Looking to Relocate To Boston from SD

[nursepaige]

LOL...Boo to me.
Sorry. its San Diego

Here is the deal. When I get out there I will be living with my mom for a few months. I know I will get a job easily out there since I am a nurse and there are tons of positions open. I will also have a good amt of money when I move out there to place on a home...which is why I want to at least get a good idea on where to start my focus on moving.

Lowell was not one of the places where I wanted to work in particular...my comment was more like a "hey what about here"....thing.

Ideally...I dont mind a 30 min commute...driving, or by T... I am used to it.

Judging from the prev post...Brookline sounds like its up my alley...I enjoyed Somerville very much....so anything with a simmilar feel is good for me too.
Centrally located would be nice...but nothing is perfect.
And my inital nursing job when I get out there may require me to travel from home to home because of the work that I do...so...I dont think finding a place near work will matter.


Thanks everyone for your input...I appreciate it.

[MassVt]

[quote=nursepaige;13252495]LOL...Boo to me.
Sorry. its San Diego

Here is the deal. When I get out there I will be living with my mom for a few months. I know I will get a job easily out there since I am a nurse and there are tons of positions open. I will also have a good amt of money when I move out there to place on a home...which is why I want to at least get a good idea on where to start my focus on moving.

Lowell was not one of the places where I wanted to work in particular...my comment was more like a "hey what about here"....thing.

Ideally...I dont mind a 30 min commute...driving, or by T... I am used to it.

Judging from the prev post...Brookline sounds like its up my alley...I enjoyed Somerville very much....so anything with a simmilar feel is good for me too.
Centrally located would be nice...but nothing is perfect.
And my inital nursing job when I get out there may require me to travel from home to home because of the work that I do...so...I dont think finding a place near work will matter.


Thanks everyone for your input...I appreciate it.[/QUO
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I would avoid both Lowell and Brockton; both have seen better days..

Cambridge and Newton are very good, but a little pricey; Arlington is quite nice, Somerville is very urban ( full of triple-deckers for housing), Quincy is a combination of urban and suburban, and on the Red Line (as are Cambridge and Somerville, etc). Other possibilities include Malden and Medford, along the Orange Line. And as you mentioned, Brookline is very nice, but can be pricey as well, and it's on the Green Line.

Lots of choices, but fairly dependent upon your eventual place of work..

[Redsox1972]

Originally Posted by nursepaige

Hi. I have a strong desire to move to Boston, and since my mom and her husband are moving there in a few months.... I really want to move there now more than ever.
I am a single mom of two, and I would like to get a general idea of good places to look for a home with in my price range (1300 for a 2-3 bed) and around decent schools. I see several places on Craigslist....but the locations are of no use if I don't know where to start.
I don't mind a 20-30 min commute..I travel that by car everyday. My friends live in Somerville....any other suggestions?

I appreciate your feed back very much.

I believe someone mentioned Watertown, Waltham, and Arlington. Those might be good options in terms of apartment prices and proximity to public transportation. (I currently live in Watertown and am looking to get out ...)

I have also lived in Billerica, which is somewhat in between Boston and Lowell. It is near I 95 and I-495, so the access to highways is good, and, the rents tend to be a little cheaper than Watertown and surrounds. Burlington is next to Billerica, and I personally like it. It isn't too crowded, has good highway access, and has shopping and restaurants.

Whatever you don't, don't become a Yankees fan.

[nursepaige]

What About Everett? Chelsea, or Revere?

[redpanda]

Personally, I'd give all 3 a resounding "NO". They're run-down industrial areas with little to offer in the way of green space or other professionals. Chelsea has some nicer enclaves, but from what I understand even those have become unsafe since the economic downturn.

I go to Everett only to shop (there's a shopping center on the Everett/Medford border with Costco, Home Depot, Target, etc.) and sadly I won't even go to the movie theater in Revere because I feel uncomfortable there at night (not to mention that it sums up the town nicely: someone is always, ALWAYS yammering away on his/her cellphone DURING the movie...).

Seriously, you can do better. No sense in moving here just to be miserable where you live.

[nursepaige]

Wow, well thanks for that. It explained the reason why its so cheap to live there and there are so many rentals.
Appreciate that.

[Bamtown]

Hey nursepaige, I actually signed up on this site to respond to your post and to hopefully get some info on SD in return.

First off, like anywhere else, you get what you pay for in MA. Since you have kids, I imagine that you want to live in a relatively safe area with decent schools. I believe these towns would fit your profile (Safe, not far from boston, not overly expensive, close to the T, Malls, etc.):

Wakefield (T)
Reading (T)
Melrose (T)
Malden (Subway/Orange Line)

Here's an interactive subway map in case you're interested: http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/


As a nurse in MA, you should be able to easily afford those towns. Nurses are in high demand right now, especially in Boston ($$$), so that's why I'm recommending these areas. Don't take my word for it though, feel free to investigate and find a place that's right for you and your children.

As the other posters have already stated, you may want to stay away from those other places that you mentioned. I actually worked in Lowell for a couple of years. The commute was great, because I was going against the traffic (north on 93). The city is not as terrible as it used to be, but it's still a depressed mill town that suffers from crime. You'll want to stay away from Lawrence as well.

I'm actually curious as to why you're leaving SD? I was looking to move there, but I hear the traffic is just as bad as MA and the job economy isn't so great right now. Still, I'd trade the doom and gloom weather of this place for 300 days of sunshine in a heartbeat. I just turned 29 (single, no kids) and I'm a working professional in the technology field. Any idea which areas of SD would fit me? I'd like to live in a safer area that isn't too far from downtown. My friend is recommending a place called Encinitas. Have you ever heard of it? I thought MA had extremely high real estate prices, until I looked at SD, haha.

Anyways, any input or thoughts is appreciated.

[nursepaige]

How do any of you think a single mom of two would fair out there?

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by nursepaige

I like Somerville, Tufts, Davis Square...but there is also Brookline, Quincy,

Not sure how old your daughter is, but keep in mind that anything that says Tufts is generally geared or targeted towards Tufts students. Not that you couldn't rent these apartments, but not sure if you want to share a building that is occupied by a bunch of college students. Same goes for any listing in Boston Craigslist that mentions a college; chances are that it is a building that generally rents to students or the neighborhood is heavily populated by students.

The only exception would possibly be Cambridge since pretty much all of MIT's and Harvard's students live in the perspective college's own student housing.