Work in Norwood, live in Boston somewhere? Not sure where to look (Dedham: real estate)

[j00]

I'm taking a job soon in Norwood but I'm thinking of living in Boston, somewhere halfway between Isleton Station and downtown Boston. I'm concerned about the morning commute, but I might just take the train instead of driving.

I'm looking for a nicer, younger, and more vibrant area, and pay somewhere around $1000-1200 monthly for a room and private bathroom with roommates.

Any suggestions?

[goyguy]

The commuter rail line which serves Islington passes through Dedham and then stops in the Boston neighborhoods of Hyde Park and Roxbury before reaching Back Bay and South Station. For a "young, vibrant" community as opposed to a sleepy suburban feeling you'd need to look toward the areas near Ruggles Station in Roxbury. That station is at the eastern boundary of Northeastern's main campus. In the immediate vicinity, the residential streets are sketchy to say the least. But a short walk down Ruggles St or across the campus will bring you to Huntington Ave, itself lined with apartment buildings. Then just beyond there is the West Fenway neighborhood, chock full of apartments and rental condos. Up the road a piece lies Mission Hill, a recently "discovered" and reviving old community containing some rowhouses and small brick apartment houses as well as many wood-framed duplexes. There are now several Irish pubs close by the focal Brigham Circle intersection (Huntington Ave, Calumet and Francis and Tremont St's.) A mini-mall at that corner contains a Stop & Shop supermarket as well as a bank branch and a JP Licks ice cream parlor. By way of comparison, the West Fenway is anchored by Symphony Hall and the Christian Science Center and Berklee College of Music. It's far more bustling than Mission Hill, with a considerably greater quantity of places to eat close at hand as well as a Whole Foods market and the main Boston YMCA. The main downside is a comparative lack of parking; the higher population density and scarceness of off-street spaces means a scramble for legal curbside real estate or having to pay rent for a lot spot. Both the Fenway and Mission Hill also have a resident-parking restriction: buy and display a windshield sticker or get towed.

Norwood has some large apartment complexes within its boundaries, in particular Windsor Gardens - so vast that it has its own train station. There's a healthy age mix of adults dwelling there, so a social life can be easily engineered. But the town itself is a bedroom community with few places (along Washington St "downtown," mainly) to go in the evening. Ditto for Dedham, the town next door.

Your price range for an apartment share is workable. But, realistically, finding a place where you'd have a bathroom all to yourself ain't gonna happen. Minimize potential wait times (especially in the morning) by concentrating on a 2-BR. In today's market, you might be able to score a studio you could afford.