young family moving from Los Angeles > Boston with many questions...

[brightdoglover]

Sorry to hear that the OP's rental area isn't friendlier.
Hey, anyone who could say they enjoyed last winter deserves a welcoming parade!
I don't have a garage. I park my car at the edge of the driveway where it meets the plowed road. I shovel a path from the house to the car and then just have to break it out of the snow between the car and the plowed area (a few feet). I didn't miss having a garage because then I'd have to shovel the whole driveway.

For all our sakes, I hope next winter is a bit more… normal. You know, average.

[nei]

Originally Posted by avedianj

Winchester is a very stuck-up, snobby area. Common decency doesn't apply here, we're a very social family and always flourished as such in CA but have suffered in that regard for the last year here. I've met a few friendly, relaxed, socially skilled families but they are tough to find at least in this area. I'm not positive but socially I think Arlington's egos are less inflated and would've been a better option, though we would've sacrificed space.

Is it that they're stuck-up or are they just anti-social and uninterested in meeting new people? My guess is Arlington might be better also because it has more people that move into rather than just those from those who had been in the area all their lives and formed their own social circles.

Is the snow a problem because the sidewalks aren't shoveled? Or just a general hassle? I sometimes would rather walk than drive when it's snowy.

[ZeusMutation]

Claremont to Boston, WOW!

Curiously, have you experienced city living before, not visit... live?

I too am coming from CA... and I think it's going to be real hard living in Boston. From afar, Boston appears to be very, very different in almost every way. Well, as a native Californian anyhow.

Being you either chose Claremont or we're born in the area, I think you'll be just fine in MA. I wouldn't expect much square footage though.

Good Luck to Ya!

[kingeorge]

Space vs. quality of living?

As we say here in Boston, pick your poison! And you did. Good thing is that you can move, and find more suitable place in the near future.

Some areas are less friendly then the others. We are not known to be very chatty, welcoming, social bunch to begin with.Many MA residents never moved, have all their friends and family close by, so making new friends is really low on their priority list. Look for towns that are more bustling, and have significant transplant population.

Sometimes, being an only renter surrounded with the sea of homeowners is also tough,especially in towns with few rentals. People will avoid investing time in someone who will probably be in and out fairly quickly. Arlington, Watertown, Belmont, Brookline, Newton, Medford, Cambridge, Somerville all have more transplants, and renting is lot more common as well.

Good luck.