Move into Dorchester with a kid -- crazy?? (Boston, Quincy: real estate, 2014)

[RemiJP]

Have you thought about Jamaica Plain? Great community vibe, lots of kids, easy access to 93...

[goyguy]

Originally Posted by kharing

The area between Codman Square and Fields Corner is a gem. The station that serves it is Shawmut on the Red Line. The Wellesley Park neighborhood (where I used to rent) is absolutely beautiful. I lived right on Wellesley with the gas lantern street lights and flower gardens.

Dorchester Atheneum: The Story of Wellesley Park

Alot of people trash Dorchester...but there are amazing parts as well.

Wellesley Park is within the Melville-Park section. I ranked this neighborhood in my "second tier" for desirability because of how it's "fraying around the edges." The eastern (Dot Ave) and western (Washington St) fringes aren't kept up all that well. Tonawanda St, on the north side of the area near Geneva, has really nosedived from when it was a "model community for diversity" in the '80s. Now it's in the news not infrequently when Cape Verdean clan feuds heat up, and the "diversity" aspect is history thanks to White and "green" (money) flight. Nearby Byrneside (?) St was the scene of a quadruple murder last year. Some blocks such as Wellesley Park and Paisley Park stay as inviting as ever, complete with "gaslights" and perfectly restored Victorian houses. Waldeck and Tremlett St's, as well as Alpha Rd, maintain a tranquil suburban feel. But Melville-Park to me comes off as an oasis under siege.

Ashmont Hill (east of Codman Square, south of Welles Ave) leaves the same impression. The homes are beautiful, the streets are lush with trees and flowers, all seems at peace and even bucolic. It's easy to forget that "shaky" Dot Ave lies minutes to the east and Codman Square, with gunfire more commonly heard than crickets on hot summer nights, is immediately to the west. For this reason I gave that sector a "mid-range" rating.

Regarding the MBTA questions: the completion of Ashmont Station's reconstruction is still a ways away. A mid-April visit to the area showed me that the station building is in the framing stage. Bus passengers are compelled to squeeze in along the narrowed Dot Ave sidewalk since all the stops are there for now. The Mattapan trolley is once more out of commission due to some project or other, so that means more buses and more crowding. Police presence at the T stops goes way up at the times schoolchildren are on their way to and from classes. Mainly because I have little to occasion a trip to that part of the world, I rarely find myself over there. But when I do, it's never at night south of the Savin Hill stop. Most of the immediate surroundings around Fields Corner are dangerous after dark - even the Irish pubs and whatnot along Dot Ave serve as crime magnets as much as they help project an image of neighborhood vitality. Shawmut Station, within a stone's throw of mansions, is tucked away on a tiny side street (Clementine Park). It's a block or so from either Dot Ave or Mather St, the latter reached by sidewalk. You might as well hang a "mug me" sign on yourself if you use that station much later than 9 PM. Ashmont's Dot Ave frontage blocks are noticeably decaying except for the yuppie Ashmont Grill at the corner of Talbot. Side streets to the west vary in safety/"niceness" from good (Mercier Ave) to sketchy (Fuller & Bailey St's.) Use the east-side exit, once the station reopens, and you'll find yourself on Bushnell St and at the start of an appealing corner of the area: rambling, cared-for houses on quiet and tree-shaded blocks. Use it late at night, though, and good luck to ya.

[Elizab77]

I've lived in Savin Hill for the past 5 years and have liked it quite a bit. Great neighbors, easy commute to the city, and we've seen some growth in terms of new businesses and restaurants. We bought in Dorchester since, like you, we couldn't find anything affordable that also had the proximity to the city that we valued. We are actually moving out of the area soon, and will be listing our condo for sale in August. We'll miss it, but my husband and I are looking to escape the Boston winters!

We have a 6 month old baby, and I know plenty of people with kids around here. The parks are usually full in the afternoon (our nanny takes our son to the park everyday) and we see and chat with tons of young families when we walk our dog on Malibu Beach on the weekends. There is crime in Dot--but I rarely see it. We take the kinds of precautions that we have always taken in the city (we've also lived in Allston, Beacon Hill, and Southie) and that has served us well.

I do think Savin Hill could be a good fit for you and a place to research some more.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by RemiJP

Have you thought about Jamaica Plain? Great community vibe, lots of kids, easy access to 93...

I like JP a lot, but how do you figure JP has easy access to 93? You've got to drive clear across Roxbury or Dorchester on city streets.

[maggiekate]

you have the very bad, and to buy, no. maybe the mission hill area, or J.P.
or just rent. also, you do need to think schools, and safety. J.P. is not the Ritz, but just way OK

[goyguy]

Jamaica Plain = overpriced and overrated

[TheJickler]

Originally Posted by goyguy

Jamaica Plain = overpriced and overrated

Can you expand on this? JP is one of my targeted places to move, along with the North End. Would you consider it to be overpriced for renters or for people looking to buy? Where else would you suggest looking? My gf and I would like to move somewhere near/in Boston. We both work near South Station. Thanks!

[Eagle43812]

I lived in Dorchester in the summer of 1965. Just a 15 year old kid from Ohio. I worked at the Mt. Bowdoin YWCA as a day-camp counselor. I was wondering if anyone remember that place.
I met my first love there (Janet Rose). I believe she lived on Greenbrier St. Although she didn't work for the "Y", she spent a lot of time there and the summer dances on Friday night.
If anyone remembers the summer of "65" at the Mt. Bowdoin "Y", I would love to talk to you about it.
Craig Latham
Sugarcreek, Ohio

[Vermolas]

North Dorchester on the EAST side NOT close to ROXBURY is fine but savin hill "Stab 'N' Kill" and ubhams corner are terrible and dont get me started about the ashmont and Mattapan part. The worst part of all is in the middle of Roxbury and Mattapan "Murderpan", I used to live there and I never went to sleep one night without hering a gunshot outside.

[cpkQuincy]

I recently purchased a condo in Meeting House Hill, Dorchester. I work at Harvard University; my neighbor is a surgeon, working at a Boston area hospital. Across the street lives an attorney and her professor husband. In sum, Meeting House Hill, being the last affordable area close to the city and public transportation, is becoming much desired by professionals who want easy access to the city.