Question about moving to Boston area (Quincy, Newton: real estate, apartments, rentals)

[JasonAndAmelia]

I am about to graduate college with a degree in network admin, where I can choose where I want to live, and my wife and I are looking at the Boston area. We have 1 daughter who will be entering 1st grade when we get moved, so schools are obviously a priority. Either public or private, so long as it's a good one. We'd like to stay nearby the city as we both love the city life. We'd like to keep our monthly rent below 1500 but can go as high as 2000. We'd like to be relatively safe and live in a place with a neighborhood feel. What would some of the advantages of living in Boston be? I already know about the weather, and we both enjoy the fact of having 4 seasons.

[clevedark]

Try Brookline. Good schools, urban feel, lots of apartments. A very interesting and fun place to live.

[Vermolas]

I live in South Boston and love it. So many places to choose from sight of a beautiful harbor and tons of parties yearly. The schools are'nt excellent but their pretty good and prices are the lowest and near to no crime.

[snatale1]

I'll second Brookline, you'll have the city feel but with good schools. Boston's schools are CRAP!!!! I went to them my whole life (good thing I picked up a trade). seriously.

[Urban Peasant]

I wouldn't say that all Boston Public Schools are crap. Most middle and high schools are awful but not the examination schools such as Boston Latin which are stellar. The OP's daughter is only entering 1st grade however so that should not be a worry in the near future.

There are definitely some good elementary schools in Boston, primarily in the West Zone (Roslindale, West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain). Those are also the most decent places to rent at. Just beware of the East Zone (Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan). The North Zone (Charlestown, East Boston, Downtown) is mixed, you have very good elementary schools like the Warren-Prescott and the Josiah Quincy but also not so good ones.

[tcrackly]

Gee, last time I checked Boston Latin was in Roxbury.

Roxbury, Boston - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boston Latin School - Google Maps

[tcrackly]

..not done with my two cents worth.

The Third Decade: The Incredible Shrinking Roxbury

there.

[ogre]

If you are interested in Brookline, check out Newton as well. North of Boston, you're likely to find some good neighborhood feel in Winchester and Melrose. I'm not sure how many rentals are available in either town, and I don't know much about the schools in Melrose, but both towns may have the neighborhood character you're looking for. If those towns hold some appeal, Beverly may be worth checking into if you don't mind a longer commute.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by tcrackly

Gee, last time I checked Boston Latin was in Roxbury.

OK, while it's true that real estate types have been "shrinking" Roxbury for a while (e.g. Mission Hill), it's been over a century since anyone could claim that the current site of Boston Latin was "in Roxbury." Whatever the boundaries of the "Town of Roxbury" before it merged into Boston in 1868, I don't know anyone alive who has, at any time, considered the MFA, the Pru, Symphony Hall, or Boston Latin to be "in Roxbury." Boston Latin is in 02115, and thus has a Boston mailing address. Under your definition, West Roxbury, Roslindale, and Comm Av and Gloucester are all "in Roxbury" because they were in the Town of Roxbury 140 years ago. They're not.

In any event, Boston Latin is (as Urban Peasant said) an examination school and thus a completely different thing from the schools in the zone that includes Roxbury.

[tcrackly]

I'm probably straying from the original thread but there are obvious political and marketing reasons why those areas , which always considered Roxbury when I was a kid, are now not. It's called disenfranchising.