Relocating blues: Is Boston an option? (Cambridge, Brookline: apartment, to rent, car insurance)

[jondotkom]

Hey There,

I'm a newbie here, live in Seattle, but am hunting for a new city to live in.

So, what about Boston?

What's the city like? What are the pros and cons? What's the cost of living like? The housing in Seattle is going through the roof. Rents I see on Craigslist seem a tiny bit lower than found in Seattle.

What about the weather, especially the notorious Boston winters? Are the summers hot and muggy? What are the taxes like, both state and county?

I would greatly appreciate any feedback or ideas.

Doomo arigato!

[brightdoglover]

What's the city like? What are the pros and cons? What's the cost of living like? The housing in Seattle is going through the roof. Rents I see on Craigslist seem a tiny bit lower than found in Seattle.

What about the weather, especially the notorious Boston winters? Are the summers hot and muggy? What are the taxes like, both state and county?

Regarding summers, yes, they are putrid. Every year I've been here, the summers have gotten more humid (and often gray, no sun, just hazy muggy).
The winters have gotten milder. There are occasional cold snaps (meaning, say, below 20 degrees) and everyone complains. A few days every year are down in the single digits, and there's more complaining. I didn't know the winters were "notorious," as I've never found them to be such a big deal. If you live close to the coast, there's a moderating factor of about ten degrees from the inland areas.
I imagine you're looking to rent, not buy? Prices are pretty high, and a lot of the housing stock is old and beat, student-like. For a smallish one-bedroom in Boston or Cambridge (my old stomping grounds), it would be unusual to see anything below $1000, and then there's very little.
Public transport is pretty good around Boston/Cambridge/Brookline, but if you keep a car, you should make sure you have a plan for parking. Street parking is limited and has all sorts of ways to "catch" you- no parking on this side of the street the third Tuesday of the month, etc. Car insurance is very high in the city areas, less in suburbs. I always kept an older car, because the insurance is less, and the dings and bangs of the city and vandals will bother us less.
There is a state income tax which is currently about 5.5%, I think. No county taxes that I know of.
Friends from other areas (come to think of, I mean New Jersey and Virginia) say that "everything" is more expensive than their home areas. I don't know if Seattle is much cheaper on any level, maybe utilities (heat). Of course, there's plenty of culture and activities and arts and all. It's a great place to be, say, under 30 or so, especially if you work in one of the brainer industries around Cambridge. Good luck!

[Waterlilly22]

I agree with everything said, but would add that sometimes the winters are brutal. Was it 3 years ago that we got pounded by snow well into the spring? Every once in a while we do have a hideous winter. I have a friend who moved here from Seattle about a year ago and she loves it here. She thinks Boston is cheaper than Seattle actually, not sure if that's true...She also mentioned that she thinks the cold here is somehow more 'bone chilling' (her words, not mine). But it's a great city - great sports teams (can't beat the Red Sox!), restaurants, arts/museums/cultural events, politics, history, architecture, shopping - it's got it all. Housing is definitely expensive. You may be looking at areas of Boston on Craigslist that aren't that safe/desirable - they often don't mention if the apartment is in one of these areas, they just say 'Boston', so just a little warning that the prices you've been seeing may be misleading. Look at Back Bay, Beacon Hill, North End, South End to see some prices for the nicer areas, just to get an idea. In general, great town to live in - come on over!

[Chianti]

Boston blows.

You pay a sh*tload of money to live there. In return you get crappy weather and extremely unfriendly people who are grumpy most of the time. Don't know if this applies to you, but the women are UUGGLLYY as well. A "hot" girl in Boston would be very average anywhere in the midwest/south. Never understood the fascination with Boston. Its really a dumpy little "town" and I was very happy to leave.

I would recommend Houston. It is superior to Boston in every way. It has a lot more to do and is far cheaper. Plus the people are actually friendly and 9 months out of the year the weather is beautiful. It does get really, really hot for 3 months, but thats a small price to pay for such a great city.

Apologies if I offended anyone. That was just my experience.

[seldomseen]

Not trying to throw salt at Boston/Massachusetts...However, If you're trying to get relief from high cost of living, lack of cutural/racial diversity/integration, mediocre housing (for the price)---towns that are considered sought-after are literally like slums, and are trailer-trash-like in most instances! Boston, or Massachusetts alone may not be the answer for you! The employment market in Massachusetts is actually pretty medicore...and the better jobs are primarily in Boston...so plan on commuting up to 2hrs each way, if you cannot afford to live within 25 miles of the Boston Metro area. Massachusetts, actually has a very high resident attrition rate because of the high-cost of living, and medicore employment opportunities.

You may want to consider growing cities/towns south of Virginia, like Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta, Greensboro etc...where the labor force is strong, and is growing, and cities that still offer a more "realistically" affordable cost of living. The good thing about these cities is, you can still earn $40k, $50k, $60, $70k and or $100k. If you have the education, and skill-sets as you could in the Boston Metro area!

Good Luck!

[jondotkom]

Oooh, I like this: A good cross section of opinions.

Thanks to all of you for your responses. I guess that Boston is like any other city, a mix of pros and cons. I suppose it's all a matter of balancing ones needs and wants.

I will keep a ear to the wind and see how all this turns out. A visit is definitely in my stars to see if I like the overall vibe of the town while doing the touristy thang.

But I'm still game for any more ideas and feedback. Keep 'em coming, puh-leeze!

Jon .

[2KidsforMe]

Jon-are you looking to live in the city or the suburbs?

[jondotkom]

Hey There,

The closer to downtown the better. I would like to maximize the use of mass transit and walking to get around to work, shopping etc.

Yes, I'm trying to do the green thang and keep my carbon footprint as low as possible. I am, sad but true, a typical knee-jerk, bleeding-heart liberal type.

Any more info from anyone?

[NY'er lost in MA]

Hungry for a new city?!

Just out of curiosity- why the big move? That would be coast to coast! Sort of a lateral move in my opinion.

Either you want to move to save money, or gain a different lifestyle...

Give us some more clues..

[jondotkom]

Hmmm, I believe it's just part of the human condition.

I like to challenge myself from time to time. That's the main reason why I left Hawaii for Seattle several years ago. I get the jones for a change and wish to see a completely new environment, a new world, a new set of problems and blessings too.

I like starting from scratch from time to time. And I'd like to experience the East Coast seasons at least once in my life.