Moving to Boston in the Fall... (Cambridge, Newton: apartment, to rent, lofts)

[PuritanPundit]

At least probably. My wife has been offered a job in downtown Boston, not too far from the North Station. We're looking at the housing options. We'll probably rent for a year and then decide if we'd like to buy something or not. We're thinking about a condo somewhere keeping the downtown commute to 30 minutes or so, preferably on the T. Downtown would be great but I'm pretty sure we won't be able to afford much there since we are looking at capping rent at $2500/month. We'd like to have a two bedroom place, fairly urban but not too young (I'm 50, my wife is a few years younger). We'll be condensing down from a 2000 sq/ft home (with a two car garage and basement) so any extra space would be appreciated. I'm hoping we can find something around 1000 - 1200 sq/ft but I'm thinking 800 sq/ft is doable (though we may need to find storage space for some of our stuff we're not willing to part with). We currently own two cars but will probably get rid of one of them unless we can find someplace with two dedicated parking spaces. Given that outline, does anyone have any suggestions as to where we should look?

Next, what are the job prospects for IT folk in the Boston area? Most likely I'll be leaving a fairly well paying consulting gig when we move and will spend some time unemployed. Obviously, I want to keep that time as short as possible. Also looking to keep the commute down and driving probably isn't an option for my job.

Just found city-data.com today. I've already gathered a lot of useful information.

Thanks in advance!

[loveautumn]

Not sure what prompted this move or where you are moving from but seems like you are giving up alot. At 50 years of age to start looking for a job is pretty difficult, especially without having contacts in a new city. At 50 you wouldn't want to start burning through your savings and retirement funds. But sounds like your wife's job is a done deal. I love Boston, it's a great city, wish I could afford to live there myself. Storage and 2 parking spaces...that will get expensive unless you move way out into the burbs.

[Cantabridgienne]

Cambridge might be up your alley. Your budget would get you a two-bedroom place (though you may have to give up size for an updated apartment, or vice versa). You'd get the urban amenities I'm guessing you are looking for (walkability, public transportation, restaurants, arts, etc.) of downtown but you might get a bit more space and it's definitely a diverse city/area, age-wise.

If you wanted to stay in Boston, the South End might work for you.

[NotAPrincess]

You might look at Brookline near Coolidge Corner, Washington Square, or Brookline Village. You'd be on the green line which goes to North Station. Those areas are semi-urban. The problem with Brookline is that you need offstreet parking if you have a car (Brookline doesn't allow overnight parking on the street), and that'll make it tougher to find an apartment.

Cambridge (somewhere between Porter and Harvard Squares) would also work. Your wife could take the red line to Charles/MGH and walk from there (it's very close to N. Station) depending on exactly where her office is. If walking is a problem, then she could go one stop further to Park street and change to the green line to N. Station. The advantage of Cambridge is that they allow overnight street parking, so as long as you keep on top of the street sweeping schedule and move your car accordingly, you don't need an offstreet spot.

If you are willing to look outside what Bostonians commonly refer to as "the city" (which would include Boston proper, most of Cambridge, and some of Brookline), then any of the commuter rail lines that terminate at North Station would also work, which opens up a bunch of suburbs including Winchester and Belmont, both of which are very nice places to live and are quite close to urban amenities.

[zaphod001]

You could also try Jamaica Plain, near the Stony Brook or Green Street stations on the Orange line (which stops at North Station). You might be able to find a place with off-street parking there.

Good suggestion from NotAPrincess to look at communities that have commuter rail going to North Station.

Good suggestion from Cantabridgienne to look at Cambridge, also look just over the border in Somerville near the Davis Square area, which is the end of the Red Line T and a fun place to live.

[orangetravelerJP]

You are doing what my husband and I just did! And I am here to say it can be done...and happily. It is just a change of mindset to go from a decently sized house to a smaller apartment. But it is one that we are SO glad that we did and I hope you'll feel the same once you get to the area.

Anyway, there are many options for you. We were surprised to find out how quickly the outskirts of the Boston area become suburban or even rural. If you want to live in an urban area, there are many options listed in the previous posts. But if you are considering a less city atmosphere (or are interested in a larger living space or more land), you can easily live outside of the city and take the commuter rail to North Station. We didn't think that we could find a house to rent that would approximate the size of our previous home but we found many options.

We opted to go a semi-urban route (but much more urban than we were used to) and are pleased with our decision. We wouldn't change a thing about our move! But I wanted to let you know that there are decent options if you decide to live outside of the city since getting to North Station is very easy by commuter rail.

[PuritanPundit]

Thanks, everyone. I was looking at the commuter rail lines heading north and thinking that almost anything within 30 minutes might work. Looks like most of the 'burbs within I-95 would be reasonable to look at. However, most of what I saw there looks a bit too suburban for what we want. Yeah, walkability, public transportation, restaurants are high on our list. We've been in Columbus, Ohio for over 20 years and are looking to live a little more urban. And with the job change it looks like the opportunity to try and make it happen.

Is anybody familiar with the Lofts at Lower Mills in Dorchester? That would require a line change on the T for my wife to get to work but we both like the floor plans and the pictures of the condos. What is Dorchester like?

TIA

[wxjay]

^I would not consider Dorchester from both a commute standpoint and also from a neighborhood standpoint. The area is, in general, quite rough.

Stick to Brookline, Cambridge, or Davis Square near Somerville for much better options.

[NotAPrincess]

Originally Posted by wxjay

^I would not consider Dorchester from both a commute standpoint and also from a neighborhood standpoint. The area is, in general, quite rough.

Stick to Brookline, Cambridge, or Davis Square near Somerville for much better options.

I agree.

[MassVt]

Stay away from Dorchester, at least for the time being.

Consider the communities of Cambridge and Belmont ( for the Red Line), and Newton ( for mult Green Lines). Also, keep in mind a commute to South Station, which is not that far from North Station, and would open up other suburban possibilities to the south and west. All of these communities can be expensive, but given your budget, you can do it.

BTW, some Green line trains go right to North Station, so I would strongly recommend Newton, a nice, prosperous town/city with with tree-lined streets and direct access to downtown Boston.