Wanting to relocate to MA from Tucson, AZ

[twiggy]

Hey, I'm moving from Phoenix to Cape Cod and I have seen several listings in my searches for rentals around 6 or 700 down South. I just saw a 700 dollar a month little house for rent and they take care of snow removal and trash. (Buzzards Bay area) Probably a guest house some ones renting. You might look into a winter rental until May so you can really look around out here. They are really cheap, you just have to be out in May for the summer but you could probably find something else by then plus some jobs so you would know what your income will be. You will make more money in MA no matter what you do. That is the up side to a hirer cost of living. It all evens out from what I've found. Good move to get out of AZ though, our state is going down fast. It's too bad but you have to take care of yourself.
I will be really happy to live in a state so opposite to AZ, I think it will be a relief!
The Cape has a lot of "gay" communities so if you and your partner would be willing to rent a back house or an upstairs over the garage apt from another gay couple you might find it quite comfortable. Plus so far, I haven't ever seen anyone in MA have a problem with a same sex couple, it's not like AZ.
I see cute little rentals pretty cheap all the time, just go to craigs#### and search cape and the islands, or south shore.
Good luck, anything you need just pm me. I've been searching for a while now.
Oh, plus, I believe they have a bus that will take you to the train from the cape. Someone else will be able to confirm that, I drive so I haven't looked into that part. But, that said, I believe I have seen that on here.

[professorsenator]

Twiggy's suggestion about an off-season rental on Cape Cod is a good one, as long as you think you can find a place by next summer. I agree with twiggy's comment, too, about a same sex couple not being a big deal in most places.

I am going to disagree with some of the advice given here, wearetandem. I think Fall River and New Bedford are miserable dumps, and I would encourage you to steer clear of them. They are decrepit, lacking in many emnities, and economically blighted with no serious hope of financial turnaround in the foreseeable future. These are places that had their hey-day 100+ years ago and have been on the skids ever since. Their populations have been steadily declining for years.

Yes, they have history and some charms. But, overall, they're the pits. While it is true that the crime in these places is not as bad as some suggest, their populations have low education and income levels and, frankly, exhibit many of the social ills and problems associated with lower SES. Furthermore, their populations are often parochial and not especially welcoming to newcomers (largely because there are so few newcomers because the cities aren't great). The exception to this is Portuguese and Cape Verdean immigrants, a steady stream of whom integrate with the existing immigrant communities.

That said, wearetandem I don't think it would be a bad idea to look in the part of Mass. surrounding Rhode Island. This part of the state offers a lower cost of living than closer in to Boston, it's quite scenic, and is accessible to Providence, RI and Boston (unlike western Mass., which is cheaper than Boston but pretty far from The Hub and more employment centers)

Take a look at this map of Mass.: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cispdf/ma_city_town.pdf
Notice the communities that are southwest of Boston -- from Mendon/Blackstone/Bellingham in the north stretching around the corner of Rhode Island down to Swansea/Somerset. These communities hug the Rhode Island border are thus close to Providence, RI and within an hour (approx.) of Boston. Most of them are nice, pleasant, and quite safe. They're suburbs, for the most part, but they all have some apartments. They're not fancy or upscale, but not blighted old mills towns (i.e. Fall River/New Bedford) either. These communities are classic middle class New England 'burbs. They will tend to be a little on the conservative side in some places, but still quite tolerant -- lots of gay couples around and Mass. has a live-and-let-live attitude with few conservative evangelicals (who tend to be the most hostile toward alternative lifestyle folks)

Alternatively, you might look in the Northampton/Amherst area in West central Mass. This area is very nice, very gay friendly/tolerant (most of Mass. is). Come to think of it, given that you're young this area might be best for you -- it's very much like a college town area, very youth oriented, fun, etc. It sounds like your job skills are pretty flexible and that would help in this area.

[thisiswater]

wearetandem: I second the 5 college area: Northampton, Amherst, Hadley etc.? I've always loved it because it's an amazingly vibrant college community yet is absolutely gorgeous and less expensive. Since it's mostly students and other academics, perhaps you and your partner could find a house share. Colleges are still hiring as are all of the businesses in Central MA that serve them. Think about it ... Since you're so young, why not? :-)

[wearetandem]

Thank you all for your help.
As far as renting a room from someone, I don't think so. I'll be living with my partner. I don't need roommates. This may be stubborn but I've lived with roommates before and it's not my thing.
As for a sublet on the cape, it's definitely an excellent idea but I'm going to need to find work and that will be a bit difficult in the freezing winter when no one will be there.

I've started looking into Worcester as it's a bigger city and it's directly in the middle (1 hr to Boston, 1 hr to Providence). The apartments are a bit steeper in price than I wanted (a lot ranging from $700-$900 + utilities). I'm hoping I can find an alright apartment for cheaper so I can save up for a better place. I've been looking into some of the realty companies that were posted on craigslist. There are a few that have some listings for 1 br apartments for around $595 (keep in mind they are ugly, but doable for a while).

Have any suggestions if you're in the Worcester area?

[brightdoglover]

I concur with the suggestion of Worcester.
Could you marry in Mass. and live in another state? I'm not sure how many "benefits of marriage" exist in Mass. Health insurance has long been a "domestic partner" benefit for many companies in Mass. I am not clear on what benefits are state-specific.
Yes, Massachusetts is expensive, as others have pointed out. But the equally difficult issue is the job situation. Museum-type jobs have always been very very difficult, because there are so many students/schools people attracted to this area for its cultural aspects. I know it's hard to get a job long-distance, but it really would be best to have a job for one of you before moving. You could end up in a situation that I've seen in other pricey places- you're in the place, no jobs, no money to leave (not that you'd want to go back to Tucson. It sounds like you've had very unpleasant experiences or fears for being a gay couple).
Lest I sound prejudiced, I will say that I'd fear a hate crime more in an area with more Latinos (and there are cheaper cities in Mass. that are heavily Latino). I don't know about the Portuguese environment in New Bedford. I believe Fall River has become a major Columbian/Central American destination.
Overall, I'd agree that there Mass. is a generally safe place for gay couples, but then, I think most of New England is, certainly in comparison to the Southwest. (I lived in Santa Fe in the distant past, and just the hint that people thought I was gay because I was, well, unescorted by a man was frightening).
What is your college program on line, and what kind of work might you be looking for? Unemployment hasn't been the swan dive here like it's been in Michigan or somewhere, but statewide it is close to 10 percent.
Best wishes. You certainly deserve to live somewhere in peace with your relationship, and I hope you find that.

[Lowerdeck]

I would have said something like Webster or Southbridge, since it's a little cheaper than Worcester. However, Southbridge has no public transit and a terrible unemployment rate (roughly 20%, among those even wanting to work legit.) Webster is only on the 42 bus to Worcester along Route 12, and is not much better than Southbridge in terms of criminal element and unemployment.

[smarty]

Here's list of museum. Your friend may want to apply for a job there first. Then, live in town and ride a bike to work. Some has reasonable public transportation to Boston. There are many retail jobs also in the area.

I suggest you look at Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.

List of museums in Massachusetts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[brightdoglover]

Salem also has good public transit to Cambridge. I know a gay couple who bought a condo up there. One guy drives the one car for some job, and the other has taken the train for many years to the Fogg Museum.
Again, I think a job comes first. And I'd be hard-pressed to name housing in Salem for anywhere near $600.