Moving to Boston (Quincy: sublets, apartment, crime)

[connacht100]

I am a student from Ireland and my friends and I are thinking about moving to Boston for the summer. A lot of people have recommended South Boston as a place to stay for the summer as there are a lot of Irish there. However, I must admit that I have no idea what these places are like. I was just wondering what is South Boston like as regards crime and is there a lot of Irish people there? Also is it hard to find work and accomodation???
Thanks

[holden125]

There are a very large number of Irish-Americans in South Boston and some Irish as well. Crime is not bad there though there is a bit more in some parts of the west side. The west side is closer to the train, the east side has buses to get downtown. South Boston is a nice area but has a strong community and is not always the easiest place for a new person without roots and connections there to live.

I don't know about summer work, it depends on your work history and if you can get the paperwork to work in the United States, but for accomodation there are a lot of areas in Boston where it's easy to get an apartment for the summer because many of the university students leave at that time and want to sublet their places. There are fewer students living in South Boston, though, and therefore fewer summer sublets. One place you might look is Brighton, which has both people from Ireland and a lot of students.

[redpanda]

I have a friend who's Irish and a TON of her Irish friends live in Quincy and Dorchester (near Ashmont--the "good" part!).