Thinking about moving to Boston?

[Recchia]

How's the Hyde park section of Boston? From the aerials I've seen it looks like it has a nice dense main street and dense housing all around it, with a nice Commuter Rail stop. Is it less expensive to live in since its farther out?

[todsulli]

Hello,

Sorry to ask another question on moving but I am moving to boston in November. I will be working in Natick, so I was wondering if you could suggest some areas that might be favorable for me to live. I would like to spend between 1000-1500 a month on rent and I was kind of hoping to be close to the city(access to the T) but still be able to drive to natick everyday. I have seen and heard that Newton might be good, wellesley and or brookline could you please give me some insight as to those areas and or any other areas you think would work. Thanks,

Todd

[BostonFaker]

Did you see this topic already?

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=9818

[pvenne]

I will hopefully be starting law school not this year but in the fall of 2006 in the boston area (either Boston college or Northeastern) and I was wondering if anyone could offer some suggestions on which of the two is a better situated school. i have visited both and northeastern is kinda in a run down part of town, but boston college is in the woods. i was wondering if BC has easy access to the city (T stations?) and if northeastern's location is really as ghetto as I perceived it to be.

also, in terms of off campus housing, does anyone have any suggestions for decent neighborhoods for grad students? I am somewhat familiar with the area, but nowhere near as much as most people on here I would imagine. I am from a city about 1.5-2hrs outside boston. I appreciate any and all comments or suggestions.

-Patrick

[ChunkyMonkey]

Hello,

Sorry to ask another question on moving but I am moving to boston in November.  I will be working in Natick, so I was wondering if you could suggest some areas that might be favorable for me to live. I would like to spend between 1000-1500 a month on rent and I was kind of hoping to be close to the city(access to the T) but still be able to drive to natick everyday.  I have seen and heard that Newton might be good, wellesley and or brookline could you please give me some insight as to those areas and or any other areas you think would work.  Thanks,

Todd

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Natick is quite suburban in nature, however, it does have commuter rail T access to south station. Newton, Wellesley and Brookline are all great areas. Brookline is awesome and is closest to Boston but it is very pricey. Wellesley is an area with million dollar homes and a cute downtown. You should also look into Brighton and Allston. These are student areas that are relatively inexpensive and are near the mass pike for you to drive out to Natick.

[BostonFaker]

If you want to walk out into the city every day, go to Northeastern. This school is bordering Roxbury, which can be a "slum," but it also borders the Fens, which is beautiful and cultural.

BC does have its own station on the Green line for easy access into the city.

There's a section above for people moving in.

[Recchia]

Northeastern in a run down area? Hardly. Roxbury and all along Mass Ave have cleaned up considerably since the 80's and early 90's; I would not call it ghetto at all, I think "diverse" is a much better term to describe the area. Northeastern is hardly part of Roxbury anyway.

I too would recommend Northeastern, its closer to Downtown and the Pru/Copley and is right on the Green E line, the Orange Line and south station commuter rail lines via Ruggles Station. Plus, the campus is absolutely phenomenol and their gym is outstanding, especially since it overlooks Huntington Ave and gives you something to occupy your time when your slaving on a treadmill. BC, although still right on a Green line branch, seemed too far and disconnected for my tastes.

[pvenne]

Northeastern in a run down area?

Edited August 11, 2005 by pvenne

[Cotuit]

BC for all intents and purposes is not in Boston at all, it's in Newton (it is technically in Boston, but barely). Northeastern is in the heart of some of Boston's best, most urban, and most exciting neighbourhoods (Fenway, JP, Roxbury, Mission Hill...).

BCs nearest happening area is Cleveland Circle, to get to Allston Village or Kenmore, you need to get on the train. Everything you'd ever need or want is within walking distance of Northeastern.

You're grandfather obviously hasn't been to Boston in the last couple decades. When I lived near Northeastern (in the early 90s) Mission Hill was a mess. I could hear gunfire from my apartment in the Fenway and police helicopters were flying over at all hours, it is nothing like that anymore. Lots of doctors and nurses from Longwood and other professionals have invaded the area, and it has become much more gentrified. Boston has also got a much better handle on it's crime situation in the last decade.

There basically aren't any ghettos in Boston. There's some areas that are slightly more downtrodden than most, parts of East Boston, and Mattappan come to mind, but even those areas are becoming very attractive areas.

[TheBostonian]

BC for all intents and purposes is not in Boston at all, it's in Newton (it is technically in Boston, but barely).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Newton is not technically part of Boston as, say, Charlestown and JP are. But it is an inner suburb and is so much a part of Boston that a school called Boston College can be located there.

[pvenne]

BC for all intents and purposes is not in Boston at all, it's in Newton (it is technically in Boston, but barely). Northeastern is in the heart of some of Boston's best, most urban, and most exciting neighbourhoods (Fenway, JP, Roxbury, Mission Hill...).

BCs nearest happening area is Cleveland Circle, to get to Allston Village or Kenmore, you need to get on the train. Everything you'd ever need or want is within walking distance of Northeastern.

You're grandfather obviously hasn't been to Boston in the last couple decades. When I lived near Northeastern (in the early 90s) Mission Hill was a mess. I could hear gunfire from my apartment in the Fenway and police helicopters were flying over at all hours, it is nothing like that anymore. Lots of doctors and nurses from Longwood and other professionals have invaded the area, and it has become much more gentrified. Boston has also got a much better handle on it's crime situation in the last decade.

There basically aren't any ghettos in Boston. There's some areas that are slightly more downtrodden than most, parts of East Boston, and Mattappan come to mind, but even those areas are becoming very attractive areas.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yeah, uh, im pretty sure newton isnt in boston's municipal boundaries. but you can see boston from BC, so it is "in boston" to someone from maine (myself). also, i just read an article about the gang situation getting worse (not better, as you said) in boston because of increased organization...also, the violent attacks with machetes have been on the rise (so i have read in the globe)...if this is an improvement, i would hardly say that it is an example of having a handle on crime...but whatever.

[pvenne]

You're grandfather obviously hasn't been to Boston in the last couple decades.

There basically aren't any ghettos in Boston.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

two things: he works there and in the surrounding area (between sudbury and boston) every week selling cash registers.

and does anyone else agree with what cotuit said about there being no ghettos in boston? i cant see how this is true, if the city im from in maine, which is 7-8 times smaller than boston has ghettos (a handful of them). even the city i go to school at in vermont has ghettos and it isnt even 40K people...so im wondering if we share similar definitions of "ghetto". essentially, should i not worry about this neighborhood over that one? not looking for personal opinions on how improved the place has gotten, just looking for the bottom line, after the smoke clears, so to speak...comments from people currently living in boston will be appreciated. thank you.

Edited August 11, 2005 by pvenne

[Recchia]

and does anyone else agree with what cotuit said about there being no ghettos in boston?  i cant see how this is true, if the city im from in maine, which is 7-8 times smaller than boston has ghettos (a handful of them).  even the city i go to school at in vermont has ghettos and it isnt even 40K people...so im wondering if we share similar definitions of "ghetto".  essentially, should i not worry about this neighborhood over that one?  not looking for personal opinions on how improved the place has gotten, just looking for the bottom line, after the smoke clears, so to speak...comments from people currently living in boston will be appreciated.  thank you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's all about your perception of what "ghetto" is. What do you consider "ghetto?" I personally hate the word because too many people use it to describe just a place where minorities live. Granted certain neighborhoods in Boston have higher crime rates (and Roxbury, which is really more south of Northeastern anyway) happens to be one of them. Even still though, there's no places in Boston where I would be scared to death of at all. And beleive me, crime in Roxbury is nowhere near as bad as it used to be.

[pvenne]

It's all about your perception of what "ghetto" is.  What do you consider "ghetto?"  I personally hate the word because too many people use it to describe just a place where minorities live.  Granted certain neighborhoods in Boston have higher crime rates (and Roxbury, which is really more south of Northeastern anyway) happens to be one of them.  Even still though, there's no places in Boston where I would be scared to death of at all.  And beleive me, crime in Roxbury is nowhere near as bad as it used to be.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

good input, thank you. i think it is unfortunate that people use the wrd ghetto to designate a place where minorities live, but the official definition is "A section of a city occupied by a minority group who live there especially because of social, economic, or legal pressure." and i dont think it is because minorities live in these places that people consider them ghetto. at least i hope it isnt. for instance, if there was a wealthy suburban gated community where all blacks lived i dont think anyone would consider it a ghetto. on the other hand, where im from there are way more white people than minorities so most of the ghettos are jammed with whites (except for portland, the city im from) but even here there are many whites in the housing projects. so my definition of ghetto is not determined by race....i am white, but my girlfriend is filipino, so i am not looking for a high-class snobby rich white place of residence either, just somewhere that is safe. i mean im not that scared, im a pretty big guy and as long as i keep to myself im sure i wouldnt bump into problems anyway, but taking my girlfriend along with me is what worries me as she will be working as an RN at a hospital somewhere in the area and then taking public transportation home. and sometimes nurses have to work night shifts etc...so basically i was wondering if there were any "stay away from" areas...more for her than for me, but im concerned a bit too...just dont want to make any poor decisions, ya know.

[Cotuit]

I lived in Boston before moving to Portland, and I actually felt less safe in Portland. Aside from the Old Port the city shuts down at night, and it feels really dangerous to be alone on the streets. Most of Boston on the other hand is bustling all night long, it makes it feel (and actually makes it be) far safer.

You need to be street smart anywhere you go in any city, but there's really very few places in Boston that I would feel unsafe. And those places are more like certain blocks, not entire neighbourhodds.

[TheBostonian]

I find that some people think Boston is a wonderful city, and by "Boston" they mean only downtown and the Back Bay. Maybe it is like the way trouists see all of NY without leaving Manhatton. Oh, well. I never left the center of London except to go to the airport.

Look at the definition of ghetto:

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dic...=ghetto&x=0&y=0

1 : a quarter of a city in which Jews were formerly required to live

2 : a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure

3 a : an isolated group <a geriatric ghetto> b : a situation that resembles a ghetto especially in conferring inferior status or limiting opportunity <stuck in daytime TV's ghetto>

Chinatown and the North End might be called ghettos, though probably not because of "social, legal or economic pressure"? I don't see anything wrong with the voluntary concentration of an ethnic group in an urban area. Is "ghetto" just synonomous with crime because black ghettos are typically high crime?

[pvenne]

I lived in Boston before moving to Portland, and I actually felt less safe in Portland. Aside from the Old Port the city shuts down at night, and it feels really dangerous to be alone on the streets. Most of Boston on the other hand is bustling all night long, it makes it feel (and actually makes it be) far safer.

You need to be street smart anywhere you go in any city, but there's really very few places in Boston that I would feel unsafe. And those places are more like certain blocks, not entire neighbourhodds.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i forgot you lived in portland at one time. so your latest feedback has been very helpful. if you can say that you felt safer in boston than portland, than im sure i have nothing to worry about. the peninsula does get pretty creepy at night...especially if you see someone walkng toward you or hear them behind you...its cause all of the street lights are covered by trees...but anyway, it usually ends up being an old lady walking her dog...but anyway, thanks for the comparison. very helpful.

[pvenne]

I find that some people think Boston is a wonderful city, and by "Boston" they mean only downtown and the Back Bay.

Edited August 12, 2005 by pvenne

[TheBostonian]

a few things: 

one: china towns form for social and eocnomic reasons.  the chinese that emmigrate from china to america live in these places because it is the only social network they can hook into when they speak limited english.  and economically speaking, america craps on anyone not white protestant or straight.  that means just about every chinese person that comes here who cannot speak perfect english, has no established family, and isnt wearing a business suit.  and the concentration of chinese (for example) or blacks or latinos etc, is far from voluntary.  the way this country operates forces them together for survival.  i dont mean to go on and on, but i started college as a sociology minor and took some pretty interesting race and ethnicity courses on this stuff.  chinese women work 20 hours a day sewing for under the table minimun wages and below, just like they do in china, here in america too.  if certain communities were completely coluntary orgainzations based on race,  like most of upperclass white suburbs, than i would see nothign wrong with it...but when other races arent able to choose where to live, and then get crammed into the situations they do in places like boston...it sucks for them. 

two: you asked if ghetto was synonymous with crime because black ghettos were typically high crime.  i cant answer this but i can offer my opinion.  ghettos are poor places in cities...poverty is the direct result of low education (most of the time)...poorly educated people that are economically needy tend to break the law more often than highly educated well off members of society.  black people fall into the class of poorly educated and are therefore economically needy more than white people do.  this is not because they are stupid, harder to teach, more animalistic or any of that bull crap that people usually try to caim.  the simple fact is that they have been systematically screwed since the founding of america.  so much so that, even though there are no biological differences between whites and blacks (to keep it simple ill leave out the other major races) there is a mathematical sorrelation between being black and being poor.  statistically, if you are black then you are more likely to be poor.  now if there are no real differences between blacks and whites this can mean only one thing: the black people have been surpressed for so long that they themselves start to not realize it anymroe and white people say: well this is america and anyone can have anything they want as long as they work hard for it" .  if you ask me, this is a lie.  i am white and i am far better off than the kids i grew up with who are black, latino, and asian.  most of them dont stand a chance in america.  cant speak english?  get out or learn it is what they are told.  then in school they try to teach them ESL classes, and they dont have enought teachers to speak the dozens of languages necessary.  they are screwed.  black kids are the worst off, if you ask me, because they have such a negative reputaion.  and for what? building this country economically? serving in our military loyally? trying to make it like the rest of us?  I admire black people more than just about any race on the face of the planet because they take so much SH*T in their lives and still manage to survive.  affirmative action is the best thing whites can do to make up for what has happened in the past, regardless if we were directly connected to any of it or not, whites whouls realize that they are in the position to do something, and not just sit around complaining about thugs and lazy beotchs and this and that (i hear it all the time and it makes me sick).  i have a black nephew (well, half white) and he is going to be okay.  you know why?  because he is going to be raised in white society.  probably go to private school, the whole nine yards..most arent so fortunate.  and everyone talks about racism being over.  it is not.  i hear so many ignorant statements it isnt funny. and they go both ways...but i have to admit, the jokes black people tell about whites are hilarious and true.  the ones white people tell are cruel and usually not accurate.  osrry for this post, you can ask me to remove it if it is too off topic for anyone.  but something really needs to change int his country if we really want to progress.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh! Did I open this can of worms? I appreciate your thoughts on this, but I don't really have much to add since I don't know much about these issues. Though one of my favorite things about urban areas is the incredible diversity that isn't found in other places outside cities. I look around my classrooms or my workplace and I am often a minority, surrounded by people from every corner of the earth, and I love it because I secretly want to be more cosmopolitan than I really am. As far as growing up in a white suburb, I partly blame the interstate highway system for breaking up our country along racial lines. I resent a bunch of stuff about where I grew up.

[pvenne]

Oh!  Did I open this can of worms?  I appreciate your thoughts on this, but I don't really have much to add since I don't know much about these issues. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hey thanks, i thouht i was going to get crap from everyone for writing so much about that...but dont worry, no one really knows anything more than anyone else about this stuff...it is all a matter of opinion and experience. i love diversity too. i am from a small city, but certain areas are extremely diverse. statistically speaking, portland is not very diverse, but they must be inaccurate because i can take a stroll and see people from all over the world in 2 blocks and i love it. they have so many experiences to share and stories to tell. my gf is filipino, my nephew is cuban/black, and i may be living with a sudanese student at school. life couldnt be any more bland than growing up without diversity. but dont resent the place you grew up, just appreciate the fact that it didnt mold your perception about other people in a negative way...theres nothing wrong with undiverse communities as long as you learn to appreciate diversity when you happen to bump into it along the way, in my opinion. what am i odign up so late, i gotta go to sleep.

[TheBostonian]

hey thanks, i thouht i was going to get crap from everyone for writing so much about that...but dont worry, no one really knows anything more than anyone else about this stuff...it is all a matter of opinion and experience.  i love diversity too.  i am from a small city, but certain areas are extremely diverse.  statistically speaking, portland is not very diverse, but they must be inaccurate because i can take a stroll and see people from all over the world in 2 blocks and i love it.  they have so many experiences to share and stories to tell.  my gf is filipino, my nephew is cuban/black, and i may be living with a sudanese student at school.  life couldnt be any more bland than growing up without diversity.  but dont resent the place you grew up, just appreciate the fact that it didnt mold your perception about other people in a negative way...theres nothing wrong with undiverse communities as long as you learn to appreciate diversity when you happen to bump into it along the way, in my opinion.  what am i odign up so late, i gotta go to sleep.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

1) You will surely get crap soon enough for your post, just not from me.

2) Sleep is for suckers.

3) I think at Melrose High we had some multiculturalism assemblies which were bogus in my opinion. I think diversity rocks, but not when forced. If you want real divserity in Melrose, you have to cross the border into Malden and get on the Orange Line.

[youbetternot]

two things: he works there and in the surrounding area (between sudbury and boston) every week selling cash registers. 

and does anyone else agree with what cotuit said about there being no ghettos in boston?  i cant see how this is true, if the city im from in maine, which is 7-8 times smaller than boston has ghettos (a handful of them).  even the city i go to school at in vermont has ghettos and it isnt even 40K people...so im wondering if we share similar definitions of "ghetto".  essentially, should i not worry about this neighborhood over that one?  not looking for personal opinions on how improved the place has gotten, just looking for the bottom line, after the smoke clears, so to speak...comments from people currently living in boston will be appreciated.  thank you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with Cotuit. This is something that comes up all of the time when talking with family (my family is basically all suburban people). There are no "scary" areas of Boston. There are some that are poorer than others, but they aren't ghettos and they aren't bad at all.

[Recchia]

pvenne, I think your statement was well thought out and accurate in most contexts. I too love diversity. And Bostonian, your comment about interstate highways is very accurate as well, I will always continue to beleive that highways are our biggest downfall when it comes to many urban and social issues. They have made us fat, angry, separated (in many many ways, including what you said), wasteful, overly dependent and super-polluting.

[pvenne]

I agree with Cotuit. This is something that comes up all of the time when talking with family (my family is basically all suburban people). There are no "scary" areas of Boston. There are some that are poorer than others, but they aren't ghettos and they aren't bad at all.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

this seems to be apopular answer. thanks everyone for your input.

[pvenne]

1) You will surely get crap soon enough for your post, just not from me.

2) Sleep is for suckers.

3) I think at Melrose High we had some multiculturalism assemblies which were bogus in my opinion.  I think diversity rocks, but not when forced.  If you want real divserity in Melrose, you have to cross the border into Malden and get on the Orange Line.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

uhh, why whill i get crap? and by the way thanks for calling me a sucker for sleeping at 2:30 am. uh...i dont even know how to respond to this. haha, whatever i guess. can you be more clear next time you post to me thanks.