Moving to Boston and do not know where to center my apartment search (Quincy: rent)

[djnaulty]

To Boston residents
My wife and I will be moving out towards boston. I will be starting work in july. I will be looking for and apartment and I am feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the choices. I am trying to find a place where my wife will feel safe when I am at work. I don't really even know which cities to start looking in.
Here are some of the things I am looking for. Any help would be great

Max Rent 1400
Heat and water included
1 or 2 bedroom
Cat friendly
At least 1 off street Parking
Commute on T or Commuter Rail(35 min or less)
Close to Restraunts or nice walking area near shops
Less dense of population
Preferably not a complex
Most important would be safety, a place where my wife can walk around during the day

It would be great to know which cities to look in to narrow down my search
Thanks

[TAM88]

I think Quincy would be a good option for you. I lived in North Quincy for a couple of years and loved it. There are multiple stops on the red line in Quincy (North Quincy, Wollaston, Quincy Center and Quincy Adams) and it's right near the expressway (93).

It will be easier to find a place with off street than say South Boston, or the South End.

Plenty of nice areas to walk, especially along Quincy Shore Drive during the Spring, Summer and Fall.

Rents are not too bad in the area. I paid less than $1300/month for a 1 bed, 1.5 bath (could have been 2 beds, but the second room did not have a closet in it so they could not call it a second room) with 2 off street spots.

The area is pretty safe. I never felt unsafe walking around at all hours of the day and there is plenty of street lighting which is nice.

If you like Asian food it's perfect given the large Asian population and variety of offerings.

[Boston_Burbs]

Oak Square/Brighton center.

[ogre]

Commuting time will depend partly on where you work, and how long it will take to get there once you've arrived in Boston, or at the nearest rail or T station in the city where your job is located if not Boston. Thinking about areas that fit your criteria within comfortable commuting time to Boston itself, three towns that come to mind are Arlington, Melrose, and Wakefield. The first two are in a transitional zone where you get a mix of urban and suburban character, which means some room to breathe while still being able to walk to local shopping from many neighborhoods. In Arlington you'd want to be near Mass. Ave. for the combination of nearby shopping and the transit bus line. Wakefield is more suburban, but still has a downtown area with some variety.

Second the suggestions above (Quincy, Oak Square), with the caveat that anywhere in Brighton, including Oak Sq., might be more densely built than you'd really prefer, depending on what you mean by "less dense." In most of Brighton you're talking single-family houses, but they're very close together.

[jayrandom]

Arlington/Belmont/Watertown could all be options, depending on where in Boston you're going and your level of comfort with density.

[venky.tx]

You have high expectation on the value for $$$. Boston is one of the expensive city in east coast due to college going crowd. You will get 1BHK apt in the range of $1400 but not including utilities.
I live in Boston suburbs and can recommend two towns based on my exp:

a) Burlington/Woburn : Close to I95/I93 highways and all shops are within these towns. T
b) Norwood: South side. Commuter rail is convenient and safe town with lot of families.

You can also look at Malden which is on Orange line..but you need to compromise the community as it is more of urban setting.

[konfetka]

You might be able to find something in Salem or Beverly with a walking area near shops, restaurants and a train station 30 minutes away from Boston.