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I am a young professional moving to Boston. I would like to live in a part of town that is like Wrigleyville or Lincoln Park of the Chicago area. The reason I like that area is because I can walk out my door and take the "L" anywhere, there are stores/coffee shops/restaurants/bars within walking distance, it has a city feel to it but is not quite in the city, safe, and there are a lot of young professional in the area. Any recommendations?
Last edited by NittanyLion08; 10-11-2008 at 03:15 PM..
I'm not familiar with those sections of Chicago, but what you describe sounds like Jamaica Plain, Cambridge, and Brookline--especially toward the north side of Brookline, where it's closer to the central city areas of Boston and is more urban than most other sections of Brookline.
It's a little difficult to say for sure, because I'm not sure what you mean when you say you want an urban feel without being right in the city. If being in the general central part of the city but not right downtown would work, you might also consider the South End and Back Bay, maybe Beacon Hill, though the last one is very close to downtown.
well, I posted on your Chicago thread, but I'll post it here too:
-the North End, lots of tourists, lots of great Italian restaurants, close to downtown and trains. however, it's very tight and has a definite urban feel
-the South End, which has the high end feeling of LP, but no where near as much green. also, some parts of it don't have great access to the train and you'd have to either walk a bit or take the bus
-the Fenway, which would probably be very similar to Wrigleyville, w/ the ball park, sports bars, mixture of undergrad students and yuppies, etc. it also has some nice green space not unlike parts of LP (though on a smaller scale and obviously not lake front).
though now that it has been mentioned, I'd also recommend the Coolidge Corner area of Brookline. Brookilne is a suburb of Boston, but it's very close to Boston (the Coolidge Corner section is almost surrounded on 3 sides by Boston). don't go too deep into Brookilne though, otherwise you'll find yourself in a definite suburb w/ not as much access to shops and the T
Brookline is your best bet. Anywhere along the C and D lines would work out fine. Coolidge Corner is a great area as is Brookline Village. Also check out Central Sq and Harvard Sq in Cambridge.
I think his "not quite in the city" comment is a bit misleading. Lincoln Park and Lakeview are inner city neighborhoods, but they are not skyscraper canyons. Lincoln Park has many rowhouses or houses that have very small side alleys (like two or three feet).
I understand that Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park are technically in the city of Chicago. But they are not in the heart with all of the skyscrapers. There is living in the heart of a city amongst skyscrapers, and then there is city living with row houses, street parking, trains, alley ways, etc and then you have your suburbs. I am looking to live in the city but not amongst all of the skyscrapers and I definitely do not want to move to the suburbs. I am going to be working in downtown Boston. I hope that was a little clearer. Sorry for any confusion. Thanks for all of the advice!
I recommend Jamaica Plain or the South End. More young professionals, slightly more urban than Brookline. JP has converted Victorians and 3-family houses, South End has many lovely brownstones but is more expensive. Parking is easier in JP than in the South End.
I recommend Jamaica Plain or the South End. More young professionals, slightly more urban than Brookline. JP has converted Victorians and 3-family houses, South End has many lovely brownstones but is more expensive. Parking is easier in JP than in the South End.
JP is cool, but I don't think it has the walkability factor the OP may be looking for, in terms of being ear stores and other businesses. Centre St would work, but the nearest supermarket (actual supermarket as opposed to the co-op) is a good drive away near Jackson Sq.
The built environment of the South End reminds me of Lincoln Park a bit, but Boston has better streetscapes. I don't think there are any urban streets in America as beautiful as some of Boston's blocks of rowhouses. And the density of Boston's low-rise residential areas is just a little bit higher. The scale of the street and intertwined public green spaces are just wonderful!
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