I live about 30 miles away ... Balmedie, Ellon, Oldmeldrum area, Peterhead, Inverurie, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Stonehaven, Banchory all very commutable and plenty of stuff for families . Dozens of smaller villages .
Trains only go up towards Inverurie way (Inverness line) or south (Glasgow/Edinburgh line) . Buses can be fairly infrequent - depends how close you are to Aberdeen though .
Driving commute far easier now with AWPR (city bypass) .
Not every village has much facilities - eg a lot you’d have to travel for a GP surgery, kids would more than likely have to travel to secondary school by bus (council will pay for bus to nearest secondary - if you want to choose another for whatever reason they won’t usually fund that), but it is quite doable . If you’re coming from a big city it is a bit of a culture shock though .
Aberdeen has three private schools and I think there’s one further south but nothing else further north. Two catholic schools in Aberdeen as well .
Aberdeen does have plenty to do, shops, beautiful parks and gardens, the beach, museums, three cinemas, lovely restaurants etc . Surrounding area is stunning - lots of hidden gems and you’re never too far to travel for eg mountain climbing, skiing, or a 5km unspoilt beach . Very lucky in that respect . Practical terms Aberdeen has a huge hospital site and A&E - some local towns some have a minor injuries unit/OOH doctor service . Couple have kept maternity units thankfully and big maternity hospital in Aberdeen.
Everyone’s very friendly - however in some of the smaller towns and villages a great deal of people are related and/or have lived together for years and years, that can be quite hard to fit into . Seems to be less of an issue nowadays though especially as more and more folk realise how much we have to offer by living up here !
Only downside is that oil and gas industry has taken quite a hit in recent times so that’s driving down the local economy a bit sadly, but that shouldn’t necessarily put you off moving up here .