Hyde park. (Boston, Quincy, Braintree: crime, neighborhoods, public schools)

[migrjo]

Please tell me everything I need to know, pro and con, about LIVING IN HYDE PARK.

[GeePee]

I would try searching on here. I generally hate that response, but there have been more than a few discussions. Is there something specific you are looking for?

[migrjo]

" Is there something specific you are looking for?"

Whether or not to make it my next home.

[GeePee]

That is not very specific

[migrjo]

I know.

I'm looking for all pros and all cons.

Perhaps I'm not in the right place.

[Boston Shudra]

What do you value in a place? A con for you might be a pro for me..

Are you gonna be commuting somewhere? Do you have a budget? Do you have kids? What’s attracted you to HP in particular vs (for example) Roslindale or Dedham?

I guess if I had to make a stab at it:

The biggest con for me is that Hyde Park is one of the least connected neighborhoods to downtown by transit. There’s commuter rail service to downtown and buses to Forest Hills. But to get downtown without a car is going to take some time.

Conversely, a pro is that it has relatively easy car access to 128, route 1, route 24, and I-93 compared to a lot of the other neighborhoods.

Another pro is that it’s pretty diverse and relatively affordable by Boston standards. So there’s a wide variety of food especially Haitian and other Caribbean food. On the flip side, it’s restaurant and bars will be less polished than in nearby, leafy Dedham or West Roxbury.

[timberline742]

You're not giving enough to work with. Budget. Lifestyle. Commute.
Pros and cons are going to widely vary from person to person.

[massnative71]

Pros:


1. In the city of Boston if you have a job with residency requirement.
2. Less crime than Mattapan, much of Dorchester...
3. Some real nice areas near the George Wright Golf Course, Fairmont Hill...
4. Near to Stony Brook Reservation, Blue Hills...




Cons:


1. Boston Public Schools
2. Higher crime than Roslindale, West Roxbury, Dedham, Milton, Quincy...
3. Far fewer amenities than the above^
4. No real commuting advantage or significant cost savings over nearby suburbs like Dedham, Quincy and Braintree that are also in many ways more appealing.
5. Cleary Square (primary commercial area) is largely a dump.




In short...carries many disadvantages of living in the city without the advantages one might expect, hence its lower price point than most other Boston neighborhoods.

[Boston Shudra]

Originally Posted by massnative71

2. Higher crime than Roslindale, West Roxbury, Dedham, Milton, Quincy...
3. Far fewer amenities than the above^

Having lived in Roslindale, idk if Hyde Park was severely lacking in amenities in comparison. I’d say the same about Westie and Milton too. Dedham and Quincy do have a bit more going on than any of the others.

Edit: Huh. You know, I always thought that the malls and shops along American Legion were in Hyde Park, but google maps says Roslindale. So maybe I spoke too soon.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

Having lived in Roslindale, idk if Hyde Park was severely lacking in amenities in comparison. I’d say the same about Westie and Milton too. Dedham and Quincy do have a bit more going on than any of the others.

Milton you are right, but Westie definitely offers more than HP by a wide margin. Rozzie isn't miles ahead of HP but I would still give it slight advantage (especially on restaurants and access to Forest Hills), they were more on par when I was growing up (HP might have even been better) but the gap has grown.

Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS

Edit: Huh. You know, I always thought that the malls and shops along American Legion were in Hyde Park, but google maps says Roslindale. So maybe I spoke too soon.

It is the border though, to be fair I would give it to both neighborhoods. Therefore it boils down to Rozzie Square vs. Cleary Square, which there is no real contest last I checked.