Route 128 vs Silicon Valley (Boston, Cambridge: apartment, rent, job market)

[GoldenTiger]

Have an upcoming trip to Boston in March and as a techie, would like to get a chance to spend some time to tour around Route 128. How does it compare to Silicon Valley? Here are some specific questions:

1. Is there a bus or train line that goes through much of Route 128? Is it possible for most IT workers along Route 128 to commute to work using public transit? Most guides to Boston discourage tourists from driving there!

2. How is the current job market for IT professionals there?

3. Which neighborhood or city is popular among IT professionals with children to live in and what is the average rent for a 2BR apartment? For those familiar with Silicon Valley, a city like Fremont, CA is what we are looking for (very diverse, have good schools, safe, has BART to go to SF, etc.)

4. Is there a restaurant or cafe that is a popular hang out along the route, esp for lunch? Just would like to know how similar/different people are between Route 128 and Silicon Valley. How they dress, what shops are popular around the area, etc.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[FinkieMcGee]

Silicon Valley and the Boston area are difficult to compare but I'll give it a shot

1. No. I would definitely not take public transportation there if I lived somewhere near the city. There might be bus lines going to your workplace, but they're going to be a pain.

2. Funny story, I'm looking as well (from the Boston area originally, transplanted to San Diego). I'd say the market is great, I'm not even in Boston and I've gotten a couple calls back for development positions. I have an interview to fly down at the end of the month. Obviously not as good as Silicon Valley but it's still a solid market.

3. I don't know about IT pros (as I said, it's not like the valley and people don't really congregate like that out here) but you might like a suburb closer to the city like Arlington or Lexington. Arlington has easy access into Boston/Cambridge and is a short drive out to 128.

4. I'm not sure about restaurants, when I worked out there I'd just bag my lunch or, if the facility had a cafeteria I'd just buy there. Dress-wise at work, you're probably not going to be wearing a hoodie with jeans You have a chance of this happening if you work at a newer tech company inside Boston/Cambridge though.

[xS☺B☺s]

Originally Posted by GoldenTiger

Have an upcoming trip to Boston in March and as a techie, would like to get a chance to spend some time to tour around Route 128. How does it compare to Silicon Valley? Here are some specific questions:

1. Is there a bus or train line that goes through much of Route 128? Is it possible for most IT workers along Route 128 to commute to work using public transit? Most guides to Boston discourage tourists from driving there!

2. How is the current job market for IT professionals there?

3. Which neighborhood or city is popular among IT professionals with children to live in and what is the average rent for a 2BR apartment? For those familiar with Silicon Valley, a city like Fremont, CA is what we are looking for (very diverse, have good schools, safe, has BART to go to SF, etc.)

4. Is there a restaurant or cafe that is a popular hang out along the route, esp for lunch? Just would like to know how similar/different people are between Route 128 and Silicon Valley. How they dress, what shops are popular around the area, etc.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

128 is a four lane highway in the suburbs of Boston about 10 miles out of the city. It's a highway through small suburban towns. Cafes, shopping, hanging out - none of the above to my knowledge. Not around 128. 128 is where suburbanites drive 80mph bumper to bumper and moms&pops raise 2.5 children in good suburban schools. Think instead office parks with big parking garages. No useful public transit at all.

All the hip cool stuff in Boston is downtown. That's all nowhere near 128.

[seamusnh]

Rt 128 is our Highway 101 (San Francisco to San Jose), but it is curved rather than straight... Add in the weather, the sudden lane drops, a live breakdown land in some places at some times, and it gets very interesting....