Moving to MA. Best city for lifestye, lower cost living, and GLBT friendlyness. (Boston: for sale)

[AdventureAhead76]

I am planning a move in the next six months to a year. We have decided on a state, but have only just begun the research on city's and cost of living variations. We would like to know - Wheres the most reasonable cost of living for apartment rentals? Where is the most fun had?/Most alive area's of Mass.? (culture,artsy,Unique,exciting area's) Where is most glbt friendly other than Northampton. Where is most youthful and vivid? And last but not least, wheres the best area's of the state for ocean access/living near the ocean. As the shores were a great deciding factor in our pick of state. I'd love any and all input! A bit crushed out on Salem...

[Thomas144]

Newburyport.

[NotAPrincess]

North Shore towns would be great, including Newburyport, Rowley, Plum Island. If you want a more city vibe, Somerville is fun and more urban, but still quick drive up to the beautiful beaches on the N. Shore (but 45 minute drive).

[Valerie C]

Newburyport is the 1st that comes to mind. Definitely artsy, always lots going on downtown. High end eateries, good public transportation. Rte 95 , and runs through, so great access to all points north (Portsmouth, Maine, etc) and south (Boston, etc)

[badluck]

Newburyport is not vivid though, is it?

[lrfox]

Can you give us an idea of what's too expensive? Also, are you working from home, finding jobs when you get here, or do you have something lined up (if so, do you need to commute anywhere and what's your max. commute range)?

Salem was the first thing that came to mind given your criteria until I read the end of your post. It's a great little city, but it's certainly not for everyone. Any reason in particular you aren't interested?

I love Newburyport as much as anyone (it really is beautiful); but I think it's more of an upscale exurb of Boston (read: a bit yuppie) than it is youthful and vibrant. It's also pretty small. If you're young and looking for a vibrant, active, GLBT friendly place, I'd go with Portsmouth NH up the road. NH is historically more conservative, but Portsmouth is located just across the MA line on NH's tiny stretch of coast. I'd imagine that any young couple (gay or straight) would find it to be a lot more exciting than Newburyport. I'd even probably suggest Gloucester (maybe even Rockport) as North Shore communities over Newburyport given the OP's criteria.

I'd suggest Plymouth too. Plymouth has an active downtown area with a lot of history. Like Newburyport, it's not a BIG city (55,000 people spread over a big area), but it's big enough to have a lot going on. It has a very attractive coastline, a vibrant downtown area (lots of good bars and restaurants) and it's not too far from Boston.

A neighborhood in Boston like Jamaica Plain might work too. It's more affordable than downtown neighborhoods and not quite as built up. My neighbors in JP were a lesbian couple and they absolutely loved it. Lots of cool, eclectic shops, nice scenery (I lived a block and a half from Jamaica Pond on Centre Street), and a nice neighborhood vibe. It's also close to decent transit and parking isn't too difficult even on-street. If you could deal with the bigger city, it would probably be a great fit.

Now, I don't know what you're willing to work with, but Lowell and New Bedford are two of the mid-size "Satellite Cities" that are up and coming and offer some good value. Both cities have fairly vibrant downtown areas that have sort of risen from the ashes over the past decade to decade and a half. Lowell has the advantage of being a little closer to Boston and better connected (commuter rail) but it's a little bit inland (not too far though). If you've ever seen "The Invention of Lying," most of that was filmed in/around downtown Lowell. New Bedford has the advantage of being right on the water. In fact, it's a beautiful stretch of coastline (great beaches even within the city itself). Like Lowell, it has a historic urban downtown area (chunks of both cities' downtown areas are National Historic Parks) with good nightlife and restaurants. I would go so far as to say that the New Bedford/Fairhaven area offers the best bang for the buck in terms of coastal property within the state.

The caveat with Lowell and New Bedford is that they are cities of right around 100,000 and do have plenty of neighborhoods that are rough around the edges. The majority of neighborhoods in either city are fine, but there are a few in each worth avoiding. Parts of the bad neighborhoods can be quite rundown. Schools suck in Lowell and NB, so if kids are in the plans, public schools in either city are a bad fit (though towns just beyond the city limits are great). While these cities are NOT for everyone, they are great places for people looking for an urban alternative to Boston at an affordable cost. If Places like Plymouth, Gloucester, Newburyport, etc are too small (and Boston too large), they're worth a look.

Outside of MA, I'd take a peek at Newport, RI; Portsmouth, NH; Providence, RI; and Portland, ME for nice place. My one hold back on these would be Portland which, while beautiful, is a bit isolated away from the rest of New England (I lived there for 4.5 years). If you want to be in the thick of it, Portland's not a great fit. Newport can even feel a bit isolated, but it's still close enough to Providence.

[gosling357]

I think she means she "has a crush on" Salem, as in, she likes it.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by gosling357

I think she means she "has a crush on" Salem, as in, she likes it.

Thanks. Leave it to me to misinterpret that.

In that case, Salem would be my top pick.

[claudiusmaior]

lrfox: What do you thing of two senior males moving to Roslindale? We would like Jamaica Plain but have seen a few condos from Roslindale that are much cheaper with more room.

[jmeraz]

why would salem be your top pick? im thinking about moving there and would like to knw any and all info or points of view of pros and cons for salem