Moving to Boston soon...advice please! (Cambridge, Somerville: low income, for rent, how much)

[OTC]

Another moving advice thread I'm afraid. I'll be moving to the Boston area in June and have no idea where to live. I'm in the Coast Guard and will be working downtown at the base. So far I've scouted out Allston, Brighton, and Chinatown as much as I can online, but can't seem to find too much about Chinatown (rental-wise). How would the commute be if I were to live in Allston/Brighton?

I'm a 22 YOM and currently live in Kodiak, AK, so I'd like to move somewhere with a younger crowd and many places to go and things to do (living on this island is like three years of isolation). I'd like to keep my budget at around $1500 for a one-bedroom place. Any suggestions?

Thanks all!

[sm4269a]

Pass on Chinatown (gross and loud) and A/B (gross, loud, and too far). Look at the North End, West End, East Cambridge, Charlestown, South Boston, even East Boston.

[Verseau]

Originally Posted by sm4269a

Pass on Chinatown (gross and loud) and A/B (gross, loud, and too far). Look at the North End, West End, East Cambridge, Charlestown, South Boston, even East Boston.

You think Allston-Brighton is too gross and loud, but East Boston isn't?

I don't know whether you're driving or not, but I'm going to assume you'll be using the T to get to work.

Frankly, Allston-Brighton is probably the #1 neighborhood for people your age, *and* the rents are relatively affordable. The number one issue is that the commute is a big pain. The "B" branch of the Green Line is notoriously slow; from the easternmost edge of Allston you are probably looking at a 45-minute commute to the Coast Guard station (after walking from your place to the T stop), and from the westernmost edge of Brighton it's more like an hour.

I definitely wouldn't consider A/B "gross" (especially compared to some other neighborhoods in the city) and there are plenty of quiet residential streets. But yeah, that commute is a killer.

There's also Fenway-Kenmore, which is tucked between Allston, Back Bay, and Mission Hill. Still relies on the Green Line, but the commute is a bit shorter than from A/B, and in a prime location for young people. Generally more expensive than A/B but not as much as the downtown nabes.

Aside from the typical grittiness of Chinatown, it's in a great central location, which also means that you'll get a lot less for your money. The same holds true for all of the core downtown neighborhoods (North End, West End, Beacon Hill; also Back Bay, South End, and Charlestown). Very convenient, but very expensive. Great for nightlife, but most of your neighbors would probably be older and wealthier than you.

The Orange Line is the best T line for your commute. You might want to consider Mission Hill, which is similar in pricing to Allston-Brighton and also home to many students. However, it's a primarily residential neighborhood, so it's perhaps not quite as fun or hip as Allston (and bordered by some sketchier neighborhoods). You may need to travel for nightlife.

Mission Hill is wedged between the Orange Line and the "E" branch of the Green Line, so you could feasibly use both. Your commute from Roxbury Crossing on the Orange Line would be about 25 minutes and maybe a bit over 30 minutes from Brigham Circle on the Green Line.

East Somerville near Sullivan Square would be fairly affordable and very convenient for your commute (about 15 minutes), but I'm not sure how many young people live there (I don't know the nabe too well). East Cambridge near Lechmere station would have roughly the same commute time with a decent-sized young population (lots of MIT students), and is more affordable than the more attractive parts of Cambridge along the Red Line, where most of the action happens.

The Red Line in Cambridge/Somerville (Kendall, Central, Harvard, Porter, Davis) is generally more expensive than the other "young" nabes I recommended. However, these neighborhoods are mostly very attractive and have a lot to offer to young people. You'd either have to change trains or walk more to reach the Coast Guard Station from the Red Line, but you could still do the commute in about 25 minutes from Kendall or 35-40 minutes from Davis.

The southern side of the Red Line (South Boston, Dorchester, etc.) has a lot less to offer to young people. Southie's alright, but the nicest areas are away from the T and it's very much on the expensive side because of its proximity to downtown. Dorchester's much cheaper, but it's not fun.

The Blue Line (i.e. East Boston) would make for an easy commute but, again, not a haven for young people. Like Dorchester, it's cheap, but you kind of get what you pay for.

[Verseau]

Er... I just realized how overly verbose that post was. To put things much more simply:

The core neighborhoods (Charlestown, North End, West End, Beacon Hill, Chinatown, Back Bay, South End) are all very convenient but very expensive, and not a lot of young people actually *live* there.

Allston (and to a lesser extent, Brighton) is affordable, young AND fun, but the commute is a serious pain. Mission Hill offers a better commute, but it's probably less fun. East Somerville and East Cambridge are even closer to your work, but I'm not sure how big the student population really is and how much fun stuff there is to do within walking distance.

All of the neighborhoods along the Red Line in Cambridge and Somerville are attractive and offer a lot of fun stuff for young people, but they are relatively expensive. The commute would be on the longer side but not as bad as A/B.

South Boston is nice but if you're going to pay that much, then Cambridge is better for young people. East Boston is cheap and convenient, but not particularly young or fun.

[OTC]

Awesome, thanks for the great replies.

I have both a car and a motorcycle that I was planning on using, but from what I hear driving in Boston can be hellish, so I might be using the T more than I think. My budget is a max of $1800 (BAH) and I'm finding a ton of studios in the core neighborhoods for ~$1200-$1300, so based on your suggestions I think I'll just spring for the North End. Again, thanks for the info.

[civic94]

Originally Posted by OTC

Awesome, thanks for the great replies.

I have both a car and a motorcycle that I was planning on using, but from what I hear driving in Boston can be hellish, so I might be using the T more than I think. My budget is a max of $1800 (BAH) and I'm finding a ton of studios in the core neighborhoods for ~$1200-$1300, so based on your suggestions I think I'll just spring for the North End. Again, thanks for the info.

my uncle lives in chinatown, his rent is 955 a month for a studio, and it is pretty run down... dirty, has roaches, etc. for a 1 bedroom it should be around 1100 or so. it will be small, and run down. also, if you have a bike and car, forget about it. there is nowhere for you to park in chinatown, unless you rent a spot, which can be expensive.

when I lived there, It was very convenient. supermarkets, parks, schools, resturaunts, downtown, was all within walking distance. im pretty sure you can walk to your coast guard job in about 30 mins.

I want to move back to boston and live in chinatown because i am chinese, but its too pricey. Boston in general is very expensive. I know too many people there are just struggling so hard to have the basic necessities. the ones that are doing better off is people who have government housing, or are rich. The middle class is really getting squeezed out of the whole area.

[mmyk72]

I know. The low income get Sec 8 vouchers, which is like someone else (taxpayers) paying a chunk of rent. The rest of us have to tough it out. There should be a MA higher tax deduction for rents.

I'd avoid living anywhere with that many restaurants. Just imagine the rat/mice problem puts me off.

[civic94]

Originally Posted by mmyk72

I know. The low income get Sec 8 vouchers, which is like someone else (taxpayers) paying a chunk of rent. The rest of us have to tough it out. There should be a MA higher tax deduction for rents.

I'd avoid living anywhere with that many restaurants. Just imagine the rat/mice problem puts me off.

Yes, it is very true. My uncles place has rats all the time, at the bottom floor its a resturaunt, so they can climb up the stairs, through walls, etc. also, the building is old too which makes it worse. even if its a newer building and they seal off everything from the drywalls to whatever, roaches can still creep through the front door. thats whats going on at my uncles place, its infested with roaches, lives on the 3rd floor, paying 955 a month for rent w/o electric. its about 450 sf studio. Not a good life by any means.

[kathleend]

South Boston !!! fun hip young..