Boston 3rd highest rent in the nation (Worcester, Washington: middle-class, house)

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

I'll throw this out there too:

I lived for 7 years in Boston. I was at my last job for 4 years, didn't advance at all. I have a job now in Cleveland, with potential bonuses, it could pay more in absolute dollar terms than my last one in Boston. Considering lower cost of living, that's actually a lot more.

In Boston, I lived in Brighton and had 3-4 roommates for years. I had to keep doing this because I could not afford to move out and get anywhere near the same price I was paying. Now? I just moved to downtown Cleveland (Playhouse Square) and live by myself in a 1-bedroom (gym, pool, grilles, other common places etc all on the property and included in the rent, along with all utilities) for almost the same percentage of my income (it is a bit more but worth it to stop living with craigslist randos).

From my experience, there are a ton of part time jobs in Boston, a ton of low level gigs that don't really go anywhere, but people will do them because they think it won't last forever. I don't know, maybe they are right in the long run, but I was completely unwilling to give up my prime years in hopes of something I don't really see any evidence of.

I have fond memories of my time in Boston but I do not miss the low quality of life.

It's pretty dependent on field. I see most of my friends/peers moving up, and move up fast. Even those in academic administration, which is a fairly low level field that I used to work in, hopscotched across Universities moving up pretty frequently. The tech people, well forget about it. The biotech people are ridic. A friend of mine has her own lab before she is 40 in Kenmore. Her vacations are generally funded by people flying her places for interviews or presentations. This isn't that uncommon in certain spheres.


I mean, its not my life, but power to them. It's perplexing to me that people expect every place to be everything. The place (Boston) commands a high price for a good reason. It's not going to be for everyone. I only live in SF briefly, and it wasn't a great fit for me, but its was super clear why it was so desirable to so many. Yet, there are tons of people (mostly that can't afford it) trash talk it as not being a good place to live, or desirable. Same for LA, same for NYC, same for Seattle, etc etc. Places don't become expensive to live in for no reason. Chicago, which I think is one of the greatest bargains for a big city in the U.S. is expensive for the upper Midwest, but Nationally it is super affordable. There is a reason for that, good reasons.

[Bridge781]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

Theyre rolling in dough now but you probably graduated well before me so your friends are established.

You were also entering a much less competitive global workplace .Again there only like 15 ISL schools and then about 30 gold-plated school districts.

Roxbury Latin had to really ease up on grading (they were very open about it according to the friend of my brothers who currently teaches there) to make its graduates competitive at premier institutions. Its jut different now. They had a couple kids the class before me, my class sand after who only got into 1 school, some who went to mass bay, Umass Dartmouth, one who didnt get necessary aid from Morehouse, a kid with a 2150 got reject by UMASS-Amherst in my class because his grades were unimpressive.

The ISL-and what it does most effectively change- every now and then, it doesnt guarantee amazing success they way it used to because of how many school kids apply to nowadays and international money/competition. Also local public schools are just much better than 25 years ago, so youre competing with that-thats why private school is decreasing as a share of our total in-state student population for at least the past 25 years. From what i can piece together prior to the 2010s-and really the 2000s if were being hones-ISL graduation pretty much gave you a cakewalk into corporate success. Its still la tremendous leg up but its just not like that anymore.

They're producing NFL'ers, NBA prospects and Michigan Wolverines and Nebraska Cornhuskers and Ohio State Buckeyes in the ISL now. Its one of the top 3-5 football leagues in New England-who could've foreseen that?

My cousins kid graduated from Roxbury Latin last year and he went to holy cross. I was kind of surprised. Holy cross is very good but RL in my day was notorious for sending boys to Harvard and Ivy League schools. I think the worst school anyone went to was BC. My cousins must be devastated that they have such an underachiever

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

My cousins kid graduated from Roxbury Latin last year and he went to holy cross. I was kind of surprised. Holy cross is very good but RL in my day was notorious for sending boys to Harvard and Ivy League schools. I think the worst school anyone went to was BC. My cousins must be devastated that they have such an underachiever

Yeah, what a loser.


I hope all this is a put on.

[Bridge781]

And no just because you went to an ISL school does not make life a cake walk. Sometimes I wish more parents would get over that and the obsession with living in a town with the best schools possible. People want the best for their kids I get it. But 4 years of high school does not make or break a life.

[Bridge781]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Yeah, what a loser.


I hope all this is a put on.

Um I was being sarcastic. I guess you didn’t pick up on that.

[darkone]

Boston is the “Hub of the Universe” and the greatest city in the world. Surely rental prices should reflect that ...

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by darkone

Boston is the “Hub of the Universe” and the greatest city in the world. Surely rental prices should reflect that ...

"Greater Beantown"

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

My cousins kid graduated from Roxbury Latin last year and he went to holy cross. I was kind of surprised. Holy cross is very good but RL in my day was notorious for sending boys to Harvard and Ivy League schools. I think the worst school anyone went to was BC. My cousins must be devastated that they have such an underachiever

Holy Cross is pretty much the average school kids go to from RL. Some go to worse some go to better but Holy Cross is the sweet spot. Its just not worth the costs-I wouldn't send my kid o RL for a variety of reasons but the diminished value of the diploma is the biggest one. Kids who got asked to leave or just left voluntarily while I was thee literally wen to the same caliber of schools (UNC, Northwestern, Tufts, Colgate..to name a few). My parents and some others i know well have stated they wouldn't send their kids to RL again. A kid who graduated the year after me at RL went to Quinnipiac.
Realistically, every single kid at RL would get all A's at any public school-easily. But when you're at RL you get Bs because of the intelligence of your peers and the (former) old school grading harshness. The school saw this happening and upgraded its facilities, softened the grading and invested in modern amenities like a turf fled and hockey rink (both of which were offered to be donated to them while i was a student and they denied the donations). RL had old field, old uniforms, harsh grades and didnt allow you much flexibility for sports and family commitments and it was hurting them a little bit-so they adjusted.

[Bridge781]

I agree with you bostonbornmassmade. I think if they had sent the kid to public schools he still would have gotten into a school like holy cross.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

Thats how i ended up in Baltimore. A friend of mine from Lynn is down here too. My brother is in Harlem for less than what he was paying in Brighton and my other brother and mom are in Rhode Island. One cousin recently moved to LA, one is in Quincy and one is in Norwood. My grandmother lives in a co-op in Roxbury, my uncle lives in 2004 infill housing in rough part of Four Corners, I have an aunt in Section 8 housing in Roxbury. My father lives in a Hyde Park home he bought in 1996 for 150k.

Either you get a good deal or you gotta get out of the city. Even my friend who works at Deloitte initially found a $1000 a month 1br/studio apartment in Malden but moved into a 2BR in Harbor point for 1900 a month and a roommate. He pays 950 a moth for rent, with better facilities and is closer to his job. Its allabout finding a good situation.

I have a former friend and coworker who did not find a good situation.
She had a mother in Mattapan and a Father in Cambirgde, she went to CRLS, eventually they got displaced form Cambridge and she attended Somerville High School. She went on to Framingham State and got a masters in Education Administration from Boston College. She has found Somerville to be too unaffordable and her apartment complex in Mattapan was recently bought by a developerr renamed and assaw 20% rent hikes. She can no longer afford to live there in Mattapan. Where is she now?living in her damn van converting it to an RV of sorst for full time living. All i can say is NOPE not for me!

But in all my time in Bmore i've never lacked for anything there was in Boston aside from better fashion/shopping and Carson beach. But that is negated because Baltimore has better food options, better location and better weather. Nothing about Bostons prices make sense or make it remotely worth it unless you got a high paying job offer.

It's really, practically, just not that remarkable a place-my wife called it "Orange [New Jersey] with a downtown." I love Boston. it will always be my home and would like living there-for a reasonable rice, otherwise I'm good where i'm at.

Worcester, Providence, and now....Baltimore. One difference, though, is that one can live in Worcester and Providence and still work in Boston, but some may tire of that eventually..

The issue is not just the city of Boston--it's the entire metro area.