Are there any cities worth living in other than Boston?

[missionhill]

Econ, have you been to Northampton and Amherst? Personally I'm not familiar with Storrs and Willimantic but there's nothing boring about that part of Western Mass-- big scene in both towns, lots of people your age, plenty of cultural opportunities, beautiful countryside, etc. Boston area has lots more glam (and opportunity) of course. Northampton and Amherst are close to Holyoke and Springfield which have plenty of urban/underprivileged education challenges if your career is in that direction. The two towns aren't cheap but you can get something for less nearby. Northampton, more than Amherst, covers sizeable territory and maybe cheaper in its outlying sections like Leeds and Florence.

If you like Boston, however, "Hamp" and Amherst are pretty far away. Why not try a less expensive area than Brighton? I think things cost more in the western direction-- heading out along Beacon Street you have Back Bay, Brookline, Newton. After that expensive suburbs like Wellesley and Weston. Even though it isn't posh, Brighton is affected by the surrounding affluence. North and South of Boston is a different story. Medford, Malden, etc. are cheaper; Chelsea and Revere much cheaper. South you have several Boston neighborhoods, some really nice, like Jamaica Plain and Roslindale, and maybe a little cheaper than Brighton. Hyde Park and Dot are definitely cheaper, if not as nice. What about Quincy? Lots of people find that very workable.

By the way, our New England pines are overwhelmingly the eastern white pine, a tall, beautiful tree. You find it throughout eastern Mass, and all around the lakes and mountains of New Hampshire and Maine. Really different from those loblolly pines they have in the Carolinas (and maybe Florida).

[EconHusky]

Originally Posted by missionhill

Econ, have you been to Northampton and Amherst? Personally I'm not familiar with Storrs and Willimantic but there's nothing boring about that part of Western Mass-- big scene in both towns, lots of people your age, plenty of cultural opportunities, beautiful countryside, etc. Boston area has lots more glam (and opportunity) of course. Northampton and Amherst are close to Holyoke and Springfield which have plenty of urban/underprivileged education challenges if your career is in that direction. The two towns aren't cheap but you can get something for less nearby. Northampton, more than Amherst, covers sizeable territory and maybe cheaper in its outlying sections like Leeds and Florence.

If you like Boston, however, "Hamp" and Amherst are pretty far away. Why not try a less expensive area than Brighton? I think things cost more in the western direction-- heading out along Beacon Street you have Back Bay, Brookline, Newton. After that expensive suburbs like Wellesley and Weston. Even though it isn't posh, Brighton is affected by the surrounding affluence. North and South of Boston is a different story. Medford, Malden, etc. are cheaper; Chelsea and Revere much cheaper. South you have several Boston neighborhoods, some really nice, like Jamaica Plain and Roslindale, and maybe a little cheaper than Brighton. Hyde Park and Dot are definitely cheaper, if not as nice. What about Quincy? Lots of people find that very workable.

By the way, our New England pines are overwhelmingly the eastern white pine, a tall, beautiful tree. You find it throughout eastern Mass, and all around the lakes and mountains of New Hampshire and Maine. Really different from those loblolly pines they have in the Carolinas (and maybe Florida).

I hear all over these boards that Malden, Medford, Chelsea, Revere, and JP aren't as safe or nice to live in. Or, the parts that are decent are pricey- as with most of Boston at this point. I love Brighton to the core and have found it to be worth the cost of a short commute, for now. That's why we settled here as newcomers to the area. We just didn't know what we didn't know so we found somewhere that looked good and had rent prices even remotely near our budget. The 1/3 of income thing does not apply for Bostonians, it seems. We pay about 40% . I've been finding the same situation in JP as I expanded my search, which was more than a tad disappointing Ideally I'd like to take public transit to work via T on a regular basis and I can get away with that in JP.

Also, people in Quincy haven't had a good time this week with their commute thanks to the lovely red line as it gets that far out.

Re. pines- I don't think Florida trees can be compared to New England trees, or vice versa. The name threw me off!

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by EconHusky

I was just wondering about a variety of experiences. For us personally,

Ages: 21 & 22
Careers: Education (Urban/underprivileged) & Human Resources (Transitioning to IT)
Currently have one of us in school for edu, so low salary for now but will see a bump from our 40k to something totaling 90k in 1.5yr. As I transition to IT, that will lead to a higher combined income.
Want to own, but are more likely to rent because New England is pricey

I grew up in a big college town and it was really boring for half of the year, and then ended up staying there through college. That is, living in Connecticut. CT has a terrible government and no personality, culture, or activity. I don't want to be stuck in that life again I feel like Western Mass. has that isolation all over again. I love being right down the road from the lovely Natick Mall and Providence Place, as well as several beaches!

Why don't you move to Rhode Island? It has more beaches and coastline than most other states, after all it's called "The Ocean State." Bristol RI is kind of neat and has a college right next to it, Providence has colleges and it's a city, and URI is sort of remote but it's minutes away from beaches. There are nice places in RI although you don't hear much about them.

CT is kind of dull, I agree, and that UConn area is pretty horrible and very remote. MA is really expensive and everything is centered around Boston. I'm one of those who doesn't think there are any cities in MA worth living in except Boston (if you even WANT to live in a city and if you can afford it). WMass doesn't have the urban atmosphere you want and besides, it's nowhere near the ocean and about the only "beach" I can think of is more like a pond, roped off for kids. While Northampton is a nice city, it's apparently not your definition of a city. Neither is Newburyport, another nice small city.