Boston Neighborhoods

[eevee]

Originally Posted by OverTheHill

Will be moving to Boston sometime in the next year. We are a recently retired couple but do not want to live in a retirement community.

Where can I get information describing Boston neighborhoods ? Ideally, we would have:

• No car (good transport to city center)
• Good walking nearby (parks preferred)
• House/Appt/Condo costs approx. 2,000 per month rent or 300,000 buy

you didn't mention what size apartment you were looking for w/ you budget. based on your desires here are some places I would ELIMINATE from the list smarty listed:

ALLSTON: basically a student slum filled w/ loud undergrads and sports bars. there's also a bit of a theft problem here. apartments in this area tend to be overpriced considering the quality

WEST ROXBURY: nice area, but not really convenient to downtown Boston. some parts are serviced by the commuter rail, which will get you to Back Bay or South Station, but most of the area only has bus service, if any at all

MATTAPAN: I not sure where you're from, but if it's from a suburban/rural area, Mattapan may be a bit of a shock. to live in this area, you need a lot of street smarts. crime plagues this area and it's not the sort of place you take leisurely strolls through. the areas off of Blue Hill Ave are just downright dangerous.

ROXBURY: similar concerns w/ Mattapan.

CHINATOWN: this area isn't really residential, though new apartments and condos are being built. however, it's right downtown and near the theatre district. I only put it on this list b/c it's mostly a commercial area (depends on what your preferences are)


IMO, the greenest area in Boston is Jamaica Plains. transportation into downtown can be done either via Orange line or 39 bus/Green line

you can narrow the field more once you decide what size unit you want and what type of neighborhood you desire (hip, bohemian, upscale, family friendly, etc)

[eevee]

Originally Posted by Stockholmaren

You mentioned JP is one of the postings, and I was wondering if you have any more thoughts on living in that part of town? Is it difficult to get over to BU from there? We like the idea of the diversity there, plus we’re finding some good apartments, but we don’t want to make it into a bad commute.

the easiest way to get to BU from JP would be to take the #39 bus to the Museum of Fine Arts green line stop (believe it's at the corner of Huntington Ave. and Ruggles Ave) then transfer to the #8 that goes to Kenmore Sq. this will leave you at the edge of the BU campus, but you may need to take another bus/train if your classes are further up Comm. Ave. this won't be quick (the #39 is prone to delays and parts of the route are clogged w/ congestion. and the #8 is a slow running bus, so you'd have to time it perfectly in order to avoid a 30 minute wait for the next bus. or you could take the Orange line to Ruggles and take the #8 from there and avoid the #39).

most BU students live in Allston, Brighton, or Fenway.

[Stockholmaren]

Originally Posted by eevee

the easiest way to get to BU from JP would be to take the #39 bus to the Museum of Fine Arts green line stop (believe it's at the corner of Huntington Ave. and Ruggles Ave) then transfer to the #8 that goes to Kenmore Sq. this will leave you at the edge of the BU campus, but you may need to take another bus/train if your classes are further up Comm. Ave. this won't be quick (the #39 is prone to delays and parts of the route are clogged w/ congestion. and the #8 is a slow running bus, so you'd have to time it perfectly in order to avoid a 30 minute wait for the next bus. or you could take the Orange line to Ruggles and take the #8 from there and avoid the #39).

most BU students live in Allston, Brighton, or Fenway.

Thanks for the tips eevee. We actually ended up in Newton - a little bit further out, but fairly easy to reach BU with the 57 bus so we're pretty pleased so far (been here three weeks).

[adambos]

From yourinitial post I would recommend the followingneghiborhoods::

Back Bay

South End

Beacon Hill

North End

Outskirt areas tend to be saturated with studetns and all of their raucousness.