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Old 11-08-2009, 11:53 AM
 
Location: Harrisburg, PA
39 posts, read 150,417 times
Reputation: 28

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Hello!

There's a good possibility that I'll be relocating to Boston from central PA in the next couple of months. The job is in Allston, and I was wondering what some good, safe areas are within that region that are fairly close by. Ideally, I'd like to rent privately (through reputable realtors/landlords, of course.), though I'm not sure of my budget just yet (I'm guessing at least $1500 per month).

I'm planning on keeping my car, so that would be my primary mode of transportation. Are there any special considerations I'd need to factor in (availability of parking, traffic, etc.)?

This would be a major change in my life (career-wise and personally), and I'm trying to do as much research as possible beforehand to ensure that I go into this with my eyes wide open. So, any info you could provide would be a huge help and greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

VM13
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Old 11-08-2009, 01:59 PM
 
Location: Boston, MA
3,973 posts, read 5,768,214 times
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Plenty of safe neighborhoods around Allston. Newton, Watertown, and Cambridge are among the pricer options while Brighton and Allston itself is slightly more affordable. Beware that Allston and Brighton is very popular with college students though and you might have to endure some late night revelry depending on where you live but overall, you should be without incident.
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Old 11-08-2009, 03:38 PM
 
Location: Harrisburg, PA
39 posts, read 150,417 times
Reputation: 28
Quote:
Originally Posted by Urban Peasant View Post
Plenty of safe neighborhoods around Allston. Newton, Watertown, and Cambridge are among the pricer options while Brighton and Allston itself is slightly more affordable. Beware that Allston and Brighton is very popular with college students though and you might have to endure some late night revelry depending on where you live but overall, you should be without incident.
Thank you for the feedback! Some very helpful info! Also, I realize that parts of Boston are still racially-segregated, and I'd like to avoid areas that are rife with with racial tension! I'm not sure if you could offer some insight on this as well, but if so, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!
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Old 11-09-2009, 01:04 AM
 
Location: 98166
737 posts, read 1,462,176 times
Reputation: 682
Default Allston Rock City

Quote:
Originally Posted by Video Monkey13 View Post
Thank you for the feedback! Some very helpful info! Also, I realize that parts of Boston are still racially-segregated, and I'd like to avoid areas that are rife with with racial tension! I'm not sure if you could offer some insight on this as well, but if so, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!
I lived in Allston(Ashford st. area)for 2 years and right on the Brookline/Allston/Brighton border(Corey road area) for a year. Very diverse if you ask me. A great mix of people. Russian, Mexican, Greek, Brazilian, Chinese, Haitian, Irish, Japanese, Middle Eastern... Big Jewish population. Awesome food. Vibrant and relatively safe. Cool bars/pubs. A few great places to see a band/artist play(Great Scott, O'Briens, Harper's Ferry, The Paradise...). Supermarkets, cinema, hardware, cool liquor stores. I could go on and on. Good luck in your search!
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Old 11-09-2009, 06:37 AM
 
Location: Harrisburg, PA
39 posts, read 150,417 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by franklin42 View Post
I lived in Allston(Ashford st. area)for 2 years and right on the Brookline/Allston/Brighton border(Corey road area) for a year. Very diverse if you ask me. A great mix of people. Russian, Mexican, Greek, Brazilian, Chinese, Haitian, Irish, Japanese, Middle Eastern... Big Jewish population. Awesome food. Vibrant and relatively safe. Cool bars/pubs. A few great places to see a band/artist play(Great Scott, O'Briens, Harper's Ferry, The Paradise...). Supermarkets, cinema, hardware, cool liquor stores. I could go on and on. Good luck in your search!
Thanks! I don't have a problem with diversity, just as long as everyone does the 'live & let live' thing.

VM13
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Old 11-09-2009, 12:24 PM
 
Location: Boston, MA
3,973 posts, read 5,768,214 times
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Allston, Brighton, Brookline and Cambridge are all very diverse and people do get along with each other in those places. Places less tolerant of newcomers are not near where you plan to live and work so don't worry.
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Old 11-10-2009, 02:18 PM
 
Location: Boston
1,081 posts, read 2,891,246 times
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If you are young, I'd recommend looking no further than Allston itself. It is a great place to live for a certain period of your life. I lived in and around that area for years and still fondly remember that time. It is really the quintessential urban area -- lots of dense apartment blocks, huge diversity, tons of restaurants and bars, light rail lines, etc. And if that's where your job is, then you've got an easy commute, too.
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Old 11-10-2009, 05:18 PM
 
Location: Harrisburg, PA
39 posts, read 150,417 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HenryAlan View Post
If you are young, I'd recommend looking no further than Allston itself. It is a great place to live for a certain period of your life. I lived in and around that area for years and still fondly remember that time. It is really the quintessential urban area -- lots of dense apartment blocks, huge diversity, tons of restaurants and bars, light rail lines, etc. And if that's where your job is, then you've got an easy commute, too.
Yeah...I'm in my early 30's & single, so it sounds like that area might be a good fit for me.

VM13
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Old 11-10-2009, 06:41 PM
 
Location: Newton, Mass.
2,954 posts, read 12,302,963 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Video Monkey13 View Post
Yeah...I'm in my early 30's & single, so it sounds like that area might be a good fit for me.

VM13
Allston would be a better fit if you had written: Yeah...I'm in my early 20's & single, so it sounds like that area might be a good fit for me.

What's "young" somewhere else is ancient in Allston. I am 34 and can barely go near there for long.

I'd suggest Brighton Center or Oak Square, or the Coolidge Corner area in Brookline, which are right next door to Allston without the undergrads.

Brookline is a bit more expensive and you cannot park on the street overnight, so you'd need a spot. That will be an added cost, and it can be tough sometimes to find one that comes with, or is near, your apartment. I haven't really looked at the Brookline market but I'd imagine you could find a decent

Brighton, often lumped in with Allston, is (like Allston) an outlying part of the city of Boston. Along Commonwealth Av (Comm Av) in Brighton, which has the B line of the Green Line T, there are many undergrads living in apartment buildings and it's not so different from Allston. Same is true for Cleveland Circle, where the C line ends after crossing Brookline. Lots of undergrads and undergrad bars.

By contrast, Brighton Center (near corner of Washington and Market Streets) has a lot of long time residents, some of whom are older, but also has a good number of grad students and young professionals. Rents are pretty decent compared to downtown neighborhoods. Parking is tough in some parts of Brighton Center and pretty easy in others. To get downtown without a car, it can take a while since you need a bus to the train, but if you're not commuting downtown every day it's much easier to drive there on the weekend. You can park in a garage for the whole day for $10 or $12 downtown on the weekend.

Oak Square is just west of Brighton Center, right by the Newton line. Reasonable rentals if a bit less going on.
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Old 11-11-2009, 03:55 AM
 
321 posts, read 720,632 times
Reputation: 132
Quote:
Originally Posted by Urban Peasant View Post
Plenty of safe neighborhoods around Allston. Newton, Watertown, and Cambridge are among the pricer options while Brighton and Allston itself is slightly more affordable. Beware that Allston and Brighton is very popular with college students though and you might have to endure some late night revelry depending on where you live but overall, you should be without incident.
Watertown should cost far less than Allston or Brighton. No doubt about it.
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