Staying outside of Edinburgh for work--suggestions?

North Berwick (where the Scottish Seabird Centre is) would tick pretty much all of those boxes. It has a good train service into Edinburgh Waverley (for the airport) as well as frequent bus services on Lothian East Coast buses.

Down at Leith or Newhaven would also be good- at or towards the end of the extended tram line. The trams have brought a lot of regeneration to Leith.

Likewise Dunbar on the same basic route as North Berwick.

Our first trip to Edinburgh we stayed at “A Haven Town House” at 180 Ferry Rd., Edinburgh EH6 4NS. It is away from the city center so there are no crowds. There was a bus stop on the corner to catch the bus into the city center. Leith was an easy walk away.

Have you thought about Peebles, an attractive town on the River Tweed, with a lot of character. Its about 22 miles south of Edinburgh. The X62 bus runs ever 30 minutes and takes about 75 minutes..

In terms of safety, Scotland is generally a safe country. The crime rate is lower than England and Wales, and England and Wales have a low crime rate by international standards. It does not mean crime does not happen, and there may be areas you want to avoid. However most of the places mentioned above will not be dangerous by Scottish standards, but caveat emptor applies.

Where I grew up you could leave your doors unlocked overnight without worry, I have colleagues who have lived in places where for security reasons have meant they put bars on the window. This in a country with a very low crime rate by international standards, though Glasgow did at one point have the unwanted title of 'Murder Capital of Europe' (yay)

If you are going into the Scottish Borders Galashiels might be better than Peebles, as it is on the Borders Rail Line to Edinburgh as well as bus routes

If I were going to work in Edinburgh every day, commuting from North Berwick, Peebles or Galashiels would get old pretty quicky, especially in the winter, lovely as they are.

In Edinburgh you could look at:
Stockbridge - kinda happening place to live with all sorts of local grocers, bakers, cafes etc.
Morningside - nice community feel, maybe a bit more "old money".
Bruntsfield / Marchmont - maybe a bit cheaper than Stockbridge, next to The Meadows and an easy walk to The Old Town.

I was just going to say what Gerry said.
I have lived in all those parts of Edinburgh, and they are all well served by local buses.

I know Peebles fairly well. It's a really nice place. I did a lot of fishing on The Tweed with my dad many years ago. A good day out from Peebles is Biggar. It's a charming little town. The 91 bus runs what seems to be a half decent service Google tells me.

North Berwick is also very nice. A nice little seaside town where people actually live and isn't all that heavily touristed. It may be bracing in the winter. I did a few trips driving between Edinburgh and there years ago to a friend's parents' place.

I've never been to Galashiels. When I think of Galashiels, I always think of it in an 80's BBC Scotland rugby commentator voice. They like their rugby.

I saw Leith suggested too. I've never been post tram extension. To recommend Leith to visitors, they'd have to be ok with it not being as posh or student-y as the other places I mentioned further up. It was rough years ago but it's fine now. Last visited over three years ago. One person I know who grew up in Leith has recently moved back to there after many years in London.

The recommendations depend a bit on how much time you have and what the work schedule is too I think. If you can bear a commute the places out in the countryside (or seaside) are nice.

I enjoyed Peebles the two times I’ve been and the entire borders area, but wouldn’t want to commute into Edinburgh daily.

I really don't think Peebles is a good place to base, because of the length of bus journey, in the same way as I didn't propose Melrose.

Galashiels (or Gala as it is known locally) is a possible because of the rail link which has transformed commuting from the town- before that, from personal experience, I wouldn't have suggested the bus 95/X95/X62 as a daily commute previously (although locals do it), due to the traffic getting into Edinburgh. The train is fast, and it is a very scenic train ride, much under-rated.

On days off the X95 in the other direction goes down to Hawick and even Carlisle (although on the new timetable you have to be careful going to Langholm or Carlisle due to poor frequencies, if no worse than the Peebles to Biggar bus)- another very scenic run. And the X62 from Peebles starts in Galashiels. There are lots of interesting days out by transit from Gala.

Likewise Leith has been transformed by the coming of the tram- both in commuting ease and in the general vibe and feel of the area. I've actually been several times since the tram line opened. The place is unrecognisable, in a really nice way, from the rather run down (if very interesting historically, when you looked below the surface) area it once was. The streetscape, everything about it is almost a new and happening quarter of Edinburgh.

Definitely Stockbridge, I’d say. Okay, yes, it’s still in Edinburgh but it’s a delightful area full of fancy delis and lovely houses, with the Water of Leith nearby.

South Queensferry is really nice too. I can't speak to the quality of transport links to Edinburgh, but it's pretty handy.

From South Queensferry it is the Lothian Country Bus #43 every 20 minutes (30 minutes in the evenings), or climb up the steps to Dalmeny station for frequent rail service.
Off the #43 you can change onto the Skylink #200 (starts at Leith) at Blackhall/Davidson's Mains for the airport. Unlike the Airlink #100 from the City Centre, normal tickets and passes are valid on the #200 as far as Ingliston Park and Ride.

For integrated travel in the Edinburgh/Scottish Borders/East and West Lothian and Fife as far as Dundee and Perth look at the one-tickets range, especially for someone who is there for a long time, not just a tourist for a few days.

We spent most of yesterday meandering from our hotel next to St Andrews Square down Bell's Brae to Dean Village and along The Water of Leith to Stockbridge. Quite charming , so another vote for Stockbridge.

Everyone: thank you so much for your suggestions! I booked a place in Stockbridge. Fingers crossed. =) I'll try for a a day trip to either Vindolanda or Glencoe, or a walk in the Pentland Hills, to scratch my rural-bucolic-hiking itch!

Good luck with your Scottish endeavours! Check back in if you want to talk about Edinburgh or Scotland some more.

Good choice!
I lived on Henderson Row at the edge of Stockbridge, as a student in the 70’s.
It’s a nice part of town.

I've stayed in Stockbridge before, so was relieved to hear it was a good choice. I actually had one of the best travel meals of my life there, pieced together from a fish market and the local grocery store and a bakery: fresh salmon, seaweed (the fish guy instructed me to blanch it then sautee it in butter), potatoes and fresh bread. I am looking forward to a repeat. There was also a place with fresh meat pies that was pretty awesome...
I'll take any other recs people want to throw my way! Love this forum. Thanks, all.

When you're planning your day trips pop it in another thread and people will be able to give you lots of ideas. Many people on here have had good experiences with Rabbie's Tours (I'm thinking Glencoe), but public transport to pretty places to hike is easy from Edinburgh.