work in Waltham, where to live in Boston? (Cambridge, Newton: best neighborhoods, apartment)

[pamporo]

Hi people,

in May I will relocate from Europe to work in Waltham. Which is the best place to stay in Boston area? I will have a car so even if it is not 10 meters away from the tube it's ok but I would like to live in a good area to meet people and enjoy the city. Thanks!

[charolastra00]

I suggest Cambridge or West Somerville (around Davis Square). I work in Waltham and live in Medford, which is a little longer of a commute than I'd like but the price is right for where I want to live. I assume your budget is a little higher than mine (most peoples' are :P) so you have a bit more leeway price wise to live closer to the city.

Are you going to be near either Brandeis or downtown Waltham? If so, you could look into living around Porter Square and taking the commuter rail out. That way you'd have the flexibility of driving if you wanted to but the convenience and speed of taking the train.

[pamporo]

thanks charolastra00! yes the place should be around Gatehouse drive. Is there any particular reason why you are suggesting these areas - I really don't know the city

[Cato the Elder]

You'll have a bunch of options since you'll have a car and a reverse commute. It sounds like you want a young-ish urban environment, right? Anything in the vicinity of North Cambridge/West Somerville will be good because you'll have access to the subway and the city in one direction, and Route 2 and your job in the other. The other option is to live near the Turnpike (I-90). That opens up more areas like Fenway and the Backbay, but it's be slightly less convenient to work with tolls along the way. If you don't mind something less fab, there's Waltham itself. It's a bit more salt-of-the-earth but it has some neat amenities, such as a bunch of ethnic restaurants. You would have the easiest commute with no highways, straight shot up Totten Pond Road.

[Verseau]

Originally Posted by charolastra00

I suggest Cambridge or West Somerville (around Davis Square).

I agree. I know you said you don't need to live near the subway, but most of the best neighborhoods happen to be along the Red Line (Central Square, Harvard Square, Porter Square, Davis Square). This is a very vibrant and attractive part of Boston with a relatively young population and easy access to downtown via the subway.

Other options would be Allston, Fenway-Kenmore, or even Back Bay (if you can afford it). These neighborhoods are close to Storrow Drive / Soldier's Field Road, which is convenient for reaching Waltham, especially since you will be traveling in the opposite direction as most commuters (less traffic). Allston and Fenway are young and gritty, very attractive to college students and 20-somethings. Lots going on. Back Bay is a lot more upscale but puts you right in the heart of the action in Boston.

[Bob Lanata]

my vote is live in Waltham itself. Great community. I lived on Villa st in the cedarwood section for a few years. The downtown has alot of great restaraunts. Was a safe area as well

[vfrex]

Originally Posted by pamporo

thanks charolastra00! yes the place should be around Gatehouse drive. Is there any particular reason why you are suggesting these areas - I really don't know the city

I think we are missing some key details. How long of a commute are you willing to tolerate? And what sorts of people are you looking to meet? How much are you willing to spend? How old are you?

That area is a massive office park and a complete zoo during rush hour. Good luck! Serious note though, that area is not connected AT ALL to mass transit. You will sit in traffic going to work and leaving from work during rush hour.

Living in downtown Waltham can is fun. It has tons of bars and restaurants, and lots of college age and graduate students, but Waltham lacks serious rail access into Boston. The commute by car would be a lot more tolerable though, as you could use avoid the main bottlenecks with side streets. Plus, barring traffic, it isn't that far of a drive into Boston (15-20 minutes).

Medford/Somerville area is young and very dense, but you get hosed on the commute. Parking is really tough. This goes for Porter Square as well.

Belmont has some rentals and decent bus access into Cambridge, but it doesn't have a lot to do. It is adjacent to Waltham though and possibly a suitable alternative.

Watertown has a ton of rentals, great bus access into Boston and Cambridge, and has a good mix of restaurants and bars. It isn't going to be the easiest commute to North West Waltham, but side streets made it tolerable.

Newton has light rail access to Boston and some semi-urban areas. Lots of bus access. More detail from you would help

[pamporo]

hi vfrex!
I am 28, single and my budget is around 1500$ per month. I could probably go up to 2000$ but only if it is really worth it.
What is important to me is to live in a good area to meet people of my age (more or less) and be in a good area to do something or go out for a drink when I come back home. Now I am living in a small city that in the evening is completely dead and the closest big city is 30km away. I absolutely want to avoid that there, even if it means commute to go to work. Among all those places you said which one is good for my purpose?

Thanks!

[vfrex]

That is helpful, and sorry for the horror in my last post's grammar. Multi tasking isn't good for my typing, evidently. One thing to keep in mind is that in Boston, things shut down earlier from what I know of Europe. Even the most hopping areas can get pretty quiet come 2am.

I do think that downtown Waltham could fit the bill. There are a lot of graduate students living in that area, commute is manageable, and a $1,500 rent is well within reason. Moody Street is quite active into the evening, but the streets are pretty quiet by say midnight. It is a blue collar Hispanic area, with a bit of a higher crime rate than surrounding towns. I was never worried living there, so if you are comfortable with that, great! Some of the apartment rentals there are dumpy, so I highly recommend looking in person before you sign for something if at all possible.

I don't think Newton/Belmont will be busy enough for you, Watertown probably not either.

If you are willing to eat a longer commute, I'd go with Porter or Central Square in Cambridge. In fact, I'm leaning towards Central. Parking is rough, but there are a couple of municipal lots in that area. There is also a commercial lot as a backup plan if you have any visitors. It is a very active area with shops, restaurants, bars, and things stay open late. It has 10 minute subway access to Harvard Square, Porter Square, and most of downtown Boston, which of course opens you open to a lot more night life stuff. Central Square has good access to main roads, whereas Porter is more isolated. You could end up paying towards the upper end of your rent preference, as the location carries a premium. This can be a 1 hour commute in rush hour!

Brighton is another area to look at if night life is being stressed. It is a very active area with lots of young people, but again, carries a premium, parking is rough, and the commute will be 45 minutes to an hour. I actually did Brighton to North West Waltham for a couple of months, and the rush hour commute was rough.