Any former CA natives moved to New England and loved/hated it? (Boston: condo, crime)

[Teerich]

Sorry, but BART in the San Francisco Bay Area has the T beat hundreds of times over. My roommate has been taking the T for the last six months and says it is the worst public transportation she has ever taken. It is late, overcrowded, non enough seats and HOT during the evening commute. The two good things about it, though, is (1) that it does have plenty of stops which beats driving any day and (2) is cheap. But you know the old adage, "You get what you pay for". Once I start commuting I will be taking the commuter rail. The T isn't worth the stress.

T

[Vera206]

Looking for any Mass. natives or New England natives that are living in California........HOw long do you wait. I am sick living in California, The pain to go home (Mass) deepens every day. I am looking for people on-line for moral support. I have 1, possibly 2 homes that I can sell and move back. I do not want to pay capital gains tax. Have elderly mother who may not be able to go......Cannot adjust to CA////very unhappy here. Los Angeles is a disgusting place to live for many many reasons. At what point, do you say F*** it and just go in spite of the capital gains. Miss Boston and all NE, love the people and love the COLD, love the cape, love Maine and NH!!!! Help!!!

[puffle]

Vera, My story is a little different in that I am a California native, moved my little family to Ma. two years ago, loved it, left a year later due to missing family and now can't wait to move back hopefully this summer. So, California native, only lived in Ma. one year and can't wait to get the heck out of here and move back to Ma. Especially on days like this when it was 92 degrees and regular gas is $3.56!!!!!!!! Where did you live in Ma. and where do you want to move to if you return?

[b_alt]

[quote=Rotten;688810]Boston has one of the worse murder rates in the country (worse than LA!).

This statement is very misleading. Both Boston (12.9 murders/100,000 people) and LA (12.6) have relatively low murder rates compared to other US cities. They are ranked 26th and 28th, respectively. But Metro Boston (1.9) has the lowest murder rate of any US metro area except Honolulu (1.7), and New England (2.5) has the lowest murder rate of any US region.

Most murders in Boston are of young black males living in a few areas. Without these, Metro Boston's murder rate would be below Singapore's (0.5). So if you are young AND black AND live in Roxbury or Dorchester, you should be concerned about getting murdered. Otherwise, help this group solve it's murder problem and don't be concerned with getting murdered yourself.

[nooneknowsmyname]

Originally Posted by smarty

The food in Southern Cal is cheaper too.

If you want Cantonese Style Chinese Food, Try Chinatown.

Moroccan... umm... I would look into Watertown as there is a high number of Armenians there.

Greek... That is a tough one... let us know when you find a good one... (I just know a few Greek pizza stores).

I lived in MA 40 years before leaving. I currently live in the SF Bay Area, but my family still lives in MA (where they have lived since the late 1850s when my great great grandfather ran away from slavery in Harpers Ferry, VA (now WV) and settled in Marlboro. I grew up in that house and it is still in my family now owned by my son. Reading these posts reminds me of how much I miss MA. I agree with a lot of the discussion about the socially conservative behavior, but politically liberal politics that characterize MA. Although a lot of people in Boston complain about the schools, I think the schools are much better and after having lived in California, spent some time in Philadelphia and in North Carolina, I have come to appreciate just how good the education is in MA even in Boston. I also agree about our slow to warm up personalities (we don't say hello to everyone we meet because we don't know them), but our enduring friendships once established. And I also agree about what wild and crazy drivers MA folks are, especially Boston folks. I still maintain that wild and crazy way of driving and even out here in CA don't let anyone get in front of me. I'm a maniac when it comes to driving.
At any rate, if you are interested in Greek food, there's a wonderful Middle Eastern Restaurant in Boston called The Red Fez located at 1222 Washington St in Boston's South End. It's been around a long time since the 1940s
Phone: 617.338.6060
Fax: 617.338.6666
Email: fez@theredfez.com
http://www.theredfez.com/

[nooneknowsmyname]

Originally Posted by Vera206

Looking for any Mass. natives or New England natives that are living in California........HOw long do you wait. I am sick living in California, The pain to go home (Mass) deepens every day. I am looking for people on-line for moral support. I have 1, possibly 2 homes that I can sell and move back. I do not want to pay capital gains tax. Have elderly mother who may not be able to go......Cannot adjust to CA////very unhappy here. Los Angeles is a disgusting place to live for many many reasons. At what point, do you say F*** it and just go in spite of the capital gains. Miss Boston and all NE, love the people and love the COLD, love the cape, love Maine and NH!!!! Help!!!

See my post below under the handle nooneknowsmyname

[nooneknowsmyname]

Originally Posted by Teerich

Sorry, but BART in the San Francisco Bay Area has the T beat hundreds of times over. My roommate has been taking the T for the last six months and says it is the worst public transportation she has ever taken. It is late, overcrowded, non enough seats and HOT during the evening commute. The two good things about it, though, is (1) that it does have plenty of stops which beats driving any day and (2) is cheap. But you know the old adage, "You get what you pay for". Once I start commuting I will be taking the commuter rail. The T isn't worth the stress.
T

It is interesting how different people's perceptions are. I have lived in Boston and Philadelphia, Chapel Hill, North Carolina and now the SF Bay Area. My spouse grew up in New York. If you don't like the T, you will probably hate the NY subway because it resembles the T only bigger, more crowded. One important difference, however, is the NY subway runs 24 hours a day, which is what a real public transit system is supposed to do: be available. We both hate BART. Too expensive, not convenient, not enough scheduled trips, too many different transit systems with no coordination among them. Not a real public transit system. BART is more like a commuter rail which is proably why you prefer the commuter rail (the purple line) But I guess it's all what one is used to and what one expects public transportation is supposed to be.

[b_alt]

[quote=Rotten;689518]

Originally Posted by b_alt

Look, I understand what you're saying but people have an image of New England and Boston that is untrue. Just a few weeks ago a girl was visiting from down South, a bright law student and was murdered at a party in Dorchester. I realize the South has it's own myriad of problems but I get angry when NE'ers get all "high and mighty", we have a "high quality of life" (whatever) and "culture" (whatever). NE has some progressive values that I respect, like tolerance for gays for example, but nothing angers me more than the economic hurdles that average law abiding citizens have to go through to have a decent lifestyle. NE elitists see Boston one way, but I see it another... it's a city that harkens back to a 19th century ghetto not only in appearance but in actuation and is becoming more rich/poor all the time. The middle class is getting the hell out of this city and state because they cannot afford to move here... the direct result of some of the very "progressive" laws and taxes some people on this board propose! NE elitist might be interesting to know that New England has, I believe, one of the biggest rich/poor gaps in the country, and all the areas where the rich/poor gap wasn't so big was in "red states".

I agree with some of your comments, but still feel compelled to respond. First, the girl from Kentucky who was killed was shot in Dorchester at 3 AM after a party which broke up because of a fight, apparently between young black males. She was caught in the crossfire and was not a target, so it is still consistent with my view of Boston: Very safe but for a few problems that can be avoided, unless of course you are a young black male living in Roxbury or Dorchester. It was national news because it was such a rare event. The idea that black people are routinely killing whites in Boston (or visa versa) is completely wrong.

I think you do point to a problem for cities like Boston (i.e.-Washington, San Francisco and New York City). It is hard to be poor, or even middle class in these places because housing has gotten so expensive. Rich people like to live in these cities because of the lifestyle and cultural opportunities, and so the rich/poor gap is large. If I were poor I would probably sell my valuable property (if I had any) and move away to a place that was less expensive. As a middle class person, I make some housing sacrifices and choose to stay, because for me it is so great.

The problem is not with the tax laws. It is the fact that successful people from all over the world move to these cities and increase the rich/poor gap. Plus, there are a lot of high paying jobs. Some of these things stem from the fact that Massachusetts is the most educated state in terms of the percentage of people with college degrees. After all, a rich/poor gap is created by having more rich people. All areas have poor people who are similarly poor. And yes, it can be hard to live in a place filled with rich people if you are not rich yourself.

As for Boston looking like a 19th century ghetto, I think perhaps you are 40 years behind the times. Either that, or you would also think that Paris looks like a 17th century ghetto. These old cities have become highly desirable in the last decades, and they are sparkling and vibrant in a way that I couldn't have imagined 20 years ago. Old yes, but ghetto? Definitely not. In fact the poor sections of Boston are moving farther and farther from the city center. The city center is increasingly vibrant and beautiful. The poor are moving to the outskirts of town (or leaving entirely), and the wealthy are repopulating the city centers. Is this a good thing? In some ways yes, but in other ways no.

I'm not saying that Boston is better. It is better for some and worse for others. Personally I love the East Coast, but I know many people who prefer California. Others prefer the South. I say, to each his own. Just don't stay in a place that makes you unhappy. Either that, or work to change it.

And sure, some New Englanders look down on Southerners. But look at how some Southerners look down on Massachusetts for having gay marriage (and Ted Kennedy). It is a two-way street.

[puffle]

Very well put. If you want to see rich/vs poor try California and look at the natives that no longer can afford to live in their home state. Hordes of people are leaving here as well, but it is overshadowed by the large amount of immigrants that are coming in to make up the difference. Boston is still less expensive to live than California. As an example, we have lousey health care for the poor or financially challenged, gas prices are $3.55 and up, the freeways are so clogged that you can't even escape on the weekends and who wants to with gas prices, I couldn't rebuy a home I sold six years ago or even 8 years ago. Other than the weather, which I find redondent, or you are a surfer, or forced to move here for a job, hopefully a really well paying job, I don't see the point of coming here. So to me, Boston is not the cheapest choice but the cheapest choice is not where I would want to live and raise my family, would you?

[Noodle]

Originally Posted by Rotten

There are other places in the US other than the NE and California you know. The people there aren't all backwards rednecks and they don't eat Iraqi babies for dinner.

What the f___ is that suppsosed to mean????