Moving from Cali to MA (Boston, Cambridge: apartments, for rent, condos)

[Ask2007]

Hello,

I will be relocating to MA this 29th. Will be working in the Andover area;however it is not close to much and not much to do from what I saw. I would like to stay in Boston or near it so I can attend school and meet new people since I will no noone;however I keep hearing that Boston is very expensive. I currently live in Redondo Beach, CA, near the beach, and with everything near by, what do you recommend for a single 34 year old female.
Where can I live? Are the winters that bad that I should just live near work?
Is MA that expensive?
Currently for a 1 bed. I pay $1200.


Thanks,
Sasha

[eevee]

you can easily find a 1 bedroom apt in almost any area of Boston/Cambridge for $1200. I recommend looking for an apt w/ heat included, which will be harder, but worth the effort. once you start adding in amenities and extras, like off street parking, pet friendly apts, close to a train stop, renovated, etc, it becomes harder (but not impossible. however, w/ your time frame, it'll be tough)

are you just now starting your apt search? if you need a place for July 1st, you may work w/ an agency that has access to lots of apts.

not sure of your interests, but some general neighborhoods that you may like include:

Porter/Davis Squares in Somerville (lots of college students, but there are some nice restaurants and stores. red line close by)

Jamaica Plain (the area off of centre street has lots of nice restaurants, local businesses, and it's near Jamaica Pond and some parks. some parts are close to the orange line)

South End/Back Bay (more expensive, but may fit your budget. high end restaurants and stores. little green space except for public parks, so no backyards. close to the orange line)

Fenway (close to clubs, bars, shopping, and of course Fenway Park. near some hospitals, museums, and schools. close to the green line)

Brookline (the Coolidge Corner area has a nice selection of restaurants and small shops, along w/ an indie movie theatre. close to the green line)

[skytrekker]

Boston is cheaper then Redondo Beach- even for rents.

Weather will be your biggest adapting factor. Winters begin from mid to late December and relent around late March- be sure to buy the appropriate clothing. Windbreakers, sweaters, boots, a mid weight parka, hats, gloves and an umbrella.

[CityGirl52]

Take it from me, you don't want to deal with commuting in the winter months here in New England. The closer you can get to Andover? The better off you'll be. I'm not kidding you about this, it can be pretty bad. You'll be SO much happier all around. You can always get in to Boston for nighttime events and hanging out and you know something? You can get to Nashua, NH from the North Shore which has a lot of night life and happenings these days. Also, as far as Boston is concerned? It's actually a treat when you're in there and not actually living right there! You end up appreciating it much more when you're there! Also, living in Boston can be extremely expensive. Go to one of the neighborhoods of Boston though to see what you think. I don't want you to think I'm swaying you away from the City, if that's where you want to live? Then you GO for it, if you can afford it and that's what you want to do. Craigslist is a very good site to check out various condos & apartments.

There's an excellent site called rent net dot com that you should browse through, as it's quite good. It's always got really good apartments & condos on it all the time.

One thing about living on the north shore of Boston? It's only about 25 to 30 minutes away from the city. On top of that? You'd be not even an hour away from lakes, mountains, golf & ski area's, besides the fact that you'd not even be a half hour away from downtown Boston. If I were you? I'd think twice about living right in the heart of Boston. In the end though, it's up to you and how you want to deal with the commute during the winter months.

If you lived right in the city of Boston, you'd be traveling each morning to the North Shore against the traffic, so that wouldn't be too bad. You'd be annoyed on the way home though, if it's during the height of rush hour because both leaving and going in to Boston can be ridiculous, especially toward the end of the week. If you lived south of Boston there would be more tie ups and it would take you a little longer. So check it out and really think about where you want to live. One thing to remember with a new job, do you want to be on time for it every day? That's another plus you'd have if you lived right on the North Shore from Boston. You'd be showing up on time every day much more than if you lived right in the heart of the City, especially during our long, cold, snowy, wintery months.

More issues to think about for you! SO just keep checking back here from time to time, I'm sure there will be more pros and cons for you!