Raised in NH, Now in Orange County, CA but.. (Boston: neighborhoods, college)

[jmpride05]

Back to Orange County or Boston?


I attempted to do a PRO & Con chart to attempt to find an answer but they turned out exactly equal!

So since Ill be new to Boston (only visited) I want to know what would you do if these things were important to yourself as an individual

* young gay male
* College student
* Love high end designers but am more interested in meeting realer deep people than pretentious fair weathered friends (IE: Orange County lifestyle)
*I love the weather in CA but its not the MOST important thing

Side notes: I dont like a lot of crime, but i can deal. I enjoy driving and not being in traffic too much.

What the best areas to live in Boston without being a millionaire?
What are your pros and cons of Boston?
Have you ever lived in OC or LA and moved to Boston recently?

Thoughts between them two?

[whinton]

I have lived in Los Angeles, Atlanta (where I met my husband who is originally from NH), and now Boston for 3 years. I am very happy in Boston (FYI, I am 36 and now have 2 adopted children)...although there are similarities with other cities, but the gay community here seems different overall. Here are some highlights from my perspective:

Boston seems less materialistic than other places, but also sometimes lacks the energy of LA which I do miss (the student population in Boston helps this, though). Los Angeles was really fun (I lived in Santa Monica), but I eventually tired of the lack of substance as well as keeping up with absolute most current fashions, nicest car, etc. Boston does have Newbury Street, Copley Square, etc and definitely has the shopping for the fashion-forward.

I really like how progressive most of New England is regarding same-sex couples, even in small towns. The downside to some is the lack of community among the gay population since it is so integrated here. Within the gay community, it seems like long term relationships are more respected here. I have heard that it takes awhile to break in to meet new people here (it took us about two years, but this is probably the same for anyone moving to a new city).

I also loved the Southern California weather (I bike often and rock climb), but I did miss seasons which I appreciate more now. While March and April are a real drag in New England, the winter weather has not bothered me nearly as much as I expected. There is so much to do (so many interesting cities close by like New York, Montreal, Providence) and beautiful historical small towns (Newburyport, Portsmouth, NH, etc) as well as skiing. We also make sure to make a couple of winter/spring trips to warmer locations.

Boston overall is quite safe and is definitely a college town, but more so in the city. Since you are young, some more affordable Boston city neighborhoods might be Allston, Brighton, or South Boston (up and coming area). The South End is great, as is the North End, Back Bay, Beacon Hill and Brookline....but are expensive. You won’t do much driving, since these are very densely populated urban areas. I live Arlington, an inner suburb. The suburbs can be very nice especially if you have a family (many towns have commuter rail access to the city), but may be too sleepy for someone who is single.

[whinton]

I completely left out some Cambridge area neighborhoods which would be great options....Porter Square, Central Square, and Harvard Square. I also highly recommend Davis Square, which is actually in Somerville. Again, car would not be needed in these areas.

[westcoastorbust]

I would recommend Jamaica Plain in Boston. It has a HUGE gay population. It is also full of young artists and left over hippies. It is wonderful. It is very liberal and just really fun. It's the type of place where you really know people in the community, you know the bar tenders at the pub and the waiters and waitress' and even the owners. It is still very affordable and has The Most green space. There is Jamaica Pond, Arnold's arburetum, the south west corridor. It's a great spot.

[readymade]

Also, if you want to get your West Hollywood on, be sure to visit Provincetown (Cape Cod). It's pretty awesome.

I grew up in Boston. I lived in LA for 4 years, Ventura for 4 years, and I've been in Austin (TX) for 1 year. My husband & I are moving back to Boston to be closer with my family.

I had a blast growing up in Boston. I moved when I was 27, and then I had a blast in LA. It's hard to meet people in Boston, but the people you DO get close to tend to become lifelong friends. Put it this way, I've been away for 9 years and most of my good friends are in Boston. I have 2 friends in LA that I've stayed close with.

Dating was better in LA for me. People are friendlier there. I did a list of pros & cons for moving back to Boston, and on the cons list, it was mainly the weather and the driving/traffic. As bad as LA is... Boston is much much worse to drive in. And the weather is horrific. Other than that, it's a great place. You should go for a visit.