Young Married Couple Possibly Relocating to Boston - Where to live? (Cambridge: apartment, condo)

[ImAprilE]

Hello! My husband and I currently live in the Raleigh, NC area, and after 7 years here, it's time to move! We've lived here longer than anywhere else and before we start having kids (3+ years away), we want to start anew somewhere else.

I'm a "big-city" girl at heart and was originally looking into NYC, but after some factors didn't seem realistic, I started looking at other large cities. My husband was actually the one who thought of Boston.

I know it's more expensive.

We're only in the research phase, but if the right opportunity presented itself, we're packing! I'm hoping to have a job opportunity with the Boston American Red Cross in Cambridge. I am on the Board of Directors with the local chapter in Raleigh. My husband is an EMT so more than likely would get on with the Boston EMS Dept. With that said, I'm looking for advice for the best places to live, on a modest budget of course.

We're hoping to stay under $1500 a month. We're happy in an apartment, condo, townhouse, multi-family home, etc., but would like it to be atleast 900-1000sq ft. We have 1 cat & 2 dogs; however, one of the dogs is elderly, so sadly he may not still be with us by the time we move. We would have (1) car, however, we are hoping to live near the "T" to not have to drive in the heavy traffic.

We're not extremely picky, but DO want to live somewhere safe, clean, and not too far away from everything. The whole reason for us moving to Boston is to be near a more vibrant atmosphere.

Can anyone suggest places to live that would maybe suit us? Your help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

April