How is Roslindale? (Boston, Cambridge, Brookline: for sale, apartments, to rent)

[ENIA]

I don't understand what is so cool about Roslindale!!!! There is nothing to do there!It takes too long to go to Boston from there. Roslindale can not compare to JP!

[Taajsgpm]

Roslindale is great , it was a tough town when i was growing up but Rossi Sq turned into Roslidale Village and has great resturants it is clean and safe and close to the city , great place to live

[yaeger07]

Do you think I can get a decent 2 bedroom in Roslindale that's no more than 10 minutes walk to the square for less than 1800? AND what do you think utilities would cost for such a place? I'm thinking about leaving Brookline for Roslindale but my heat and hot water are currently included in my rent so it's hard to compare.

I've been looking on craigslist, but you never can tell with those ads, and I'm not trying to move until July 1 so I haven't actually reached out about any.

[sharencare]

The rentals in Roslindale are likely two/three-families from around the early 20th century, so it will depend on how well your landlord insulated your unit. I would say about $30 for electricity (maybe $40 if you use the air conditioner a lot) and $130 for heat in a very badly insulated apartment in the dead of winter February. If it's well insulated, then the cost might be much less. I was under the impression water is usually included as part of your rent.

So yes, I think you can definitely find an apartment for under 1800 in Roslindale Square. I live about a 15 minute walk from Roslindale Square south of Washington St, and it's super easy to get into Forest Hills, Ruggles, Back Bay and South Station by commuter rail if you catch it. The bus can get crowded during rush hour and when school lets out, so we avoid the bus. We were walking around Rozzie Square last night checking out our new neighborhood. We went to a restaurant on Birch St and it was busy on Friday, and the crowd seemed to be on the older and more affluent side. We meandered around and were happy exploring the shops and restaurants. For example, there were shops selling wine, cheese, and kitchen gadgets shop right next to each other and they were open in the early evening. The local coop market was also a decent size and had a good selection of groceries.

[Whatsnext75]

There is nothing great about Roslindale...it's just another part of Boston that is somewhat close to Boston proper for people to live in.

[Whatsnext75]

There is nothing great about Rozzy. It's just another place that is somewhat close to Boston Proper for people to live in.

[Guineas]

If you live in Roslindale, might as well live in Quincy. Better schools and bigger places to live.

Roslindale is kind of a neither here not there place. Trapped on surface roads.

[yaeger07]

Well that's entirely subjective. If you have no school-age children and don't work in downtown Boston or another area convenient to Quincy, maybe you shouldn't live there.

[Guineas]

I guess what I mean is don't be misled by the fact that Roslindale is still technically in Boston, it's not any more convenient or choke full of amenities than many of the surrounding towns. And you get Boston Public Schools.

[sharencare]

Roslindale is up and coming and it's friendly, affordable and relatively safe. Obviously, Roslindale is not the South End or Brookline by any stretch of the imagination, and it's admittedly different from JP or West Roxbury. Yes, it's sleepier and a few parts are grittier. But as a former South Bostonian of 30 years, I'm a lot happier now that I can park my car, avoid the Masspike, and have a cheese shop and farmer's market within walking distance of my home (hey, hey, don't laugh, some of us take cheese consumption very seriously.). We also managed to buy an affordable 2000+ square house with a yard on a tree-lined street and a stunning view of Boston's downtown from our hill. My husband and I simply did not think it was worth it to pay $700K for one of those purported "educational powerhouse" school districts! Though we have to walk to the commuter train station and follow the train schedule, from Roslindale Village, we are about a 14 minute train ride to Back Bay. I used to live in South Boston, and it would take me around 25 minutes to get to Back Bay via subway. Yes, the subway is more frequent, but it required using two different subway lines. Even if I took the bus from Southie through the South End to reach Copley, it still took 25-30 minutes getting through jammed-packed surface streets. Don't get me wrong, we will miss the "convenience" of South Boston. Subway is technically faster, cheaper, and more convenient than a commuter rail.

Anyway, maybe Roslindale is not for trendy, singleton renters looking for bars. But for young families or anyone looking for some relative quiet and safety, some parts can fit the bill. We found our particular Roslindale street charming and the neighbors friendly. In fact, the very first day we moved into Roslindale, the neighbors came out to actually talked to us. We quickly learned that our particular street and the surrounding blocks are full of children and many do go to the local Boston public schools. Some even tried out the parochial schools and decided the public elementary schools were a better fit and switched back to BPS. The older kids on my street either attend Boston Latin School or Boston Latin Academy.

I agree that Boston Public Schools is not for everyone. We're well aware of the good and bad. It doesn't always offer the best education for all students. On the other hand, if you want the best of BPS has to offer, you really have to work hard for it. But if you know what strategies to pursue as a parent and if you're kids have their acts together, they can end up at the most amazing colleges.

So if it helps any other parents thinking of staying in the City and giving BPS a chance, I encourage you to talk to other parents and teachers in BPS first before writing the system off. If you're going to have to read any group forums about Boston schools and neighborhoods, you'll find more in-depth information from JPMoms or DotParents on Bigtent or West Zone Parents on Yahoo Groups. There's also a lot of active PTA meetings and open houses for BPS parents where you'll find parents and teachers enthusiastic about answering your questions and giving you tours.