Will a 30 YO Working Prof fit in Brighton/Allston/Brookline? (Boston: apartment, for rent)

[locolife]

I'm looking for advice on a place to live near the Mass Pike between 128 and South Boston. Would be relocating from the north shore with a roommate. The budget for rent on a 2bed or 3 bed/2ba is 2600-2700 range. Would need to either have access to street parking or off street parking if available.

I don't know much about the Brighton/Allston/Brookline area other than it can be pricey and there tends to be a lot of college students in the area. For those living there is it so overloaded with undergrads that you're ready to leave for the burbs? Or is there some areas where a young professional would fit in?

Definitely open to other suggestions if you've made this move yourself or a familiar with this part of town. I have also considered Newton, Watertown, and Waltham.

Thanks for the help.

[K-Luv]

I am a 30 something who spent a year in Brighton and moved out 7 months ago. Yes, the location has a boatload of college students, but there are plenty of areas within where it is not so bad. Brookline has even less and would be more suitable, with Allston having the most college students and being more of a pain. I would avoid Allston altogether.

[K-Luv]

Forgot to add...you and your guests will require a permit to park on most Brighton streets, although some streets do not require a permit. The permit is free upon proof of residency/ownership of vehicle...so that means if your guests are not from Brighton, they cannot get a ticket and probably will get a ticket. Allston is the same...and I am thinking the Brighton permit works in Allston, too. But I cannot be sure. Brookline does not allow overnight on-street parking, so you will have to have an off-street spot.

My building in Brighton offered off-street parking for $160 a month, I believe.

One bit of warning, there are hordes of tow trucks that cruise the apartment buildings looking for cars parked in spots "illegally". They operate all day long into the early evening.

[wxjay]

Where is work for you and the roommate? For me, Brighton and Allston are two of the most poorly-situated, inconvenient communities for getting to other metro Boston locations. The Green Line out there is slow and is always super-packed, You have to rely on surface roads to get to a highway, whether tolled or untolled. Parking in the central areas is a mess for late week/weekend evenings. Convenient amenities are a bit away from the 'quieter' parts of the areas.

Just some things to consider. I have friends who live there and love it and others who complain about the headaches I mentioned.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by wxjay

Where is work for you and the roommate? For me, Brighton and Allston are two of the most poorly-situated, inconvenient communities for getting to other metro Boston locations. The Green Line out there is slow and is always super-packed, You have to rely on surface roads to get to a highway, whether tolled or untolled. Parking in the central areas is a mess for late week/weekend evenings. Convenient amenities are a bit away from the 'quieter' parts of the areas.

Just some things to consider. I have friends who live there and love it and others who complain about the headaches I mentioned.

I appreciate it. I'm not familiar with these areas at all, other than driving through a few times I've never spent any time there. I'm also considering Charlestown, Southie, and have thought about Watertown, Newton, and Waltham.

One is a metro west job, so it would be a reverse commute. The other is a traveling job that requires driving all over New England so both of us need cars and of course parking along with easy access to the 90.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

I am a 30 something who spent a year in Brighton and moved out 7 months ago. Yes, the location has a boatload of college students, but there are plenty of areas within where it is not so bad. Brookline has even less and would be more suitable, with Allston having the most college students and being more of a pain. I would avoid Allston altogether.

K-Luv- Where did you end up moving to instead? Did you head for the burbs or stay somewhere closer to the city? Neither one of us are really excited about moving to the suburbs, were both single, no kids, and like the walkable type of lifestyle but past the college years scene.

I know that's not the easiest niche to fit into in Boston but I've got to believe there's plenty of late 20's early 30's working professionals here that still enjoy the city but aren't looking to be in areas with music blasting until 2am every night.

[Cliff Clavin]

Originally Posted by azmntbker

I know that's not the easiest niche to fit into in Boston but I've got to believe there's plenty of late 20's early 30's working professionals here that still enjoy the city but aren't looking to be in areas with music blasting until 2am every night.

Have you considered South Boston? It's mostly late 20's-30's professional types.

[ogre]

When it comes to avoiding the highest concentrations of undergrads, generally once you are west of Market St. Brighton is okay. There are grad students and young professionals and some undergrads around the Brighton Center and Oak Square neighborhoods, but it's not undergrad central like nearly all of Allston, or much of Brighton east of Market St. Brookline is another area to consider if you want to avoid the high concentrations of undergrads. In Brookline you'd want to focus your search toward the northern side of town, as you're getting into suburbia as you go farther south. Look especially around Coolidge Corner and Brookline Village.

You do want to heed the warnings in posts above about transportation and parking issues in Brighton and Brookline. Parking can be a real headache in Boston if you don't know what to be aware of.

I'm guessing that one reason you're asking about Waltham is to put you in a good position for the commute to Metro West. Whether you'd find Waltham appealing would depend in part on how much of an urban feel you want to have all around you. Downtown Waltham has a concentration of young professionals, a solid restaurant scene, and a movie theater that usually shows out-of-the-mainstream fare, not always artsy, but sometimes so, and most of the time something other than the mainstream action and animated flicks you'd find at the megaplex. However, outside of the downtown vicinity, Waltham has a suburban character, so it might not be your top choice if you want the city for miles around you. Good possibility, though, if you want some basic urban amenities and a noticeable population of young pros right in your neighborhood, and would be satisfied to travel into Boston for more serious city experiences.

I'm guessing that the reason you haven't asked about Cambridge or Somerville might be that they're farther than you'd like to be from your Metro West work location. If you could consider commuting that distance, Central, Harvard, Porter, and Davis Squares are neighborhoods you might want to consider. Those areas are more right in the city--even if on the outer fringes in some cases--than Waltham, and they tend not to be overrun with undergrads, but have young professional populations. Something I'm not familiar with is the parking situation in Cambridge or Somerville, so local regulations and the availability of parking would be something you'd want to find out about from people here who are familiar with parking in those cities, if they are in a location you could consider commuting from

[locolife]

Cliff- Yes, Southie is definetly a place I'm considering, I've just heard that besides the north end it's the worst parking in Boston. Is that not true? Since having 2 cards in the HH isn't an option I figured I'd leave it on my short list but only if I could find a place that has coveted parking spots included or available. Street parking, especially in the winter, sounds like it could be a real issue there.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by ogre

When it comes to avoiding the highest concentrations of undergrads, generally once you are west of Market St. Brighton is okay. There are grad students and young professionals and some undergrads around the Brighton Center and Oak Square neighborhoods, but it's not undergrad central like nearly all of Allston, or much of Brighton east of Market St. Brookline is another area to consider if you want to avoid the high concentrations of undergrads. In Brookline you'd want to focus your search toward the northern side of town, as you're getting into suburbia as you go farther south. Look especially around Coolidge Corner and Brookline Village.

You do want to heed the warnings in posts above about transportation and parking issues in Brighton and Brookline. Parking can be a real headache in Boston if you don't know what to be aware of.

I'm guessing that one reason you're asking about Waltham is to put you in a good position for the commute to Metro West. Whether you'd find Waltham appealing would depend in part on how much of an urban feel you want to have all around you. Downtown Waltham has a concentration of young professionals, a solid restaurant scene, and a movie theater that usually shows out-of-the-mainstream fare, not always artsy, but sometimes so, and most of the time something other than the mainstream action and animated flicks you'd find at the megaplex. However, outside of the downtown vicinity, Waltham has a suburban character, so it might not be your top choice if you want the city for miles around you. Good possibility, though, if you want some basic urban amenities and a noticeable population of young pros right in your neighborhood, and would be satisfied to travel into Boston for more serious city experiences.

I'm guessing that the reason you haven't asked about Cambridge or Somerville might be that they're farther than you'd like to be from your Metro West work location. If you could consider commuting that distance, Central, Harvard, Porter, and Davis Squares are neighborhoods you might want to consider. Those areas are more right in the city--even if on the outer fringes in some cases--than Waltham, and they tend not to be overrun with undergrads, but have young professional populations. Something I'm not familiar with is the parking situation in Cambridge or Somerville, so local regulations and the availability of parking would be something you'd want to find out about from people here who are familiar with parking in those cities, if they are in a location you could consider commuting from

Ogre- You summed me up well! I'm looking for a mix of urban lifestyle with just a bit of a more grown up feel than the areas that tend to immediately surround schools. I will look much closer at the parts of Brighton and Brookline you mentioned, that's very helpful thank you!

As far as Cambridge and Somerville go, both those areas are great, commute distance (mileage) could probably work but my concern is getting to the highway each morning can be such a nightmare if you end up 3-4 miles away and add to that a 30 mile commute after you've spent 20 minutes getting to the highway and I don't think it would last very long. Sticking within 5 minutes of the Pike anywhere between Southie and Waltham should keep the commute livable. If I'm judging this wrong let me know, that's just my impression from the time I've spent visiting friends in Cambridge and Somerville. I previously lived in Charlestown and could spend as much as 10 minutes getting through Sullivan square at a rush hour for a reverse commute I had North of Boston. A lot of times it took much longer to get to the highway then the 10 miles I traveled on the highway took.

I will say that Cambridge closer to Harvard would probably be very ideal since Pike access would be fairly close, I do think East Cambridge is probably a bit too far.

Another area I've looked at is Watertown, do you get any type of Urban feel from there?