Atlantan relocating to Boston area - we're here, thanks for the advice (Worcester: sublet, apartment complexes) - Massachusetts (MA) - City-Data Forum

Lindies · 09-21-2010, 07:26 PM

Hello,

My husband is starting a new job in Needham in October. He grew up in London, Ontario and I grew up in Georgia, and have never lived outside of the South (what is "snow"?). I have heard horror stories about the way New England views the South so needless to say, I'm a bit scared. Anyway, not the point and I'm sure it isn't entirely true, heh.

I would love any advice you could offer on where we should look to rent. We have a very short time to find a place. We are in our 30's, have no children, 3 cats. Until I find a job as well, we will only be able to afford rent in the 1600-2000/month range. What area would you recommend? We are bringing both cars. We are looking at Quincy or Braintree? Is that decent?

I am concerned about the commute for my husband to Needham.

Thanks so much,
Amy

ogre · 09-21-2010, 09:39 PM

Since you're rushed in finding a place, does this mean you're looking for temporary housing to start with, or are you hoping to find a place right from the start where you might live more for the long term? Also, are you thinking of renting an apartment or a house? The options will be fewer if you're thinking of a house, and you're likely to have to stay close to the top of your price range in the case of a house.

Braintree and Quincy would be good options for relatively modest costs (relatively, meaning modest by the standards of the Boston area). Both are pleasant enough towns, though a bit different from each other in character. Braintree is pure suburbia, while Quincy is a small city in the transitional zone between urban and suburban, with both kinds of areas, depending on the neighborhood. If your husband would be commuting during rush hours, two possible snags in traffic could occur in a commute to Needham from either of those towns. The first would be during the approach to the I-93/128(I-95) interchange. Then in the vicinity of Needham it could be that he would begin to see the backup of traffic feeding from 128 into the Mass. Pike. All in all, it's not the best commute in the world, but not the worst either. Though it depends on the route, it's possible that your husband has a much uglier commute now if he commutes through the Atlanta metro area.

Another question I have is what kind of character you'd prefer in the neighborhood where you would live. If you would be okay living in a 1br apartment rather than a house, you should be able to find a good number of options in both suburban and more inner-suburban settings within a decent commuting range of Needham. For a really suburban kind of setting, Natick would be a town worth checking out. For more inner-suburban, check Newton, and maybe Waltham. The "maybe" regarding Waltham is because the commute could be a little more roundabout from there than Newton, maybe requiring the use of some back streets in order to avoid the worst of the traffic.

If you want something more woodsy, two towns you might check out are Hopkinton and Holliston. The tricky part with either of those towns would be finding a lot of options for housing. There won't be much, if anything, in the way of apartments in either town, and you might find the options for detached houses as rental properties within your price range to be somewhat limited. It's possible, though, that in Hopkinton in particular you might find some decent options. If you were to find housing that would work for you in either town, both are located pretty well for a commute to Needham that would avoid a lot of high-traffic roads. This could mean some driving on local back roads, but the commute overall should be decent.

anjiepants · 09-22-2010, 04:40 AM

I am living in Worcester, MA right now, here for 1 year. Don't worry about people here, there are plenty of nice people, and some nasty ones, just like everywhere else. I notice that alot of people on these forums focus on the negative, which is really not helpful for someone moving to a new area. That said, here are some positives to living in MA:
Fall is beautiful here- the leaves are gorgeous, the air is crisp yet still not too cold to be outdoors
There are tons of parks all over MA, and most of them are nice and clean
Winter, although famous for being cold and bitter, brings beautiful snowfalls
Summer is great- not nearly as hot and humid as summer in the south
Depending on where you live/work, there are usually many different routes to take to avoid bad traffic

Those are just a few things, yes, there are some down sides, but all in all a good quality of life here. I have also heard that Hopkinton is nice, one of my coworkers lives there and loves it. Good luck to you!

Tyryztoll · 09-22-2010, 05:36 AM

I moved from Atlanta to Boston in 2006. Live in Michigan now.

If you have been in the south all your life, you're gonna get a culture shock like you never dreamed when you move to New England....especially metro Boston. I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying get ready for it. The contrast between the two regions is quite drastic on just about every level. New Englanders....even the nice ones.....can come off as incredibly abrasive to someone that doesn't know any better.

Personally, I thought Boston to be an awesome place. I left because I hated the job I took, but the city itself was fascinating, and I enjoyed it immensely.

COL is another thing altogether. Hope you both make a good chunk o change if you plan on having kids.

CaseyB · 09-22-2010, 06:33 AM

Welcome. I'd try to find something in Needham itself. If not, other areas to look might be Dedham, Canton, Walpole, maybe Norwood. Medfield and Westwood are a couple of other towns that would be nice to live in and not a bad commute, but there probably aren't too many rentals available.

Check back with us if you find a rental.

wivenhoe · 09-22-2010, 08:04 AM

There's temporary housing in Waltham within your price range - in apartment complexes. I've living in one until we sell our co-op in NYC; we signed a 9-month lease with the hope that we'd be selling our place in NYC within a year. My neighbor has two cats so I don't think you'd have an issue with the cats.

You might find temporary housing in Newton, but you may pay more than in Waltham and I don't know what you'll find with the cat situation. Still, you might something.

You might also find temporary housing in Needham. Dedham and Norwood are alternatives for temporary housing as other people have mentioned.

Try looking on CraigsList for temporary housing under sublet and by-owner apartments.

thenewtexan · 09-22-2010, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lindies

Hello,

My husband is starting a new job in Needham in October. He grew up in London, Ontario and I grew up in Georgia, and have never lived outside of the South (what is "snow"?). I have heard horror stories about the way New England views the South so needless to say, I'm a bit scared. Anyway, not the point and I'm sure it isn't entirely true, heh.

I would love any advice you could offer on where we should look to rent. We have a very short time to find a place. We are in our 30's, have no children, 3 cats. Until I find a job as well, we will only be able to afford rent in the 1600-2000/month range. What area would you recommend? We are bringing both cars. We are looking at Quincy or Braintree? Is that decent?

I am concerned about the commute for my husband to Needham.

Thanks so much,
Amy

Don't listen to the "horror stories" about New England people. We're not as formal as they are in the south and a little more down-to-earth and direct. You won't hear "sir and ma'am" nearly as much. If you don't plan on having kids, the possbilities for finding rent within that range are endlesss. You might also want to consider Framingham. There's a lot of rentals there and the commute might be a little easier. Parts of Quincy can be a bit sketchy, but there are still plenty of decent neighborhoods there and in Braintree as well. The biggest factor for you (and the reason why I left) is winter. I grew up there and it was just too dark and cold for too many months. Good luck!

Lindies · 09-22-2010, 12:21 PM

Thank you!

Yeah, it looks like we will be in such a rush that we won't be able to explore much before we have to make a decision, unfortunately. We haven't heard from the relocation company who is supposed to set up our trip to fly up and look for a place (I was hoping this weekend), and he starts October 18th. Fortunately we're renting here so we don't have a house to sell, but it still feels very rushed.

I am bracing myself for the culture shock - but am excited to move. Georgia is home to me, but I'm pretty much over Atlanta.

Thank you again everyone.

JeffPersons · 09-25-2010, 03:01 PM

If your husband will be working in Needham I think you can get closer than Braintree. There is nothing wrong with Braintree or Quincy but the commute is a nightmare. Any commute that puts him on 128/95 at the usual times is killer!
Hope the helps, Jeff Persons

Lindies · 09-29-2010, 09:47 AM

We flew up over the weekend and found an apartment in an area we loved, in Quincy, near that large mall (I can't remember the name...South Bay?). We loved the character of Quincy and everyone we encountered no matter where we went in and around the Boston area was extremely nice and friendly.
We are looking forward to it. Thanks again!
Amy