The husband had a job in Hartford (about 100 miles from Boston), so I'm assuming that they lived somewhere between Hartford and Boston. I've lived in both citie

The husband had a job in Hartford (about 100 miles from Boston), so I'm assuming that they lived somewhere between Hartford and Boston. I've lived in both cities. Boston itself has very good public transportation for a US city. Hartford has mediocre public transit - it would be very difficult to live in Hartford without a car. If you're living in a suburb between the two cities you absolutely need to have a car.