Moving to Boston area from Chicago suburbs -- need advice (Cambridge: apartments, rental)

[boston4bound]

Hi all,

I am a single professional in my early 30s who is planning to move from Evanston, IL ( its a suburb just north of Chicago) to the Boston area.

I can easily opt to live in the suburbs of Boston if that is cheaper, since my hiring manager told me that the suburbs are around 20-30 min. trade ride from downtown ( where my office is located). But I can work from home for atleast 3 days a week.

I need advice on the following from people who have lived or know both the cities.

a) Cost of living [ currently I pay $ 1150 for a single bedroom aptt ]

-- What are the rent rates for 1 and 2 bedroom aptts in the suburbs around 15-20 min. train ride from downtown boston area ( since my office would be in downtown)

b) Car Insurance rates

c) Climate in the summers and winters ( are summers more warmer than Chicago, currently I live very close to the lake)

Thanks in Advance
Dan

[ogre]

Hello, B4B, and welcome to the MA forum. For the rent you are currently paying, right in the city of Boston you'd more likely be looking at a studio apartment than a one-bedroom. However, the suburbs are a bit cheaper. There would likely be some 1BR apartments for something similar to your current rent, though you still would not have the full range of choices. If you can up the rent to about 1,500, that should give you a pretty good range of possibilities, other than the real luxury kinds of properties. 1,500 would open some options right in the city, if you'd like that.

I don't own a car at present, and can't offer a lot of info on insurance rates.

I think that you will find some similarity in the climates between Boston and Chicago. The winters here might be slightly milder, especially close to the coast, at least in terms of temperature. I don't know this from experience, as I've never spent entire seasons in Chicago, but I hear that Boston gets more snow. Otherwise, I think you will find a lot of similarity between the two cities' climates. Summers will be very similar overall. That means that if you live close to the coast you'll find summer temperatures to be a few degrees cooler than they are inland. You should find coastal locations to be very similar to lakeshore locations in Chicago in terms of summertime climate, and inland areas to have similar temperatures to Chicago's sections that are in away from the lake.

One question that could help people suggest areas where you might consider living would be whether you would prefer a place like Evanston--techinically a suburb but really its own small city in many ways--or something more truly suburban. If you want something more suburban, that's tricky, because there are a few places like that at the outer fringe of your preferred commuting range (the 30-minute train ride, not 15-20), but there are few rental properties there. You might be able to find something, but it would take a lot of looking. There are a number of options a half-hour train ride from downtown that are either outlying urban, an urban/suburban mix, or fairly dense suburban. Cambridge and Somerville are the cities that come to mind immediately for a more urban character, also Brookline around an intersection called Coolidge Corner, and more generally on the northern side of Brookline. Newton and Quincy are possibilities for more of a densely populated suburban character, more family-oriented (especially Newton), with some local small stores and neighborhood eateries (again, certain sections of Newton are especially good in this regard). I might suggest Arlington for the crossover zone between urban and suburban. Public transit from Arlington would be by bus rather than train, but Arlington is another town with some good local options in the way of neighborhood small businesses like shops, small restaurants, maybe a bit of local entertainment.

So, a little info to get you started. Welcome aboard, and good luck with your move.

[holden125]

Just to follow up on Ogre's informative post. Cambridge and Somerville, in my opinion, are more urban than Evanston, while the overwhelming majority of the Boston suburbs are considerably more suburban, and in some cases, rural as you get farther out. There is a real dropoff between the urban core and the towns surrounding. Brookline, which is expensive, comes to mind as a place that may approximate Evanston. Newton as well, though Newton may be a bit less urban than Evanston.

Re: Arlington. I grew up there. The commute from Arlington would be more like a bus to the train rather than the bus all the way to Boston. Depending how close to the Alewife station at the Cambridge line, the bus ride could be quite short. From the far southeastern end of town it's possible to walk to Alewife and skip the bus altogether.

Arlington is a nice town but there is no nightlife at all in Arlington. A few restaurants have liquor licenses and there is one wine/beer store, but otherwise it has long been a dry town. Cambridge and Somerville offer options to go out not that far away, but Arlington itself pretty much rolls up the sidewalks at 8 PM, as do many towns outside the Boston urban core of Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, and perhaps Quincy (though that is pretty sleepy too, though densely populated).

I raise the issue of nightlife because some people coming from the NYC, Chicago, or LA areas imagine suburbs with a lot of hustle and bustle, and nightlife options, and they are in for a surprise in Massachusetts where the suburbs are very quiet places after early evening.

I think Boston winters are not as cold as Chicago's, especially Chicago near the lake, but it's still pretty cold at times.