Moving from Texas to Boston (Cambridge, Somerville: real estate, apartments, rentals) - Massachusetts (MA) - City-Data Forum

kericita · 07-11-2010, 05:30 PM

Hello! I tried searching but I couldn't quite find what I was looking for.

My fiance just got a biomedical engineering job in Burlington, MA, and I work in advertising and will now be looking for a job (would likely end up being in downtown Boston). We need to go look at places to rent soon.

We are both 25 so we want to live somewhere that has lots to do (shopping, night life, good music scene), but I think if we lived in Boston it might be too far of a commute for him? We would like to have it be a decent commute for both of us. I've been to Boston once before, so if we could live in close proximity to a T station that would be good, that way I can take the T downtown and he can drive. And we'd probably want to be able to go to the city on the weekends. I also have a dog, so a nice dog friendly community with dog parks would be great. It would be nice to still have a "city feel"...I don't want to feel like I'm out in the suburbs. We are both done with our college days though so we don't want to live with the college kids.

I know that Boston area is probably more expensive than what I'm used to...we'd like to find a 2br apartment, but maybe 1br if our budget couldn't support that. Is $1500/month enough for an apartment in a good neighborhood with lots of young professionals? We could probably bump up the budget if we had to, but I hate throwing money away on rent if we could get a good place for less.

readymade · 07-11-2010, 06:09 PM

Try Arlington!

lmkcin · 07-11-2010, 06:27 PM

Medford and Somerville are great options too. There are plenty of 20 somethings in those communities. Somerville is right on the red line. Medford has direct access to I-93 which goes right through Burlington.

In Somerville look at the davis Square neighborhood. It's right on the Red Line, plus it has a ton of shops and amenities. Very popular with kids from the Cambridge schools and Tufts U.

1500/month should be fine. It may not inlcude utilities, but it really should be plenty for a large 2br place, especially in the inner 'burbs.

kericita · 07-11-2010, 07:34 PM

Davis square looks like a great area for us to check out! What would the commute be like in the morning for him going to Burlington? Google gives it around 20-25 minutes. Guessing that would be the opposite direction of traffic, so would that be fairly accurate?

Cantabridgienne · 07-12-2010, 09:42 AM

Somerville or Cambridge could work. $1500 would be enough for a one bedroom, probably, depending ont the neighborhood and what you expect in an apartment.

I've commuted from Davis Square to Burlington in the past and it's a pretty easy drive. 20-25 minutes sounds about right.

MassVt · 07-12-2010, 10:46 AM

Davis Square in Somerville ( on the Red Line) would work very well, and you'll be surrounded with lots of 20-something college graduates.

A 2BR in Cambridge would be more expensive ( >1500); Somerville would have quite a few options, as would Medford, Malden, Arlington; Belmont, a very nice city, also may have some apt options; check out " www.boston.com", and look under "rentals: in the Real Estate section...

Make sure to ask about "heat/hot water" for your apt; in some cases, it's included in ther rent; also, you may have to buy an air conditioner for your apt., i.e. a window unit..

readymade · 07-15-2010, 06:28 PM

Somerville is very urban and pretty ugly, fyi. I love Davis Sq (and I used to live in Ball Sq, which is nearbye), but personally I wouldn't want to live there.

I LOVED living in Ball Sq when I was about 20, though, so maybe it just depends on where you are in life. I lived in a big old ugly house with a whole bunch of roomates.

I find that the houses/apartments there are really ugly (lots of vinyl siding) and very close together. I feel somewhat claustrophobic when I'm there.

Medford isn't bad (used to live there too, when I was around 22). Malden is awful (I grew up there and my mom & sister live there now). I live in Arlington now, and I like it a lot. Belmont is beautiful, but I don't know much about it. My mom says it's somewhat conservative, if that's your thing, but I really don't know if that's true.

I like Arlington because it's a mix of urban & suburban. It's close to Burlington (10-15 minutes) and it's close to Cambridge & Somerville (10-15 minutes). It's pretty. There's a (albeit small) Trader Joe's. It's walkable, depending on where you live. You can pretty easily catch Rt 2 to Alwife Station (the Red Line). There are a bunch of decent places to eat in the center.

chalcedony · 07-16-2010, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by readymade

Somerville is very urban and pretty ugly, fyi. I love Davis Sq (and I used to live in Ball Sq, which is nearbye), but personally I wouldn't want to live there.

Awww, Somerville iain't that bad, is it?!

I lived in Cambridge from 07 to 09, and if I moved back there again, I would definitely choose Somerville. Sure, it isn't as posh as most of Cambridge (with the possible exception of Davis Square) but it's significantly cheaper and just as convenient for getting to DT Boston or various sights around Cambridge.

From what I hear, it has come a long long way from its Slum-erville days. Most of the city is pretty safe, and a number of the residential streets are tree-lined. Union Square is still a little sketchy, but it has a great variety of multi-ethnic stores and restaurants so it's also a fair amount more eclectic than the more fully gentrified Davis Square.

$1500 might get you a 2BR in Somerville, but I can't think of any 2BR in Cambridge at that price, unless it's a complete dump or in a really dodgy area.

readymade · 07-16-2010, 10:49 AM

It really just depends on what you want out of a living situation.

I wanted a cute house & yard with some space between my neighbors & myself but not feel like I'm in suburbia.

Incidentally, I rent a 1800 sq ft 3/4 bedroom house for $1500. However, it's a complete dump (which I didn't realize when I moved in).

My advice is to find a place that has either gas heat or where the landlord pays for the heat. It's worth it to pay more for that. Also? New windows. Very important. (our heating bill was more than half our rent every month. We thought we were getting such a great deal, too!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by chalcedony

Awww, Somerville iain't that bad, is it?!

I lived in Cambridge from 07 to 09, and if I moved back there again, I would definitely choose Somerville. Sure, it isn't as posh as most of Cambridge (with the possible exception of Davis Square) but it's significantly cheaper and just as convenient for getting to DT Boston or various sights around Cambridge.

From what I hear, it has come a long long way from its Slum-erville days. Most of the city is pretty safe, and a number of the residential streets are tree-lined. Union Square is still a little sketchy, but it has a great variety of multi-ethnic stores and restaurants so it's also a fair amount more eclectic than the more fully gentrified Davis Square.

$1500 might get you a 2BR in Somerville, but I can't think of any 2BR in Cambridge at that price, unless it's a complete dump or in a really dodgy area.

TheWereRabbit · 07-17-2010, 04:41 PM

I realize the bus doesn't have the elegance and glamor of the T, but there is a direct bus route from Alewife to the Burlington mall (which is probably around where he will be working). It is probably not enough of advantage over driving to do on a daily basis, but just something to consider.