Boston a boring city? (Cambridge, Somerville: low income, subsidized, high)

[Cloudship]

Originally Posted by Mr. Burns

How is "academia" relevant in this discussion?

It's saturday night, yes let's head on down to the old MIT campus for some ruckus fun. Sure beats Miami Beach.

Maybe that IS the relevancy here. If you are looking for the club/bar nightlife, Boston is not as much fun as some other cities. but not everyone is looking to get drunk or party all night. I think that is where Boston comes into play - it is not just about Friday and Saturday nights at the club - there are other things going on here. Talks, social events, arts, music (and not just hip-hop), museums, restaurants, etc. I think even the art scene is starting to grow a bit.

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

'But frankly if you are finished with higher ed, grew out of spouts, don't need specific medical care 24/7, don't work for either the city of boston, the state or a major trade union there then why are you there?'

Lol well this is a little ridiculous. Based on just the housing costs around here it's obvious people want to live here. Trust me i think it's become waay overpriced but i do see why people want to live here.

Uh you do realize that Boston has residency requirements for city employees...right? That's 17,000. Yes that's maybe 3% but still. It's been on the books since 1978.

You also have to consider how much is rental property as a percentage of the city. In terms of cash flow if you have property it might be better to rent it out as long as you can raise rents. The other thing to consider how much non taxable property exist in the city as a percentage of the budget of Boston.

If Boston was that desirable then why has Boston Public Schools seen public school enrollment decline since Nixon was president? Can't blame the charter schools since that was before '93. They are about to announce closing 10 of their 125 schools. Half the people in the city make $35,000 or less.

If you actually think that all the property in Boston is residential units (houses, condos etc) and owned by the occupants well that's frankly incorrect.

If the demand was also there why hasn't there been any real increases in supply.
Boston Housing Is Very Expensive and It's All Our Fault

Unless boston does some serious building rents will go up regardless of population.

People also would rather live closer to work but this is how it spills out into the 128 belt. The traffic is so much it goes further out to 495 etc. Why isn't boston then a million people? Five million? Ten million? Because they can't build the units and even if they did they can't sell them for a price that all can afford. This is also why 40B exists but many suburbs around boston (looking at you Hingham!) try to block it.

As for academia I concur. Bars and clubs can get boring by your 30's. It's nice to have some museums or speakers (going to one here in 45 minutes) to see. There's nothing wrong with having a drink but everyone should know when to say when.

If you read this you might get what I mean
The real reason why women drink
It's outright sad, no depressing to see how much is really sold to people as a coping mechanism.

[Whatsnext75]

Well many people that live in boston dont use boston public schools.

And yes police and firefighters have to live in the city the first 10 years on the job then they can move to wherever they want.

I didnt know half the people in the city make less than 35k. That seems hard to believe.

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

Well many people that live in boston dont use boston public schools.

And yes police and firefighters have to live in the city the first 10 years on the job then they can move to wherever they want.

I didnt know half the people in the city make less than 35k. That seems hard to believe.

Well residency goes back and forth depending on the city council members and the union but the fact of the matter is it still requires people to move there as a condition of employment.

Hard to believe? Boston themselves were the ones that reported it.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/...McK/story.html



Boston increasingly is a tale of two cities. The very fact that 9.1% of people working in Boston don't have a high school diploma is horrific to say the least.

"Rosemary Broderick, of South Boston, knows she needs a degree to make a better life for herself. Broderick, 32, works overnights at a drug rehabilitation program for teenage girls, making $11.50 an hour, and relies on food stamps and a free Head Start program for her 4-year-old daughter. She is working toward an associate’s at Bunker Hill Community College and then, she hopes, a bachelor’s.

Broderick lives with her mother, in the same housing development she grew up in, and a friend baby sits for $5 an hour. She longs to get out of South Boston, where she can see the extremes of wealth and poverty practically out her front door.

“It’s like day and night here,” she said. “You walk a couple blocks up the street and they’re driving BMWs and Hummers. You walk down the street and they’re standing in the food line.”

That's bad..


http://owd.boston.gov/wp-content/upl...r8_spreads.pdf
Here's the actual study. It clearly lays it out in the first few pages. It might not "seem" like it's true but it is folks. Boston is not *that* rich when the city is this divided.

I'm pretty far from a liberal but sometimes you do have to step back and see how the other half lives. Boston might seem rich at first but that's because you are generally looking at affluent people, many of which don't really live there. Of course there's a young vibe going on in the city. That's due to academia and even then there's only so far that can go. Any place can become a college town or city if they want to. But the costs of this add up if there's no PILOTS. Today an engine on the orange line died. If the just put a 3% endowment fee to academia and some of the larger non profits they could probably pay off half of the debt of the MBTA. The freeriding has to end sometime.

[timberline742]

I think people on this board would be amazed about how little people make. I recall one poster several months ago that assumed that anyone mid career with and advanced degree is going to have at least hit the 100k mark. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[Whatsnext75]

I certainly don't think everyone is making 200k-300k, not at all. Im just saying i'm surprised by the amount of people who make 35k. This is an expensive city. If I made that myself or my combined family income...I would not stay here. Why stay in a city where you are constantly behind and struggling? If you love Boston that's another story...but most people dont love a place where they are poor basically.

[Cloudship]

Keep in mind that if someone is making $35K a year, chances are they are not living alone, probably not living in a good area, probably are receiving some kind of assistance, etc. Also, remember that a number of those results include students. so, results do need to be taken with a grain of salt and need to be understood in their entirety.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by Cloudship

Keep in mind that if someone is making $35K a year, chances are they are not living alone, probably not living in a good area, probably are receiving some kind of assistance, etc. Also, remember that a number of those results include students. so, results do need to be taken with a grain of salt and need to be understood in their entirety.

What?

I made 24k four years ago. I lived with two roommates on Comm Ave in brighton. I took no assistance.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by ABeautifulDayOutside

It's not necessarily boring, but it definitely lacks the nightlife punch its peer cities have (DC, Philly, SF, etc.) because of sort of arrested philosophy stuck in time (Puritans). Archaic laws.

It's definitely not a place for a wild weekend. Very serious kind of vibe, which does kind of suck.

Other than the no happy hour thing (which I don't see as really preventing the city from having a "wild weekend" vibe), what archaic laws does it really have?

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by ABeautifulDayOutside

Drinking Laws in Massachusetts Aren’t Puritanical — They’re Worse

Right, so nothing really unique about Mass. today other no happy hour specials.