Why is Boston so expensive?

[ConceivedinKY51]

Originally Posted by bluedog2

Because it is an attractive and popular city with a growing population and a dynamic economy based on education,medicine,technology,research and finance, where more people want in than want out.

It is one of the very few older US cities that is not dying but thriving.The list of US cities that are dying and shrinking is almost endless.People from elsewhere and around the world don't want to move to them and 1/2 the people who are born in them want to leave.Boston has a fresh supply of people from all around the world every year who come and decide to stay.

It's a simple matter of supply and demand as in any marketplace.

It's economy NOW (2011) STINKS!!! Unless you have a talent/career in which you make a VERY GOOD living...DON'T MOVE HERE!!!! You'll be....SOOOORRRRYYYY!!!!

[miu]

Even in this economy, Boston is a better value to live in than most parts of the country. At least we have decent well-paying job opportunities. And there are lots of part time job opportunities available as well.

Boston is not the place for those that aren't willing to hustle and push themselves to make money. It's not the place for anyone that wants to loaf around and focus more on non-work activities like partying late.

My boyfriend would prefer to live in a more rural area like NH or one around NC, but the move is not for me. Sure, the cost of living would be much much cheaper all around, but the income opportunities are just not there for me, and for him. And at my age, I'm not going to become a farmer. But no place is perfect for everyone and there are many different paths in life to take.

My feeling is that when one is a working adult, Boston is the perfect place to live and bust @ss making money, and making sacrifices to be able to invest it a house and a retirement fund while not spending it on frivolities like fancy new cars or the latest in electronics. Then for retirement, one sells the house and lives in a cheaper part of the country.

Again, the places that are cheaper to live at are also the ones that don't have the well-paying jobs and careers.

[LeavingMA]

Originally Posted by ogre

I imagine that population density has a significant effect. Boston and its inner suburbs, and some suburbs not so close to the city, are very densely populated. I'd speculate that this has at least a couple of causes: 1) Many cities in this area had much of their growth before the existence or widespread use of the automobile, so they developed as densely packed centers of population convenient for walking and the use of public transit; 2) Historically, maritime trade was a mainstay of New England's economy, so much population packed into the prosperous port towns along the coast.

With the growth of auto-based suburbia, people moved into lightly populated areas precisely because there was lots of space. The dense concentration of population near the coast left plenty of sparsely populated areas available for suburban growth just a few miles inland. With low population density viewed as an attraction, people who moved into these formerly rural areas created ordinances to maintain open space, such as keeping some areas natural and undeveloped, and zoning for relatively large lot sizes. Thus a pattern of dense centers of population with relatively lightly populated spaces in between has been perpetuated. Then the law of supply and demand takes over. Demand for open space was high, which drove up the price of suburban properties. At the same time, the supply of available land per person is low in the densely populated coastal areas and old industrial cities, which again drives up property costs.

Spot on. The reason Massachusetts in general stays expensive is because of the lack of buildable land. There isn't a lot of places left you can build, and where you think you can, there are strict zoning and environmental laws that make it very difficult. So it goes back to supply and demand, but in the Boston area it has more to do with the lack of supply. People are not really coming to the Boston area in high numbers compared to other parts of the country. It basically amounts to the scarcity of land. Think of it almost like an island where there is only so much space to go.

[krapug1]

For me part of why Boston is expensive is you have a great city with much to offer, yet on a scale
that makes it livable. I have lived in Philly and NYC, and Boston is in a league of it's own, when it comes to cities in the USA.

In the case of Philly, you have what could be a great city, but for many young professionals living in center city is viewed as a stepping stone, and once they get to their 30's they bolt to towns on the Main Line. Center City residents are also notorious for not supporting center city retail and as a result you have a city with limited retail options. You also have the crime issue, and in the past 2 years bad "flash mobs" have been a real issue.

Teen fight breaks out in Center City as cameras roll | 6abc.com

Ken

[hartford_renter]

Originally Posted by krapug1

For me part of why Boston is expensive is you have a great city with much to offer, yet on a scale
that makes it livable. I have lived in Philly and NYC, and Boston is in a league of it's own, when it comes to cities in the USA.

In the case of Philly, you have what could be a great city, but for many young professionals living in center city is viewed as a stepping stone, and once they get to their 30's they bolt to towns on the Main Line. Center City residents are also notorious for not supporting center city retail and as a result you have a city with limited retail options. You also have the crime issue, and in the past 2 years bad "flash mobs" have been a real issue.

Teen fight breaks out in Center City as cameras roll | 6abc.com

Ken

what are flash mobs?

[ogre]

Originally Posted by hartford_renter

what are flash mobs?

It's a phenomenon that has been around for a few years. You might have heard about this even if the term's name sounds unfamiliar. It's where word spreads over the internet that anyone getting the message is requested to appear at a certain time and place to perform some action as a group. From what I understand, the idea is usually to do something absurd, quirky, or pointless, then quickly disperse, but occasionally, as might be expected when a group of people suddenly gathers, and given that particiapants, I suspect, tend to be on the young and rowdy side, one of these things will turn into a melee. Even if nothing destructive develops, sometimes whatever silly behavior the internet message has instructed the mob to display can disrupt the normal flow of business or traffic. According to the article linked to below, they've had several incidents in Philly where flash mobs got violent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_mob

[krapug1]

In the past these "bad" flash mobs were referred as Thug Packs, or Wolf Packs.

Center City has become an easy target, as you have very troubled areas only blocks away from
the main business areas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/us/25mobs.html

LOVE Park shut down by threat of 'flash mob' | PhillyConfidential | 03/18/2011


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtOgrB4ZkgY

[Dport7674]

Boston, like Chicago, is a regional hub. The allure of being a big city will draw small town folks, career minded folks etc. to it and keep real estate prices high.

[Pear Martini]

Because we're awesome