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Not sure how much you've looked into other places, but DC is supposed to be a lot cheaper than either one these days (and if you're a drinker, has a way better scene for that). Boston in particular is really expensive for its size and what it offers. Though I can't speak to the biotech scene, that may be more of a Baltimore thing.
Chicago and Philadelphia might also be places to look, definitely not sleepy and much much cheaper. Though they may also not be ideal as far as biotech goes.
Actually, Philadelphia's no slouch in the biomedicine/biotech field, either, though its biotech community is definitely smaller than Boston's. And if you're talking about something New York doesn't have that another city does, Philadelphia is the birthplace of gene therapy.
So if biomedical tech is a field you can consider, you'll save a bundle in both rent and taxes* by looking at Philadelphia — which is also only 95 miles from New York, and even closer at the closest points between the two. Many New Yorkers have been moving here for more than 20 years because of the lower housing costs. (Brooklynites make up the great majority of these transplants; I joke that they figured out they were paying New York prices for the Philadelphia experience and decided it would make more sense to pay Philadelphia prices for it.)
*That's also true when comparing Philadelphia with Boston. There is a pay differential between the two cities, but I believe it's smaller than the rent differential.
Edited to add: Baltimore has Johns Hopkins, but its biomedical scene isn't as big as Philadelphia's, thanks to the latter's being a bigger center for medical education and pharmaceutical research.
1. More cohesive waterfront. https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3616...7i13312!8i6656
2. Higher Paying Jobs in most industries
3. More Tech/Biotech Jobs
4. Cleaner City/Areas
5. Easier access to beaches, mountains and day trips. NYC is much harder to access nature
6. Denser agglomerations of night life areas grouped into one area (Landsdowne St. The Point/Faneuil Hall, Seaport Sq)
7. A busting city that feels so much more quaint.
You either like NYC or Boston more.. its pretty 50/50. You have to visit them as they are both vastly different oasis'. My biggest negate on NYC is that is so hard to actually leave NYC and go visit a town, beach or whatever it might be. You get stuck unless you live RIGHT outside NYC, on the NJ Waterfront or Westchester.... Living in Boston was so convenient for that.
After such a long time I seem to be fixated on moving to one of these two cities. As an older professional (34) I'm trying to date and also network, it seems like NYC has pretty much everything Boston does right? The only benefit I see to Boston is that they pay twice as much if you file for unemployment benefits. That, and the city is less populated and quiet. There is also quite a bit of a Biotech hub in Boston. Am I missing anything?
Why would one choose Boston over NYC if not for those reasons?
I second that it comes down to preference. If you want nice amenities but a quieter atmosphere, then Boston is the way to go.
But per the thread, New York offers more across the board. It is bigger, more to do, more people to meet, plenty of opportunity. Not quite an apt comparison.
A good plan may be to start in New York then reevaluate in a few years. Everyone who likes city living should experience NYC at some point.
I second that it comes down to preference. If you want nice amenities but a quieter atmosphere, then Boston is the way to go.
But per the thread, New York offers more across the board. It is bigger, more to do, more people to meet, plenty of opportunity. Not quite an apt comparison.
A good plan may be to start in New York then reevaluate in a few years. Everyone who likes city living should experience NYC at some point.
Also, 34 isn't old.
The bolded is good.
I say try NYC out first if you want it. Then revaluate. Alot of people start with NYC and if they don't like what NYC offers, then they reevaluate and see which city has the amenities that meet them better. Or they stay.
Same with every city. But you might find out down the line you like... DC or Philly. Who knows. BUt if you like city living and want to kayak and hike every Saturday, NYC aint it.
Why would one choose Boston over NYC if not for those reasons?
If career opportunities and other practical considerations were equivalent, you might choose one over the other because you liked it better.
Anyway, what Boston has that NY doesn't have so much of is fresh water-- many rivers, ponds, lakes. New York has plenty of salt water and so does Boston but not much fresh other than a few slimy artificial ponds in city parks. New York Harbor has one public island, a former coast guard base. It's a great spot and they've put a lot of money into attractions. Boston Harbor has 20+ public islands, some easy to get to and others not so easy but nearly all public. New York has great hiking about 1-2 hours distant by car train or bus, in Harriman-Bear Mountain State parks. Boston his pretty good hiking much closer (Blue Hills, Middlesex Fells) so easier to do on spur of moment. Boston is closer to great hiking in the New Hampshire mountains and about the same distance as NYC from New York's Adirondack Park. New York has better salt water beaches, warmer water, and much better beach access: Jersey Shore and Long Island (which includes beaches in the city boroughs of Bklyn and Queens). Massachusetts has fewer public beaches, harder to get to, more parking limitations, higher cost, colder water, but some of them are really scenic.
Boston has an organic street layout. New York, like a lot of American cities, is gridded. The grid is practical and awesome on Manhattan Island where it creates street canyons but dull and repetitive in the outer boroughs.
I think Boston itself- not the suburbs has better beach access than NYC. The beaches in Boston are right there- very easy to get to Carson Beach or Constitution Beach or Revere Beach (yes a suburb, but...not like.. Nantasket, its accessible to-via the train0 and serves a predominately 'urban' population) than it is to get to Rockaway Beach or Coney Island.
As a 36 year old professional, I resent the notion that I am an "older professional" haha. But that being said, I think NYC is likely going to be the better starting point for you unless you have a real preference for a smaller city. Apart from the obvious (it's a much larger city with more/better of most everything - food/nightlife/transit/shopping, etc.), NYC is probably going to be a better place to be single. Boston is a major metro area and has plenty of 20/30-something singles, but you might find that the dating pool (especially the bar scene) skews more toward the college crowd considering the disproportionate student population here. It can also feel a good deal "sleepier" than NYC. Especially in the winter. Again, it's a major city so this is all relative, but it's not known for its nightlife (bars shut down earlier, restaurants tend to close earlier, etc.) and I think that if you're prone to loneliness, it's likelier to happen in Boston than NYC. Both cities are very walkable and have good transit, but NYC has better transit within the city (runs all night) and better regional transit. You can relatively comfortably live in Boston without a car (and many people do), but it's easier to do so in NYC.
Boston does have some advantages depending on your interests. It's a major city, but it's a very compact and manageable in terms of size and layout. Much of the core is walkable and you're never really far from anything else (at least compared to other comparably sized cities). If you're not a big city person, NYC can be overwhelming but Boston really isn't. Its size also makes it easier to escape for the weekend. And on that note, I'd argue that Boston's better located for exploring beyond the city (though NYC has better proximity to major NE cities like Philly, DC, Baltimore, etc.). It's really easy to get to Cape Cod, Rhode Island, the Maine coast, the White Mountains, Vermont, etc. from Boston for a weekend (or even day trip in some cases). If you're a skier, there's not a better city east of the Rockies than Boston. On paper, Boston's not much cheaper than NYC (and it's not a "cheap" city by any stretch of the imagination). But a $3000 apartment in Boston is probably going to be a little more spacious, in a nicer neighborhood, and closer to transit and the city center than a similarly priced space in New York. There are also more suburban housing options within a reasonable distance of downtown Boston than you'll find in NYC, mostly as a result of the size difference between the two.
So it's really about preferences. For us, Boston is ideal not only because of the salary for our fields, but because there is a large network of competing employers which means that we're not stuck at the only employer in town and we live/work/play with many people with similar backgrounds. We love the size of the city - major city amenities, but it's easy to navigate. We're up in the mountains most winter weekends and we split time between the city, the coast, and family/friends in the summer. It's not as easy to do that in NYC (though you certainly can - you'll just spend more time in the car or on a train).
I like the relatively easy access to Cape Cod and Provincetown from Boston. Both areas are two of my favorite locations in the US.
I love the history of Boston and the quaintness and charm of many of its neighborhoods.
Boston is of course smaller than NYC, and that means fewer crowds of people everywhere, usually.
I was in Manhattan near Rockefeller Center and then over to Hell's Kitchen last night, and it was mostly shoulder to shoulder people on the main avenues. I was reminded how insanely packed the city's main areas get during the holidays.
It's unlike any city in the country in that way.
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