relocating from new york. (Boston, Worcester: real estate, car insurance, neighborhoods)

[raf ohno]

hi. i am a single young professional relocating to boston from new york. i was curious about your opinons on newton? i know its an expensive area. but would it be a good place a for a single guy in his late 20's to live? my job will require me to commute further west, so i want to be near the pike. thanks.

[LeavingMA]

Its alright, but it more of a family town and isn't the best for singles. Your close to Brighton and Allston though, and those are better places for being single. That is where you would probably head out to locally if you wanted to go to a bar or something.

[smarty]

With a Newton address... you'll be more desirable..

Newton is fairly big... some parts may not be easy to get on the Mass Pike. Also, depending on when you leave work... Watertown/Newton exit during the evening rush hour is always jammed...

[raf ohno]

well my hours are 10 to 6. so i am hoping i will miss the evening rush hour at least. how is jamaica plain for singles? i keep hearing that is a cool trendy area.

[airedaly]

Have you considered Brookline? It's very close to the City, and not far from the Pike. Very upscale, wealthy, urban. JP is very popular with young singles and has some really nice real estate. Watertown is another town to check out.

Newton seems better suited for professional families.

[raf ohno]

what would the commute be like from jp to worcester? my shifts are from 10 to 6. i am willing to do the commute if its less than an hour.

[brightdoglover]

There is no such thing as a commute at those hours from JP to the Pike and west. Don't even consider it.
Cambridge has a pike exit on the Cambridge/Allston line. There isn't a better place in the area to be in one's 20s (or most ages, but especially younger).
It's about 50 miles from Cambridge to Worcester. You'd be going against traffic, and a bit later than other people, so it should be OK.
If you live in JP, you will never get to your job. It's just not remotely convenient to any pike access, and I think it's an older crowd of people (and some very sketchy areas, and a haven for gay women).
Allston/Brighton is fully of under 25s, but are fairly college-kid neighborhoods, overpriced and overcrowded and very beat-up. Near the pike, though.
Watertown is also near the pike, and has a nice ethnic neighborhood feel mixed in with people who used to live in Cambridge.
Did I remember to recommend Cambridge?

Good luck.

[smarty]

I hope you realized how expensive this will be...

MTA - Toll / Mileage Calculator (http://www.masspike.com/user-cgi/tollcalc.cgi - broken link)

From allston/Brighton to Worcester:
Tolls $3.60/each way
+ gas (~40 miles/each way)
+ 0.75-1hr of commute time/each way.

=> $7.20/day in tolls + 4 gallons/day ($12)
=> $20/day (not including maintenance and depreciation of your car)

Car insurance is also more expensive in Boston... Most people do the reverse because housing is cheaper. You are paying high housing, car insurance and long commute. Wow...

Good luck... I hope it is worth it

[NY'er lost in MA]

Raf- you have to be be closer to Worcester if you are going to work there. commuting from the city to Worcester is most certainly a death sentence.

There are some neighborhoods in Worcester you might check out- that way you wouldn't really have a commute at all. I'm not very familiar with Worcester, so maybe someone else here will chime in...

[raf ohno]

thanks for all the info guys. i guess i will scratch jp off the list. if i were to settle on newton, what would the commute like be from there? still unreasonable?