Moving to Boston (apartments, for rent, townhouse)

[christopherjreis]

I'm moving from Portland, Oregon to live near family. A few questions...... I'm a Mechanical Cad Designer and that's the line of work I enjoy. How are the engineering and technology firms in Boston? I know they don't really exist in Philly/NYC.

Secondly, I'm in my early 20's, enjoy underground indie music and culture and would like to be around that. Roughly what am I looking at for rent if I were to find a roommate?

How is the job market in Boston. I know we are in a recession and everyone has taken a hit. But compared to other cities, how is Boston doing?

[ogre]

Can't answer your question about indie music venues.

As for engineering and high tech, the Boston area is one of the big centers for these fields in the broad sense. I'm not sure one way or the other about opportunities in your specific field. Generally, the area has a history going back a number of decades as a center for the electronics and computer industries. Since about the '80's, biotech has also been big. The economy in general seems to be holding its own.

Rent might run you about 700 to 800 a month with a roommate. That most likely would not cover utilities. This is only a ballpark estimate. For that rent you might be looking at an apartment inside a large old house that has been subdivided, or in a subdivided city townhouse in solid condition but nothing fancy. It could get a lot higher if you wanted something in an upscale develpment specifically designed as a multi-unit apartment building. You might be able to knock a hundred or so off of that rent if you planned to live alone in a studio, and diligently searched out the less espensive places, especially if you looked a little way outside the city. A thorough search a little outside of the city might also turn up a rent maybe a hundred or so less than the 700-800 ballpark while sharing one of those apartments in subdivided old houses with a roommate.

[Bostonian08]

Boston is a significant center for Indie Music. Boston is the hometown of indie pioneers including the Pixies, the Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr just to name a few. Berklee College of Music is a world-renowned music school, and with the Boston Conservatory, the New England Conservatory, the Boston Symphony amongst many others, I think you will find much to appreciate on and around Mass Ave.

[guest187]

The recession hasn't hit Boston yet. But it will in the next 4-7 months. Companies in Boston are known for technology and Biotech. Since global demand has completely been halted in these fields expect the lay offs to hit Boston in the next 4-7 months, cheers!