I’ve seen much worse other places in the country. That being said, the area right around alewife is one of the worst areas for traffic that I’ve seen since it’s the furthest out subway station there is a lot of commuter traffic. If your radius is an hr though you do have some options. Winchester, Arlington, Belmont and Lexington are all great and very nearby but are also very pricey. I’ve always liked Watertown and that’s more reasonable. There’s quite a few options up route 2 or route 3 that might meet both criteria. Suggest checking various towns at rush hour on google maps.

Caveat. I’ve not done the commute you’re talking about specifically and currently live in Andover. Previously lived in Charlestown, Cambridge and Newtonville. Email me at [email protected] if I can help answer any questions about Massachusetts.