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Just to clarify I'm not looking for a house I'm talk about a Condo even those aren't affordable anywhere I'd want to live.
Well,why wouldn't you want to live in Hoboken or Jersey City ?
If your income is 150,000 or 200,000 as you stated you could presumably afford a 500,000 ondo or coop,right?
There is actually no reason why you couldn't find a very decent condo or coop in Hoboken,Jersey City or even many NYC neighborhoods.
Am I missing something? Why do you think you cannot afford an apartment in a decent neighborhood in NYC like Carroll Gardens ? Forest hills ? Kew Gardens ?Riverdale ? Fort Greene ?
" But you can have good schools in Milton, Newton, Belmont, Arlington, Lexington, Winchester, Melrose, Swampscott, Wellesley, Weston, Lincoln, Needham and still be closer to downtown Boston than Ditmas Park is to midtown."
OP seemed to indicate a desire to be carfree. Only place on your list that would really be possible with a middle class lifestyle would be Newtown, I think, and thats not so cheap either, IIUC, at least not for a big old victorian.
Fair enough, but there's completely carfree and carfree in the sense of "not entirely car dependent." I've pretty much always been a city person. No desire to move to TX or NC or whatever because it's super-cheap or no taxes. So I didn't have a car until I was 33 and I still don't use it to commute to work, or really all that much except for weekend trips outside the immediate metro area. I just grab the bus on the corner. In that sense the inner core of Metro Boston is a good place for an "urban" lifestyle.
No question NYC has a larger area where it's easier to live without a car altogether. But I spent a number of years in Bay Ridge without a car and it wasn't much fun dealing with the MTA late at night. Of course, having a car in Bay Ridge w/o a parking space isn't too easy either.
Because it's cheaper, even in the center of the city, I think the OP is saying to himself, for X dollars I can get a condo in the central core of Boston. NYC is exciting but to get a condo for comparable money I'd have to move out to Gravesend and schlep on the train. And to him (and a lot of NYC transplants, it's like "what's the point in that?." I've got a lot more respect for the outer boros but at some point, if you're going to spend 45 mins on the train you might as well have some space for what you pay.
I do know people who live in Newton, Belmont, Arlington and Melrose without cars. In some parts of those towns it's not so bad, other areas are more suburban and it's tougher. It's true that Newton's definitely not cheap but it's still cheaper, and closer to downtown, than comparable NYC suburbs.
OP--I could never agree with you that Bay Ridge is ugly. It's my mom's family's ancestral home and it's a very nice neighborhood.
Well the OP claimed there are no "normal" people in NYC...and qualified that by saying if you are third or 4th generation American (white I assume)..there is no place for you there. Presumably only 4th generation people are "real" Americans and "normal"..all us other folks are just weirdos. Yet another dumb statement by the op.
Yea I'm not looking for a house just maybe a 1 or 2 bedroom condo in brownstone Brooklyn. I'd guess our budget would be maybe 300k-450k From what I've seen we'd be sacrificing a lot to get a place in that range.
Well the OP claimed there are no "normal" people in NYC...and qualified that by saying if you are third or 4th generation American (white I assume)..there is no place for you there. Presumably only 4th generation people are "real" Americans and "normal"..all us other folks are just weirdos. Yet another dumb statement by the op.
You are really putting words in my mouth there, by normal I mean the word more in the sense of the average not as if there is some norm that is being adhered to, race for instance.
I am not putting words in your mouth, you said "normal"..and qualifed it with 4th generation being "normal" and there is no place for those "normal" 4th generation people. I think that was quite clear...I did assume the race issue..but that's because your use of "normal" and "4th generation" are code words for white, whether you meant it purposelly or subconsciously. I still suspect thats what you mean because there are LOTS of 4th generation people in NYC..they are just not "white". If you want avg/"normal", or everyone to be like you, you should live somewhere else..everything about NYC is extraordinary...which is kinda why people wanna be here.
There is life outside Brownstone Brooklyn I swear...and who knows..you may even like it! Sounds like you want your cake and eat it too...you are gonna have to make some sacrifices..welcome to adulthood.
"Fair enough, but there's completely carfree and carfree in the sense of "not entirely car dependent." I've pretty much always been a city person. No desire to move to TX or NC or whatever because it's super-cheap or no taxes. So I didn't have a car until I was 33 and I still don't use it to commute to work, or really all that much except for weekend trips outside the immediate metro area. I just grab the bus on the corner. In that sense the inner core of Metro Boston is a good place for an "urban" lifestyle. "
I suppose I could try to come up with similar commuter rail oriented NY towns. But Im not sure thats to the point. Hes an engineer, and prefers commuting without a car - while to me that seems quite constricting even in Boston (where MOST tech jobs are on or beyond 128) its certainly true that Cambridge and adjoining areas have such jobs near the T, and he may have a particular job in line that fits the bill. Unless he is interested in tech media, ISPs, or the like in NYC he is likely to have to drive to a tech job. IF you must commute without a car, AND are an engineer, Boston is probably much better bet.
Yea I'm not looking for a house just maybe a 1 or 2 bedroom condo in brownstone Brooklyn. I'd guess our budget would be maybe 300k-450k From what I've seen we'd be sacrificing a lot to get a place in that range.
what part of Boston are you looking at? have you actually compared salaries in your field? are they the same (or close to it)? cause I agree if you have no special draw to NY, and the salaries are the same, I would say stay in Boston. If you DO have a draw, well its a tradeoff, and probably worth exploring more.
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