Rhode Island and Boston

That's great... will pm you if it seems like something we are going to do. 

DH is contacting a recruiter up there so who knows.

At this point I'd live anywhere that's not my parents house!

How is he finding recruiters? DB has been trying to find a recruiter since he moved here and is having a hard time. I have no idea either since teaching doesn't use recruiters.

I can understand not wanting to live at your parents' house! It really is a good area up here. DB said if decide to live in the US permanently it would have to be New England (his father has lived in a few places in the South, so he's been in other places).

Took a quick look at the houses in Taunton - most of the streets I saw on the first few pages were decent areas from what I recall.  General Cobb Street is definitely good - that's where my cousin and his family live    They have a five year old girl and a 23 month old girl so fairly close in age to your son.  My cousin's wife is origianlly from RI.  If you like I can have her email you about Taunton and RI?

I grew up in small town Medfield in Mass. .which is about 20 miles southwest of boston..
lived there till after i graduated High School.. Medfield is now verrry expensive but there are some nice nearby towns.
My parents still live in the Bellingham/Franklin area which is closer to the RI border. .Nice areas  near both..
I lived in Medway before moving here to scotland in 1999..

Add me to the list of people growing up in southern part of Mass.  The town I lived in is called Walpole.  It is everything you require, but the housing may be tough.  You may be able to find a 2-bed condo or a small 2 bed cape house for "around" $250K.  My dad is an estate agent, and he tends to suggest the towns of Franklin, Norfolk, and Wrentham to young families looking for a "relative" bargain.  It may be that a house at that price is a "fixer-upper". 

These three towns are definitely small, but are nice communities, without much crime.  I would say that diversity probably isn't too great, but that is probably fairly common in the suburbs of Mass and RI.  There is a really good outlet mall in Wrentham.  There are train stations in both Norfolk and Franklin, with direct access into Boston.  I think it takes about an hour on the train.  They are also really close to a few major highways (495 and 95).

I like the Re/Max website for browsing for houses.  Good luck.

I also find the "T" system is a lot like London transportation.

Hey, vnice! I lived in Providence for 22 years, so have loads of info if you want it. I mostly lived on the East Side which is pricey but lovely. But I know a lot about other parts of the state, too, as I lived briefly in Cranston and North Providence, and my mother lived in Wickford. PM me if you have any Rhode Island questions!

(If I were living in the US, there's nowhere I'd rather be than Rhode Island so I hope things work out for you!)

I LOVED living in Boston and would still be there if I hadn't hated my job/school.  I lived in Watertown and enjoyed it fully - great restaurants, good bus service into Cambridge.  And less expensive then some of the other areas around it.  I'd move back in an instance.

Add me to the list of people growing up in southern part of Mass.  The town I lived in is called Walpole.  It is everything you require, but the housing may be tough.

Of course, there's a very easy way to live in Walpole and never pay rent...

Beware of anything west of 495.  They have only recently stopped using wampum as currency and are generally not civilized, outside of the occasional pocket.  There are also unconfirmed reports of a passport control station along about Millbury on the Pike.

ROFL leviramsey,
Somehow i don't think the size of the free housing in Walpole would be good for a family really small almost cell like accomadation and lots of folks watching everything you do.. Naaaaaa .. Think i'l stay away from prison like accomadtion rofl.. Okay so tis prison accomadtion rofl..
Still not conducive to family life

You mean there is a west of 495? hehe.. I went to UMASS Amherst for college and even way back then they had really money shock,horror i know rofl.. okay so we as college kids weren't that civilised. ....

Hijack over ... sorry folks hehehe

Of course, there's a very easy way to live in Walpole and never pay rent...

Beware of anything west of 495.  They have only recently stopped using wampum as currency and are generally not civilized, outside of the occasional pocket.  There are also unconfirmed reports of a passport control station along about Millbury on the Pike.

Ahem...some of us are from west of 495... 

I grew up in Western Mass though, which is very rural and gorgeous.
 

Western Mass, the 5 colleges area, is wonderful. I'd live there in a heartbeat!

Ahem...some of us are from west of 495... 

I've been steadily moving west (Back Bay -> JP -> Newton -> Douglas -> North Brookfield -> Amherst...).  If things continue like this, I'll probably end up dying in upstate New York or something.

Thus my desire to slam the brakes on that trend by emigrating in the opposite direction...