Moving to Boston area??

[CareerMove]

Miker2069: Really? For some reason I recall reading some posts for MA natives that the MA economy was on a downswing...hopefully they were mistaken! Any more light you can shed on the subtle differences. From a career perspective I think I've made the right decision but given all the reports of insanely high cost of living and negative racial undertones..I find myself doubting my decision everyday and not anitipating a long term stint in Boston......

[Miker2069]

Originally Posted by CareerMove

Miker2069: Really? For some reason I recall reading some posts for MA natives that the MA economy was on a downswing...hopefully they were mistaken! Any more light you can shed on the subtle differences. From a career perspective I think I've made the right decision but given all the reports of insanely high cost of living and negative racial undertones..I find myself doubting my decision everyday and not anitipating a long term stint in Boston......

I heard it today on the radio (I actually left MA 7 months ago for NC, but I'm at a different place in my life now- family, kids, etc.). Doing a little research I came up with this- it seems it referring to Q1 growth in MA:

http://www.wbur.org/news/2007/66756_20070427.asp

It's not much and obviously it's early data- but the economy definitely isn't as bad as it was a few years ago.

The differences are (when compared to Toronto), you will see a tremendous amount of diverse people across the entire economic spectrum in Toronto. However the African American population in Boston *and* surrounding areas is relatively small (maybe in the high single digits) so you'll encounter fewer black professionals than you would in other Toronto. Don't let that deter you though. Boston is a fabulous place to extend your career regardless of who you are.

I'll say this, MA is one of a few states that has experienced negative population growth in the last several years. To a greater extent the black middle class is moving out at a faster rate, many cite the typically reasons re: housing costs,cost of living, but also cite cultural reasons as well and have opted for many southern cities that have experienced tremendous growth in the last 15 years.

There are racial undertones, but nothing to worry about. They are "navigatable" (I know I made up this word). Cost of living is as you say, it is high, *but* it is Boston after all.

However if you hang on and view it from a career growth standpoint, you'll do fine.

[Cart24]

Careermove, I came across this article today in the Boston Globe. Interesting read, seems like Minority owned businesses in Boston are making their mark nation wide. So if this rumour about racism in Boston is true, it seems to not have much of an affect on peoples professional lives.

http://www.boston.com/business/artic...booming_firms/

We are also moving to Boston in 2 months from Orlando, FL. We previously lived in Toronto for 18 years though.

[Cart24]

Also another point about the racism issue in Boston. Obviously I cant speak from personal experience as I have never lived in Boston, but have lived in Toronto, New York City and Orlando.

I can tell you that every city I have lived in still has some sort of racial problems that exist, so I would imagine that there must be some form of that still in Boston, but it exists everywhere in North America. One thing I do see about Massachusetts though is that from that link I posted above Minority owned businesses seem to do well in Boston and also the governor of Massachusetts (Deval Patrick) is the second African American governor in US history. I don't know about you but I doubt I will ever live to see the day that the Premier of Ontario or even the mayor of Toronto is a Black Man or Woman because there is no one even on the radar for any of the ruling parties.

So yes everywhere has its share of racism, but these days we have every opportunity possible to succeed in any city in North America and I doubt Boston is any different.

And one quick side note about the Cost of living in Boston. Toronto ranks higher on the Mercer, EI and UN cost of living lists than Boston, so economists agree that even though housing might be more expensive in Boston your overall cost of living will drop compared to Toronto especially when factoring in the drastic drop in Taxation rates.

Here is the link to the 2006 rankings if your interested.

http://www.finfacts.ie/costofliving.htm

[Miker2069]

Originally Posted by mattncind

Also another point about the racism issue in Boston. Obviously I cant speak from personal experience as I have never lived in Boston, but have lived in Toronto, New York City and Orlando.

I can tell you that every city I have lived in still has some sort of racial problems that exist, so I would imagine that there must be some form of that still in Boston, but it exists everywhere in North America. One thing I do see about Massachusetts though is that from that link I posted above Minority owned businesses seem to do well in Boston and also the governor of Massachusetts (Deval Patrick) is the second African American governor in US history. I don't know about you but I doubt I will ever live to see the day that the Premier of Ontario or even the mayor of Toronto is a Black Man or Woman because there is no one even on the radar for any of the ruling parties.

So yes everywhere has its share of racism, but these days we have every opportunity possible to succeed in any city in North America and I doubt Boston is any different.

And one quick side note about the Cost of living in Boston. Toronto ranks higher on the Mercer, EI and UN cost of living lists than Boston, so economists agree that even though housing might be more expensive in Boston your overall cost of living will drop compared to Toronto especially when factoring in the drastic drop in Taxation rates.

Here is the link to the 2006 rankings if your interested.

http://www.finfacts.ie/costofliving.htm

Those are all very good points. I 100% agree with you- if you are determined and willing to do what it takes, you can succeed any where in America. Having lived in Boston for 15 years, I'll admit the article was surprising as I didn't see to many Black-Owned businesses- although the ones I knew about (a few very prominent law firms and high tech companies) were doing well. The article does point out many of those businesses are right in the middle of some of Boston's toughest areas. Hopefully it's a sign of greater things to come- I really do hope!

[CareerMove]

These are all definitely good signs!! I hope once I get there and have a chance to settle in I'll be able to help disspell some of these Boston myths.!

....you're right..a minority/black mayor or premier in Ontario........not a chance!

[checkitout123]

Hello Everyone: I am pretty amazed to read all of the positive comments about Boston's race relations. I was born in a subsection of Boston called Dorchester and attended mostly public schools until grade eight. I have lived in Boston all of my life. I have worked in a public safety agency for over thirty years. While I think that Boston has made significant gains in terms of overt negative racial incidents/relations and has ended many elements of outright racial segregation (remember the busing of inner city children to different community schools ordered by Federal Judge Garrity to end public school racial segregation and all the racial tensions and white exodus from Boston that resulted) and Boston now enjoys an increase in minority and female representation mostly in the fire and police departments (its ems service still lags behind in minority representation - all of these services still lack diversity in upper echelon positions), Boston still has a lot of work to do in terms of race relations. There is a Hugh problem of violence in many of the neighborhoods of Boston that are predominantly African American and Latino. The more non-racially mixed neighborhoods have less violence. There is a huge difference in real estate and rental prices in the less diverse neighborhoods of Boston. Some residents of Boston believe that there is evidence of "red lining". As is usually the case in any area where problems persist, the quality of life in Boston is clearly evident along racial lines. The African and Latino communities are marked with make-shift memorials and are significantly dirtier. The DPW (public cleaning workers) are rarely, if ever, seen performing cleaning in these communities compared to the business areas and certain, mostly white more affluent neighborhoods. Most of the public employees do not want to live in Boston and aggressively seek contract concessions from the city to alleviate the residency requirement for city employees. I'm not sure of the quality of the city of Boston public schools. I hear that it depends on the neighborhood and political involvement. All in all, I would give Boston a C on race relations and a C- on developing a significant process to significantly improve relations and the quality of life for ALL its citizens. I wouldn't judge the racial climate solely based on whether anyone has called you a "******" or "honky". I would look at more subtle signs like the degree of political empowerment and engagement to build prosperity and investment in each of these communities without regard of racial mix. I believe that Boston has much worked to do. I welcome another family who has a demonstrated commitment to build diversity and inclusion, versus "tolerance", in order to help Boston continue to make progress in these areas.

[StoneOne]

I went to school in Boston as an undergrad and loved the city. For a time, I considered settling there after graduation. A few opportunities took me overseas for a few years, and the desire to go back to Boston really lessened. Whether moving there or Miami really depends on how important weather is, how long you'll stay with the job you have (and the opportunities for something similar or better in each city) and what kind of money you'll be making in each spot.

As I grow older, weather seems to be more important to me, as does having a place where I can get more value for my dollar. Miami definitely wins in both categories. I've only visited Miami a few times, but from what I can tell, racial tensions are probably a bit higher there than in Boston. In Miami, it's much more of an egalitarian race issue there (basically everybody distrusting everyone else). Cultural diversity is pretty much the same in both cities. The art and culture scenes, while very different, are pretty active in both cities. Boston is definitely better for public transport (although the MBTA is hardly what I would consider a comfortable system).

All things being equal in terms of salary and job desirability, I would probably choose Miami. Both truly are great American cities, though.

[JMS_9]

I was in Miami last year and despite what the TV shows show you, it is one of the filthiest cities I've ever been in. Where it's nice, it's REALLY nice. But too many parts of the city are littered with homeless sleeping on the sidewalks and it's dirty and just not what you expect to see when you go there.