Did you move from DC to Boston? Was it a good move? (Malden: apartment, how much)

[kate1048]

My husband and I are looking to get out of the DC area. With the economy tight, we've got to go to a place where we can both get jobs. My company has an office in Boston to which I could transfer and my husband will look for a job there as well (Denver had also been on the table, but it doesn't look like he can find work in his field there).

Have any of you on the board made the move from DC to Boston? What were the trade-offs? Pros and cons? How do Boston and DC compare on cost of living? We're very used to paying steep rents and dealing with crazy traffic. However, we'd ultimately like to improve our living situation, not make it any worse! If Boston is just more of the same, then it may not be a wise move for us.

We have small children so we are not looking to go out a lot in the city. We'd need to find a suburb with decent public transportation (I would work downtown) and decent schools. I've visited Boston and I like the idea that there are lots of little suburbs that have character to them, which is unlike the sprawl of northern Virginia or the I-270 corridor in DC.

[HenryAlan]

I think you've already identified the main issues (disclosure: I've never lived in DC, but frequently visit friends and family in the area). They are very similar cities in terms of price, traffic (along with other issues of crowding both positive and negative), transit options, and overall urbanity. The suburbs are quite different, though, mainly because Northern VA is a relatively recent phenomenon, whereas Boston suburbs developed in the 19th century with the railroads. As such, they are more oriented toward having a dense walkable town center, and good rail connections to Boston. Other significant differences are the weather and overall culture. DC and her residents tend to be a bit more flashy, in my opinion, whereas Bostonians are flagrantly frugal.

[shiver]

(disclosure: I've never lived in DC, but frequently visit friends and family in the area).

Me too.

You're trading one expensive east coast city for another. That said, give us an idea of how much you're looking to spend on housing and what is your desired max commute time into downtown (door to door). Knowing that you're looking for a charming town and great schools, people may be able to tell you what kind of towns you'd be looking at and how far from Boston. It may give you a better idea if it's a trade up or not.

Also, other than avoiding suburban sprawl, what are you goals and what are you trying to avoid in a possible move to Boston?

Cons? The winter is much harsher up here. I suppose I don't know enough about living in DC to give too many cons. Pros of Boston - convenience to outdoor activities (Cape Cod and Islands, mountains and lakes of NH and Maine and Berkshire Mtns in W MA - all 1-2 hours from Boston). You'll also find the culture and entertainment that you're used to in DC.

[seldomseen]

I personally prefer culture/atmosphere of the DC Metro area...but Boston has a special and unique charm about it too. I terms of housing both metro areas are expensive! But I've found the DC metro area to be slightly more expensive though...and the DC area tends to offer more "modernized" dwellings too for the high price, do to all the redevelopment that has taken place over the past 10 years. Especially if you cross into the NoVa areas like, Crystal City, Arlington, Alexandria, etc.

Good Luck!

[redpanda]

I grew up a bit outside of Metro DC, so I moved to Boston in a sort of roundabout way.

I love DC, and I love Boston. I think they're very similar in terms of architecture, things to do, and intellectual residents...although Boston definitely lacks the political flavor of DC.

The biggest difference I see between Boston and DC (and, why we're still in Boston despite my family being down in that area) is that DC is much sprawl-ier. DC's "close-in" suburbs extend MUCH further out than Boston's. In a way it's a good thing for DC, because the Metro is much easier to rely on than the T. (MUCH! And you're much more able to stick with rail and avoid buses entirely.).

But why I prefer Boston is this: here, I live in a close-in, safe, decent (although not top-of-the-line) school suburb. It takes me 10 minutes to get downtown if it's not rush hour. In the foul weather months, it is not unusual for me to hit the aquarium, the museum of science, and the children's museum all in a given week, because they're just a quick drive away. My husband and I bop on downtown to the South End for "date nights" instead of heading over to the local Outback. And yet, it feels suburban and neighborhoody here. In order to achieve all that in the DC area, you really have to pay a huge premium that we don't have to pay here.

I don't think Boston is more affordable than DC, not at all. But I do think that Boston offers a larger number of close, fairly affordable, nice suburbs than DC.

That's my take. Good luck to you!

[TheseGoTo11]

Made the opposite move, lots of similarities between the areas. Agree with many of the other posters. In addition to Boston having water nearby, many (but not all) of its suburbs have far more character than Montgomery, Fairfax, or Loudoun Counties. While DC itself is an interesting city, the DC area has no equivalent to Ipswich, Swampscott, Marblehead, Milton, etc. McLean, Great Falls, and Potomac might be wealthy, but they're charmless.

That said, DC also has no Everett, Malden, Revere, or working class suburbs either. Also, it's not just the winters in Boston, it's the spring. I once flew from DCA to Boston in late March, took off surrounded by budding trees, landed in snow and ice. March-April can be really trying up there if you don't like cold, takes forever to warm up.

Also, some of the towns west of Boston on the Pike, and where many high tech jobs are, aren't much different from Reston or Gaithersburg.

If you like winter sports like skiiing, or can find some other winter hobby, that makes a difference. I've often thought the reason I haven't moved back is I don't ski and never got into winter sports.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by TheseGoTo11

In addition to Boston having water nearby, many (but not all) of its suburbs have far more character than Montgomery, Fairfax, or Loudoun Counties. While DC itself is an interesting city, the DC area has no equivalent to Ipswich, Swampscott, Marblehead, Milton, etc. McLean, Great Falls, and Potomac might be wealthy, but they're charmless.

That said, DC also has no Everett, Malden, Revere, or working class suburbs either.

Totally agree with the first part, but not sure about the second. While DC has no Everett, etc., it does have Capitol Heights and Camp Springs and some other suburban places where half the stores have bars on the windows. I don't really want to go live in Everett but I think the industrial history and the look of the place, gritty as it is, is more interesting and no more dangerous than some of the cruddy places outside DC.

[jed1982]

I have lived in both cities and in my opinion almost everything about DC is better.

The biggest plus to DC is housing. Housing here in Boston is both crappier and more expensive than DC. The city is old, which gives it a charm that makes it nice to visit, but makes very hard to find a good place to live. Do you want to live in an apartment with radiators? Exposed pipes? Lead paint? Dark and cramped? Drafty windows? Nowhere to park? And pay 33% more than you are paying in DC? If you'd like to improve your living situation and driving situation, you picked probably the worst city possible.

Other things better about DC: Better weather, better transit system, better restaurants, easier to get around, your choice if you want to live in a walkable area or a suburb
Better things about Boston: Better jobs

[TheseGoTo11]

Originally Posted by holden125

Totally agree with the first part, but not sure about the second. While DC has no Everett, etc., it does have Capitol Heights and Camp Springs

yeah, but no one who lives in DC or the nice suburbs west of town ever sees those places, but hard to get to Swampscott or Marblehead without passing through some rough industrial areas

[LeavingMA]

Originally Posted by jed1982

I have lived in both cities and in my opinion almost everything about DC is better.

The biggest plus to DC is housing. Housing here in Boston is both crappier and more expensive than DC. The city is old, which gives it a charm that makes it nice to visit, but makes very hard to find a good place to live. Do you want to live in an apartment with radiators? Exposed pipes? Lead paint? Dark and cramped? Drafty windows? Nowhere to park? And pay 33% more than you are paying in DC? If you'd like to improve your living situation and driving situation, you picked probably the worst city possible.

Other things better about DC: Better weather, better transit system, better restaurants, easier to get around, your choice if you want to live in a walkable area or a suburb
Better things about Boston: Better jobs

Everyone pretty much hit everything else on the head regarding traffic and cost being close to the same between the two cities. I would say D.C. traffic is worse, but their public transportation is better. The T up here is quite disgusting. Plenty to do in both cities although I give the benefit to D.C. because a lot of stuff is free. I've also found restaurants and food slightly cheaper in D.C. because of happy hours.

I disagree with jobs though. Washington D.C. is much more recession proof because of the large scale of government jobs and companies that moved to northern Virginia to be near the government. I know people that tried to get jobs in Boston and New York city, but the place that all ended up with their jobs was in D.C.