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Yeah, JP is getting more expensive every year. You can still find 3-bed apartments at that price, but they're going to be right up against Jackson Sq. and/or Forest Hills, and even then the rents are rising along those stations.
Do NOT move to JP friend, especially with a 6 month old. You sound like your both professionals and can afford a better community than JP. If you wanna worry about getting shot walking down the street or having your home broken into, than by all means get the bang for your buck.
Lifetime MA resident here, and don't be fooled by increasing home prices, JP, Mission Hill, Roxbury, are all the worst places to live around the Longwood area. Steer clear, there are many better choices that offer public transportation to the Longwood medical area, and within 10 miles.
Do NOT move to JP friend, especially with a 6 month old. You sound like your both professionals and can afford a better community than JP. If you wanna worry about getting shot walking down the street or having your home broken into, than by all means get the bang for your buck.
Lifetime MA resident here, and don't be fooled by increasing home prices, JP, Mission Hill, Roxbury, are all the worst places to live around the Longwood area. Steer clear, there are many better choices that offer public transportation to the Longwood medical area, and within 10 miles.
Um, this is 2012 (almost 2013), not the 1970s. JP is not full of all-out-warfare; people are not being gunned down on the street. It's not 100% safe but there are families of all walks of life in this neighborhood, and they seem to be doing more than alright.
Thanks for insightful comments. Just to clarify a few things and to provide some more insight on the two of us. Post grad grad school we've lived in Minneapolis and Philly and we’re in our early 30’s so we’re comfortable in both suburban and urban areas. Having diversity in the area is important but given our near term priorities safety, space and convenience are our top concerns right now.
I just think we have a few conflicting goals right now. We want space and convenience for our money (2 bdr, 1+ bath, in unit laundry and parking for up to $3K/mo) and would prefer to feel like we’re connected to city rather than living in suburbia. The other main priority is trying to ensure that my wife has a safe and comforting commute to work. She’ll be a fellow at Beth Israel so she’ll be working 70-80hrs /wk and will periodically have to take call or go in at odd hours. I’m thinking that if she has to go back to the hospital at say midnight , she could drive but if she has to stay late I would be worried about her taking the train back to JP.
So given the overriding safety concerns I think Brookline could fit our parameters or if we want more space with a decent commute for both of us Newton could work.
I would love to hear additional thoughts on whether Brookline or even Newton could work or if there are other areas that we should be considering.
Lastly if we plan on moving in June what should our apartment hunting timeline for Boston look like?
Brookline is the better choice in my opinion. There are plenty of medical professionals here. My wife is in private practice herself (we are in Brookline). I personally interviewed with BI and a couple others but ended up choosing MGH. BI sounded like a great place though. We have a Fellow who works at BI living in our building as well.
I think Brookline offers what you want. Diversity is not huge, but still OK. Newton is safe but it is very much the burbs. Brookline is much more of a community and has a high amount of families that are transplants from other places. Many (like us) don't have family here so we seek out others, which makes it an open and friendly place. Smart and nice people too. Come and drive through the areas of Newton and Brookline if you can and you'll see what I mean. Both have an excellent school system but Brookline is much better in terms of accessibility to Boston. It's an in demand place despite it's issues (parking being one). And it's a weird mix between urban and suburban. It's a little funky but still professional. It's hard not to like Brookline, but easy to not be able to afford it. We have a 5 yr old - daycare here is pricey.
We rented for a little over a year and then decided to buy. Newton is more out of the way and removed from the action. I don't think your wife will appreciate the commute from Newton.
Look at the real estate listings on line, then go to the MBTA website. THey have a handy trip planner so you can enter the start and end location and then it'll tell you how to get to your destination. That'll give you a good idea of her commute from different areas. You can of course also use google maps to do something similar. If you decide on Brookline, she may be able to walk. I usually run to work to bike (about 4 miles one way for me). The T can get pretty crowded sometimes and I can get to work pretty much just as fast running.
The good places in Brookline get snapped up fast. You gotta be ready to move on places here. Lots of realtors here too so it's important to get a good one who will work for you. And Brookline has different neighborhoods with different feels. Coolidge Corner is (arguably) the best (very walkable, safe, close to things, lots of shops and eatieries, a fun community theater, etc.) but is teh most expensive too.
Hope your wife likes it at BI...Automatic ride to Harvard Faculty...whoop whoop!
Do NOT move to JP friend, especially with a 6 month old. You sound like your both professionals and can afford a better community than JP. If you wanna worry about getting shot walking down the street or having your home broken into, than by all means get the bang for your buck.
Lifetime MA resident here, and don't be fooled by increasing home prices, JP, Mission Hill, Roxbury, are all the worst places to live around the Longwood area. Steer clear, there are many better choices that offer public transportation to the Longwood medical area, and within 10 miles.
Uh, yeah, right, ok
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coonies
Thanks for insightful comments. Just to clarify a few things and to provide some more insight on the two of us. Post grad grad school we've lived in Minneapolis and Philly and we’re in our early 30’s so we’re comfortable in both suburban and urban areas. Having diversity in the area is important but given our near term priorities safety, space and convenience are our top concerns right now.
I just think we have a few conflicting goals right now. We want space and convenience for our money (2 bdr, 1+ bath, in unit laundry and parking for up to $3K/mo) and would prefer to feel like we’re connected to city rather than living in suburbia. The other main priority is trying to ensure that my wife has a safe and comforting commute to work. She’ll be a fellow at Beth Israel so she’ll be working 70-80hrs /wk and will periodically have to take call or go in at odd hours. I’m thinking that if she has to go back to the hospital at say midnight , she could drive but if she has to stay late I would be worried about her taking the train back to JP.
So given the overriding safety concerns I think Brookline could fit our parameters or if we want more space with a decent commute for both of us Newton could work.
I would love to hear additional thoughts on whether Brookline or even Newton could work or if there are other areas that we should be considering.
Lastly if we plan on moving in June what should our apartment hunting timeline for Boston look like?
I spent ten years in Minneapolis prior to moving to Boston, and I also spent time living in JP before moving to Maryland. JP is not that bad, in fact, I consider it to be way more safe than MPLS any day of the week. Not sure where you lived in in MPLS, but JP has the same feel as Whittier, Lyn-Lake, and N.E. MPLS, while Brookline is more of an Uptown with an emphasis on Lake Calhoun with one exception: there is a heckofalot more foot traffic in Brookline. And the no overnight parking is pure BS.
As for the train back to JP...the Green Line (E), probably not going to happen as it barely goes into JP. The Orange Line, I've rode the last train many times to Forrest Hill and walked to near Jamaica Pond numerous times, all without incident or even the threat of incident.
Doesn't matter, Beth Israel is not really accessible by T, anyways, without a bit of walking and/or transferring trains. From Brookline you would have to take the C Line to Kenmore, then transfer to the D Line and sort of backtrack (honestly, it might be faster just to walk to Beth Israel depending on where in Brookline you live). and From JP: E Line to Copley (or is it Hynes?) to D Line, or, Orange Line to Downtown Crossing then Red Line to Park St if you are lazy or scared to walk to the tunnel, and from Park St: D Line or E Line (Beth Israel is about equal walking distance from either line, but probably more comfortable coming from the D Line). Or just the D Line, depending on where in Brookline you live. .
I’m thinking that if she has to go back to the hospital at say midnight , she could drive but if she has to stay late I would be worried about her taking the train back to JP.
If you're used to Philly, you can handle Boston. Boston is so much safer than Philly hands-down.
Remember -- The T doesn't run 24/7. If it is that late at night, you'll be driving her in!
I've worked in LMA for 5 years and parking and driving in Longwood in miserable and 250-300+ a month. Honest. And to get to assigned parking, you have to take the shuttle to the assorted lots (down by Fenway Park and the Landmark building). Check out MASCO | Medical Academic and Scientific Community Organization, Inc. for more information about getting around in the LMA area.
You can't really get to the Orange line off hours to get out into JP. She would be on the green line - B train which stops at the top of South Huntington. If you were more into JP, she would still have to walk/bus it to Huntington to take the 39 bus up Centre St. No one wants to walk that far after pulling a 20 hour shift.
In Brookline (not a bad choice), look for places on the green line for the "D" Riverside train -- heading out towards Newton.
If she bikes, it is safe, with proper gear and headlights, to ride a bike back and forth from BI campus to Brookline Village or Coolidge Corner Brookline at any time at night. Much faster and easier to get around than walking.
Brookline is great if you can deal with the uppity people -- demanding little town that one is. It's nice, but there's not really much going on there. It's great for people who like that sort of thing...where you never really have to leave. Seriously, it's nice, but it's bland.
Thanks for insightful comments. Just to clarify a few things and to provide some more insight on the two of us. Post grad grad school we've lived in Minneapolis and Philly and we’re in our early 30’s so we’re comfortable in both suburban and urban areas. Having diversity in the area is important but given our near term priorities safety, space and convenience are our top concerns right now.
I just think we have a few conflicting goals right now. We want space and convenience for our money (2 bdr, 1+ bath, in unit laundry and parking for up to $3K/mo) and would prefer to feel like we’re connected to city rather than living in suburbia. The other main priority is trying to ensure that my wife has a safe and comforting commute to work. She’ll be a fellow at Beth Israel so she’ll be working 70-80hrs /wk and will periodically have to take call or go in at odd hours. I’m thinking that if she has to go back to the hospital at say midnight , she could drive but if she has to stay late I would be worried about her taking the train back to JP.
So given the overriding safety concerns I think Brookline could fit our parameters or if we want more space with a decent commute for both of us Newton could work.
I would love to hear additional thoughts on whether Brookline or even Newton could work or if there are other areas that we should be considering.
Lastly if we plan on moving in June what should our apartment hunting timeline for Boston look like?
I think you really need to scope out the areas first. They are all distinct. Newton is suburbs, Brookline is in between, and Jamaica Plain is an urban area, even though there are plenty of homes with lawns and fences there as well. Newton is going to feel like you're in suburbia. Brookline, in most places, is still a part of the city, and you're going to feel connected. Personally, I don't think JP has that much more going on than Brookline if you're going to be in the Village or Coolidge Corner areas. Those places have a lot going on and feel just as alive as the city, more so than some neighborhoods like Westie. I will say plenty of families live in JP. It's sort of the the closest to Boston's urban center (of the neighbs) that I see as having a sort of family-raising atmosphere. Once you're in Mission Hill or Fenway or Back Bay or Allston, you have a different environment. Saturdays and Sundays I see plenty of families up and down the Jamaicaway all day long walking their kids by the pond, running, etc.
The thing about odd hours is the MBTA has odd hours. Trains don't run all night, and like someone said, BI isn't right next to a station or anything.
I spent ten years in Minneapolis prior to moving to Boston, and I also spent time living in JP before moving to Maryland. JP is not that bad, in fact, I consider it to be way more safe than MPLS any day of the week. Not sure where you lived in in MPLS, but JP has the same feel as Whittier, Lyn-Lake, and N.E. MPLS, while Brookline is more of an Uptown with an emphasis on Lake Calhoun with one exception: there is a heckofalot more foot traffic in Brookline. And the no overnight parking is pure BS.
As for the train back to JP...the Green Line (E), probably not going to happen as it barely goes into JP. The Orange Line, I've rode the last train many times to Forrest Hill and walked to near Jamaica Pond numerous times, all without incident or even the threat of incident.
Doesn't matter, Beth Israel is not really accessible by T, anyways, without a bit of walking and/or transferring trains. From Brookline you would have to take the C Line to Kenmore, then transfer to the D Line and sort of backtrack (honestly, it might be faster just to walk to Beth Israel depending on where in Brookline you live). and From JP: E Line to Copley (or is it Hynes?) to D Line, or, Orange Line to Downtown Crossing then Red Line to Park St if you are lazy or scared to walk to the tunnel, and from Park St: D Line or E Line (Beth Israel is about equal walking distance from either line, but probably more comfortable coming from the D Line). Or just the D Line, depending on where in Brookline you live. .
K-Luv,
How would you compare the weather of the two cities? Does Boston get as cold as Minneapolis and does the winter seem to last as long (Oct-April)? Also what are you thoughts on the best places to live if I am going to work in Woonsocket, RI and she is going to be in the Longwood Medical Area? Given the demands of my wife's schedule we want to be closer to Longwood than RI which why we were considerng JP in the first place but we are still open to other possibilities.
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