Moving to Boston, considering Brighton... (Cambridge, Newton: apartment, rentals, how much)

[mdphotog]

We're moving to Boston from Denver late this summer and found the perfect apartment in Brighton on Chestnut Hill Ave. around Chiswick Road cross street.

We're unfamiliar with the area and would love to get opinions and input about the area, safety, schools, community, etc.

I've heard quite a lot about about certain parts of Brighton being overrun with college kids and was wondering which parts of Brighton that was in and if the apartment we're looking at was outside of that area.

We're young professionals (late 20-somethings) with no children but considering starting a family once we move to Boston. We're looking for a safe, vibrant, hip but relatively quiet community outside of the city with plenty of greenspace that is affordable. We think we've found what we're looking for in Brighton, but wanted to get some input on here first!

Thanks in advance for your advice!

[NotAPrincess]

I love Brighton, though I loved it more when I was in my early 20's. The area you mention is pretty much overrun with college kids. In that location you're kind of in the nexus of the BU/BC world. I'm not sure it's an area I'd be looking to raise kids in.

Brighton is part of Boston, which means that you'd be in the Boston school system. Kids can and do get an excellent education in the city, but it is not very highly regarded academically in general.

If you're thinking of starting a family and want to be generally close to the Brighton area, I'd look into Brookline and/or Newton. It'll be more expensive, but the schools in those towns are excellent and the communities are very safe.

Another option is just to try out Brighton for a while and see how you like it before committing. It's not like you have to worry about schools for at least 5 years! Good luck!

[holden125]

Absolultely agree that's a pretty heavy student area. It's right near BC and Cleveland Circle. I'd look in Brookline or farther north and west in Brighton, near Brighton Center or Oak Square. Just be warned there's no Green Line in those parts of Brighton, though the express bus works well for a commute downtown.

People do make it work in the Boston schools, but it can be challenging. Kids don't always get placed in their first choice school (or even their fourth or fifth) and sometimes end up traveling a decent distance to school. Brighton is in the north zone, which covers all the way downtown and over to Charlestown. Many kids are able to get priority for schools in their "walk zone," IF they live close to the school they want, but good schools cause more families to move into the "walk zone," making it at least somewhat likely the spots will be taken. Especially for a first kid, who by definition won't have a sibling at the school, you can get shut out of your preferred school.

http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/assignment

The suburban districts, like Newton or Brookline, still have neighborhood schools, so you know where your kids will go. No drama, no waiting, no letdown. Between Newton and Brookline, Brookline is more urban but also considerably more expensive for rentals. Newton has many suburban areas but also has areas that are more walkable. If you can find an affordable place, Brookline may be the best fit. The big issue there is parking. It's not allowed on the streets overnight at all, so you'd need a private space. If the apt. has one, you'll pay extra for it. If not, you'll be paying 150-250 a month to rent a space wherever you can find one, and you may not find much within 10-15 mins walk of your apt. Brookline's great but the parking thing can be a real pain.

There isn't a ton of nightlife in Newton but you're right next to Brookline, Brighton, Boston, etc. The one thing I'd change from Not A Princess's excellent response is that Newton can actually, for renters, prove far less expensive than Brookline or Brighton. You're also more likely to get parking and a small yard.

[mdphotog]

Thanks for the excellent advice so far - I really appreciate your input!

To give you a little more info about our situation:

My husband is in the military and he will be commuting outside of the city everyday for work. We thought Brighton would be good fit because it's close to the Mass Pike for his commute but also in range of several research libraries for his work. I work from home with infrequent trips into the downtown area, so commuting isn't a huge make-or-break issue for us. That being said, we'll be moving again in 3 to 6 years so we won't be putting down very permanent roots in any one place. Schools really aren't an issue for us, just wanted to inquire about Brighton area schools to get a better idea of the community.

Our real question is this: Would Brighton be a good fit for a young-ish couple, without children, to live for a few years? We'd like something affordable outside the downtown area without being too suburban with a good community vibe, things to do, access to downtown and definitely a very safe neighborhood.

We found the perfect apartment in Brighton and want to make sure that the neighborhood is a good fit for us.

Thanks again for all your advice!

[NotAPrincess]

Originally Posted by mdphotog

Thanks for the excellent advice so far - I really appreciate your input!

Our real question is this: Would Brighton be a good fit for a young-ish couple, without children, to live for a few years? We'd like something affordable outside the downtown area without being too suburban with a good community vibe, things to do, access to downtown and definitely a very safe neighborhood.

As long as you don't mind living among a bunch of college kids. The location of the apartment you mentioned in your OP really is in college-ville. Other locations within Brighton are a little more grown-up like Oak Square. Just depends whether you'd find the college atmosphere annoying or fun.

[Tombstoner]

West Fenway might be another interesting option for the demographic "niche" you're in. Less studenty than Brighton (if you stay south of Kenmore and stick to West rather than East Fenway), easy access to the turnpike, great intown transportation options, pretty urban, tons of stuff to do, not as expensive as Brookline (though maybe a bit more expensive than Brighton). Lots of young professionals who work in the Longwood Medical Area.

[shiver]

This is a tough one. That's some serious Boston College country. My 30 yr old friend recently moved from that area (She was on South Street right off of Commonwealth Ave and she had drunk college kids yelling and screaming at 2AM walking outside her window on weekends and occasionally random weekdays. It wasn't the reason she moved, but she definitely felt old in the area.

(Un)Luck out with the wrong neighbors and you may have house parties going on during the weekend. But it depends on the exact block you're on and who your neighbors happen to be. You can have great neighbors and love it and just have the occasional annoyances.

Brighton is a mix of people (def young professional types live there), even in the student heavy areas, it's just that the students tend be young and silly and kinda annoying and are the ones that get noticed. But safety wise, it's fine. Whether you'll like it or not depends on your tolerance for this as well as how much luck you have with the neighbors. Hard to predict and generalize.

[Cantabridgienne]

I agree with everyone else--it's a college-heavy area you could end up with some really bad neighbors. This is true of many neighborhoods, but the heavy student concentration makes it a bigger risk.

Other places to consider: Cambridge, West Somerville, and Brookline. What is your budget, incidentally?

[theSUBlime]

Brighton REALLY varies by street, especially as there are college students and long time residents intermingled. As someone who lived there, it did split the difference between quiet and noisy. I lived on Chiswick next to a retirement home and while the price wasn't bad, I found myself downtown more often than I had in other areas I lived in (JP and Allston) because there's not that much to do in Brighton itself. I wouldn't describe Brighton as "hip" though. Heck, even Allston is more "hip." Forest Hills, Jamaica Plain is a pretty close match, but I don't think the schools are that great.

[AnonChick]

Originally Posted by theSUBlime

Brighton REALLY varies by street, especially as there are college students and long time residents intermingled. As someone who lived there, it did split the difference between quiet and noisy. I lived on Chiswick next to a retirement home and while the price wasn't bad, I found myself downtown more often than I had in other areas I lived in (JP and Allston) because there's not that much to do in Brighton itself. I wouldn't describe Brighton as "hip" though. Heck, even Allston is more "hip." Forest Hills, Jamaica Plain is a pretty close match, but I don't think the schools are that great.

Bold part stressed for emphasis.

Chiswick is a "main side street" off two main streets (South and Comm Ave). So if you lived ON Chiswick, yeah you'd probably run into lots of drunken college students.

I lived on Leamington, 1 street over. It was always peaceful. I mean always. It was one of those streets that no one EVER went to, unless they actually lived on it. At the time (and this was a couple decades ago so I'm sure things are not the same), it was a little haven of adult civility tucked neatly and privately between the noise of Comm Ave and the bustle of Washington Road. I think you'll find much of Brighton to be like that. Another street that I lived on, right near that, was Peaceable. It's right behind Washington Road. Only problem with Peaceable, is there's I think one apartment building, and three houses, it's a 1-way street, and the odds of finding a vacancy are slim to none. It's another one of those hidden treasures of Brighton. I lived there during my last year of college. It was - two blocks to the laundromat and one block to either of two bars. So nice and quiet at home, and walking distance to insanity. Doesn't get much better than that when you're a student