What are Boston's suburbs like? (Worcester, Plymouth: crime, how much, neighborhoods)

[thr0waway9087654322343546]

Hi there,
I'm possibly considering living in the Boston area because I'm hearing that they have an extremely high quality of life especially with how much benefits they get out of the taxes they pay for compared to other cities/states in America. Also, they have very high paying jobs that could make up for their expensiveness. At the same time, it's an extremely cultured and historical city that seems fun to indulge in. But there's no way I can live in the city proper because it's extremely expensive, so I am considering living in the Boston Combined Statistical Area, and I was wondering what's the best part of that area. Here's all the factors I would consider in a place:

-Cost of living to income ratio (Even though I know that Boston is known for being expensive, they also have very high paying jobs but I still find it hard to find areas that I could afford with my income, and I am going to major in either computer science or mechanical engineering, so I'd like to know what'd be the best place for someone who has a job like that. And even if it's slightly expensive I won't mind but I don't want it to go too far to the point it's uncomfortable.)
-Taxes (I've heard that even though Massachusetts the nickname "Taxachusetts", and Boston does have the most taxes in the entire state, it seems that the taxes do go to use and don't go to complete waste due to any sort of corruption like in Chicago for instance. So I would like to know what benefits do you guys get out of taxes for the most part, because it seems that Boston gets more benefits than most US cities and they also maintain their city very well, so I'd like to know elaborately how good the taxes are put to use, and whether any of you Bostonians feel overtaxed in Boston or is it good enough to you guys.)
-Crime (I know Boston in comparison to other major cities is relatively safe, but I do know that Boston does have some dangerous neighborhoods like Roxbury and Dorchester. So I'd like to know what Boston suburb is crime relatively low at.)
-Amenities
-Commute time to downtown Boston (I've heard that there's new transit systems getting built in Boston and Boston's trying to handle traffic issues. So could any of you elaborate on commute times in Boston?)
-Friendliness (I know Boston has a reputation of being blunt and aggressive and whatnot, so I'd like to know how I'd need to operate in order to get along with people well in Boston. Because even if people are blunt, it seems like Boston isn't extremely arrogant and filled with snobs like in NYC or LA or San Francisco.)
-Access to healthcare facilities
-Air quality
-Walkability
-Proximity to mountains and the Atlantic Ocean
-Natural disasters
-Politics (I'm a center-right-leaning libertarian. But I do know that Boston is very liberal. But it doesn't seem like they go overboard with their liberalism like in San Francisco or Portland. So can any of you confirm for me whether they're tolerant liberals? Because I'm not somebody who gets too much worked up over politics but I can't tolerate crazy far-right conservatives or crazy liberals like the ones in San Francisco or Portland).
-Parks
-Family friendliness (Where are great areas in Boston that are good for raising a family?)
-Racial diversity (As a South Asian myself, I'd like to know where I can find a sizable community in the Boston area, since I do know that Boston's a pretty diverse city and I would like to live in a suburb where whatever the majority race in said suburb is at max 70 percent.)

Please try to consider these counties for me when trying to find a good suburb for me (either of these two states will do, I have no preference. Just please tell me what town in any of these counties is the best fit for me):

Massachusetts: Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Essex, Middlesex, Bristol, Worcester, Barnstable
New Hampshire: Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Belknap

[Guineas]

The suburbs aren't cheap either, at least the ones you can commute to without pulling your hair out.

[timberline742]

Get your education first before worrying about any of the settling down stuff.

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by thr0waway9087654322343546

Hi there,
I'm possibly considering living in the Boston area because I'm hearing that they have an extremely high quality of life especially with how much benefits they get out of the taxes they pay for compared to other cities/states in America. Also, they have very high paying jobs that could make up for their expensiveness. At the same time, it's an extremely cultured and historical city that seems fun to indulge in. But there's no way I can live in the city proper because it's extremely expensive, so I am considering living in the Boston Combined Statistical Area, and I was wondering what's the best part of that area. Here's all the factors I would consider in a place:

-Cost of living to income ratio (Even though I know that Boston is known for being expensive, they also have very high paying jobs but I still find it hard to find areas that I could afford with my income, and I am going to major in either computer science or mechanical engineering, so I'd like to know what'd be the best place for someone who has a job like that. And even if it's slightly expensive I won't mind but I don't want it to go too far to the point it's uncomfortable.)
-Taxes (I've heard that even though Massachusetts the nickname "Taxachusetts", and Boston does have the most taxes in the entire state, it seems that the taxes do go to use and don't go to complete waste due to any sort of corruption like in Chicago for instance. So I would like to know what benefits do you guys get out of taxes for the most part, because it seems that Boston gets more benefits than most US cities and they also maintain their city very well, so I'd like to know elaborately how good the taxes are put to use, and whether any of you Bostonians feel overtaxed in Boston or is it good enough to you guys.)
-Crime (I know Boston in comparison to other major cities is relatively safe, but I do know that Boston does have some dangerous neighborhoods like Roxbury and Dorchester. So I'd like to know what Boston suburb is crime relatively low at.)
-Amenities
-Commute time to downtown Boston (I've heard that there's new transit systems getting built in Boston and Boston's trying to handle traffic issues. So could any of you elaborate on commute times in Boston?)
-Friendliness (I know Boston has a reputation of being blunt and aggressive and whatnot, so I'd like to know how I'd need to operate in order to get along with people well in Boston. Because even if people are blunt, it seems like Boston isn't extremely arrogant and filled with snobs like in NYC or LA or San Francisco.)
-Access to healthcare facilities
-Air quality
-Walkability
-Proximity to mountains and the Atlantic Ocean
-Natural disasters
-Politics (I'm a center-right-leaning libertarian. But I do know that Boston is very liberal. But it doesn't seem like they go overboard with their liberalism like in San Francisco or Portland. So can any of you confirm for me whether they're tolerant liberals? Because I'm not somebody who gets too much worked up over politics but I can't tolerate crazy far-right conservatives or crazy liberals like the ones in San Francisco or Portland).
-Parks
-Family friendliness (Where are great areas in Boston that are good for raising a family?)
-Racial diversity (As a South Asian myself, I'd like to know where I can find a sizable community in the Boston area, since I do know that Boston's a pretty diverse city and I would like to live in a suburb where whatever the majority race in said suburb is at max 70 percent.)

Please try to consider these counties for me when trying to find a good suburb for me (either of these two states will do, I have no preference. Just please tell me what town in any of these counties is the best fit for me):

Massachusetts: Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Essex, Middlesex, Bristol, Worcester, Barnstable
New Hampshire: Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Belknap

Of those few remaining who are actually liberal, and not illiberal progressives. Otherwise, no.

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by thr0waway9087654322343546

So can any of you confirm for me whether they're tolerant liberals?

Yes of those few remaining who are actually liberals, and not illiberal progressives. Otherwise, no.

[thr0waway9087654322343546]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

Yes of those few remaining who are actually liberals, and not illiberal progressives. Otherwise, no.

What about New Hampshire? Do they have tolerant liberals? Because it seems like New Hampshire is more of a libertarian area compared to Massachusetts which is liberal. However I still want to be near Boston so I can both work there and indulge in the facilities and amenities of Boston.

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by thr0waway9087654322343546

What about New Hampshire? Do they have tolerant liberals? Because it seems like New Hampshire is more of a libertarian area compared to Massachusetts which is liberal. However I still want to be near Boston so I can both work there and indulge in the facilities and amenities of Boston.

I like NH a lot and it is much more live and let live in attitude than Boston, but I wouldn't recommend commuting to Boston from there. Nashua is probably one of the better commutes but it's not a great example of NH at its best. You might do better in metro west area of Boston depending on your criteria for housing etc. Worcester and its suburbs have a more diverse range of political views and are generally less belligerent about being Democrats than those in and abutting Boston. Tolerance goes both ways, though. So it all depends on what behavior you say you can't tolerate from those people on the extreme ends of the spectrum with whom you disagree.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by thr0waway9087654322343546

-Racial diversity (As a South Asian myself, I'd like to know where I can find a sizable community in the Boston area, since I do know that Boston's a pretty diverse city and I would like to live in a suburb where whatever the majority race in said suburb is at max 70 percent.)

New Hampshire: Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Belknap

You can't mention Racial diversity and New Hampshire in the same post

Seriously. I think things are changing a little bit in south eastern NH (part of Boston metro) but you will definitely NOT find a "sizable south Asian community". You may find a small Asian (overall) community.
PS, south Asia = India/Bangladesh/Pakistan?

[msRB311]

Are you saying NH doesn't have racial diversity? Have you been to Manchester?

[thr0waway9087654322343546]

Originally Posted by Lampert

PS, south Asia = India/Bangladesh/Pakistan?

Yes.