Boston to Taunton Commute (Brockton: rent, neighborhood, nightlife)

[lrfox]

I second the Quincy suggestion. Easy access to Boston by road or rapid transit (Red Line) and the commute is more manageable to Taunton (you avoid all/most of 93 depending on where in Quincy you are). Quincy itself isn't bad either.

From Quincy I'd give myself 40 minutes or so depending on where I'm heading to in Taunton (maybe a little less if it's right off of 24).

Taunton ranges from "meh" to crummy in spots. Not the type of place you want to live for 6 months if you want to get a feel for the area. Even though it's not horribly dangerous, it's not particularly vibrant or exciting. A lot of it is somewhat rundown.

Plymouth is nice too, but that does put you further out from Boston.

One option if you're really interested in living in Boston is to find out if either Dattco or Bloom bus pick-up/drop-off close enough to your job so you can walk. An hour or so sitting on the bus and reading or napping beats an hour + driving in traffic. A 10 trip pass (1 week of r/t travel) ranges from $63-70 depending on which service you use. Not far off from what you'd spend on gas doing the drive.

[Niandra]

Oh god that commute sucks! It's hard to get from Weymouth to Taunton easily some days not during rush hour. I'd strongly recommend living in Providence over Boston if you're commuting to Taunton.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by lrfox

From Quincy I'd give myself 40 minutes or so depending on where I'm heading to in Taunton (maybe a little less if it's right off of 24).

At rush hour I would be surprised if it only takes that long. 93 is awful in both directions. It won't really free up until you get onto 24 from 128.

Originally Posted by Niandra

I'd strongly recommend living in Providence over Boston if you're commuting to Taunton.

That's another idea. One could live on the E Side and be in Taunton in probably 30 minutes. And from there you also have the train to take you into Boston when you want. Remember Providence isn't Boston though...

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by massnative71

At rush hour I would be surprised if it only takes that long. 93 is awful in both directions. It won't really free up until you get onto 24 from 128

Yeah, 40 minutes is optimistic for travel between most of Quincy and most of Taunton. If I lived in Quincy and were going commute to Taunton, I'd shoot for a place between Quincy Adams and Quincy Center to give relatively easy highway access while bypassing most of 93. 40 minutes or so from a spot close to the 93/128 merge to the Industrial Park or something right off of exit 12 or 13 on 24 is reasonable. A quick glance at google shows Quincy Adams to the Industrial park as being 30 minutes right now with backups on 24 and 128. 40 minutes in the opposite direction of rush hour traffic may be tight on some mornings, but not unrealistic. Anything north or east of Quincy Center could easily be an hour or more. Especially if the OP works somewhere that's not right off the highway.

I commuted to Boston from Fall River for a while. I got to/from Quincy Adams in 45-50 minutes during rush hour traffic on average (some days were faster, some a little worse... Rarely did it ever take an hour). That's what I'm basing my guess on. With no traffic, Taunton to Quincy is under 1/2 hour.

[NS-GR]

I would say that you might want to check out Mansfield. It is easy to drive to Taunton. There is a commuter rail that can get you to Boston (South station) within 30 minutes or Providence. Essentially, the commuter rail can get you also to two airports, which is really convenient if you travel. It is off I-95 and I495, so it is easy to drive to anywhere you want...
I used to live in Mansfield and I am sure you can find many places to rent, since there are many apartment complexes there.
There are actually some apartments close to the station, so you can walk to commuter rail (e.g., Village at Mansfield depot etc). Also, it is close to Wrentham Premium outlet stores (15 min drive).
Because many huge businesses have large offices there (it is called Forbes boulevard and the industrial park etc.), many people visit or stay for short periods in the area. Also, it is really next to Gillette stadium of Foxborough, which is the home of the Patriots and the venue of many concerts etc... So, you might want to google Mansfield and do some research to see if this might work for you. Hope this helps.

[flowbe202]

Providence is good if you're adventurous and young and have never really lived in cities before and have your own car.

No, it's not Boston, but for a newbie to the East Coast on 6months time? Might be a good solution!

You need to decide if you can handle a known, horrible commute from Boston to Taunton every day OR if you want a shorter, more manageable commute.

Plus, you can come into Boston at any time from PVD-no passport required!

[snatale1]

Originally Posted by Dm84

Taunton itself looks/is pretty run down. I'm not sure the circumstances of how you landed the job you did, but it's probably the last place I'd choose to work for someone who is in your shoes.

Taunton is pretty nice overall, why do you say that? I used to live their and seen every inch of it, I'd live there again.

As far as the commute, that would be a reverse commute, shouldn't be a problem at all.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by snatale1

Taunton is pretty nice overall, why do you say that? I used to live their and seen every inch of it, I'd live there again.

As far as the commute, that would be a reverse commute, shouldn't be a problem at all.

It's not awful, but is not great either. Much of the central part IS run down, and it gets a little worse each year. A certain element seems to be taking a much greater foothold there. And while I wouldn't yet call it a mini-Brockton, that is where I see it headed in a few years. Then again, many of the outlying areas are rural/suburban and totally nice. Not really the place for a single 24 year-old from outside the area, however...

The reverse commute out of Boston is no picnic, not until you get onto 24 S will the traffic free up.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by massnative71

It's not awful, but is not great either. Much of the central part IS run down, and it gets a little worse each year. A certain element seems to be taking a much greater foothold there. And while I wouldn't yet call it a mini-Brockton, that is where I see it headed in a few years. Then again, many of the outlying areas are rural/suburban and totally nice. Not really the place for a single 24 year-old from outside the area, however...

The reverse commute out of Boston is no picnic, not until you get onto 24 S will the traffic free up.

The looming takeover of Covidien, the area's largest corporate employer is not going to help the economic situation in Southeastern MA much.

Other than Patriots' games, stadium and xfinity center concerts, there isn't much excitement for a young single person in those parts.

For just a six month stay, the other posters' suggestions of Providence and Quincy will work best for you.

[Bob Lanata]

Originally Posted by baseballa56k

Thanks for the replies. Thinking that it might be worth just living close to work and driving to the city when I feel the need.

Smart move friend, that would give you a lot more options and more time to do other stuff.

Hope we are good to you