Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > General U.S. > City vs. City
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 09-07-2012, 06:11 PM
 
74 posts, read 119,965 times
Reputation: 45

Advertisements

Hi there,

I am considering moving to the southern New England area, and am trying to gather info on great cities in the region. I would like to be in:

a very safe area
very family-oriented with lots of culture and activities - farms/orchards, fun attractions, theater & music, museums, sports, you know...
a city/town with a very distinct "character"
will consider metro or small village, or anything in between, as long as the "vibe" is right
decent economy, available jobs, services
sunny (by New England standards would be a bonus)

I am looking between Providence and Boston as nearby metro areas - so looking in a general 2 hour area around and between these areas.

If it helps, my husband is an IT guy, I'm a stay at home mom/homeschooler. We have two daughters, 4 and 3.

The most important thing for me is atmosphere - you know, that unnameable "feel" that a city has, something in the air - how do I describe it? Ambiance? I hope you know what I mean, and thanks for the help!

PS - I like Connecticut as some areas kind of cut the distance between Boston, Providence, New York - kind of a central location in great surroundings, but I can't really find towns with a distinctive feel that are safe and nice. I'm sure there are many, but I don't know much about it. I didn't like Hartford when I looked it up a bit. Didn't do much for me.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 09-08-2012, 01:47 PM
 
Location: Behind You!
1,949 posts, read 4,395,951 times
Reputation: 2761
New England States vary greatly, what state are you moving FROM? That will help. Also will you be renting or buying? What is your budget?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-08-2012, 03:19 PM
 
74 posts, read 119,965 times
Reputation: 45
Hi we're moving from California. Our budget for rent is about $1800-$2200/mo. I have narrowed down the states now to Massachusetts definitely. I have fallen in love with Boston, and in fact I already know exactly where I want to live - somewhere within walking distance of Boston Common. This may not be possible on our stated budget - but if it's not - I'm robbin a bank! Cause Boston Common has won my heart!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-08-2012, 05:27 PM
 
2,439 posts, read 4,797,082 times
Reputation: 3061
indecisive, that's funny. You posted yesterday about Conn, RI, MA too, looking for some sort of town with atmosphere but now you're saying walking distance of Boston Common. Sounds like you're traveling around as you write--touching down in Hartford, not finding that too exciting, then coming over to Boston and loving it. Did this just happen today? Sounds like you'll have to revise your criteria, starting with "very safe area." If you're serious about wanting to be right in Boston and you're home schooling, and therefore not so concerned about public schools, then you should look at some of the Boston neighborhoods and adjacent cities. Cambridge, for example, has lots of ambiance. Somerville has it too if not as much, but it's more affordable and has a good urban vibe. Lots of families in Arlington--it's suburban but has some vibe. Within Boston's city limits Jamaica Plain has great ambiance and vibe. Not as safe as Cambridge and Somerville I think but take a look at it--lots of community feeling, great parks, some really nice urban (and even suburban) neighborhoods. Nearby is Roslindale--some vibe, not as much as in JP, and maybe easier for families. Brookline has lots of vibe but has really good schools too and you don't need to pay the Brookline (or Newton) price if you're home-schooling. The inner Boston area is pretty handy to some really nice semi-rural areas with farms and orchards, like out in Concord, Lincoln, Harvard, Carlisle--wealthy towns with lots of amenities for outings from the city. I doubt you're going to find anything you can easily walk to Boston Common from unless you can cram yourselves into a little apartment somewhere intown but the neighborhoods in town--Beacon Hill, South End, North End, Back Bay--are all so expensive and--I don't know--maybe mostly young adults and retirees and not many other people with children. Anyway, keep us posted and good luck. By the way, I will say that Hartford has some very livable towns around it with good amenities and even some vibe but the city itself isn't all that attractive.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-08-2012, 06:55 PM
 
74 posts, read 119,965 times
Reputation: 45
Thanks Missionhill Yeah, all of this progression in my mind has happened within the last 24 hours! LOL What can I say? hehe At this point, though, I am so utterly infatuated with Boston that I cannot imagine living anywhere else - including where I currently am!

Especially after looking through the photo thread of Boston - good gracious it has got to be the most beautiful city in the world - I'm not kidding!

Thanks for the run down on the neighborhoods - there was a good array of photos of each sector in the photo thread, and they all look amazing. I know it's kind of love at first sight - and has happened overnight here - but seriously, I want to MARRY Boston! LOL
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-08-2012, 11:25 PM
 
Location: Dallas
4,630 posts, read 10,422,866 times
Reputation: 3898
Quote:
Originally Posted by indecisive2012 View Post

Thanks for the run down on the neighborhoods - there was a good array of photos of each sector in the photo thread, and they all look amazing. I know it's kind of love at first sight - and has happened overnight here - but seriously, I want to MARRY Boston! LOL
Yes Boston is gorgeous, but she's also kinda a cold snooty b*tch. You may fall in love at first sight, I assure you she won't. Anyways, we hope you have a lovely wedding.



But keep off the grass!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-09-2012, 05:00 AM
 
1,069 posts, read 1,247,766 times
Reputation: 989
I don't think the photo thread demonstrates how cold Boston Common is going to be in a couple of months...buyer be warned!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-09-2012, 11:20 PM
 
Location: Austin, Texas
1,985 posts, read 3,299,003 times
Reputation: 1705
Definitely Massachusetts.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-10-2012, 12:49 PM
 
Location: East Coast of the United States
27,217 posts, read 28,295,642 times
Reputation: 24744
Massachusetts is the quintessential New England state and Boston is considered the capital of New England.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-10-2012, 02:02 PM
 
Location: Nob Hill, San Francisco, CA
2,346 posts, read 3,969,200 times
Reputation: 1088
Depends on what you want. Western half of Connecticut is really just a bedroom community for NYC, lots of affluent suburbs and towns there. Rhode Island is a less costly place to live than MA and CT and its a bedroom community of Boston and MA has Boston. I would pick MA, RI, and CT in that same order.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > General U.S. > City vs. City
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top