tcn79, congratulations on your acceptances.
I thought I'd add my two cents.
First, from what I've read about Boston, it seems to be a great city to raise a family. I'd bet that Pomona is the same way. While neither drhygiene nor I have ever lived there, I'm assuming he's right that Pomona has its good and bad areas. I have been up to Boston since the interview and my acceptance. It's a big city, so there are going to be bad areas, but I found most of Boston to be very nice and safe. Family friends that we have in Boston love it, and I think all of the amazing universities being in the Boston area really add a lot of culture to the city. You're hopefully moving and going to dental school, though, in hopes of getting the best dental training. I think considering location is important, but I believe a more important consideration should be the program.
I want to be honest and say I have never seen Western or the Pomona area. Not to be in any way "look at me, look at me", but rather to give some kind of limited credibility to my opinion, I received 10 interview offers, attended 9, Tufts was the fifth school where I was accepted, and I withdrew from the rest upon my acceptance. From what I've seen during interview days and tours I've taken myself, and from the discussions I've had with different people in the dental profession, I believe Tufts offers some of the best clinical preparation and has one of the best facilities in the country. I also believe the faculty at Tufts, those I met at least, are very good. I wouldn't be going there if I didn't. I did not meet enough faculties at other schools, though, that I feel I can give a fair comparison of where Tufts ranks. The school you choose, though, is where you will be spending a large part of your time the next four years, and it will lead and shape you for your future career as a dental professional.
Building on that, I believe there's a benefit to going to a well-established school nationally with a strong alumni network for after you graduate. Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, while obviously holding a different name initially, has been around in some form since 1868. Western has yet to graduate their first class. While I understand that some people would like that opportunity to possibly shape the direction of a new program, personally I think, if possible, it's ideal to go somewhere that has already proven able to produce top dentists.
Obviously, I've chosen Tufts. I want to have our class be as strong as possible, as I think that will help all of us be better. Drhygiene also had made his choice to attend Western, so he obviously hopes you attend there. I bet that Western also has a lot to offer.
Tcn79, sorry for the novel. I've just followed your situation along the way. Now, if you hear from OHSU, I think that's a much different discussion. By the way, I'm not saying that I believe Western is a bad school. I'm simply trying to highlight the points of Tufts that I think help it to stand out from many other schools. I'd like to point out that I have told people in other situations that certain school comparisons (including those involving Tufts) are not no-brainers. I've even told people when I believed another school was a better option for them than Tufts, but I believe in this is comparison Tufts is definitely the better choice. In the end, though, the best choice is the one you believe best fits you and your family. Best of luck with your decision.