Yes I think they have their own personalities and I also think some are a lot more residential and less walkable (or vice versa). Like Chestnut Hill has an entire highway running through and a whole mall and other villages might have like one or two restaurants.

I just moved to Newton earlier this year and love it. I have two children also under 5 years old, also both mid 30s. There’s a lot of variety from one neighborhood to the next so depending on what you’re looking for you might find a very different experience in Newton Center vs Waban, for example. Happy to answer more specific questions if you have them!