Relocating to Boston from D.C. (Quincy, Braintree: middle-class, apartment, rentals)

[jb5685a]

I'm planning to relocate to the Boston area in July, from DC (hopefully to teach in a turnaround school or a charter school and to attend graduate school). I've been looking online, and the Quincy area looks nice. The jobs I'm looking at are in Dorchester and in Jamaica Plain.

Is anyone familiar with these areas? If so, could you possibly give any feedback on the issues? Are there any other areas that seem reasonable? I'd love to live in the city, but finding a dog-friendly apartment seems like a struggle... Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[kmann-sherborn]

You might have better luck finding a single family home rental that accepts a dog, or at least a rental through an individual vs a big complex. I have friends who live in the Wollaston area of Quincy & are very happy there. They're walking distance to the T & the beach plus great dog walking spots. I'm not sure how many rentals there are in that area but it might be worth a look.

[goyguy]

Jamaica Plain and Dorchester have been discussed and dissected multitudinous times here. In a nutshell, both are "mixed-bag" city neighborhoods. Some sections are gentrifying, others are middle-class to upscale and always have been, while still others are "ghetto." There isn't any section of DC or its surrounding area that can really compare to these communities with their patchworks of enclaves.

Quincy is a more sure thing, with Wollaston being one of my favorite parts of that city. There are LOTS of spacious early-20th-Century duplex houses along its shaded quiet side streets, along with some large and well-kept older brick apartment buildings. One of the main downsides would be the commute, particularly by mass transit. The Red Line train which serves Quincy isn't the same one that runs through Dorchester; you'd have to go all the way north to the JFK/UMass stop and then change trains and backtrack. And, depending on where your job in "Dot" is, you might then have to transfer to a bus from the train. There's some bus service from Quincy Center to two of the Red Line stations on the Ashmont (Dorchester) branch, but the schedule's very sporadic. Getting to JP would entail going all the way downtown, then catching a trolley that only runs to the northern reaches of the neighborhood, and THEN transferring to a bus that does happen along frequently but is slooow going. There's also the Orange Line train from downtown which skirts the eastern fringes of JP.

The main issue I see is, Dorchester and JP aren't far apart but one is east of the other. ALL of the mass-transit corridors run north-south, and there are no good crosstown bus lines that far out from downtown. So if you were to dwell in one of the communities, that'd make for an easy walk/ride to work in one but a torturous commute to the other.

Jamaica Plain has an edge over Dorchester in terms of green space. The "Emerald Necklace" of parks begins at vast Franklin Park on the southeast side of the neighborhood, then comprises the spacious Arnold Arboretum and scenic Jamaica Pond near JP's western boundary. Dog walkers throng the pond area, in particular, on nice days. OTOH the "crown jewel" of Dorchester's open land - hillside Ronan Park with its sweeping views of the harbor - is plagued by crime, as is nearby Town Field. Smaller and safer, but still restful, places thereabouts would be Dorchester Park and Savin Hill Park. However, both of these locations are toward the outer boundaries. New and restored beaches, and a recently developed "greenway" along the Neponset River separating Boston from Quincy + Milton, would also make for good dog-walking spots.

If you'd like a Georgetown feel in Boston, Beacon Hill is the place to be. Only problem is, just as in DC the lamplit streets lined with stately brick rowhouses are priced accordingly.

[jb5685a]

Thank you for that information. I guess I just assumed that the red lines were the same one. Would a driving commute from Quincy be doable, or would it likely not be worth driving?

Perhaps I should look for something in South Boston??

Thanks so much!

[Mr. Joshua]

Are you looking at Boston Collegiate in Dorchester? If so, that is a 5 to 10 minute walk from the Andrew Square T station and the Quincy Line of the Red would work pretty easily.

[lz1982]

I live in Quincy and there are some busses that run from Quincy to Dorchester, such as the 210 to Fields Corner. If your job was in that area, it might be easier to take a bus rather than taking the Braintree line inbound to JFK and then switching to an outbound Ashmont train. As goyguy mentioned, that could get tiresome.

[jb5685a]

Does anyone know anything about the Sheridian/Centre Street area in Jamaica Plain?