Moving to boston, need some advice (Cambridge, Somerville: apartment, crime rate, broker)

[gwongen]

hey there, I'm a dj/student relocating to Boston and since I'm going to be coming home around 3am in the morning from clubs and parties with my equipments I was wondering what are some of the safest places to live in Boston that I will have little to no chances of getting robbed or getting my apartment or car broken into? I'm looking for an apartment and the cost of living isn't a problem. out of the list of neighborhoods please give me areas that are safe, because I know there are some safe areas within a neighborhood. thank in advanced for your answers.

Allston/Brighton
Back Bay
Bay Village
Beacon Hill
Charlestown
Chinatown/Leather District
Dorchester
Downtown/Financial District
East Boston
Fenway/Kenmore
Hyde Park
Jamaica Plain
Mattapan
Mission Hill
North End
Roslindale
Roxbury
South Boston
South End
West End
West Roxbury

[tooldude]

out of all those neighborhoods you listed, I think Bay Village is the safest. The reason I say that is because it's a very small neighborhood and there's hardly any crimes there and it's mostly residential.

[HenryAlan]

They are all pretty safe. I'm guessing you will be driving home from most of your gigs, due to the equipment. If so, you'll need a neighborhood where parking isn't a big issue. I've extracted the parking challenged neighborhoods from the list:

Brighton
Dorchester
Hyde Park
Jamaica Plain
Mattapan
Mission Hill
Roslindale
Roxbury
West Roxbury

From what is left, I would say that Roslindale, West Roxbury, Hyde Park, Brighton, and parts of Jamaica Plain or Dorchester are safest.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by HenryAlan

They are all pretty safe. I'm guessing you will be driving home from most of your gigs, due to the equipment. If so, you'll need a neighborhood where parking isn't a big issue. I've extracted the parking challenged neighborhoods from the list:

Brighton
Dorchester
Hyde Park
Jamaica Plain
Mattapan
Mission Hill
Roslindale
Roxbury
West Roxbury

From what is left, I would say that Roslindale, West Roxbury, Hyde Park, Brighton, and parts of Jamaica Plain or Dorchester are safest.

I would note that parts of JP, Brighton and Dorchester are hard to park in, especially at 3 AM when so many residents are in for the night. They are easier than, say, Beacon Hill, but I doubt you'd want to be carrying your equipment 3 blocks at 3 AM. You might want to look into an apt. with parking, which is more likely in the neighborhoods HenryAlan named.

You mentioned being a student. Where is your school? Would you need mass transit to get there? Do you know what areas you'd be doing gigs in? All this could make a huge difference in terms of convenience.

You also referred to essentially all the neighborhoods within the city of Boston. Boston is different than some other cities in that there are other towns that are actually closer to downtown Boston than some of the neighborhoods within the city of Boston. For example, basically all of Cambridge is closer to downtown Boston than West Roxbury or Mattapan. Same for Brookline, Somerville and even towns like Watertown, Belmont, Medford, Everett, Chelsea, Revere. Some of these places are more urban and happening than the farther parts of Boston as well. Are you interested in any of those?

I've got to disagree with Henry Alan that they're "all pretty safe." Parts of Dorchester are safe, others have the highest crime rate in Boston. Fields Corner, Codman Square, Franklin Field I'd stay away from. Mattapan has some troubled areas near Blue Hill Av. Parts of Roxbury are not so great either and within JP I'd avoid the Jackson Square-Bromley Heath area.

[Cantabridgienne]

Safety aside, what else are you looking for in a neighborhood? Lots of bars and restaaurants? Something quiet? Upscale? More college student-oriented? What school will you be attending? It's a little strange that your *only* criteria is safety.....where are you coming from, incidentally?

Safety is important, but so are a lot of other things....

[gwongen]

Originally Posted by Cantabridgienne

Safety aside, what else are you looking for in a neighborhood? Lots of bars and restaaurants? Something quiet? Upscale? More college student-oriented? What school will you be attending? It's a little strange that your *only* criteria is safety.....where are you coming from, incidentally?

Safety is important, but so are a lot of other things....

well, since I'm going be djing I really do not care about bars or restaurants being in the neighborhood but I would prefer a gated or non-street parking apartment closer to the night clubs. I will be attending BC. I'm coming from ATL

[holden125]

Originally Posted by gwongen

well, since I'm going be djing I really do not care about bars or restaurants being in the neighborhood but I would prefer a gated or non-street parking apartment closer to the night clubs. I will be attending BC. I'm coming from ATL

Boston doesn't really do gated so much and an apartment with non-street parking, close to most clubs, will be pretty expensive. I guess it depends on which clubs. But parking near a lot of the club areas is hard to come by. Maybe if you're working at a club in an area with limited parking they have some kind of arrangement. Obviously you've got to get your stuff there.

If you're going to BC, you might look at Brighton. It's right next to BC. The other parts of Boston are a tougher commute there.

[gwongen]

thanks

[Cantabridgienne]

If being close to clubs and having a garage spot is the main criteria and money is no object, then maybe look into one of the luxury buildings downtown that come with a garage space? Are you planning to use a broker to find an apartment?

[gwongen]

Originally Posted by Cantabridgienne

If being close to clubs and having a garage spot is the main criteria and money is no object, then maybe look into one of the luxury buildings downtown that come with a garage space? Are you planning to use a broker to find an apartment?

I'm haven't taught about a broker yet.