Moving from the midwest to Boston suburb (Cambridge, Somerville: best cities, apartments)

[des2lad]

I am moving from Milwaukee,WI to a new job at Lahey Clinic (Burlington, MA). I need to be within ~30 minutes driving distance of the hospital. I would like to be as close to Boston as possible. If that is not reasonable given my time constraint, then I would like to be in a suburb that is diverse and has a lot of young professionals and suburbs with good public transportations into the city. I am not familiar with the area so I need some help.

I am a young professional, single and have no kids. My work will keep me busy but in my free time I would like to explore the city and make new friends along the way.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[GeePee]

Check into Waltham

[tysmith95]

Medford is another option.

If you do decide to live in Medford or Somerville (which are both basically neighborhoods of Boston, it's just that Boston only annexed the southern ones) the afternoon commute could be an issue. Although if you get Waze and learn the back-roads you should be fine.

[yellowstatus]

Somerville is conveniently located and has a high density of young professionals. Cambridge as well. These two cities actually have a higher population density than Boston itself.

Arlington and Waltham are nice, but a little more car-centric and less prevalence of single young professionals.

[timberline742]

Somerville is the place to be


But what is your budget?

[mwj119]

Depending on budget, I'd go Cambridge without any hesitation.

Best cities for millennials 2016 - Business Insider

You could argue that it's better than Boston, as this list would suggest, for "millennials". Good live music venues, good beer scene, a number of different little downtown areas, waterfront. It's not nearly as congested as Boston, either, which bodes well for a night out or for your commute.

Some areas are very high density, while others are more neighborhood in feel. Porter square is probably the cheaper price p/sqft and would provide the easiest commute via 2 to 95. It has the red line, so you can head right into the city on weekends. Porter Square has the conveniences you need within walking distance, but certainly is not a nightlife hotspot. That said, you're within striking distance to Davis Square, Harvard Square, Union Square, Central Square, and Kendall is easily accessible with it's modern amenities and offerings around MIT.

Mass Ave heading south towards Harvard has some nice neighborhood bars, coffee shops, etc. To me, somewhere west of Mass Ave between Porter and Harvard would be my choice. Street parking is fairly easy in the area, and again, you head right up Mass Ave. to route 2 in order to get to Burlington. Some days, it will take less than 30 minutes. Other days, it may take 40 minutes. It's worth it.

[G-fused]

If you want to live in an urban environment and your budget affords it, I vote Cambridge and Somerville as #2. You'll need a car to get to Lahey and a car in either Cambridge or Somerville is a PITA.

Welcome and best of luck.

[mwj119]

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean..._M43089-73298#

Another option in Cambridge, if Porter doesn't pan out, is closer to Central on the other side of Harvard Sq on Mass Ave/2A. Central prides itself on being hip and eclectic, but is also a bit more active at night. The example above puts you right between the two.

This will add 10 minutes to your daily commute, but again, it may be worth it.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/84...!4d-71.1072893

[Cantabridgienne]

Somerville or Cambridge. You might experience some sticker shock, though.

[des2lad]

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice! More helpful than any search I have done so far.

From my own search, I did come across Somerville and Cambridge as potential options but I am a bit wary of the actual driving distance to Lahey clinic. According to google map, leaving these suburbs anytime past 6:30AM will drastically increase my drive time >30 min.

Medford seems to be an option. Waltham appears to be somewhat out of the way of all the other burbs but still is <30 min drive to Lahey Clinic in the morning.

My upper limit of rental budget including garage parking is about 2K. I am okay with studio apartments if that's all that is feasible in this range.

I will take a closer look at Medford. Any particular neighborhood in Medford that I should look into?

Any other thoughts?