Boston Positives and Truths Please.. (Brookline, Florida: low crime, neighborhoods, buying)

[the_diva]

Hello,

Im from Alaska and Im ready to get out!Thankfully the school here doesn't offer my program and Im forced to either go to school in Boston(brookline area) or Fort Lauderdale,FL. I was leaning a little toward going here because hurricanes and tornadoes seem a bit frightening to me although I will not be happy to move to another snowy city.I have some questions:

1.) Before moving to Alaska, I lived in NYC. Is the weather in Boston pretty similar?(four seasons)

2.) Good Job Prospects?

3.) I'm not a winter sports person(probably why I dont like Alaska), so is the arts and entertainment scene pretty good here?

4.) Is Boston a pretty racially diverse city? (Im a non-racist 19 year old black woman)

5.) How is public transportation?

6.) Is Boston a clean/safe place?

7.) Is Brookline like a borough of Boston ? How long does it take to get to the center of the city with all the museums and entertainment?( I guess what I mean is Brookline an urban part of Boston or suburban and slow.)

Thank You !!!!

[smarty]

1.) Before moving to Alaska, I lived in NYC. Is the weather in Boston pretty similar?(four seasons)
Yes. A little colder in the winter and a little cooler the summer. Umm.. not sure of NYC has 4 seasons? lol... It's all city air.

2.) Good Job Prospects?
It depends. Most people complain about cost of living.

3.) I'm not a winter sports person(probably why I dont like Alaska), so is the arts and entertainment scene pretty good here?
It depend what you are comparing to. More than Alaska... but much less than NYC. Check out things to do tab on Boston.com

4.) Is Boston a pretty racially diverse city? (Im a non-racist 19 year old black woman)
No. but compare to Alaska... yes. Check out this site or wikipedia for Boston demographics.

5.) How is public transportation?
Fair. It depends on where you need to go.. Boston is radial.

6.) Is Boston a clean/safe place?
Yes. It is getting cleaner as most of the Universities and Hospitals buying everything in the city and renovating it. Also, bigdig is over... most of the road contruction is over.

[mal0825]

I agree with most of what smarty said. Racial diversity is an interesting term. Much of Boston's "population" is college students (mostly white). There are many neighborhoods that have a majority black population though. Those are not neighborhoods that you would typically go to on a visit to the city though.

As for crime, there are some neighborhoods that you should stay out of (again, not likely you would be in these areas anyway), but for the most part, its just vandalism and stupid college kid stuff (I've lost 2 sideview mirrors in as many years!) I've also had my trunk broken into a couple times.

[ogre]

Originally Posted by smarty

1.) Before moving to Alaska, I lived in NYC. Is the weather in Boston pretty similar?(four seasons)
Yes. A little colder in the winter and a little cooler the summer. Umm.. not sure of NYC has 4 seasons? lol... It's all city air.

2.) Good Job Prospects?
It depends. Most people complain about cost of living.

3.) I'm not a winter sports person(probably why I dont like Alaska), so is the arts and entertainment scene pretty good here?
It depend what you are comparing to. More than Alaska... but much less than NYC. Check out things to do tab on Boston.com

4.) Is Boston a pretty racially diverse city? (Im a non-racist 19 year old black woman)
No. but compare to Alaska... yes. Check out this site or wikipedia for Boston demographics.

5.) How is public transportation?
Fair. It depends on where you need to go.. Boston is radial.

6.) Is Boston a clean/safe place?
Yes. It is getting cleaner as most of the Universities and Hospitals buying everything in the city and renovating it. Also, bigdig is over... most of the road contruction is over.

Very thorough info, Smarty. There's not much to add after this post, but here are a few additional thoughts:

Weather compared to NYC: really not that much different, but Boston's winters are a bit longer, maybe by a week or so on each end of winter.

Jobs: depends on what you're looking for. Plenty of college-student-part-time-type jobs. If you're looking more in the professional sector, Boston's economy is centered heavily on various high-tech industries (computers, electronics), medical, biotech research, some finance. I second Smarty's warning that Boston has a high cost of living, though it's lower than NYC's cost of living on average. Not sure how it compares to Alaska, though I understand that Alaska has a high cost of living, so at least you're used to managing with that reality.

Public transportation: The main difference when compared to NYC is that Boston's public transit does not run all night. Since you've lived in NYC, it's also worth noting that Boston's entertainment venues and restaurants (except for a few small local eateries) don't stay open all night.

Clean and safe place: Well, not too many cities are REALLY clean or crime-free, but for a city, yes, it's pretty safe. Similar crime rate to that in NYC in recent years, if I'm not mistaken, and, like NYC, getting better all the time. And that's a pretty low crime rate for a big city. Mostly you just need to be reasonably cautious.

Brookline: It's technically a suburb, not part of the city of Boston, but very close in to the city. It could easily be mistaken for a neighborhood of Boston by someone unfamiliar with the area, and is closer to downtown than some outlying sections of the city itself. How long does it take to get to museums? Well, if you take public transit (which I recommend), of course it depends how far you are from the nearest transit stop. Once you're on board the train, your trip could take anywhere from ten minutes to maybe half an hour or so, depending on where you want to go in the central city. Brookline itself is not a big entertainment center, more like urban, or dense suburban, residential. The businesses right in Brookline are mostly small local kinds of restaurants, little upscale shops, and the like. You'd have to go into the central city for large restaurants, museums, or major entertainment venues.

[ctrres]

Originally Posted by ogre

Public transportation: The main difference when compared to NYC is that Boston's public transit does not run all night.

Also, instead of just running one like in NYC, Boston makes a big production out of it.

[the_diva]

Originally Posted by ogre

Brookline: It's technically a suburb, not part of the city of Boston, but very close in to the city. It could easily be mistaken for a neighborhood of Boston by someone unfamiliar with the area, and is closer to downtown than some outlying sections of the city itself. How long does it take to get to museums? Well, if you take public transit (which I recommend), of course it depends how far you are from the nearest transit stop. Once you're on board the train, your trip could take anywhere from ten minutes to maybe half an hour or so, depending on where you want to go in the central city. Brookline itself is not a big entertainment center, more like urban, or dense suburban, residential. The businesses right in Brookline are mostly small local kinds of restaurants, little upscale shops, and the like. You'd have to go into the central city for large restaurants, museums, or major entertainment venues.

Wow! Your awesome! I feel better knowing that Im still in the Boston area. I was hoping Brookline wasn't too out in the boonies because I am truly a city girl!

[holden125]

Originally Posted by the_diva

Wow! Your awesome! I feel better knowing that Im still in the Boston area. I was hoping Brookline wasn't too out in the boonies because I am truly a city girl!

It's a beautiful town, and the northern half is more dense and urban, but the southern half (not entirely represented in these pictures) is woodsy, with huge mansions on massive plots. Right next to Boston, and not in the boonies at all though it offers proximity to the city with a quiet and peaceful atmosphere except maybe right along Beacon St.

If you're not familiar with Brookline, this guy has done a pretty comprehensive photo collection of it, and has indicated on the map where his pictures are:

Mike's Photo Galleries at pbase.com

(TIP-if you open a gallery, click ALL on the top center to see all pictures for the gallery in one swoop)

The first four galleries are in the city of Boston itself, more or less in Roxbury. But Beaconsfield, Washington Square, Brookline Hills, Coolidge Corner, North Brookline, Longwood (as he defines it here; there's a Longwood medical area right across the creek in the city of Boston also), and Brookline Village are all in Brookline.

[the_diva]

Originally Posted by holden125

It's a beautiful town, and the northern half is more dense and urban, but the southern half (not entirely represented in these pictures) is woodsy, with huge mansions on massive plots. Right next to Boston, and not in the boonies at all though it offers proximity to the city with a quiet and peaceful atmosphere except maybe right along Beacon St.

If you're not familiar with Brookline, this guy has done a pretty comprehensive photo collection of it, and has indicated on the map where his pictures are:

Mike's Photo Galleries at pbase.com

(TIP-if you open a gallery, click ALL on the top center to see all pictures for the gallery in one swoop)

The first four galleries are in the city of Boston itself, more or less in Roxbury. But Beaconsfield, Washington Square, Brookline Hills, Coolidge Corner, North Brookline, Longwood (as he defines it here; there's a Longwood medical area right across the creek in the city of Boston also), and Brookline Village are all in Brookline.

Thanks! All the pictures are beautiful! Now I just have to think if I want to move to a pretty New England Town next to a wonderful city or do I want to move to a pretty beach town(Fort Lauderdale) next to a wonderful city(Miami). WHATS A GIRL TO DO????:con fused:

[smarty]

The far edge of Brookline to downtown Boston is less than 10 miles. You can walk there.

[xS☺B☺s]

Originally Posted by the_diva

Thanks! All the pictures are beautiful! Now I just have to think if I want to move to a pretty New England Town next to a wonderful city or do I want to move to a pretty beach town(Fort Lauderdale) next to a wonderful city(Miami). WHATS A GIRL TO DO????:con fused:

Well I lived in Miami Beach for a few years, so I'll tell you Ft Lauderdale is no town, there's about two million people there. South Florida is a lunatic asylum filled with crazee people who love intensely and passionately. You'll have to get used to everybody being in your business because they are the nosyiest people in the USA. They make NYC seem dull. Outrageous fun but many people find it just TOO MUCH! Conversely Bostonians are so puritanical you won't have to worry about anyone intruding on you for the rest of your life. Nice respectable polite. It makes for a safer city, but you might wonder if everybody here isn't just a robot.