calling all Bostonians!

[shigidigi]

After some craziness at work I am heavily toying with the idea of relocating DH and I to my Boston office to work, so I need some advice from those of you who live in and around Boston.

My office there is located right next to the Courthouse by the water (off the Silver Line). I know this is a broad question, so I''ll apologize in advance- where would be some good places to look at living? We''re currently spending way too much in rent here in SF and I would really rather buy a condo or so, but don''t want to spend more than $200k and I don''t know if you can get a 2bd condo for that much money in Boston. If we have to rent then so be it.

DH and I are in our late twenties/early thirties and enjoy live music (jazz, alt, etc), definitely do not to nightclubs but love a good local pub or neighborhood bar. DH says ideally we could walk to the pub like we''ve been able to in all our previous residences

haha

I want a really good neighborhood feel without feeling isolated and alone OR surrounded only by families with kids (because we dont have any).

I would also like to be able to take the subway to work, so that is another something to think about. Oh and DH teachs college english classes so being near community colleges would also be a necessity.

I don''t think we would move until the summer (because of DH''s teaching schedule) but that doesn''t mean I wont stop obsessing until it gets closer.

So, do you guys have any ideas I should look into? Also if you think my hopes are unreasonable you can tell me that too! Any advice would be very helpful! Thank you!

 

[tberube]

I love Boston.

I like to think that Boston is a lot like the east coast San Francisco. The cost of living is slightly less than SF, I hear, but not by much. But if you like cities, you just might like Boston.

Pros:
Lots of classy, fun, exciting, interesting places to go and things to do. You''ll never get bored.
The sports here are awesome, and if you''re a sports fan, you''ll love it (well, as long as you root for the Sox and the Patriots).
The Fall is gorgeous.
There''s nothing funnier than a Boston accent (not everyone in Boston has one, by the way).
People have style here, and many people have lots of money, but they also have soul and personality. They''re not fake or plastic - you get what you get.
The architecture is pretty awesome, and there''s a lot of history. A lot.
They shoot a lot of movies here. Kate Hudson was here just a few weeks ago - and they shot parts of Gone Baby Gone on my street.
Everything is accessable from the highway, so you don''t have to live right in Boston (many people in their thirties don''t). You can look 10 to 20 miles north, south or west of the city and pay less for housing, car insurance, and many other things.
Public transportation goes almost everywhere in the eastern half of the state, so there''s another vote for living outside the city.
Among others.

Cons:
Parking is atrocious. So is driving. Mapquest doesn''t even know how to get around town.
There are a lot of laws/taxes/costs in Massachusetts that are maddening. You figure those out as you go along.
Apartments are expensive, esp. in town, and most don''t include washers/dryer access, parking or windows with screens.
If you want to buy a condo right in Boston, be prepared to pay upwards of $600K - for a shoebox in a skyscraper (one-floor apartment-style).

I live in Everett, which is one mile north of Boston, and after living here for five years, my fiancee and I finally have outgrown it, and have grown tired of the hustle-bustle of the town. We''re looking to buy a townhouse condo for around 200K, but we know we might have to look as far north as southern New Hampshire to find that price.

But hey, we always said that our landlord is great and we liked the apartment, so we always said we wished we could recommend nice people for her to rent this apartment to after we leave (in the next couple months)...wouldn''t it be funny if you guys moved at the same time as us?

Hope that helps.

 

[shigidigi]

Thank you tberube for your insight. I am really hoping I will love Boston like I love SF and really, I would like to live in a city with better public transportation than SF and I think Boston would be great for that.

I honestly don''t want to live "in" the city and I think my dollar would go further, but I would still like to live close enough that I can enjoy it.

DH and I went to Boston for a day (haha) when we were vacationing in NH and driving was the worst nightmare I had ever seen! I have spent time in Boston before with friends, but living in a city is always so vastly different than visiting one for a few days!

When I hear people talk about areas like Somerville and Cambridge- are those areas of Boston or burbs outside? Someone mentioned I would like Somerville but I know nothing about it!

But I LOVE history (even have a minor in it!) and I love the idea of living in something historical so I am hoping Boston is the right place for that.

 

[mercoledi]

Boston is subdivided into neighborhoods, and it's confusing until you get the hang of it. The city of Boston itself includes Back Bay, the South End, the North End, Allston, Brighton, Roxbury and Dorchester and I think Charlestown to hit the big areas. Brookline is also south of the river but is it's own town, as is Newton. North of the river is the City of Cambridge, Sommerville and Watertown. (Don't live in Dorchester or Roxbury without a lot of research, those are rough areas. West Roxbury is nice though)

From your descrption, you guys would probably like (on the Boston side) the south end, back bay or charlestown best. They all have good food, live music and walkable neigborhoods. Cambridge and Sommerville are great, but they comprise a large area and the niceness/affordability/fun hipness can vary widely. If you're going to be working down on the waterfront you'll probably want to be on the Red line or the Silver line. As for buying a condo, I don't know anyone who's found something liveable in a 2Br for under 450K, but it doesn't hurt to look. Check out Craigslist to get an idea of the pricing for individual neighborhoods. For a small city there are tons of options!

So maybe the best question is what's your dream commute? Walking 5 blocks? Taking a train/bus for 10 min? 40 min? Driving (not reccommended)?

 

[tberube]

Eh. Somerville, in my opinion, isn''t what it used to be. Neither is Everett (one town over). Cambridge is great, but very, very expensive to live in (and you kinda can''t own a car). All these towns are pretty urban, many people consider them to be basically "in Boston," especially Cambridge. T-stations are everywhere in these towns. However, there is a good and bad area in every city and I know people who live in just about all of them.

People always tell me that if I ever wanted to live on the west coast and feel at home, San Francisco would be the place for me (I''m a city girl).

So basically, if you want to rent closer to town, you could look in Cambridge, Everett, Malden, Medford, Watertown, Somerville, or Melrose. Stay away from Revere, Charlestown, Lynn and Chelsea (IMO). I also don''t like the South Shore very much (the inner cities south of Boston), and therefore don''t know much about the towns. But it depends on where your job is. You never want to have a job on the North side and live south of the city, or vice versa. Traffic will make you insane. If you want to buy, I suggest slightly out of the way areas like Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Harvard, Burlington, Stoneham, Woburn, Reading, Bedford, Arlington, Concord, Chelmsford, Westford, Billerica (all of these are north shore or west of town), although some of those towns still can get pricey.

Yeah the traffic sucks, which is why I never look for jobs right in the city. I live close to the city and have a job 10 miles north of it, so I''m going north in the morning when everyone else is going south, and vice versa. There''s still a lot of crazy traffic though, bad drivers, buses that stop every 12 feet, and accidents. Especially when it''s snowing. But - I have to say that the worst traffic I''ve ever been in, in my whole life was when I was driving from San Diego to L.A. one weekday afternoon. I wanted to shoot myself right in the head!!!

 

[nytemist]

Prices here have started getting pretty crazy, so for under 200K you wil have to be outside the city proper. However, with Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, even East Boston, Medford, Quincy you can still get around on the T.

I was born, rasied and grew up in Dorchester. Don''t rule it out. The only part of Dorchester you hear about on the news is the part that borders Roxbury. It''s a huge town and the part I came up in is majority Irish (Adams Village, Neponset, Savin Hill, Lower Mills) I never saw any of that ''rough area'' foolishness in my neighborhood. And there are plenty of pubs and neighborhood restaurants.

Also, check out Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park and Roslindale. My best frined grew up in West Roxbury, but it is mostly families with kids.

 

[mercoledi]

Darn it! I forgot JP! Jamaica plain is hip and affordable. And full of pubs. The catch? It''s not on the best T lines and I don''t recall if the Orange line goes close to the waterfront. Hmmm.

As for community colleges, DH is also in higher ed and recently made (no, I''m not joking) a spread sheet of all the local community colleges. There are many. Boston has more than 80 accredited universities within the city limits and easily half as many adult/continuing education institutions. There are also a few higher-ed co-op dealies where you can teach as an adjunct (way easier to get than a FT position) at a few affiliated schools and get full bennies. I know the Colleges of the Fenway do that, I''d have to check with DH to find out who else does.

options options options!

 

[nytemist]

To add, I was thinking places that are easily T accessible if you don''t want to have to drive. I currently live in Billerica and it sucks for me without a car now. It really isn''t T accessible depending on where you are. The commuter rail comes to North Billerica, but it''s still about 2 1/2 miles from our condo complex.

 

[Selkie]

I bet you would love Salem. It''s on the train line to Boston, the water, it has plenty of restaurants, pubs and activities, and you can''t get much more in the way of HISTORY without moving to Europe!

 

[ellaila]

You def. cannot get a place in Boston for under $200K!!

If you like local bars and neighborhood pubs, I think you''d love Cambridge, Somerville, or Jamaica Plain. They''re all funky places on the T with tons of restaurants, bars, theaters, etc. I lived in Davis Square (Somerville) for a few years and loved it!! The only thing to be aware of is that Boston is definitely a college town, so most of these places will be loaded with students, which can get to you after a while if you''re in your 30s.

And yes, there are def. parts of Dorchester and South Boston that are worth checking out too. Roslindale and W. Roxbury are nice too but pricey b/c most of the houses are older and big.

Watertown is really convenient -- close to Boston, close to suburbs -- but it''s on the bus line, not the subway. It''s def. more suburban than city, but I think it''s a great place to live.

There are also some nice parts of Brighton -- we had a condo there before we just moved out to the burbs a few months ago. We were about 15-20 minutes drive out of Boston, super convenient to the airport, and had lots of stuff nearby us (we lived near Boston College, right on the Newton line).

 

[sillybride]

hi shigidigi,

as most ppl have mentioned, you will not be able to find a place for 200K in boston proper. we live in back bay and 2 bed apartments in my neighbourhood are closer to the $1 million mark

my suggestion would be to think about renting for a year somewhere in the city so you can get a feel for the lifestyle, and spend that year exploring suburbs to see which ones you may be interested in relocating to.

hope that helps!

 

[sap483]

If you''re willing go go slightly above that (i.e. around 250k) you could probably find a condo that needs some updating in Quincy, or South Boston. Both of those are on the red line which goes into South Station and connects to the silver line. You should also look into the seaport district near the world trade center. That would be really close to your work as it''s one stop away on the silver line, and is a new developing area. There have recently put in a few loft style condo buildings, and their are plans to build a "life style center" with shops, restaurants, bars and more condos. Right now there''s not a whole lot to do around there but that will definitely change within the next couple of years. In the meantime it''s still close enough to downtown (5 min cab ride). Also, that''s the one area of the city where you won''t have to pay an arm and a leg for parking either.

 

[shigidigi]

Wow! Thanks everyone! I figured $200k was most likely a no-no, but renting is no big deal. It would be awesome to find a nice place to rent for under $1600/mo so we can save a bit more money for eventual home ownership!

I definitely dont want us to have to sell our 1 car but I dont want to have to drive it to work either so being on the T is a necessity. I have heard good things about Jamaica Plain which has a stop on the T (orange) but my question is, do you think it would take a long time to get on at JP, change to the red line and then over the the silver line? I dont mind a 30min commute via train because I already spend 45min each way going to work now, so that''s no biggie. I would really REALLY love to live on the red line for the ease since getting to work is easy- it''s the first stop on the silver line once you''ve transferred from the red.

I really did like the idea of Cambridge but from what you all are saying it sounds pretty huge and more expensive than I''d like. I kept reading how Boston regulates auto and home insurance rates in the city and because driving is a nightmare the cost of auto ins is really expensive in the city but gets better if you live outside. I thought that would be a good reason to live outside the city but if living in Boston proper isnt going to break our bank I guess it would be great! (btw we pay about $1400/year for the two of us and the one car for ins- do you think it will be much worse in Boston?)

You guys have given me so many options it''s a bit overwhelming! If we only had a short time to be in Boston and check out areas to live- what would be at the top of the list? JP, Somerville (maybe?), Brighton, Back Bay, South End?

I worry about places like Alston or Watertown that may be a pain to get to a T stop (I think Brighton may be that way too?)

Mercoledi thank you for your info about adjuncting- that is exactly what DH does (and for three colleges out here at the same time

)

And Selki, I never thought of Salem! How far from the city is it and is it easily accessible by public transportation?

Again everyone, thank you a million times over. DH and I need some serious help figuring out what to do. Right now all we know is despite loving SF, I miss the east coast and our families and am sick of it taking a whole freaking day on a plane to get home

!

We will eventually want to move back to NC, but that is a ways away and if we are gonna move back to the east coast I''d rather do it while I have a job that will allow me to do so instead of moving and THEN looking for a job

)

Any other info you can shed, please pas it on!!!

 

[mercoledi]

Watertown will be a bus to the red line, probably 40 mins to an hour. But there''s some resident on street parking, so that''s cheaper.

JP would be about, hmm, do you change at Government center? From the Orange to the Red is probably about 15-25 mins, and then either the one silver line stop or I believe it''s a short walk (under 5 mins) from state street to the Federal court house. Part of JP is also on the 39/Green E line. I *think* you can take the 39 to the silver line, and the 39 runs all the time.

Somewhere on the red line would be great for you. Cambridge and Sommerville both have resident parking, some on-street for less than a zillion dollars. For 1600 for rent with heat and hot, you should have a whole lot of options as long as you don''t move in September. Look into Davis square and maybe Central square/cambridge port. Inman is nice and has good music venues but it''ll be a 15 min walk to the T then the commute in.

Parts of brighton are really nice and are still cheap but the caveat is that the B line sucks so your commute will vary by how close you are to another bus or T.

Back Bay and the Southend will be pricier (like 1600 for a one bedroom) unless you can get one of the coveted rent controlled apartments.

Salem is about an hour on the commuter rail, then the change to red. It''s not a bad commute, especially if you like quiet time, but the trains don''t run super often so it can be hard to get back out of the city later in the evening.

 

[erica k]

i live in Cambridgeport, less than a ten-minute walk from the red line in central square in Cambridge. we have a 2 bdrm, 1 bath, 841 sq. ft. condo with off-street parking. there is a trader joe''s and whole food''s 3 small blocks away from us, and the Charles is right down the street (great for jogging). i love cambridge and somerville because there''s such a nice mix of different people (and delicious cheap indian food). i''d love to live in JP but it''s really inaccessible unless you live closer to the Mass. Ave. side.

if you don''t mind renting, you can get some nice 2 and 3 bedroom apartments for $1200-2100 near Central, Harvard, Porter and Davis Squares (all on the red line, which is a straight shot to the silver line). for instance, if i were to rent out my place, i think the going price would be $1700/month plus utilities.

i have some friends who live up in arlington (a really short drive to the Alewife T red line park/ride), which is a bit more suburban, but definitely cheaper. arlington center has its fair share of little restaurants and conveniences, though, so it''s not like you''d be completely isolated.

i love cambridge, but i''m biased. Inman square is definitely my favorite place for food, ice cream (Christina''s makes the best!), and drinks. unfortunately, it isn''t very T-accessible. you can walk, bike, or take the T pretty much anywhere in Cambridge. it''s a big town, but it has very identifiable neighborhoods, and once you get used to the crazy roads, it''s a lot of fun to live here. i bike in all types of weather except ''wintry mix'' and am in better shape now than i ever was in sunny california. one does, however, have to be careful about being hit by a car

 

[Selkie]

A good friend of mine lived in Somerville, first in a rental, then in a condo, for about 8 years. She lived near Porter Sq., and I thought it was a good place to live.

Salem is actually only 1/2 hour on the train, and it runs every 20-30 mins on the weekdays. You''d switch to the green, then the red line. MBTA.com has commuter rail and subway maps that will give you a good idea of possible communities.

 

[sap483]

If you're even remotely thinking about living outside of the city, I would suggest living on a commuter line which goes to South Station (lines that go south of the city). If you live north of the city (i.e. Salem) you will take the commuter rails into North Station, switch to the green line, then go to park and switch to the red line, and then go to South Station and switch to the silver line. That could make for a very long commute. Someone else suggested West Roxbury. That would be a fairly quick commute via the commuter rail and would go right into South Station.

 

[zoebartlett]

What about Beverly? It''s on the commuter rail. I think it''s kind of pricey but I think there are a few different areas of town, so you might find something there (not a house if the price is $200,000, but maybe a rental or a condo). I was also going to suggest JP, Cambridge, Arlington, Somerville, and the other areas listed. You''ll love Boston. I used to live in one of the sections of Newton (which I also love) and I worked in downtown Boston. It''s close to the T and not a far drive into the city if you go by car.

Boston is great! Yes, the driving and construction around the big dig can be maddening but you get used to it eventually. Some of my favorite parts are the common, the public gardens, and the Copley Square area.

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I can''t give you specific recommendations except for the western suburbs [Lincoln, Weston, Concord, Lexington] which don''t fit your criteria. If I had to find something such as you describe I would look into up and coming areas in and adjacent to the city or on the train line [Lowell comes to mind - lots of converted mill buildings and some nice looking restaurants - I drove through there the other day]. This is a good site to search for real estate. It appears also to have rentals: New England Moves.

You may want to get a subscription to Boston Magazine. Here is a link to an artickle on their site that might be useful: Best Places to Live. You may also want to look at the Boston Globe site: boston.com. The MBTA site has a map of all public transportation.

Hope this helps.

DB