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Old 12-14-2009, 09:45 PM
 
535 posts, read 1,411,138 times
Reputation: 330

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Hello

I'm very curious about how is a living in Boston.

How is......
Cost and quality of living?
Crime level?
Wages?
Opportunities?
Traffic?
People?
Weather?
Is it family friendly?

I'm a 23-year-old student currently living in Miami, Fl, which I really hate. Reasons: weather sucks, cost of living is crazy, very low wages, people are rude and supercial, traffic and drivers are horrendous, not a family friendly city, lack of advacement and opportunities, high crime, full of low-income and welfare suburbs, and there's nothing to do if you are away from clubs and the night scene. I want to move as soon as possible I get my bachelors' or probably before that with my boyfriend, which he totally agrees for the same reasons.

Thanks I appreciate it
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Old 12-15-2009, 12:40 AM
 
Location: Dallas
4,630 posts, read 10,476,550 times
Reputation: 3898
[quote=MarinaHello

I'm very curious about how is a living in Boston.

[B]I lived in MIA for 3 years, BOS for 15. Boston vs Miami = [/b]

How is......
Cost and quality of living? BOS cost worse, quality slight edge to BOS
Crime level? MIA way worse
Wages? Boston much better
Opportunities? BOS much better
Traffic? Bos way worse
People? Miamians WAAY more sociable, warm and fun- BOS more polite, well mannered, & smarter
Weather? Miami waaay better
Is it family friendly? As long as you got 400K for a small house.

I'm a 23-year-old student currently living in Miami, Fl, which I really hate. Reasons:

weather sucks, try four feet of snow zero degrees for two weeks and you'll be begging for MIA summer!

cost of living is crazy, MIA is a bargain basement compared to BOS

very low wages, Yeah, you make more in BOS

people are rude and supercial, people in BOS are cold and distant

traffic and drivers are horrendous, Traffic is cake in MIA compared to BOS

not a family friendly city, Agree, schools in MIA are hell

lack of advacement and opportunities, yeah, MIA is great to party but not much for careers - w Harvard and MIT BOS is waay better

high crime, agree - BOS is very safe compared to MIA

full of low-income and welfare suburbs, Yeah, more solid middle & working class in BOS

and there's nothing to do if you are away from clubs and the night scene. BOS is far more interesting for history and academics, however BOS has its limitations too. Go to NYC for really interesting

I want to move as soon as possible I get my bachelors' or probably before that with my boyfriend, which he totally agrees for the same reasons.

Thanks I appreciate it
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Old 12-15-2009, 06:44 AM
 
Location: Boston, MA
137 posts, read 394,777 times
Reputation: 58
I agree with most of what Bostonian said, especially when it comes to schools and general views on education. Boston absolutely blows Miami out of the water (and most other cities too). People in Boston are reserved (except when their sports teams are losing) and intelligent, but far less likely to be warm and friendly to strangers. The weather in Boston is pretty bad, it's really only nice from May-September.

That said, I've been in Boston my whole life, and despite it's drawbacks, I highly doubt I'll ever leave. Just be sure you have a job and can afford the area you are moving to. It's really not fun up here if you are strapped for cash, everything is just too expensive. Good luck!
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Old 12-15-2009, 08:13 AM
 
Location: Newton, Mass.
2,954 posts, read 12,304,632 times
Reputation: 1511
Quote:
Originally Posted by jake786 View Post
The weather in Boston is pretty bad, it's really only nice from May-September.
I don't think there's anything nicer than a Boston-area October.

Again, a personal preference, but I'd rather have 4 feet of snow than a Miami summer. And Boston is cold in the winter, but it has NEVER been zero degrees for two straight weeks here.

I also dispute the idea that someone will encounter "way worse" traffic coming to Boston. Traffic might be worse, especially commuting to Boston from a suburb, but a feature of Boston life that Miami doesn't have is that, for many younger people, traffic is irrelevant because they get around on their feet and the T and don't drive.

And I don't know how much more of the "NYC is so much better" I can take. If I never see NYC again that would be fine. I can't imagine how someone who thinks Miami is expensive with bad traffic and rude people would possibly enjoy NYC. Try $1600 a month for a crappy studio apartment, or in the alternative drop the rent to $1100 and ride a subway for an hour to go anywhere.
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Old 12-15-2009, 08:57 AM
 
7,235 posts, read 7,038,880 times
Reputation: 12265
When was the last time 4 feet of snow fell in Boston? Yes, obviously the weather is MUCH different than Miami, but come on. What is a "family-friendly city"? It's tough to walk down a street in the South End without tripping over a stroller these days, but I'm not sure that's what you mean.Everyone has a different life in Boston--it's largely dictated by your income and your interests, and also age. A 23 year old just starting a career will live differently than someone more established, with more money.
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Old 12-15-2009, 09:09 AM
 
Location: Providence
132 posts, read 249,973 times
Reputation: 120
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marina1686 View Post
I'm a 23-year-old student currently living in Miami, Fl, which I really hate. Reasons: weather sucks, cost of living is crazy, very low wages, people are rude and supercial, traffic and drivers are horrendous, not a family friendly city, lack of advacement and opportunities, high crime, full of low-income and welfare suburbs, and there's nothing to do if you are away from clubs and the night scene. I want to move as soon as possible I get my bachelors' or probably before that with my boyfriend, which he totally agrees for the same reasons.

Thanks I appreciate it
Every single reason you listed, why you hate Miami, would be much worse in Boston. Don't believe the idea that wages are better, because the cost of living will no where near make up for it. Perhaps, if you come here, it would allow you to appreciate Miami more than you currently do. A native Floridian would freak over the weather here alone.
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Old 12-15-2009, 09:19 AM
 
4,167 posts, read 9,339,334 times
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Having lived in both MIA and Boston here's my take. You are basically going from one extreme to another. Obviously this could be good or bad depending on your preferences. First and most obvious is the weather. Boston is to cold what Miami is too hot. Just like it can get sizzling in the summer in South FL it can be freezing in Boston in the Winter. However, overall, the winter is somewhat exaggerated in Boston. It's cold, but it's consistently cold, 30-40's during coldest part of the year. The trade off is the four season are amazing. Autumn in New England is unparalleled. Spring is also great and having four season really breaks up the year and sets a different mood for every time of the year. As far as traffic I would say they are even. 95/93 in Boston is just as bad as 95 in MIA. However, Boston has an advantage in that public transportation is great. If you don't want to sit in traffic just take the train and avoid it all. Entertainment wise, MIA is hands down the spot for nightlife. That being said, Boston is much more diverse. In addition to clubs and bars there are many spots for cultural entertainment and young single professionals. Which leads us to the people. 2 opposite ends of the spectrum. In MIA is all about the looks, your style, your size, your ride, etc. Boston is more about the substance. What you do, where you went to school, etc. In Miami people can be superficial and stuck up, in Boston they can be elitists and discriminating. But overall I think you can meet good people in both. Boston can be really easy to meet people if you're still in school, however if you're working it really depends on your profession. If you're in a job where you will be surrounded by many other young professionals you should have no problem socially. However, if you have job which has little interaction with others you will likely have a harder time meeting people in Boston than Miami. Finally, cost. I have to preference this first off by saying that I lived in Boston as a student and Miami as a young professional. My income was different but overall my standard of living was the same. That is to say I rented a place of reasonable size and location in both cities for the same price. But bare in mind, as a student in Boston I stayed in the student neighborhoods where more deals could be found whereas in Miami I lived in residential areas (Kendall) and the same type of area in Boston probably would have been more expensive. Other than housing I think cost of living is about the same. If you go to only big box stores and chains in either place it will be expensive. If you learn to go to the ethnic grocery stores and mom and pop shops both places can be affordable. Hope this helps.
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Old 12-15-2009, 10:14 AM
 
Location: Quincy, MA
385 posts, read 1,454,950 times
Reputation: 189
Quote:
I'd rather have 4 feet of snow than a Miami summer. And Boston is cold in the winter, but it has NEVER been zero degrees for two straight weeks here.
Seconded. The average winter day here has highs in the 30s, lows in the 20s. Sometimes the wind chill makes it feel much colder, but usually severe cold spells (say, single digits) don't last more than a few days.

What gets to me is the ice, which can make it very difficult to walk.
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Old 12-15-2009, 10:21 AM
 
7,235 posts, read 7,038,880 times
Reputation: 12265
I second the ice. It takes me twice as long to get anywhere in the winter because the sidewalks are perpetually icy.

That's probably another big difference, if you are used to a car culture and move to the city and rely on public transportation and walking, you are out in the cold a lot more than a person who dashed from his/her driveway to car.
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Old 12-15-2009, 11:31 AM
 
Location: Boston, MA
137 posts, read 394,777 times
Reputation: 58
Holden125- i agree re: October, it's quite nice. And I also agree re: NYC, never need to see that place again.
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