Working at Longwood area! married, kids and a tight budget :-( Please help (Boston: lease, crime)

[sallydoe]

Originally Posted by kharing

I would chance living in the "student ghetto" than getting jumped on the Orange Line! Ruggles Station is no joke. It's in the heart of all the drama....Roxbury. Think about getting off work in the Fall/Winter months when it's dark. Please, stick to areas around the Green line. Especially since you have young children.

Oh and here's a great resource....Boston's crime log. It's listed by neighborhood:

Boston crime | Universal Hub

oh, is it that dangerous?
OK. I think we have excluded the option of living in the suburbs and taking the train. So, I won't need to go from/to Ruggles station.

If I live in West Roxbury and take the orange line, I will get off at Roxbury crossing and walk to my work which is exactly at Brigham Circle (around 0.5 mile far from Roxbury Crossing). My work would be from 8 am to 5 pm. Is it dangerous to walk from/to Roxbury Crossing around 7:30 am or 5:30 pm?

Thank you so much for the info.

[maggiekate]

Originally Posted by sallydoe

Hmmm. I see. So I might consider that part of Brighton (around Oak Sq.) in my search ..



I was looking online in Norwood/West Norwood at first. I liked the area SO MUCH but the commuter rail, as you mentioned, is expensive, and in some areas I need to drive/take taxi to the train station (no buses around).
I will keep looking at West Roxbury as it has the suburb environment, close to my work and affordable.

Thank you for the precise advice ..

Norwood is Ok but I think West Roxbury into Roslindale around the Holy Name Church area is a better choice for you. The homes there from when I was there are at least some a home a person owns
and they have done it into a rental for income. 2 familes then can live there as they have an inlaw in the upstairs.

[edwardsyzzurphands]

Originally Posted by sallydoe

oh, is it that dangerous?
OK. I think we have excluded the option of living in the suburbs and taking the train. So, I won't need to go from/to Ruggles station.

If I live in West Roxbury and take the orange line, I will get off at Roxbury crossing and walk to my work which is exactly at Brigham Circle (around 0.5 mile far from Roxbury Crossing). My work would be from 8 am to 5 pm. Is it dangerous to walk from/to Roxbury Crossing around 7:30 am or 5:30 pm?

Thank you so much for the info.

There are many people who work in Longwood that take that route every day. It is a quick walk up Parker St to Brigham Circle. You do pass through some low income housing, but they are hardly the type of places you should be scared to walk through.

Another option as well is to look at a rental in Newton or Chestnut Hill. If you stay relatively near a Green Line stop, it is an easy trip in on the D Line to Longwood.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by kharing

I would chance living in the "student ghetto" than getting jumped on the Orange Line! Ruggles Station is no joke. It's in the heart of all the drama....Roxbury. Think about getting off work in the Fall/Winter months when it's dark. Please, stick to areas around the Green line. Especially since you have young children.

Oh and here's a great resource....Boston's crime log. It's listed by neighborhood:

Boston crime | Universal Hub

Oh please . There is very little drama left in that area. Mission Hill has quickly gentrified, the area is home to tons of Northeastern, Simmons, MassArt, and even Berkley students. The Museum of Fine Arts and Gardener is within spitting distance. Ruggles Station is a major transportation hub and tons of people are passing through there on a daily basis, including Longwood workers coming in from the burbs. I used to live in Norwood and got off at Ruggles almost daily and was never murdered one .

Allston is fine if you're an undergrad, but let's not pretend it doesn't have its own issues with crime. Students have been murdered, the area is prone to robbery, it's practically infested with bedbugs (or at least it was when I lived there), and crawling with drunken BU and BC students on some nights.

A quick journey through the Ruggles stop is VASTLY superior to living in Allston with children. End of story.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by sallydoe

Hmmm. I see. So I might consider that part of Brighton (around Oak Sq.) in my search ..



I was looking online in Norwood/West Norwood at first. I liked the area SO MUCH but the commuter rail, as you mentioned, is expensive, and in some areas I need to drive/take taxi to the train station (no buses around).
I will keep looking at West Roxbury as it has the suburb environment, close to my work and affordable.

Thank you for the precise advice ..

A long, long time ago (well, about 10 years ago), I briefly lived at Windsor Gardens, which has it's own commuter rail stop right within the property. At the time it wasn't the most updated and pretty complex, but maybe it's been updated since then. It may be worth a look if it fits your budget. You could also look into Dedham or maybe even Hyde Park, which also has a commuter rail stop, but is within Boston limits so is only about a Zone 1 or so (it has an iffy rep in some spots, but it's worth noting that Tom Menino, the long time mayor of Boston has lived out there a long time).

I know you're not local, but I would look up the commuter rail route and pinpoint areas close to different stops and try to find rentals that way. Of course, Google maps will always mark transportation hubs on their maps.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by sallydoe

oh, is it that dangerous?
OK. I think we have excluded the option of living in the suburbs and taking the train. So, I won't need to go from/to Ruggles station.

If I live in West Roxbury and take the orange line, I will get off at Roxbury crossing and walk to my work which is exactly at Brigham Circle (around 0.5 mile far from Roxbury Crossing). My work would be from 8 am to 5 pm. Is it dangerous to walk from/to Roxbury Crossing around 7:30 am or 5:30 pm?

Thank you so much for the info.

No, it's not. You'll be fine. Trust me, lots of people in your exact situation that work in that area walk through that area.

Hmm, I posted my last reply before I read this. If your job is in Brigham Circle, then that changes things just a bit. May have to drop my commuter rail advice and encourage you to stick close to the orange line and possibly the Green "E" line. So yeah, West Roxbury and Roslindale are still your best bets. Forget about Brighton-that commute would be a bit of a mess (you'd have to rely mostly on buses or a lengthy, transfer filled train ride). There aren't many spots along the E line that would suit your needs, but you may possibly luck out on a small place in JP if you look carefully. You'll have to do some research on JP since some spots are better than others, but overall, the area has greatly improved, as evidenced by the arrival of a new Whole foods Market.

[sallydoe]

Originally Posted by eevee

No, it's not. You'll be fine. Trust me, lots of people in your exact situation that work in that area walk through that area.

Hmm, I posted my last reply before I read this. If your job is in Brigham Circle, then that changes things just a bit. May have to drop my commuter rail advice and encourage you to stick close to the orange line and possibly the Green "E" line. So yeah, West Roxbury and Roslindale are still your best bets. Forget about Brighton-that commute would be a bit of a mess (you'd have to rely mostly on buses or a lengthy, transfer filled train ride). There aren't many spots along the E line that would suit your needs, but you may possibly luck out on a small place in JP if you look carefully. You'll have to do some research on JP since some spots are better than others, but overall, the area has greatly improved, as evidenced by the arrival of a new Whole foods Market.

Great info. I really appreciate it.

Thank you for suggesting JP. I didn't look carefully in it before. I will add it to the list along with West Roxbury and Roslindale .

Thank you again :-)

[sallydoe]

Originally Posted by eevee

A long, long time ago (well, about 10 years ago), I briefly lived at Windsor Gardens, which has it's own commuter rail stop right within the property. At the time it wasn't the most updated and pretty complex, but maybe it's been updated since then. It may be worth a look if it fits your budget. You could also look into Dedham or maybe even Hyde Park, which also has a commuter rail stop, but is within Boston limits so is only about a Zone 1 or so (it has an iffy rep in some spots, but it's worth noting that Tom Menino, the long time mayor of Boston has lived out there a long time).

I know you're not local, but I would look up the commuter rail route and pinpoint areas close to different stops and try to find rentals that way. Of course, Google maps will always mark transportation hubs on their maps.

Thank you :-)

[kharing]

Originally Posted by eevee

Oh please . There is very little drama left in that area. Mission Hill has quickly gentrified, the area is home to tons of Northeastern, Simmons, MassArt, and even Berkley students. The Museum of Fine Arts and Gardener is within spitting distance. Ruggles Station is a major transportation hub and tons of people are passing through there on a daily basis, including Longwood workers coming in from the burbs. I used to live in Norwood and got off at Ruggles almost daily and was never murdered one .

Allston is fine if you're an undergrad, but let's not pretend it doesn't have its own issues with crime. Students have been murdered, the area is prone to robbery, it's practically infested with bedbugs (or at least it was when I lived there), and crawling with drunken BU and BC students on some nights.

A quick journey through the Ruggles stop is VASTLY superior to living in Allston with children. End of story.

Evee, your opinions are noted. Please respect that others may not be as savvy or street smart as you may be. I was born and raised in Mattapan and Dorchester (lived there for over 30 years) so trust and believe that I know what's safe and what's not.

The original poster is a single woman who will be travelling alone to and from work....and she has young children. I now live in Baltimore - a much tougher city than Boston EVER could be. I would never recommend that ANY female put themselves in risky positions. Walking through the projects in the dark isn't smart. I don't care how many other people choose to do so.

So to the original poster, take all of our recommendations with a grain of salt. Deuces!

[sallydoe]

Originally Posted by kharing

Evee, your opinions are noted. Please respect that others may not be as savvy or street smart as you may be. I was born and raised in Mattapan and Dorchester (lived there for over 30 years) so trust and believe that I know what's safe and what's not.

The original poster is a single woman who will be travelling alone to and from work....and she has young children. I now live in Baltimore - a much tougher city than Boston EVER could be. I would never recommend that ANY female put themselves in risky positions. Walking through the projects in the dark isn't smart. I don't care how many other people choose to do so.

So to the original poster, take all of our recommendations with a grain of salt. Deuces!

Thank so much Kharing for your concern. I appreciate it.

Regarding eevee comments, I think the safety issue is rational. Walking in the dark in some places, such as Roxbury Crossing, might be risky especially in winter. On the other hand, if the area is lit and busy with people getting off of work at the same time, it might be fine.

Unfortunately I am not local and have never been to such busy cities. So, I really have no idea about the situation. Your (Kharing and eevee) contradictory comments confused me more!

I live currently in Richmond, Virginia and work in the downtown which is considered as an unsafe area. I used to be very cautious, not staying late at work, walking on lit streets and that was OK.