Waltham! (Boston, Springfield, Cambridge: neighborhoods, university, living)

[helpiwanttomove]

I'm moving back to MA but I want to get closer to Boston! Waltham seems to be a good location, but what's it like there?

Is it a good spot between boston and Northampton?

Is is rundown and full of crappy people?

I just wanna know the vibe of it and such.

[brightdoglover]

A map would show you that it's not remotely "between Boston and Northampton." It abuts Boston and is 96 miles from Northampton.
It is not "full of crappy people." I find that question kind of, well, offhand or something. What is OP really looking for?

[LexWest]

I would consider Waltham a very nice city: It has a vibrant downtown with good restaurants, and plenty of educated college/grad professionals and businesses: It's far from "crappy"--after all, there are two reputable New England colleges right in town (i.e. Bentley [College] University and Brandeis U.). There might be what I'd call "so-so" areas near Moody street, and other parts near downtown; but overall, it has a good mix of suburban and urban areas.

It's definitely a ways from Northampton, but is a short commute to Boston.

[Bob Lanata]

Waltham is awesome. I lived in the cedarville area for a few years. Its a combination college town, blue collar and is diverse. Good mix of resteraunts and eateries. Not far from Boston either by car, or Transit. Woodside Gas station, located just off of 128/95 on Rte 20 is one of the best service stations. Good honest people

[helpiwanttomove]

Sounds wonderful! I know the question of is it crappy can be offensive to some people but where I grew up, the town really was and I have nightmares about going back. Sometimes I have to because of family! But anyway, i was thinking about moving to Framingham instead because that's where my job will be and trying my best to land a good job in Everett. I want to be as close to my job and Boston as much as possible.

[brightdoglover]

I think Waltham would be fine for a job in Framingham or Everett (and Framingham could be slow social death for a young person). What was the question about Northampton about?

[helpiwanttomove]

I lived in Hadley, five minutes from NoHo and I have a friend who lives here so I was wondering if it would be a quick trip if I took a train or something instead of driving.. I should have been more specific. :-)

[LexWest]

I wouldn't encourage a commute from Framingham to Everett, as it would be an unnecessarily longer commute, if you're already heading into the Boston traffic; especially since it's not enough of a difference maker when traveling to Northampton, anyway: Anywhere close enough to Boston will be far away from anything in western MA. Waltham is minutes from Rte. 2 which will still take you toward Northampton (and Everett), as well as avoid tolls you'd face on the Pike (if that's important to you).

[ogre]

Taking the train to Norhtampton (presumably with Springfield as the destination for the rail portion of the trip) could be done, but would be an involved process at either end of the trip. The train ride itself, to Springfield, seems reasonable to me, but getting to the train from Waltham would mean either driving to a train station, or taking a commuter train in to Porter Square in Cambridge and then riding the T over to South Station. From Springfield you'd have to take a bus to the N'hampton/Hadley vicinity. I'd guesstimate that the time spent getting to and from Amtrak without driving would at least double the total time of the trip, compared to just the ride from Boston to S'field on Amtrak.

Agree with others that Framingham would not be the best choice for a young person seeking a taste of city living. Framingham is a mall-oriented large suburban town. Waltham is suburban in its outer neighborhoods but has a collection of young professionals, a bit of an urban feel, and a bunch of restaurants and such amenities in the vicinity of downtown. Downtown Waltham is not like having the city for miles all around you when you step out your door, but would work well if a little slice of city living right in your neighborhood would satisfy you.

[nei]

Originally Posted by ogre

Taking the train to Norhtampton (presumably with Springfield as the destination for the rail portion of the trip) could be done, but would be an involved process at either end of the trip. The train ride itself, to Springfield, seems reasonable to me, but getting to the train from Waltham would mean either driving to a train station, or taking a commuter train in to Porter Square in Cambridge and then riding the T over to South Station. From Springfield you'd have to take a bus to the N'hampton/Hadley vicinity. I'd guesstimate that the time spent getting to and from Amtrak without driving would at least double the total time of the trip, compared to just the ride from Boston to S'field on Amtrak.

You might as well just take the bus the whole way, Amtrak runs once a day. It's 2hr30min by bus from Northampton to South Station. The bus sometimes has a stop in Framingham, Waltham to Northampton would be more time consuming by mass transit. Bus is not a bad alternative to driving if you're going in or near the center of Boston, otherwise it's clumsy.