mid 20's couple moving to boston...where to live, where to live... (Cambridge: for rent)

[kriscay]

My bf and I will be moving to boston from Nashville, Tn (I just graduated from Vanderbilt with my Ph.D. and will be working in the new england area) and are trying to figure out the best area for us to live in the boston area. We are both in our mid-20s and are looking for somewhere that has a lot to do for people our age that is also relatively safe. We also have two dogs so ideally we would like a small house or townhouse that has at least a small yard (nothing huge is necessary, just something fenced that they can be let out to use the bathroom in the morning and at night). We would prefer to keep the rent at or below $2500/month if at all possible and, because I will be working from home, needs at least two bedrooms (bathrooms are flexible). I will also need to visit clients in CT and RI on a semi regular basis so getting out of the city with relative ease would also be great...ok...what do you think? where do we want to be??

thanks so much in advance for any insight you have!!

[jlyang]

Hi,
Would highly advise Needham. It's about 8 miles West/Southwest of Boston, and is very close to I-95, which you need to access to go South to RI and CT. Needham is safe, has a highly educated population, and has a pretty walkable downtown with lots of shops and restaurants, and there are houses (small) there for rent in your price range.
Brookline, immediately west of Boston, has more young people than Needham, but would not have any houses for rent for <$2500, and it can be a long drive through traffic from Brookline to I-95.

-------------------------------------------------------

Originally Posted by kriscay

My bf and I will be moving to boston from Nashville, Tn (I just graduated from Vanderbilt with my Ph.D. and will be working in the new england area) and are trying to figure out the best area for us to live in the boston area. We are both in our mid-20s and are looking for somewhere that has a lot to do for people our age that is also relatively safe. We also have two dogs so ideally we would like a small house or townhouse that has at least a small yard (nothing huge is necessary, just something fenced that they can be let out to use the bathroom in the morning and at night). We would prefer to keep the rent at or below $2500/month if at all possible and, because I will be working from home, needs at least two bedrooms (bathrooms are flexible). I will also need to visit clients in CT and RI on a semi regular basis so getting out of the city with relative ease would also be great...ok...what do you think? where do we want to be??

thanks so much in advance for any insight you have!!

[CityGirl52]

If it were me I'd be checking out Providence, Rhode Island or even Newport! You could get to I-95 in no time for Connecticut and the other areas of Rhode Island in no time where it's a small state. Providence is pretty neat these days, a lot of your age group are moving there & Newport believe it or not. Check the Rhode Island forum to see what you think right here on CD.

Another thought for you is the southeast area of the south shore, you know, Walpole and all those towns around it. You'd be able to get to Rhode Island & CT in no time from there where I-95 goes right thru there & Rte 24 is a good road for these two states as well. A friend of mine moved to Walpole, MA & commutes to Rhode Island every day. She wishes she did it years ago, she said there's hardly any traffic compared to going in to downtown Boston. So that's what you want to think about with this arrangement with your job. You wouldn't like being up around the greater Boston area dealing with the weekend traffic and the rainy days are always brutal down thru there. For some reason every one panics and brings their car and there goes the tie ups, trust me it's a pain in the buttinski.

Good luck wherever you choose to live. Also I wanted to make sure you knew that the closer you are by or in Rhode Island the cheaper it'll be for you for the cost of living! My cousin bought a house in Providence, it's absolutely adorable, it's built like a townhouse but it's not a condo, he lives in the Federal Hill area of Providence & got it dirt cheap compared to the prices up thru Boston. It's like they died and went to heaven! They love living in Rhode Island, BUT he gave us a tour of Providence, you have to research and do your homework good on the different areas, like any other City in the country, there's parts of it that you wouldn't want to step foot in. I love where they live near the Italian restaurants and cafe's, it's like the North End! There's a lot of pretty funky areas to check out just the same. In the summer months they have the Water Fire show performances on weekends. It's awesome, I went a few times and loved it. I wish more cities had it.

Here's the schedule for 2010 in case you get to visit the area. GO to one of them if you can, they're really fantastic, walking along their canal is unbelievable at night with all the musicians and people out and about, I hope they have more of them this summer and fall:

The 2010 WaterFire Schedule | WaterFire

Good luck wherever you decide to live! I still think if I were you I'd check out Rhode Island OR the southeast part of Massachusetts along I-95 and Rte 24, those towns would be ideal for your random job commute you'll be doing every so often.

[sarchivist98]

I think CityGirl52 is onto something. I spent the first 25+ years of my life in the Boston area and then moved away. After I left, people kept telling me how much fun Providence had become. Well, I finally got to visit this spring for a conference, and the rest of my family spent time with grad school friends who now work at Brown. Providence was GREAT. It had a nice feel, some funky stores, they are working on reclaiming more areas for parks, lots of restaurants and lots of young people. It is also more affordable than Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, etc. Our Brown friends, who are natives of parts of the country, are really happy there.

I spent much of my childhood in Walpole. It is safe and easily accessible to the highways, but I don't think it is what you are looking for at this point in your life. It is about halfway, at least time-wise, between Boston and Providence and close to commuter train stations to both cities. This means it is great if you have work in both places, but it also means it is too far from either city to feel like going into the city after a day of work. It is a somewhat affluent family-oriented town. People are well-educated, but it's not a highly intellectual place like, let's say, Brookline. I think you would find a lot more to entertain you and people like yourselves in Providence.

[ogre]

Third the suggestion that you may want to look closely at Providence.

If you'd like to keep looking at Boston as an option, you might check out the Roslindale, Hyde Park, and West Roxbury sections of Boston. Those areas are on the southern end of the city, so you'd be starting out in the right direction for trips to CT and RI. All three areas have neighborhoods that will offer a city residential kind of mix, where you can find commercial centers with some restaurants and such while still finding detached houses with yards for the dogs.

For people your age, Roslindale would probably be an especially good fit. Word is that Rozzy is seeing some influx of young professionals, while Hyde Park may be somewhat more family-oriented, and W. Rox. is very much a family kind of place, and downright suburban in character in some neighborhoods.

[snatale1]

I'd recommend West Roxbury as well, it's would be easier to find what you described there. But the needed access to RI & CT I'd lean towards the Southern Suburbs.