2021 farther out than we wanted to be from Boston in Swampscott. Honestly, we could not have made a better decision. We live right on the commuter line, literally three houses down from the stop. And can easily be into the city at north station in 25 minutes. Many people will hate on the commuter line and the T (the subway), but speaking as another Texan who never had any other choice but to drive, it’s changed our lives. You can also travel by train/commuter line to a good majority of the Boston area and even down to Providence and up to Maine. Last weekend, we took the trains from our house to Worcester just to fuck around and get lunch. It’s a great way to explore the area.

I would suggest looking at places along the commuter lines. Keep in mind the further out you go on the lines, the more you will pay to take the train into the city due to zoned pricing. So, you have to find that sweet spot.

Feel free to send me a private message if you want any additional tips moving from the hellscape that is now Texas (which isn’t the Texas we grew up in, love and long for). My husband smokes a mean brisket, which is very hard to come by up here.

In ma, maybe look at Franklin. You can get a nice one bedroom condo for rent for about 2200/month, close to both Foxboro for concerts and train to Boston. I might also suggest living in Providence. Better food and nightlife than any Boston suburb.

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Depending on what you teach could depend on where you end up. STEM teachers seem to be the most in demand. Some districts are what I call starter districts with high turnover or people who move on to another district. The pay may seem like a lot compared to Texas but we do have a high cost of living here. All public schools have their contracts available online.

Housing is expensive obviously, but if you’re coming from TX, you won’t feel like it takes much time to get places in MA. Depending on where you work, you might find something nearby that’s somewhat affordable. Welcome to MA!

try fairhaven but steer clear of new bedford or fall river.

Mass is a different kind of animal. Its MUCH different than the south, but we love everyone even if we have a funny way of showing it.

Smart boy! Florida and Texas are in a race to the bottom with their authoritarian governors

Many teachers are quitting in MA due to the wages. Many younger teachers are taking them positions at a low wage/salary. MA might not be the best place for you

Would highly recommend Haverhill! Right on 495, 40 mins to Boston (without traffic) but has a commuter rail and Amtrak station for easy access to Boston or north to Maine. Great downtown with shops and restaurants and cute neighborhoods, and very affordable. I’m biased because I moved here 10 months ago but have loved it so far!

Have you ever thought about trying a year at a boarding school? There's a lot in MA and you can live at the school for free and get food etc as well. Good way to try out the state while obtaining whatever paperwork you need for public school And save money/travel while you figure out where you want to be more long term?

I grew up northwest of 495 (Leominster, Lunenburg). beautiful area, more affordable (relatively speaking, that is), still a decent amount to do (I mean, it's not the city, but it's not empty, either), and lots of great schools. Littleton and Clinton are also lovely, and closer to 495.

Lowell.

Middleboro is relatively cheap and has a commuter rail 1 hr into south station

Check out Worcester

Grafton maybe

Ayer-Shirley-Leominster has train access. More house/land for your money. It’s quiet and I love it.

Come on down here to the Southcoast for the real seafood! New Bedford, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Marion if you want to be on the water. Rochester, Lakeville, Freetown if you prefer the forest.

Don’t. I come from a large family of MA educators. They are miserable, poorly paid and riding it out till retirement.

Its okay to say y’all here, you can also say you betcha!

My sister is a teacher and lives in Uxbridge. It is a developing area that is still fairly rural but has good access everything. Inside of 495 will be pretty expensive, even for rent.

What are you looking for in terms of # of bedrooms and budget? This area is quite expensive.

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Areas directly near ocean or commuting time to Boston are pricey. Jump out to just beyond and hour and 15 minutes from Boston and affordability will jump.

There are different requirements for teaching here so you'll want to make sure that's sorted first.

Teacher salaries vary widely. New teachers may start at $50k. Gain some seniority, get a masters, pick a good district, and your easily clearing $100k+.

Are you going to be looking for schools to teach underprivileged communities or more high end boarding schools in elite communities? I think that will make a big difference where you should start.

Look up the mbta commuter rails and see if any of the schools you’re interested in fall on or near those. They are reliable and cheap and can save you the pain of car commuting.

Also the red line goes south from Boston to Quincy/Braintree, so f you want access to the city it’s nice also to live along the red line so you can take the T into downtown Boston whenever you want to go out drinking or do something.

Do you know where you will be teaching yet? That would help us better focus you toward some reasonable places with reasonable commutes.

And (future) welcome to Massachusetts. Congrats on your (future) escape from hell.

Plymouth is also a good choice, but maybe live in one of the surrounding towns. Real Estate is expensive.

Why 495 specifically? That's basically all the way around the outer edge of the metro region so you'd have to be more specific.

If you want to be close to a transit stop, Melrose/Malden is a pretty good spot. My family and I lived in that area for 10 years before moving further out. Lots happening here and the Orange Line is right there for those quick commutes into the big city.

I grew up in Newburyport, MA.. around 45 minutes north of Boston. The public schools there are awesome and the town is beautiful and right by the water. PM me if you have any questions!

Consider charters and private schools where you can take the exam for certification and it works for a few years.

Live along both a highway and a Commuter Rail Line, per se Reading, Needham, Concord, Natick, Franklin, Attleboro, Kingston, Littleton, and Leominster.

I might be crucified for this, but also look at private schools. Some of the best schools (private or public) are in MA. From what I understand, they don’t have the same licensing requirements, but the pay is less.

I would especially look at the ISL boarding schools as students are highly motivated and very smart. Also, those schools have housing for teachers.

Welcome! You might want to check out some of the towns near Lowell, Lowell has a wide variety of different international foods and easy transport into Boston. One thing you’ll learn about Massachusetts is that were packed pretty tight here. I’ve seen people in Texas go 10 miles to their mailbox. Here 10 miles will put you in towns that are completely different from each other. Traffic is also significantly worse.

its actually harder to find affordable housing in the parts of mass that are as you describe. if you want to be in south eastern mass, it is the most expensive part, although this is where most of the population centers are, most of the jobs are, most of the kind of cultural stuff you are into would be. there are some bubbles of cheaper prices, and affordable rents, but this is definitely a you get what you pay for situation, in that many of those areas arent desirable to live in for cultural reasons and general way of those bubbles.

my hometown area, around bristol county, used to be more the way you describe, a pretty short hop to a lot of interesting places, between the cape and boston, and closest to providence which is a fun little city, but much cheaper and nice towns.

since the T went in, many decades ago now but after i was growing up here... it definitely changed, especially in price. theres still some reasonable deals to be found, depending on what you think of as reasonable, its definitely far better than boston, the cape, but the nicest parts of that were really rural and more affordable back then, acushnet, freetown, rochester are all neat places, and then marion, mattapoisett and plymouth have nice coastal areas. since the middleborough t came in though, and it was a commute to boston on train, it definitely changed and the population and prices went way up.

Plymouth and Carver and Wareham are some neat places, almost on the cape, but still some better deals and more open land.

but i think the western part of the state is the best, being a rural woodsy type myself, and definitely worlds away in price, land is downright cheap in western mass, upstate new york, southenr vermont and that general region. there are some expensive bubbles, but compared to the rest of mass, doable and what even i would call affordable all the way to rock bottom cheap. although some of it is deeply rural theres a lot of population centers, and culture, in amherst and North Hampton, all the way down to springfield. Westfield is a neat small town i like, off to the side of all that, or up from there in the north is greenfield. this is pretty rural, but saved some cultural and in opportunity by proximity to north hampton and amherst. ah some ideas. this is my favorite part of the state, although i like woodsy area and sleepy town, though i do enjoy a good coffee shop and some peeps to talk with, live music and art.

Read your post, what you described almost sums up Norfolk. For me 495 is 10-18 minutes depending which exit I aim for. But maybe you find somewhere closer than that. The commuter rail that goes into back bay and south station is in the center of town 3 minutes from me.

While Norfolk itself doesn’t have a ton outside of a few pubs, it is central to a handful of towns in every direction that has pretty much everything. And for this reason is why it’s going to be a bit cheaper than some of the other towns.

Also if possible try to find a house with a nice south facing roof. Electricity is .41 kWh now, with my solar in locked in at .14 kWh

Check out opportunities for teaching roles in Springfield. Relative to cost of living, it's one of the best paying districts for teachers in MA. Real estate is relatively inexpensive in Springfield and many surrounding towns, too. It's close enough to Boston for day trips.

Look in the Franklin Ma area it’s right off 495 and only about 35-40 mins away from 3 major cities Boston, Providence, and Worcester. Good schools in that area and lots to see and do in the area. I would try looking there.

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Norton MA has the xfinity center for concerts and 495. Towns around include Attleboro, Mansfield, Foxboro with Gillette Stadium. Going rate for teachers at max salary might be take home $4800 a month but a 2 bedroom apartment will run you $2000. Factor in car, groceries, living expenses and you aren’t saving much. Every single teacher I know works a second job summers, nights, weekends to make the numbers work.

If you are a certified Middle School Science teacher, you can easily find employment in RI. The Providence Public Schools have generous hiring bonuses right now for hard to staff positions including the sciences and they will honor whatever teacher step you are on. I got hired at top step with all the bonuses this year and I'm very happy in my position so far. Rhode Island is much more affordable as well, so you can live comfortably and enjoy the benefits of living in Southern New England.

Not sure what your preference for 495 is all about, but check out towns served by the T or the commuter rail if you want easy access to all Boston has to offer. Quincy is more affordable than Boston, but still city vibe and minutes from Boston.

Rehoboth is still quite rural and affordable, and you're near XFinity center, a concert venue, and near Providence, RI. I agree with others that you should have a job lined up before coming if you want to stay in teaching.

Stay in Texas this state is going to shambles

I think you could have probably asked your questions without insulting your previous home and the people there repeatedly. The further you go from Boston the cheaper it will be. You will find good people opertunity to teach almost anywhere in the state.

Welcome to freedom ☺️

Ewwww to anyone suggesting Lowell or Worcester. Try the Southcoast of Mass and or plymouth county.

It would be more helpful if you mentioned your budget. Also - and I'm sure some will down vote me for this - if you don't want people to think you've brought a "backwoods, ignorant, stereotypical Texan mentality" with you, you might want to drop the use of "y'all" (especially "y'alls" - that made my eyes bleed, how is that even a word). Other than that, welcome.