26 yr old single male relocating to Eastern Mass (Boston, Worcester: sales, apartments) - Massachusetts (MA) - City-Data Forum

Bobert540 · 12-02-2010, 07:40 PM

Hello all,

I am a 26 yr old male and I am relocating to New England for my Job. My territory will cover NH/MA/CT/RI. I am looking into W/NW of Boston.I am looking to be close to the highways to hit Providence/Boston/Hartford/Concord (NH). I wouldn't mind more of a rural setting.

I will be moving to the area knowing very few people. I will commuting far distances so being close to the highways would be great.

It is very important to me to have a clean/safe place to live seeing as I will spend a lot of my time in my apartment alone, I want to be comfortable. All I need is a nice 2 bedroom apartment/Condo/House. I would like to spend around $1200-1400/month for rent.

Any feedback would be great. Thanks!

Jimrob1 · 12-02-2010, 08:57 PM

I lived in Mass much of my life though I now live in Portland, Or. Greater Boston is made up of suburb after suburb, and then exurbs and then town after town. Many of these towns are very family oriented though, but you could live there just fine. Im not sure if you would be bored though. Where your on your own I don't know if you need a more lively area, so you can meet people your age. I know you said rural area.

Im from the border area of Mass and RI and I was going to recommend Metro West Boston. The Needham Natick Framingham, Marlboro. Westboro areas. Really any of the communities in that region, which will then take you into the Worcester area. Alot of people your age live in Metro West to beat the higher cost of Boston, and then travel into and out of Boston for work and pleasure. It is not rural by no means. After Worcester it is more so. Im having trouble thinking of any rural areas that exist anymore, other than Western Mass or Northern New England. Metro West would also be sort of a centralized location for you to travel to the mentioned areas. There is easy access to hwys from the communites of Metro West. The Mass Turnpike I-90 which will connect you to hwy's 495, 295, 395, 195, 128, 95. 93. 91. These are the hwys you will travel on mostly for your travel for your job.

I was also going to recommend Portsmouth NH on the coast of the state some 60 miles North of Boston. Alot of people your age seem to favor that small city, and its proximity to the rural areas and beaches of NH and Maine. This city would give you easy access to Mass and NH with easy access into Boston and points south into RI and CT. There is no income tax or sales tax in NH and that is a big plus for many. As well as the fact NH has a much more country and relaxed feel to it than Mass does. That is until one pays their property tax bill, and sees they make up for the lack of other taxes by the very high property tax.

Still I think your best bet for access to all the points you mentioned, could very well be the communities I mentioned of Metro West Boston.

Also you will find Commuter Rail is very big in the area. Metro West will give you access to trains into Boston should you need them. When it snows in the area and there can be some big storms you will see how a 30 minute drive could become 3 or 4 hours at times. The trains come in handy and can take you into RI as well and up to the Mass NH border area I think.

Enjoy New England it is a beautiful and unique region of America. I was just there last week for Thanksgiving and I will always be a New Englander at heart.

Get ready to see Dunkin Donuts after Dunkin Donuts in the area, as well as non stop sports talk for the Patriots, Red Socks, Bruins and Celtics. People love these teams and you notice they are very much a part of the regional culture.

Best of Luck. Im sure you will get many suggestions and advice from other posters as well.

cwaggy · 12-03-2010, 06:06 PM

Salem, MA - great town, great location , lots of things to do and close enough to Boston. Check it out.

ogre · 12-03-2010, 11:23 PM

Hmm, okay, I can understand the temptation for those posting to assume that at 26 you're going to want a more lively area than you'd find in many of the exurban, semi-rural towns well northwest of Boston, but there are some suggestions above that may not be good fits if you're truly looking for a really quiet rural area. Of the places suggested so far, Needham, Natick, and Framingham are more suburban than rural. Marlborough and Salem are somewhat urban. Those two towns are beginning to move into the territory of being small cities, though the area surrounding Marlborough is rural, and in either town there will be some less densely populated neighborhoods.

Portsmouth is nice, but is another town with a somewhat urban character. I'll also have to disagree with the claim that you'd have easy access to all your work territory from Portsmouth. Even outside of rush hours, it would be at least an hour longer to drive to CT and RI than it would be from the western suburbs, and during rush hours the trip from Portsmouth to points well south would be savage.

Westborough is the one town suggested so far that is more like what you say you want. Now, if you really mean that you want something more suburban than rural, then most of these towns could fit pretty well, though Salem is not in an especially good location for access to the points south which you neet to travel to.

I'll make my first suggestion based on the assumption that you mean what you say when you say you want a safe, quiet area that's somewhat rural. That suggestion is Acton. Acton is pretty close to I-495, which is a good highway for access to the areas you need to get to. While open and rural in some sections of town, Acton has a larger population than most towns in its vicinity, with a decent number of shopping options accessible as long as you don't mind driving to most places, which sounds as if it's not a problem. I'm not familiar with specific complexes, but I do know that Acton also has some apartment and condo developments, which may be difficult to come by in in many of the more rural towns well outside of Boston.

Acton is well positioned for access to more shopping and nightlife than you find right in the town, compared to some rural towns in the area. Immediately to the south is Maynard, which is a small town--not exactly the Big Apple--but is a small island of urbanity surrounded by orchard and truck farm country, with a bit more in the way of restaurants and downtown shopping than you'll find in most towns around there. From Acton you can also reach Boston by commuter rail, in case you'd like to ditch the car for a while.

I don't know much about what there might be for apartments in many of the more rural towns, but generally I'd say that most of the towns around 495 northwest of Boston are nice towns with a peaceful rural feel. If you can find apartments in these towns, Stow, Littleton, Westford, Boxborough, Concord, and Harvard would all fit what you're looking for if you truly don't need as much nightlife nearby as many people your age would prefer.

Bobert540 · 12-14-2010, 05:43 PM

Thank you all for your input, it is greatly appreciated. I am still searching for an area that will fit my needs. I don't necessarily need a rural town, suburban living would be fine as well. Does anyone know of any other sites to use for apartments other than craigslist and hotpads?

Thanks, all suggestions are welcome. Framingham is about as far south as I would like to go so anything north/northeast/northwest of there would be great.

Amontillado · 12-14-2010, 06:32 PM

Needham, Natick, and Framingham are good, and you might look at Waltham too. It's right where Rte 128 (aka 95) and the Turnpike cross, so access in any direction is good. And it's relatively inexpensive.

Turtleheart558 · 12-14-2010, 06:35 PM

Oxford will put you right on 395 and the mass pike and make travel to CT and RI a short hop.

thenewtexan · 12-14-2010, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turtleheart558

Oxford will put you right on 395 and the mass pike and make travel to CT and RI a short hop.

If you must go to Oxford, go to N Oxford which is right next to the Mass Pike and 10 min from I 84 for NYC. Look at the co ndos on Pine Ridge Golf Course or Thayer Pond Village ( a bit hit or miss) on Route 20. It's about 45 min from Boston, but I wouldn't recommend it for a single 26 year old unless you're REALLY focused on saving money. Trust me on this one. I grew u p in Oxford and my parents still live there. BTW, I live in San Antonio, TX now and love it...but I digress. Based on our job description and territory, the Metro west/Framingham area would be best for you. It's centrally located for your work and only 20 minutes from Boston for fun. You will find a decent place (not fancy by any means) for your budget. Keep us posted. Good luck my friend.

Bobert540 · 12-15-2010, 04:04 PM

Thanks again for the continued input! How are Marlborough and Hudson?

thenewtexan · 12-15-2010, 06:41 PM

Marlboro and Hudson would be fine for a 20 something with no kids. Neither is considered upscale compared to the towns that surround them, but it's definitely not considered the ghetto persay. Marlboro is nearly twice as big as Hudson and closer to Framingham/Mass Pike and 290 runs actually right to Marlboro. Hudson is just next door to the north of Marlboro. I'm not sure on what, if any, areas within the towns you should avoid. Perhaps another poster can help with this.