191 replies to this topic

[JDC]

A lot of my high school friends have since gone to college, graduated and settled in Allston, Brighton or Somerville. I'd recommend any of them to someone fresh out of college, especially if you like walkable streets, good nightlife, and aren't expecting to live in something very new or fancy. As far as safety goes, it's a big city, so you watch where you're going. That being said, if an area is safe enough for Harvard students, it's probably safe enough for just about anybody.  

[angiebatts]

Hi, I'm new to the board so hello to everyone!  I live in NYC and received a job offer in Natick, Mass.  I dont know anything about the area and would like to ask a few questions.  I am a single mom with a 6 year old daughter who will be starting the 2nd grade in September.  I'm looking for an area with reasonable rent and decent schools/neighborhoods.  I would have to have my daughter in before school/after school care, does anyone know how much that usually costs per week?  I will be driving so living next to the commuter rail will not be what I need.  I pay 1100 now (doesnt include utilities) so I would like to keep it around that area if possible.  Thanks for all your help in advance.

[Mpls2Boston]

I'm moving from Minneapolis sometime in August. Right now I'm looking around Everett, Malden, Revere, and Lynn. Also Brockton. I want to live alone, so living in the city is probably out of the question. I'm leaving my car here in Minnesota so I need to live near the trains. From what I've seen, that's pretty much anywhere.

[Lowerdeck]

The Boston area is brutally expensive.  I don't know much about the North Shore, but I would assume most of the blue collar towns up there are cheaper than Boston proper and many other suburbs.  Your blue collar towns are probably better bets to finding one bedroom apartments as well, outside of Boston proper.

The best I can say from experience up there on the North Shore is taking the Blue Line to Revere to go hang out at a nearby hotel and drink with some friends.  So... at least Revere is on the Blue Line... easy access to Gov't Center and the rest of Boston.  That area is also near the airport though, so the noise might not be fun.

Brockton... can't say much from experience there either.  I however haven't heard much good of the place.

[Dozer]

Mpls2Boston, on May 2 2008, 11:52 PM, said:

I'm moving from Minneapolis sometime in August. Right now I'm looking around Everett, Malden, Revere, and Lynn. Also Brockton. I want to live alone, so living in the city is probably out of the question. I'm leaving my car here in Minnesota so I need to live near the trains. From what I've seen, that's pretty much anywhere.

Depending on your budget and space requirements, Brighton by Cleveland Circle is a beautiful part of Boston close to the green B, C, and D lines (the C and D are the fastest when commuting to Boston, assuming that is where your job is located. Where will you be working?). I lived there and loved it, though rents have surly increased since I was there. Still, it's worth a look. Drawbacks would be it's high numbers of college students (it's close to BC), and it being on the edge of city proper. Still, there is virtually no crime (one of the safest parts of Boston), and if you eventually do bring a car, there is abundant on-street parking and permits are free (as they are throughout Boston). For a nice one-bedroom I would expect to pay anywhere from $1,400 - $2,000/month. I lived in a very nice 2 bedroom for $1,400/month a couple years ago.. just have to search search search!

Where will your job be?

[nowyano]

Mpls2Boston, on May 3 2008, 12:52 AM, said:

I'm moving from Minneapolis sometime in August. Right now I'm looking around Everett, Malden, Revere, and Lynn. Also Brockton. I want to live alone, so living in the city is probably out of the question. I'm leaving my car here in Minnesota so I need to live near the trains. From what I've seen, that's pretty much anywhere.

I'm not sure what you already know about these cities, granted they are cheaper, but they are not especially nice.  Everett fairly urban, but fairly run down.  Both Lynn and Everett have fairly big gang problems right now, but Lynn also has a lot of renewal and renovation happening in its downtown, especially by the commuter rail station.  Lynn also has a decent waterfront.  

Revere can be as expensive as Boston around Revere Beach, it is also having a bit of a resurgence b/c of high costs of in city living and younger people moving there.  However if you are not directly around the T stops (Wonderland, Revere Beach, I don't remember if Orient Heights is Revere or E. Boston) there is not too much.

Malden, well Malden is Malden.  Blue Collar, one nice strip of stores near Malden Center T Stop, a lot of development along the strip between Wellington and Malden T Stops, nothing but homes around Oak Grove T.  If you could live within walking distance of Malden Center it might be your best bet of the five.

Brockton is a bit of a hall from the city, but it has turned from a pretty bad place in the late 80s/90s to a decent town.  I would say of the five Brockton would be the worst if you were planning on leaving your car behind.  Malden, or Revere would be your best bet if you are planning to use only MBTA to commute.

If I were you I would look a little closer into the city (Cambridge, Somerville), a little south of the city (Quincy), if you can spend a little more West of the city (Brookline, Newton).  There are also a lot of good neighborhoods in the city that are affordable for a single person in Allston-Brighton, Jamacia Plain, Dorchester, and Roxbury.  Don't let people turn you off to Dorchester/Roxbury, there are some really good, really safe, really cheap places in both those neighborhoods (Lower Mills,  Adams Village, Savin Hill, Fort Hill just to name a few).

[MPLS_9]

Dozer, on May 4 2008, 07:52 AM, said:

Depending on your budget and space requirements, Brighton by Cleveland Circle is a beautiful part of Boston close to the green B, C, and D lines (the C and D are the fastest when commuting to Boston, assuming that is where your job is located. Where will you be working?). I lived there and loved it, though rents have surly increased since I was there. Still, it's worth a look. Drawbacks would be it's high numbers of college students (it's close to BC), and it being on the edge of city proper. Still, there is virtually no crime (one of the safest parts of Boston), and if you eventually do bring a car, there is abundant on-street parking and permits are free (as they are throughout Boston). For a nice one-bedroom I would expect to pay anywhere from $1,400 - $2,000/month. I lived in a very nice 2 bedroom for $1,400/month a couple years ago.. just have to search search search!

Where will your job be?

Well, right now I work security for Hennepin County in Minneapolis. Make about $14-$15hr. The company I work for has some accounts in Boston (Logan, that I know of) so maybe I can transfer. But I don't know if the pay is the same. And even if it is, $15 doesn't go as far out there as it does here. I currently rent a large 1 bedroom with a den for $730 and it's on the very edge of downtown Mpls.

I have a degree in criminal justice and plan on pursuing some cop jobs out there. Problem is, Massachusetts has a 1-year residency requirement and only give their civil service exams every other year, so I'm looking at security work of some kind for a minimum of a year.

I look at a number of places online every day but Craigslist is my top destination. I only look at places with photos and Google map, preferrably with the "street view" option so I can click and look around. Not the same as being there, but it's better than nothing at all. Maybe I shouldn't dismiss the roommate option so readily, but I have 2 cats and moving across country to live with some stranger(s) isn't something I'm too keen on, but maybe I need to re-consider it.

Edited by MPLS_9, 04 May 2008 - 07:21 PM.

[MPLS_9]

nowyano, on May 4 2008, 03:29 PM, said:

I'm not sure what you already know about these cities, granted they are cheaper, but they are not especially nice. Everett fairly urban, but fairly run down. Both Lynn and Everett have fairly big gang problems right now, but Lynn also has a lot of renewal and renovation happening in its downtown, especially by the commuter rail station. Lynn also has a decent waterfront.

Well, in Lynn I've found some old houses that look like they are right out of a New England B&B that are converted into apts. Some are right near the ocean, others are real close to the commuter stop. In Everett, the area I found is right on what looks to be a pretty major road, just north of Charlestown. It's close to a shopping center and fast food joints. Looks pretty nice on the Google Street View.

Quote

Revere can be as expensive as Boston around Revere Beach, it is also having a bit of a resurgence b/c of high costs of in city living and younger people moving there. However if you are not directly around the T stops (Wonderland, Revere Beach, I don't remember if Orient Heights is Revere or E. Boston) there is not too much.

I can't recall exactly where I found a place of interest, but I think it was near Chelsea. A racetrack was nearby. Greyhounds?

Quote

Malden, well Malden is Malden. Blue Collar, one nice strip of stores near Malden Center T Stop, a lot of development along the strip between Wellington and Malden T Stops, nothing but homes around Oak Grove T. If you could live within walking distance of Malden Center it might be your best bet of the five.

Brockton is a bit of a hall from the city, but it has turned from a pretty bad place in the late 80s/90s to a decent town. I would say of the five Brockton would be the worst if you were planning on leaving your car behind. Malden, or Revere would be your best bet if you are planning to use only MBTA to commute.

If I were you I would look a little closer into the city (Cambridge, Somerville), a little south of the city (Quincy), if you can spend a little more West of the city (Brookline, Newton). There are also a lot of good neighborhoods in the city that are affordable for a single person in Allston-Brighton, Jamacia Plain, Dorchester, and Roxbury. Don't let people turn you off to Dorchester/Roxbury, there are some really good, really safe, really cheap places in both those neighborhoods (Lower Mills, Adams Village, Savin Hill, Fort Hill just to name a few).

Well, I found a few places and they are all literally right near the two commuter stops in Brockton. About a mile away from some mall to the west, and another shopping area due east. That's exactly what the listing on Craigslist said about Malden. Said it was like a 2 minute walk to Malden Square.

In the city there was one place (Columbia, Columbus....?) quite near the Boston Globe that was about what I pay here in Minneapolis, near retail and the T, etc. And there's always the little studio in Chinatown for $800.   

Anytime I find a place I might be interested in I scout the area as best I can with that Google Street View (if it's available). Pretty handy little tool. Plus I always search for things in the area like restraunts, grocery, etc.

I do appreciate the help and incite though. Very much. Thanks!

[Cotuit]

MPLS_9, on May 4 2008, 09:35 PM, said:

In the city there was one place (Columbia, Columbus....?) quite near the Boston Globe that was about what I pay here in Minneapolis, near retail and the T, etc.

Columbia, depending exactly where, that area can be a no man's land. And if it was listed as "Columbia" then it likely is in no man's land.

Check out Waltham. I lived there car-free in the late 90s. I moved there from Brighton so that I could afford my own place. The Moody Street area is nice, lots of restaurants and shops. There is a grocery store on Main Street. The commuter rail stop is at Moody and Main, apartments get cheaper the further from the T station you are, but you don't have to get too far for prices to drop. In addition to the Commuter Rail there are several express buses which serve the Financial District and Back Bay via the Pike, and a local bus that runs to Watertown Square and Central Square Cambridge. The Commuter Rail stops at Porter Square in Cambridge, a short walk to Harvard Square. And a cab to Waltham isn't too much if you want to play in Boston past the last run of the T.

There are a lot of nice areas in all the towns outside Boston that you mentioned, and there is the possibility to live car-free in some of those towns, but not all areas of those towns, you could find yourself trapped in some quasi suburban area if you don't know where you're looking, and transit services get less the further out you go.

I'd cross Brockton off the list if you really want to be car-free and near Boston. Brockton is pretty far away, and while the downtown is certainly walkable, there's only so far to walk, you'd be wanting to have a car at some point.

I'd give Quincy a look too, its been 8 years since I've lived in Boston, so I have no idea what the prices are doing out there (I hear they're going up, like everywhere).

In the city proper, I'd look south, Dorchester, Roxbury, Savin Hill, Ashmont, Mattapan, basically the Ashmont branch of the red line.

[JDC]

Quincy is definitely a good place to look. Revere and East Boston might be a bit of a culture shock for a midwesterner. I'd recommend Newton too, but for really car-free living Cleveland Circle, parts of Cambridge, some of the aforementioned areas in Dorchester... JP is probably headed out of a lot of people's price ranges, but worth checking out.

One good rule to stick by:  if you want to live without a car, go where the students are. Very few have cars, and if you're near a college campus (well, I guess there's a college on every corner in this town) then there's likely plenty of other amenities nearby.

[GE Turbine Man]

Does anyone have any insight into the Lynn Area?  I work for GE, and I am considering transferring to the Lynn office to be closer to family.

Is Lynn a "bad" town?  How hard would it be to commute from the city proper?  I've read this thread for some insight, but not much was mentioned about Lynn.

[Cotuit]

Lynn has a reputation which is largely no longer deserved. It is known as "Lynn, Lynn, the city of sin." Like most small cities around Boston, it has seen an influx of Bostonians escaping high prices in town and has gentrified (for better or worse) as a result.

If I were to move back to the Boston area, I would consider Lynn as an option. It has an urban downtown which is springing back to life (slowly), it also has some more leafy neighborhoods outside the downtown, and some craptacular stripmallie areas, the upside is you need not drive far for things like grocery stores or Kmart or the like.

Travel into the city is rather good for a city so far outside the core with frequent commuter rail and bus service into Boston. The main bus terminal is at the Commuter rail station so switching from the train to a bus to finish your journey is relatively painless. Outbound from Lynn on the Commuter Rail is Salem which has a nice downtown, Manchester-by-the-Sea which has a beach steps from the train station, and Gloucester which also has beach access near the station, and Rockport which is a quaint New England town, a nice day trip out of Lynn.

I don't know if you have a family or if schools are a concern, without looking up any stats, I'd guess that Lynn's schools aren't terrific.

If it turns out that Lynn isn't for you, I think you can find an area you like in one of the surrounding towns not too far from GE.

I don't know if you'd be working at River Works, but there is a station (on the Lynn Commuter Rail line) for GE employees at River Works.