Looking to start a new life in Boston region (New Bedford: apartments, lease)
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I'm looking for a fresh start, and I'm very interested in relocating to the Boston area. I was looking in the outskirts of Boston, even a half an hour commute, but can't seem to find a one bedroom apartment for under $1000! It's just me and my pomeranian, and I'm a bartender so I want to commute to work in Boston at nights. I really don't want to spend more than $700/mo for a 1 BR- is that even possible in the towns outside of Boston? Thanks in advance!
I'm looking for a fresh start, and I'm very interested in relocating to the Boston area. I was looking in the outskirts of Boston, even a half an hour commute, but can't seem to find a one bedroom apartment for under $1000! It's just me and my pomeranian, and I'm a bartender so I want to commute to work in Boston at nights. I really don't want to spend more than $700/mo for a 1 BR- is that even possible in the towns outside of Boston? Thanks in advance!
I know you want Boston, but I would consider looking in a place like Attleboro MA (not the nicest town, though not dangerous or terrible by any means and rents may be more in your price range) and consider working in Providence RI at nights (great bar and club scene that stays open an hour later than many Boston venues). You'd still be in the Boston area (about 45 minutes, possible even a half hour at night) with access to the commuter rail (to Both Providence and Boston) and all of what both cities have to offer. You could also live in Attleboro and work in Boston but it'll likely be more than a 30 minute commute.
Living within 30 minutes of Boston (in a nice enough area) for $700/mo or less is going to be difficult. Good luck!
You would really enjoy working in Providence, RI., no doubt about it. I was there over Labor Day weekend and absolutely loved it. Everything about it down there too. If you're a bartender? You will really enjoy working there a lot I would think. It's really only about 45 minutes I think out of the City of Boston, it didn't take us long at ALL to get down there. You could even check out towns just south of downtown Boston may be??? Check out towns like Walpole, or Foxboro or even Easton may be? Attleboro would be ideal too as Irfox suggested to you. Any of these towns would be a hop skip and a jump to either Providence, RI or downtown Boston. A very good friend of mine lives in Walpole and works in Rhode Island near Providence and said the commute is GREAT because you don't hit the traffic that you'd hit if you were going to Boston at ALL. She thinks it's fantastic because it's only about 30 minutes to get to work, she wishes she thought of it years before when she was commuting in to downtown Boston, it's the pits with the traffic these days. So, if I were you? Definitely check Providence out. We were there like I said over Labor Day weekend and it was AWESOME down there. They had their Water Fire show going on that weekend. It was terrific being there to see it, as it's quite a show that they have, all along their canal, we heard so much about it & finally got to see it:
Many many neat restaurants, like Capitol Grille, the Cheesecake Factory etc...& tons of chic shops all thru there now. We stayed at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel and it was right beside their State Capital building & right beside the Mall, it was ideal. We hit the Providence Place Mall and thought it was better than shopping in downtown Boston, very nice Mall that overlooks their canal where the Water Fire show is, mainly in the Spring, Summer months & for a few weeks in Sept & early October, then that's IT until the following Spring. Their site has their schedule and mostly they need sponsors via corporations when they actually do have this show. Then we LOVED their Italian section, Federal Hill as well! We had dinner one late afternoon at Venda Ravioli which overlooks the neat water fountain at DePasquale Plaza, and it's where Italian music fills the air all thru there! It's really pretty nice thru there, if anything it reminded us of Italy and Boston's North End.
You definitely would have more options if you landed in Providence instead of Boston. You can always drive up to Boston on your days/nights off any time, it's that close. So as the previous poster suggested to you? I agree with it wholeheartedly. I usually always suggest Boston to people here, but after spending time in Providence that weekend a few months ago? It's definitely THE place to live and work and there's NO doubt about it. So some day soon check it out, you won't regret it at all... We were visiting one of my relatives, he bought a house down there for a song and a dance and before that he rented an apartment and was paying under $700 for it a month, so check out Providence to live while you're looking!
Last edited by CityGirl52; 01-05-2009 at 12:27 PM..
Thanks for the recommendation, but does Providence shut down in the winter from lack of tourists? My biggest concern is having steady work, unlike where I am now. We're so dead that I'm closing bar and *lucky* to end up with $50 at the end of the night. That's why Boston was so appealing, because I figured I could make good money and save up. Is the traffic like that of the DC area? I didn't think about that, I don't want a half hour commute turn into an hour. I've found some cheap places in Boston, but I'm not sure what the bad areas are. I'm looking to be up there in a month, so I need to step it up a bit!
Providence doesn't shut down in the winter as there are many college students living in the city, attending Brown University and Providence College. I would check out yelp.com for the most popular bars.
^You could make similar money in Providence to what you'd make in Boston, year round. Yet you'd spend nearly half on rent of what you'd pay in Boston (or the Immediate Suburbs). The reason I threw Attleboro out there is that it's actually relatively easy to commute from Attleboro to either Providence OR Boston (though Boston is a bit further than Providence).
Providence is decent sized city (1.6 million people in greater Providence) and a big college town. It's just overshadowed by nearby Boston. Like RemiJP said, You have Brown University and Providence College as well as Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), a University of Rhode Island Campus, and Johnson and Whales University. It's not just college kids at pubs either (though there's plenty of that if you're looking for it), there's plenty of upscale nightlife as well.
The other thing is Providence is SOOO close to Boston. You won't miss anything Boston has to offer if you don't want to because you can get to Boston in under an hour from Prov. It's just much more affordable. I would suggest taking a trip out to Boston and making a side trip down to Providence to see what you think.
Boston has some bars that bartenders make obscene amounts of money (I have a friend who makes $60,000/year at a bar near Fenway Park), but Providence does very well too.
If you're set on Boston, then by all means, go for it and don't let anyone tell you not to.... it's a FANTASTIC city with tons to do and some good opportunities as a bar tender. However, $700 is extremely low. In fact, even with a roomate you may have to pay even more. Rent will be a lot cheaper in and around Providence. Attleboro is a good (affordable) midpoint between the two cities.
In the end, do what you feel is best. It just may be a bit tougher to find an affordable rent in Boston (even the least desireable areas in Boston aren't cheap).
I'm looking for a fresh start, and I'm very interested in relocating to the Boston area. I was looking in the outskirts of Boston, even a half an hour commute, but can't seem to find a one bedroom apartment for under $1000! It's just me and my pomeranian, and I'm a bartender so I want to commute to work in Boston at nights. I really don't want to spend more than $700/mo for a 1 BR- is that even possible in the towns outside of Boston? Thanks in advance!
Boston is expensive, unfortunately. And having a doggie makes it even harder to find a place to live.
Rhode Island is known for its high unemployment rate.
Well maybe I'll change my mind about Boston then, since it's that expensive- I really want to be able to save my money for vacations, starting my own business, etc. What about Fall River? I see a lot of cheap listings in that area, but is looks like BFE. Between that and Attleboro, which is better? And the unemployment is high in Rhode Island, has the economy hit bad in that region? That's part of the reason we're so dead where I am now, because people just aren't going out like they used to. I want to go somewhere that I don't have to worry if I can pay my bills.
I grew up (and my parents still live) right next to Fall River. While I think it gets a worse reputation than it deserves, I don't think I'd recommend it. There are some nice neighborhoods, but there are more not so nice ones. If you look into Fall River, I'd suggest looking at apartments within a few blocks of Highland Avenue in the neighborhood called, "the Highlands" as it's a beautiful and very safe family area. Other than that, I'd be very careful of Fall River. It grew and thrived as an industrial mill town and since industry left, Fall River has become depressed. It's best value right now is the ability to commute quickly to Providence, New Bedford, Newport RI, and Cape Cod (soon, Boston on the new commuter rail line) while providing affordable rents. Other than that, it's a city with little to offer and some trouble spots in terms of crime. For a city of over 90,000 there is very little in the way of work or entertainment. I would suggest Attleboro over Fall River. It's just a better midpoint between Providence and Boston.
As far as the economy goes, it's hit everywhere nationwide. While Rhode Island's economy has been hit hard (2nd in the nation in unemployment), Providence still has a VERY busy nightlife. There is a lot of money in and around Providence (extending into Massachusetts and even parts of CT) and people still head into Providence nearly nightly to go out. In fact, very few people would disagree Providence is second in terms of nightlife only to Boston in the New England region. Combine that with the college kids in town, and you've got a good recipe for successful work as a bartender despite the economy and RI's unemployment.
I would still come out and try to get a job before you make any move, but I think you could find something that would pay your bills. I don't think there's anywhere in the nation where it's going to be "easy" to just move out and get work right away. That being said, if you have the experience and personality places are looking for, you should do well. I don't know what type of environment you enjoy working in, but there's a good mix of laid-back venues as well as upscale, trendy clubs (new ones coming to the area all the time) in Providence. Two sites I would look at to start your search are RI at Night: RIatNight.com and the Providence Nightlife forum: Providence Nightlife . Those tend to be more clubs than your typical bars, but they may have what you're looking for. Also, I know McFadden's in Providence is hiring... it's a great place (I have a friend who worked there until he moved to LA for work and loved it) that's open till 2am nightly and always has a big crowd: McFadden's Restaurant & Saloon
If you are going to look into Providence, you might even be able to find places in town that are relatively affordable so you wouldn't have to commute from Fall River or Attleboro. Two places in Providence that are GREAT to live in are Federal Hill, and various neighborhoods along the East Side. You could post in the RI forum for more info on Providence, but I did use to live in the East Side so I'm pretty familiar with the city.
Again, I'd make a trip out here if you can and scout the area out (Both Boston and Providence) to see what you think. And if you DO choose Providence, don't rule out seasonal work in Newport RI. It's a smaller city but it's a summer hot spot for the wealthy and elite from New York and New England. Many people who work year-round in Providence add some summer nights in Newport (especially weekdays because every day is busy in Newport during the summer) to make a few extra bucks.
Thank you so much for the info, I'm in the middle of a break up, so I'm having a hard time as it is and I just want to start over. Trouble is, I have to find a place by Feb.1 because our lease here will be up. I think I'll ask my sister up there to look for me, since she's much closer. I'm sure I'll have more questions, thanks again you all have been a big help!
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We were visiting one of my relatives, he bought a house down there for a song and a dance and before that he rented an apartment and was paying under $700 for it a month, so check out Providence to live while you're looking!
