Those leaving Boston, or who have left Boston. Do You Have any Regrets? Where did you move? (Newton: neighborhood, theatre)

[TheseGoTo11]

Lived in Boston (Back Bay and Brookline) for 7 years, lived elsewhere in MA and CT before that. Happier in DC. Same culture, same interesting urban neighborhoods, same size region but with better weather, more central location, better drivers, better socially. Don't miss M-hole drivers, dudes at bars who always want to fight, cheesy chicks from Quin-zee, wearing a coat because it's 60 degrees in June, dressing like an Eskimo becuase there's 2 feet of snow in February, etc.

But miss suburbs with character - outside of close-in suburbs like Bethesda, Arlington, and Alexandria, suburban DC is an endless strip mall that looks like Atlanta. Miss being close to the ocean - 4 hours in traffic just to be on the Delaware coast doesn't cut it. Also miss the sports, DC sports are remarkably lame - mostly out-of-town visitors cheering for the away team and poorly run franchises with terrible owners.

On balance, prefer DC, but having traveled extensively, would take Boston again over Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, or any other warm weather strip mall paradise.

[Martha Anne]

You (Irfox), in message number 30, wrote: "Boston residents seem to have a complete irrational fear of height in buildings. They cite the "Manhattanization" of Boston which is almost laughable. Boston won't ever be Manhattan. Even so, Manhattan is one of the most desirable urban places in the world. The South side of Boylston and the Financial District are perfect areas for high-rise development."

Wow, I find your remark about an "irrataional fear" to be very denegrating. I moved to Boston to go to my mother's college in the Fens in 1966. (Yes, my mother attended college in Boston in the early 1930's.) At that time, when I came to live at my college, there was only the Prudential building and the rest of Boston was the way it had been since the late 19'th century or earlier. You actually saw the top of every church steeple in Beacon Hill and the Back Bay. It was absolutely wonderful, a gorgeous city like none other in this country. Then up came the Hancock Center, followed by many huge boxes. (I am from New York, and live in NYC now, so please don't call my aversion to tall buildings in Boston "irrational". It is, in fact, based on perpective, having seen Boston as it was and as it has become.)

The beautiful Boston I knew for so many years - I stayed for 25 years more - in the area you precisely describe as being "perfect" for more high rise development is no longer a unique Boston landscape. It's just more of the same old, same old that you see in generic city building all across the nation.

[bryan6]

I love Boston, and miss it dearly. However, I love living in Raleigh, there is so much history and culture down here. Also, everyone is a hell of a lot kinder down here.

[darkone]

I'm in Atlanta temporarily and have NO intention of staying here long term. I have lived most of my life in the Boston area. I would say that the only thing I like about Atlanta is the weather, although summers in Boston are enjoyable. While one gets more for one's money in terms of housing in Atlanta for sure, I feel it is the intangibles that are lacking here. For myself, the proximity to the coast, easy getaways to NH, ME, VT and RI, and the somewhat provincial and unique character, cannot be replicated. I feel fortunate to have grown up in New England. The Atlanta suburban area can be compared favorably to a giant Nashua,NH.

I like the way many suburbs of Boston (if one can call them that) have growth restrictions which preserve a natural, tranquil feel. The Atlanta area has a landscape littered with big box stores, fast food chains and gas stations breaking up the natural forests.

The proximity to other interesting cities (NYC, Montreal) is also something I miss. I feel like leaving Atlanta this weekend, yet I find myself stuck here, posting on CD. Birmingham, Chattanooga and Charlotte don't particularly appeal to me.

[1979]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Boston residents seem to have a complete irrational fear of height in buildings. They cite the "Manhattanization" of Boston which is almost laughable. Boston won't ever be Manhattan. Even so, Manhattan is one of the most desirable urban places in the world. The South side of Boylston and the Financial District are perfect areas for high-rise development. Boston has historically had one of the lowest vacancy rates for class A office space in the country so demand is there (maybe not temporarily due to the economy though) otherwise people wouldn't want to build. Furthermore, high-rise residences (which most of the newest proposals include) could really help ease the demand for market rate housing close to downtown. Furthermore, continually shooting down proposals and making it difficult for developers to build is a bad way to keep business in Boston. We already have a hard enough time competing with the Sunbelt (not to mention our own suburbs), and rejecting proposal after proposal is incredibly discouraging for those who want to consider locating in Boston.

My understanding, is that there is another real problem with building highrises in Boston, which is a lack of concentrated bedrock, which Manhattan has an abundance of. I can remember reading that the current financial district is located where the highest concentration can be found. Also, since Boston doesn't have the luxury of being built on a grid the way Manhattan is, and with its narrow winding streets, I would think over-building would be a major concern.

[TheseGoTo11]

Originally Posted by 1979

Also, since Boston doesn't have the luxury of being built on a grid the way Manhattan is

Lower Manhattan is not on a grid, that only begins north of 14th Street. In fact, the street pattern south of Chambers St. to the water doesn't look all that different than the pattern in downtown Boston east of Tremont St. to the water.

Financial districts in NY and Boston are both in the oldest part of the cities where the original settlers built their first permanent homes, as is the case in Chicago and San Francisco. Economic need more than anything has dictated height, the World Financial Center is built on in-fill, not solid bedrock. Plus, the amount of rentable office space in Lower Manhattan alone is equal to nearly all the space in Metro Boston between 495 and downtown.

[TheseGoTo11]

Originally Posted by neil0311

You will find excellent schools (some of the best in the country in national studies)

You've got to be kidding me. Cobb County's "Evolution is only a Theory" stickers on biology textbooks made it a laughingstock in education. Would never send my kids there, and I'm a Republican.

There are many great school districts in Central Mass., far better than the what you get down there in strip mall paradise.

"This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.
Approved by
Cobb County Board of Education
Thursday, March 28, 2002"

[gomi]

I recently relocated to Cleveland for work, and I can say with great confidence that this place is NOT comparable to Boston. I miss Boston.

[amillion3147]

I grew up in Boston well Mattapan specifically. I left almost 4 years ago to come to Charlotte, NC. My quality of life is so much better here as it's very affordable. I love to visit Boston but will probably never relocate back there. Charlotte is cool but I do not see this as my permanent place. I miss the fine restaurants up there and going down to the Cape.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by TheseGoTo11

You've got to be kidding me. Cobb County's "Evolution is only a Theory" stickers on biology textbooks made it a laughingstock in education. Would never send my kids there, and I'm a Republican.

For those who care, check the Newsweek list of top public high schools, check GreatSchools.com, or look at other source. Cobb County and specifically the schools in East Cobb are some of the highest performing public schools in the country. Walton HS made the top 100 on Newsweek's list and half a dozen others in Marietta made the list. More than the entire amount from MA.