Advice for moving to Boston?

AndrewZ

AndrewZ

Member
So I just accepted a job offer in the Boston area and was wondering if anyone had and hints or tips for places to live. I know to expect a ridicules cost of living, but am ready for it. I'd like to avoid roommates, but know that with a budget of $1000ish/month a shitty studio is probably the only option to live in a fun neighborhood. I'm thinking I'm looking in Brookline or Sommerville, but really don't know the area at all. Only thing is I need a place with parking since the job is out in Waltham. Any insight or input would be much appreciated,thanks!
 
So, if you are driving to work you want somewhere close to the hghway. Brookline and Somerville are great areas, but you want to go with roommate, living alone in Boston can be very $$$. My wife and I currently live in JP (Jamaica Plain), we love the area, has a real chill vibe, great bars... We are about 15 drive to the highway, 15 min T ride or so into Boston.

We pay for a two bedroom $1400, on street parking but no sticker needed. That is the other thing you need to find out is if you need a sticker for the area you are in. You may also want to look at Davis SQ, Union Sq, Cambridge area. These are all super fun areas...

Let me know if I can help in anyway.

 
Parking is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I've been living in Brighton for a while but have lived all over - North End, Charlestown, Sommerville, Central Square. I had a car in all those places, except the North End. That would suck.
Bang for your buck, Allston/Brighton is a great area, but it's not downtown. It depends on what you want to get out of living in the area and what your into. Are you going to get a roomate or trying to do this solo? If you're footing the whole bill dont forget you dont have anyone to split utilities with either. That's where it gets more expensive.
Good luck in the search - let me know if you have any question/need advice.
 
sommerville is a great place to live in boston, it's not overly expensive for boston, but you're still kind of right in the mix of things. it's a great spot to be and there are great looking gals every where.
 
I'd suggest Somerville too if you're looking to go out at night and stuff, but also stay away from all the college kids. Allston is going to be riddled with them, and Brookline is (mostly) full of families. I live in Brighton and it's really nice, but very very quiet. Plus, you are getting pretty far away from other places in Boston.

If you're a mid-twenties guy looking to work and also have a good time here in Boston, look into Somerville and Jamaica Plain. Both will be cheaper to live than Brookline/Back Back/North End/etc. but still pretty nice. Everyone I know that lives in Somerville and JP absolutely love it.
 
Thanks all for all the good advice, I'll have to look more into some of these places. BenWhit,I'm going to be working at Affinnova, a market research company on Winter St. pretty far north in Waltham.
 
ahh i see. i don't know much about waltham with the exception of Main and Moody Streets. I study at Bentley, btw. Waltham, is a pretty nice area.
 
I live like 20 minutes north of Boston, I'm going to be working downtown on the harbor this summer and maybe looking for a place. But I live with a relative now so I don't pay rent, but taking the bus/subway or train/subway into town everyday is going to suck.
 
hey andrew, congrats on the job! when are you moving? we're moving out there in june and it sure sucks. we don't know yet where we are living either, but it sucks having to go through a realtor to find a place. it looks like your work area is west of the city and i would suggest living as close to it as possible since the traffic there is really bad. we are going to be taking the bus to work probably.
 
Good to hear from you bud, it's been a while. That's sweet you and Annah managed to both get your internship/residency thingies together in Boston. I'm not sure when I'm heading up there yet, the job starts June 6 so hopefully in mid to late May. And lucky you for being able to take the bus to work... I guess mass transit goes out to Waltham but I hear its too much of a pain to be worth it. Let me know when you get up there, we'll have to grab a bite to eat and catch up... and maybe pull off a few weekend ski trips over the winter!
 
Well I live in Oak Square, Brighton and I pay 500 a month with 3 other roomates. Whatever part of Boston you live in, you're probably going to want to get at least a roommate or two, otherwise you'll be paying 1000+ in rent a month. I know a lot of friends that have found their roommates on craigslist and it worked out well for all of them. In general, the area will have a lot of younger people similiar to yourself looking for roommates. But here's how I'd brake it down:

Allston/Brighton - Pros = Quick access to the Masspike which will easily get you to 95 and Waltham. Cheap rent. Fun bars. Free on street parking, no permit required. Decent bus access to the city. Cons = Absolutely full of dirty American spirit smoking, key chain rattling, fixed gear bike riding hipsters. No trains/subway. Houses/apartments not usually as nice as other neighboorhoods, and it's definitely a noisier environment.

Somerville/Cambridge - Pros = Quiet, nice apartments. Not as many dirty hipsters/ loud noise. Lots of cool restaraunts and some decent bars. Excellent subway access via the redline. Close to route 2 and 93(good for heading to VT or NH). Cons = Not sure how the commute to Waltham would be, probably not as easy as Allston Brighton via car. Yuppie presence. More expensive rent. Parking by resident permit only (must re-register car to get permit, which raises insurance).

South Boston - Pros = Very close to the Ocean. Also very close to downtown, some parts are a 10 minute bus ride. Some very nice apartments. Cons = Somewhat isolated from the rest of Boston - no subway/train access. More expensive rent than Allston/Brighton, similar to rent in Somerville. Full of Bro's and preppy blond hair girls as well as life long Southie drunkards. Resident permit require for parking. All of South Boston is somewhat near Dorchester. Though some neighboorhoods are really nice, others are a block or two away from the projects.

The North End, Downtown, and Brookline are all very, very expensive and are not a good fit for a young person just moving to the area who did not happen to win the lottery.

 
And if you have any questions regarding a specific neighboorhood, just let me know. I've had friends live in just about every one.
 
i lived there for a year too. also lived in mission hill for a couple years, spent some time in allston, pretty much lived in all of the neighborhoods that a kid could afford.

as far as brookline or somerville, youre kind of talking about two very different areas. brookline is its own town and is therefore a lot more upper class than its surrounding areas. most people living here own homes and renting in brookline could turn into an issue if you were looking to save.

somerville on the other hand is on the opposite end of town, seems to be comprised of mostly renters, and while it does have some nicer areas (davis and porter sq are always a lot of fun), definitely is on a different level than brookline.

if youre looking to live in the city, mission hill is definitely a good bet. stay on the front of the hill, thinks can get a little uncomfortable once you venture deep into roxbury past heath st. not to say itd be anything to worry about, but youd most likey rather avoid it. its got a good mix of people, a lot of college kids have moved in, especially over the past decade or so, so its cleaned up a lot from what it was say, 30 years ago. youre close to fenway, about a 20 minute walk to mass ave from brigham circle, and youve got a good choice of bars/restaurants/fast food to pick from. the t runs right down huntington, and the orange line has a stop on tremont (roxbury crossing) so its easy enough to get in an out of the city.

if youre working in waltham, brighton would get you closest if you still want to be in the city, especially oak square, youre right on the newton line. it is a bit of a trek into the city (i used to ride my bike to work on rowes wharf every day, just over 7 miles) but if youre going to be commuting to waltham itll put you in a good place and you wont be dealing with the traffic that youd get in other parts of town.

as capurnicus said, stay away from allston unless youre looking to get tossed right in the mix of the hipster mecca of the northeast. theres some fun stuff over there, the paradise is a great place to see shows, but i can confidently say that the harvard ave area of allston is my absolute least favorite part of boston. youll feel like you have to shower every time you step foot in there.

otherwise, good luck, and welcome to boston!
 
Hey Guys, Thanks for all the advice so far, you've really helped narrow down my search. I know the vast majority of you have suggested to avoid Allston, but I was just curious about a specific location there. I found a studio I'm interested in on Quint Ave between Brighton and Commonwealth and was wondering if anyone knows much about the specific area. It was a bit pricey, but what's not in boston... Again thanks for the input, it's very much appreciated.
 
I don't know much about living in Boston but my roommate is getting an apartment on COMM ave so i'm assuming it's pretty nice (considering he's got shit tons of cash).
 
MISSION HILL. Last fall I had a co-op out in Waltham. I took the D-line everyday and it wasnt so bad. Alston and Brighton are way cheaper and closer to Waltham though.
 
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