Where would you pick to live? (Boston, Cambridge: middle-class, 2009, apartments)

[gcom2005]

Hi all - my girlfriend and I (both just either side of 30 years old) are going to be moving to America from Ireland in about 12 months time. The company I work for are looking to open an office in the US and I'm going for 12 months initially to try and help develop a market for us over there in advance of this. So I'll be working for them over there, and my girlfriend works from home running an internet business. So basically we are not tied into any specific area as in have to be based near an office etc.

We are thinking of Boston / Massachusetts and was wondering what peoeple thought. We can base ourselves anywhere, but these sort of things are key to where we pick:

Airport - we would need to be close enough within a 60 min drive to Logan airport

Cost of living - We are looking for somewhere not too expensive to live - we should be able to rent a nice 2 bed furnished apt in a decent area for < $1500 per month. Even less (1200 region) would be better

WATER! Now this is the key for me, there must be some sort of open water nearby - lakes or sea. I'm serious about my sea / open water swimming and love spending time out swimming, in boats etc. So somewhere near the water (doesnt have to be walkingn distance, but not a huge trek!) would be great

Irish Community - having a decent sized irish community nearby would be bonus. Again we don't plan to just talk to other Irish people but the internet site my girlfriend runs is something which is tailored specifically to that market, so if we could be near a community which might be more open to that sort of thing for advertising etc that would be a bonus!

Other Stuff - The sort of place we're looking for - we are looking for somewhere that is nice, safe, has things to do (beach / lake / mountains etc) and has friendly people. When we get to America we will know no-one. Also as we are both in essence self employed we wont have work friends, so need a way to meet other people. We are both active and play sports (swim, soccer etc) so think we will meet people that way.

If you were us - where would you pick and why?

[brightdoglover]

The Dorchester neighborhood of Boston (it's a very large area) has an amazing number of Irish immigrants and associated social things. North Dorchester is to be avoided, but there are many neighborhoods within it.
I've had Irish co-workers who lived in that area, married each other, worked, and so on. Best wishes.

[goyguy]

The "voice of the community" here is the Irish Emigrant newspaper. They're sure to have an online edition.
Speaking in very broad and general terms, as populations moved outward from Boston during the 20th Century
about 2/3 of the Irish drifted south and the other third went north/northwest. But the strongholds in "Southie" (South Boston) and Dorchester stayed that way even as the pulling up of stakes for suburbia went on. That is, until the school busing fiasco of the mid-70's unfolded. In the midst of daily racial brawls and hate crimes the trickle of departing residents swelled into a tsunami. Few who could afford to leave didn't.
Which brings us to 2009. Southie is now one of the "hot" places to live, between its having some of its own beaches and being so close to UMass and downtown and the Back Bay. There's still a strong working-class Irish presence there even as transplanted yuppies mean another block of row houses refurbished and turned condo, another neighborhood watering hole transformed into a microbrew pub, etc. A similar renaissance is in full swing in Dorchester's northeastern precincts, from Southie down Dorchester Ave ("Dot Ave") as far as Savin Hill. Then, if you leapfrog a couple of miles to Peabody Square - better known as "around Ashmont Station" - and Lower Mills you'll see the same energy going on. "Dahhchestah" also has beaches to call its own, among them the recently overhauled Malibu - yes! - and Tenean Beaches. Plus, folks who like to fish enjoy casting their lines into the harbor behind the UMass campus while kayakers sailboarders etc cavort close to shore.
Replicating the birth/decay/rebirth cycle is Quincy, the "City of Presidents" situated just beyond Dorchester and the Boston city limits. There also, you'll know from hearing many people talk that the county of their birth is named with the word "County" first. Quincy was where a lot of the resisters of busing fled, and like Southie it has an only partially deserved reputation for violent opposition to "outsiders" with the reputation growing steadily less deserved. Southeast Asian immigrants are now getting better assimilated, with community relations helped by their setting up businesses in slumping commercial districts. For Hispanics, AA's, indeed anyone who looked or was "different," Quincy was long known as a sundown town (get caught there after dark at your own peril.) Nowadays it may not yet be one big human tribe swaying in sweet harmony, but Black families are quietly buying houses and renting apartments without the neighbors' trying to run them out. And yes, there are beaches there.
The entire South Shore region of Massachusetts, extending along the coast from Quincy to Plymouth, has jokingly been called the Irish Riviera "forever." Once you're past Quincy the flavor of the environment changes over from urban to suburban. The level of affluence in the respective towns increases the farther south you go: Braintree leans toward middle-class, Weymouth is a step lower, then Hingham is "decidedly" upper-middle-class with neighboring Cohasset + Scituate + Duxbury (aka "Deluxebury") taking it up another notch. All of these communities have a shoreline, as do Marshfield + Kingston + Plymouth toward Cape Cod. Then you also have Hull, entirely on a narrow peninsula extending from Hingham into the bay.
For public transportation to the airport, the MBTA's Red Line trains' lines converge near UMass after originating in Braintree (via Quincy) and Ashmont. You'd ride to South Station (now also served by a newly-reopened commuter rail line from Plymouth) and then transfer to the Silver Line directly to Logan. There are also commuter boats from the South Shore downtown, as well as airport express buses. But if you don't mind paying the prohibitive parking rates and battling traffic jams and "M*sshole" drivers that option's available too.
Cheers!

[grayaskan]

Originally Posted by gcom2005

Hi all - my girlfriend and I (both just either side of 30 years old) are going to be moving to America from Ireland in about 12 months time. The company I work for are looking to open an office in the US and I'm going for 12 months initially to try and help develop a market for us over there in advance of this. So I'll be working for them over there, and my girlfriend works from home running an internet business. So basically we are not tied into any specific area as in have to be based near an office etc.

We are thinking of Boston / Massachusetts and was wondering what people thought. We can base ourselves anywhere, but these sort of things are key to where we pick:

Airport - we would need to be close enough within a 60 min drive to Logan airport

Cost of living - We are looking for somewhere not too expensive to live - we should be able to rent a nice 2 bed furnished apt in a decent area for < $1500 per month. Even less (1200 region) would be better

WATER! Now this is the key for me, there must be some sort of open water nearby - lakes or sea. I'm serious about my sea / open water swimming and love spending time out swimming, in boats etc. So somewhere near the water (doesnt have to be walkingn distance, but not a huge trek!) would be great

Irish Community - having a decent sized irish community nearby would be bonus. Again we don't plan to just talk to other Irish people but the internet site my girlfriend runs is something which is tailored specifically to that market, so if we could be near a community which might be more open to that sort of thing for advertising etc that would be a bonus!

Other Stuff - The sort of place we're looking for - we are looking for somewhere that is nice, safe, has things to do (beach / lake / mountains etc) and has friendly people. When we get to America we will know no-one. Also as we are both in essence self employed we wont have work friends, so need a way to meet other people. We are both active and play sports (swim, soccer etc) so think we will meet people that way.
If you were us - where would you pick and why?

I am from Dublin, moved to NYC,and now live in Belmont, MA. We are about 20 minutes from Logan.

We chose Belmont because of the incredible schools. Our reasons may differ from your as we have a 6yr.old daughter and schools were paramount in our decision to move to Belmont. We live about 10min. from Boston, as the crow flies.

There are some great area of Boston/Cambridge and parts of Somerville. (Davis Sq.)

It depends on where your office is located. If it’s in Boston you will not need a vehicle as the "T" is the best way to get around. Look at a map of the “T”

If your office is not on this system you will defiantly need a car.
Boston is a great place to live with lots to do though beware of Winter. We have just come out of a truly miserable couple of months.
Incidentally, furnished apartments are rare though $1500 will get you a nice apt. in Cambridge or Somerville. Boston may cost a little more. Furnished are usually in the Corporate Apartment realm and would cost a lot more that $1500.00 per month.

There are some great Irish bars and Restaurants throughout the Boston area so you will have little problem in meeting people.

I am a member of the “Irish networking Society” This is a BtoB group who meet once a month at Jury’s Hotel in Boston. This may also be a good place to meet business contacts as well as friends. In fact you may already know some of the members without knowing it!!
Contact me if you need any help

[Chef Giorgio]

Originally Posted by goyguy

The "voice of the community" here is the Irish Emigrant newspaper. They're sure to have an online edition.
Speaking in very broad and general terms, as populations moved outward from Boston during the 20th Century
about 2/3 of the Irish drifted south and the other third went north/northwest. But the strongholds in "Southie" (South Boston) and Dorchester stayed that way even as the pulling up of stakes for suburbia went on. That is, until the school busing fiasco of the mid-70's unfolded. In the midst of daily racial brawls and hate crimes the trickle of departing residents swelled into a tsunami. Few who could afford to leave didn't.
Which brings us to 2009. Southie is now one of the "hot" places to live, between its having some of its own beaches and being so close to UMass and downtown and the Back Bay. There's still a strong working-class Irish presence there even as transplanted yuppies mean another block of row houses refurbished and turned condo, another neighborhood watering hole transformed into a microbrew pub, etc. A similar renaissance is in full swing in Dorchester's northeastern precincts, from Southie down Dorchester Ave ("Dot Ave") as far as Savin Hill. Then, if you leapfrog a couple of miles to Peabody Square - better known as "around Ashmont Station" - and Lower Mills you'll see the same energy going on. "Dahhchestah" also has beaches to call its own, among them the recently overhauled Malibu - yes! - and Tenean Beaches. Plus, folks who like to fish enjoy casting their lines into the harbor behind the UMass campus while kayakers sailboarders etc cavort close to shore.
Replicating the birth/decay/rebirth cycle is Quincy, the "City of Presidents" situated just beyond Dorchester and the Boston city limits. There also, you'll know from hearing many people talk that the county of their birth is named with the word "County" first. Quincy was where a lot of the resisters of busing fled, and like Southie it has an only partially deserved reputation for violent opposition to "outsiders" with the reputation growing steadily less deserved. Southeast Asian immigrants are now getting better assimilated, with community relations helped by their setting up businesses in slumping commercial districts. For Hispanics, AA's, indeed anyone who looked or was "different," Quincy was long known as a sundown town (get caught there after dark at your own peril.) Nowadays it may not yet be one big human tribe swaying in sweet harmony, but Black families are quietly buying houses and renting apartments without the neighbors' trying to run them out. And yes, there are beaches there.
The entire South Shore region of Massachusetts, extending along the coast from Quincy to Plymouth, has jokingly been called the Irish Riviera "forever." Once you're past Quincy the flavor of the environment changes over from urban to suburban. The level of affluence in the respective towns increases the farther south you go: Braintree leans toward middle-class, Weymouth is a step lower, then Hingham is "decidedly" upper-middle-class with neighboring Cohasset + Scituate + Duxbury (aka "Deluxebury") taking it up another notch. All of these communities have a shoreline, as do Marshfield + Kingston + Plymouth toward Cape Cod. Then you also have Hull, entirely on a narrow peninsula extending from Hingham into the bay.
For public transportation to the airport, the MBTA's Red Line trains' lines converge near UMass after originating in Braintree (via Quincy) and Ashmont. You'd ride to South Station (now also served by a newly-reopened commuter rail line from Plymouth) and then transfer to the Silver Line directly to Logan. There are also commuter boats from the South Shore downtown, as well as airport express buses. But if you don't mind paying the prohibitive parking rates and battling traffic jams and "M*sshole" drivers that option's available too.
Cheers!

Excellent, informative post goyguy. You are listed living in Cambridge and I was hoping you could give us some guidance. My wife has learned of a potential job opportunity in Raldolph (any feedback about that town would be awesome); however I am currently attending culinary school in North Carolina and I would probably try to transfer to one of the schools in Cambridge, Le Cordon Bleu to be more specific.

I would appreciate greatly any feedback you may have about the areas in between Cambridge and Randolph. Thanks.

[grayaskan]

Originally Posted by Chef Giorgio

Excellent, informative post goyguy. You are listed living in Cambridge and I was hoping you could give us some guidance. My wife has learned of a potential job opportunity in Raldolph (any feedback about that town would be awesome); however I am currently attending culinary school in North Carolina and I would probably try to transfer to one of the schools in Cambridge, Le Cordon Bleu to be more specific.

I would appreciate greatly any feedback you may have about the areas in between Cambridge and Randolph. Thanks.

I know you asked Chef Giorgio to respond, though I felt pressed to offer some advice.
Randolph is about 25 miles south of Cambridge. The traffic during the morning and afternoon rush hour will be awful. Think seriously about that commute. The School you will go to in on Massachusetts Ave, at Porter Sq. in Cambridge. I pass by it every day. It has a really great reputation.
Why not look into living in Cambridge. There is the Porter Sq.Commutor Rail Station nearlly opposite the School for your wife to use to get to work.
Good Luck

[katequincy]

If yu are working in or near Boston - I would suggest Quincy it is on the bay and also has three yacht clubs (sail and Motor boats) it also has a great public transport to Boston and a large Irish community with several Irish pubs with lots of sports
PS If you want to play and not watch there are also games each weekend at the Irish Cultural Center in Canton

[gcom2005]

I've been focused around Cambridge area, but will check out Quincy too now. Cheers

anymore suggestions?

[holden125]

Originally Posted by grayaskan

I know you asked Chef Giorgio to respond, though I felt pressed to offer some advice.
Randolph is about 25 miles south of Cambridge. The traffic during the morning and afternoon rush hour will be awful. Think seriously about that commute. The School you will go to in on Massachusetts Ave, at Porter Sq. in Cambridge. I pass by it every day. It has a really great reputation.
Why not look into living in Cambridge. There is the Porter Sq.Commutor Rail Station nearlly opposite the School for your wife to use to get to work.
Good Luck

The traffic is awful, but the problem is that Porter Square commuter rail doesn't go to Randolph. It goes to North Station and the trains to Randolph are out of South Station. It would be easier to take the Red Line from Porter to South Station, but you'd be looking at a 20 minute ride to South Station, plus wait time at South Station and then the commuter rail to Randolph (another 25 mins). Plus, the train to Holbrook/Randolph runs only every 90 minutes in the morning and the job may not be accessible from the train station there.

I'd suggest looking for housing closer to the southern end of the Red Line (i.e. Quincy or Braintree). Thus you could take the Red Line to Porter and she could drive to Randolph w/o going totally nuts in traffic.

Randolph itself is pretty boring and blah in my opinion.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by grayaskan

It depends on where your office is located. If it’s in Boston you will not need a vehicle as the "T" is the best way to get around. Look at a map of the “T”

If your office is not on this system you will defiantly need a car.

Meaning that if you're not located on the T, you will boldly drive and defer to no authority but the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority?