Relocating to Boston or Chicago - Advice needed (Brookline: sales, condo)

[daisydays]

My husband and I are looking at a relocation to either Boston or Chicago. I am cross posting in both city forums. We have limited time to visit both cities before making a choice so I would appreciate some advice. Both cities look affordable for us - we are more interested in finding the best fit for us as a family as we will likely be there until retirement.

We currently live in North Carolina but I am from Los Angeles and my husband is from Des Monies. We've been married two years and have no children yet but plan to start our family soon. I am 26 and he is 32. I have family mostly in California, Arizona and Colorado. He has family in Iowa, Nebraska, Indiana and Ohio.

We are catholic and would like an active church community. We would like to enroll our future children in parochial schools. We are outdoorsy. We like to hike and camp and my husband is an avid bowhunter. I love to garden. We are sports fanatics. Especially baseball and hockey and we love going to games. We really enjoy live entertainment. Concerts, ballet, comedy shows, musicals. These are the types of things we do for fun. Both cities seem to offer this in abundance.

Looking at where he would be working both seem to be towards city center and the suburbs seem to be a bit of a commute. Are there any neighborhoods closer into the city that we should be looking at that are still family friendly?

As far as weather goes I am actually looking forward to having some seasonal weather and I enjoy cold and snow. Probably because I grew up in SoCal. My husband having grown up in Iowa is not looking forward to snowy winters again. Haha.

Any advice? What can you tell me about living in these cities? What should we look for on our visits?

TIA

[bohemka]

I've lived in both. If this really is a move that you plan on sticking with until retirement, and you're 26, I'd suggest you spend some more time in each to get a better feel.

That said, off the top of my head:

Chicago is obviously much, much better for proximity and travel to and from your families. That may be a big deal or not.
Chicago's entertainment options far exceed Boston's. Boston and surrounds offer quite a bit, but Chicago is on another level. The universities do pull in quite a bit of interesting programs, though, and if you're vigilant you can catch some interesting stuff that doesn't fall into the standard commercial fare.
Chicago's sports fans have a much more healthy approach to sports than do Boston's.
Boston offers far superior access to hiking, camping, ocean beaches and outdoorsy stuff in general.

As for where you'd want to live in each city, it depends entirely on where you need to get to, and what you have to spend.

Kind of a big question and hard to answer, but that's my personal quick comparison. Best of luck.

[chicagoliz]

What is your budget? That is going to be the biggest deciding factor, in terms of which towns you'll look at (in either city -- both have some great suburbs with good city access, but you will pay for those).

Chicago has closer ties to AZ, and all those midwestern states connected to your husband's family. (Beyond the mere physical proximity.)

Both cities will provide all those live entertainment options you like, and both have all the major sports teams. (And the Cubs are finally good. If you want inexpensive baseball, you can go see the White Sox.) Both Fenway and Wrigley are great.

Boston has better access to ocean beaches, and to NYC.

I think you'll find what you want in either city. Boston is a tad more expensive. If I could choose, I'd pick Chicago, because it is the best. But really, both are great cities and have many similar offerings.

[bigfatdude]

Will you be making enough to qualify for a $500,000 mortgage (1 bedroom condo in nicest parts of town or two bedroom in OK parts of town) or drop $2,500/month on rent? If so, you'll love Boston. If not, Chicago would be a much better option.

[MassVt]

Boston is very pricey, a bit more so than Chicago. Chicago has fine beaches due to its border with Lake Michigan. Chicago is a little colder, Boston is more prone to big snowstorms ( nor'easters). Chicago would provided better proximity for family members, while Boston offers an unparalleled collegiate scene, with numerous colleges and universities in its metro area. Both cities offer extensive mass transit , although only Chicago offers several 24/7 subway lines.

All other things being equal, Chicago offers a bit more, and is easier on your wallet...

[bjimmy24]

Chicago has lower rents in general, but don't be fooled- you will be taxed like crazy when it comes to sales tax. Even NetFlix! That said, it's still a bit cheaper than Boston.

I too am 26 and I also have family in Ohio and Indiana, and it is a pain to be out here in Boston, honestly. Obviously I am still here and have had great opportunities in Boston, but I find it very hard to believe I'll be here in 5 years. The distance can be a frustrating factor.

I'd go for Chicago (actually I'd prefer Milwaukee if I were going to be in that general area) but I'm not going to say don't consider Boston. I've made it work well here and others can too. However, I think the fact that you brought up family in the midwest and your husband being 32 makes your situation a bit different.

[sharencare]

Boston is a great place to raise a family. We love, love, love the amenities in Boston. We go to the museums, plays, and shows all the time and there's always something new. Even the small regional theaters are great and there's so many local colleges and universities nearby that there's always some interesting event happening. We recently saw a gorgeous production of Eugene Onegin at the Boston Ballet, and even my burly husband couldn't stop talking about it for days. We're just excited to raise children in the city because there are so many great kids activities at Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Children's Museum, Museum of Science, and New England Aquarium. Also, you don't have to wait until your kids are teenagers to introduce them to theater. There are family friendly shows at the Wheelock Family Theater (e.g. Mary Poppins), Boston Ballet (e.g. Cinderella, Nutcracker), and the Boston Pops. I remember growing up in Boston attending the Boston Symphony rehearsals and Berklee Performance Center matinees, and those kind of experiences got me hooked very young.

If you decide if you like Boston, and are property hunting, you should check out West Roxbury, which is a Boston neighborhood. It has a large Catholic community with many young families sending their kids to parochial--so you actually have several school options. There are kids everywhere and it's super safe. The lots are bigger so you're likely to get a yard. The commute into downtown Boston is very easy as there are several commuter train and bus stops.

My husband and I looked at properties in both West Roxbury and nearby Roslindale because we were priced out of Jamaica Plain in Boston. Roslindale is a little denser and has a livelier restaurant scene. It's also a more diverse population and is about 10 minutes closer to downtown Boston. We would have been happy in either neighborhood, but my sense is West Roxbury feels more suburban and a tad sleepier. Both neighborhoods are super friendly with a ton of young families. We ended up in Roslindale and love our street. The kids all play with each other, even though some go to private and others go to public school. We also have a turn-of-the-century Victorian that's 2000+ square feet but our Boston property taxes are about $3600. For Roslindale and West Roxbury you probably could get a similar house in the $490K-$575K range. There are a lot of local family activities (e.g. farmer markets, libraries, parks, parades, playdates, and even free outdoor movies) and lots of mom groups.

Finally, there's some gorgeous hiking up in New Hampshire. Western MA, Maine and Vermont are also great too. The beaches in MA are also beautiful and have lots of hiking trails along the shore. There's also community sailing and kayaking in Boston itself, and several nice city parks.

[Maverick21]

Here are the Pros/Cons of Boston.

Pros:
Great Economy/Jobs
Great Schools
Good Sports
Good/decent Bars/restaurants
People are extremely active in Summer

Cons:
Expensive
Traffic
Cold Winters/Chicago the same

The Cities are similar, but I would choose Boston if you are making a good living.

[Nobodybody]

If affordability was not a factor, as seems to be the case, Boston is the better place to raise a family in my opinion. Educational opportunities are higher, the general intellectual level seems to be higher, and Boston is more of a worldly city in terms of the population. If raising a family is the prime factor, then I'd go with Boston.


It sounds like you will opt for private school, which will open additional options for which town/area you want to live in. Prices of each town or neighborhood are driven by 1) schools, 2) proximity to Boston, and 3) Safety/quality/family friendliness. You could find a family friendly town in or close to Boston that doesn't necessarily have a top public school district, and get more for your money in housing, because you will opt for private school.


What fields do you work in? Boston is thriving in many sectors - for the right fields, Boston salaries and career opportunity may offset or outweigh the higher cost of living as compared to Chicago. Also, I read a lot of bad stuff about Chicago lately - I can't comment firsthand but can say that most of Boston and the surrounding area is very safe.


Lastly, not much bow hunting to be had around Boston. However, I'm from Iowa as well, and love living in New England. Within a few hours (or less) drive from Boston, you have Mountains, Oceans, Lakes, Quaint New England Towns and quiet nature.

[sharencare]

Also, the parochial schools people attend in the Roslindale/West Roxbury area are Holy Name (West Roxbury), St. Theresa (West Roxbury), Sacred Heart (Roslindale), and St. Mary (Brookline). There's also more Catholic options at the high school level. I notice a lot of people will try their luck in the Boston Public School lottery first and used the private as backup. For example, in West Roxbury, if they get a local public elementary school they like (Lyndon, Kilmer), they'll actually save their tuition and skip the private school. If they get into a Boston exam school at the high school level, they also might skip private high school. It's a common strategy to save on tuition. Another perk is that Boston offers through the lottery some K1 seats for four-year-olds, so you can luck out and save preschool tuition for one year. If you get into Boston Latin School (7th to 12th grade), and you're children do well, they can get a lot of scholarship money for college that comes from the alumni association.