Young family moving to Boston area (Worcester, Cambridge: apartments, rental, car insurance)

[jackielea]

Hi there! I'm looking into relocating to the Boston. I'm married and have a 4yr old, and I'm looking for an area that has great public schools, lower crime, and a liberal feel to it.

I'm really not into small towns. We're looking for a place that has lots of culture, diversity, and an artsie feel to it. We'll be needing to rent a 2 bedroom, with a rent range up to $1600 per month.

Where do you think our fit is at? Thank you for your help.

[smarty]

Not sure where you guys are moving from, your definition of small town and the expectation of a 2-bedroom apartments are (like sq footage/age). You also did not mention how far you are willing to drive to your work place.

Normally, Rent drops as you are further out of Boston. South and North are generally a little cheaper than the west. Great school systems usually are in small towns where there are less apartments (less people movement).

If you are interested in statistics (for the different towns/cities in MA), check out Bostonmagazine.com They have a "best place to live" article/ranking. Just remember they usually correlate to housing prices. Also, how a school system scores does not translate to how your kid will score. Rich town/parents also hire tuitors at $100/hr. It does not reflect in any statistics.

Good luck.

[jackielea]

Originally Posted by smarty

Not sure where you guys are moving from, your definition of small town and the expectation of a 2-bedroom apartments are (like sq footage/age). You also did not mention how far you are willing to drive to your work place.

Normally, Rent drops as you are further out of Boston. South and North are generally a little cheaper than the west. Great school systems usually are in small towns where there are less apartments (less people movement).

If you are interested in statistics (for the different towns/cities in MA), check out Bostonmagazine.com They have a "best place to live" article/ranking. Just remember they usually correlate to housing prices. Also, how a school system scores does not translate to how your kid will score. Rich town/parents also hire tuitors at $100/hr. It does not reflect in any statistics.

Good luck.

We're looking for a place that has at least 1000 sq feet. Just a nice starter apartment is all... I'm not looking for something fancy nor a dump... something imbetween that's comfortable.

We're willing able to drive 30-45 minutes for work. Is that reasonable? I have no problem w/ rush hour traffic... that's were I learned my skills.. lol! It's a part of life.

Small town to me is where I live... Waterloo, IA... population 66,000. There's not the ammenities and diversity that I'm looking for to keep me happy.... pretty bland. I use to live in Miami, FL for a number of years and loved it there My husband can't handle their humidty/heat so unfortantly I have to mark it off my list. Sucks So I'd say I'm pretty adaptable. I've heard from lots of people that people from Boston are so rude... but that's what they say about people in Miami too. The city either loves you or hates you.

Thanks for the info about the website... I'll check it out. What's South End like? I've heard it's an artsie place and pretty open minded... what's your opinion?

Thanks again!

[smarty]

South End was a dump until no one can afford Boston proper (backbay, beacon hill, Allston, Brighton, .. etc). In the last few years, many artist moved in the area. Now it is a hip place to live and visit. 66K people is MA is almost a city. A small town is 10-25K people. ( a really small one has only ~6K people) Distance between town in MA (town center to town center) is ~7 miles. The distance a horse can travel without rest :-)

South End is part of Boston. City school is not consider best unless you can get into exam schools like Boston Latin. You have to take a test at 3rd or 7th grade to get in. They take cream of the crop only. However, if you are black or Hispanic, it may be easier. It is really tough for Asians and then whites to get in as the groups average score is higher. You must be better than your group.

I have not looked at South End for a while I would imagine $1600 may be border line for South End at this time. Most of Boston's housing are over 100 years old. It may have been re-modeled. Size is usually smaller. If the apartment has 1000+sq ft, it would most likely be on 2-3 floors. I hope you don't need parking. You can get stickers for resident street parking. However, it may take you half hour to find a spot. (Monthly parking in Boston proper is ~$300/month and ~$20K if you want to purchase parking spot). Car insurance is also much higher $1500/yr/car.

You may want to check out Quincy in the South. A little more for your money. You can take the subway into the city. You may want to check out Waltham on the west side.

I am assuming you are going into Boston to work. 30-45 minutes usually is a little outside of RT128/95 area. 45-1 hour is about Rt495 area. It is not just distance but traffic.

[jackielea]

Originally Posted by smarty

I hope you don't need parking. You can get stickers for resident street parking. However, it may take you half hour to find a spot. (Monthly parking in Boston proper is ~$300/month and ~$20K if you want to purchase parking spot). Car insurance is also much higher $1500/yr/car.

Holy smokes! Wow, I didn't factor in parking. Wowwww. Thanks for the info, it really helps What's this Boston proper talk? I've never heard the lingo before.

[smarty]

Parking garage ($300/month) is mostly in Downtown Boston (which I call boston proper).

I may have confused you. Resident of Boston (SouthEnd, North End, ... etc) do not need to pay for street parking stickers (just need to show proof of residence like rental agreement). There are streets designated for residents only. Cars with stickers can park on these street. However, I am not sure if you can park there 24/7. Some streets are valid usually after 6pm and before 8am(?). You may have to move your car every morning.

Most resident do not pay the parking garage unless during snow emergencies (required to move your car so snow plow can get through; else they tow it), Residents usually just keep circling until they find a spot.

[Seashells]

Does it have to be the City of Boston, or would you consider living close to
Boston?
There are towns/cities that you could take public transportation that are
very nice and have good public schools. You could get to Boston in
approx.20-30 min. Newton, Needham, Natick.Arlington. Boston proper simply means the city itself and not Cambridge. Someville is very artsie but terrible schools. It's great for cheap living for college students but I have friends that grew up there and would not live there once they could afford to move out. West and North of Boston (Northshore and Marlboro-Worcester area gets tons of snow from Nov.-April every year.) Southshore-Briaintree-Cape getsmuch less snow. Good Luck and welcome to Massachusetts

[maggiekate]

check out plymouth, they have a train which could get you into Boston, also they have the Plymouth Brockton bus.

judy

[smarty]

Judy,

I often wonder why there are so little people taking commuter rail until recent high gas prices. Got any ideas?

I tried to take the commuter rail on weekends but find it is inconvenient. It runs every hour or every other hour. It takes 1+ hour to get into the city. Lots of stops. Basically a pain in the neck. With a family of 4-5, I find it cost about the same as driving into the city.

What is your experience using commuter rail on weekends?

[maggiekate]

Originally Posted by smarty

Judy,

I often wonder why there are so little people taking commuter rail until recent high gas prices. Got any ideas?

I tried to take the commuter rail on weekends but find it is inconvenient. It runs every hour or every other hour. It takes 1+ hour to get into the city. Lots of stops. Basically a pain in the neck. With a family of 4-5, I find it cost about the same as driving into the city.

What is your experience using commuter rail on weekends?

Hi, I moved to florida 7 yrs ago. I lived on the cape and also Boston.

I always rode the T into Boston went I lived in Roslindale. My father took the plymouth and bbrockton bus in 72 into boston with many others. It was along comute, now many people do it. Maybe you could check out the Bus line. I found when I needed to go into the city it beat the driving, you also got a good deal if you bought the book of tickets. I just did not like the traffic.

judy