Moving back to New England soon... help? (Boston, Brockton: apartment, rentals)

[BlaisOf_Fire91]

Short background first: I grew up in Rhode Island, and when I was 16, my family moved to Arizona (something about "wanting a change of pace"). I'm staying out here for journalism school right now, but I'd like to move back once I get my degree in two years. Preferably, I'd like to live in Massachusetts to find a job in Boston.

I haven't been back in years, and the last time I was there I was relatively young, so I'm not sure of which towns would be most ideal to my situation. Preferably, I'd like to be in a small town that's:

-Within half an hour to an hour of the beach
-Within an hour of Rhode Island to visit family
-Within an hour of Boston

I hope I'm not being too picky , but are there such towns in MA? Which is the best in your opinion? And on the off chance, does anyone happen to work for a news company that knows if Boston is thriving in that area or not? Any feedback is welcome

[massnative71]

Most all of Massachusetts will fit your requirements. You need to narrow it down a bit.

As for news companies no I do not know of any. I believe it is a tough business.

[evergrn]

Originally Posted by BlaisOf_Fire91

Preferably, I'd like to be in a small town that's:

-Within half an hour to an hour of the beach
-Within an hour of Rhode Island to visit family
-Within an hour of Boston

Just about anywhere in Southshore (part of greater Boston that's south/southeast of Boston, generally outside the Rt-128 loop) will meet all of your requirements. But if you want to work in Boston, you'll probably want to be more like within 40min from Boston (at least if it were me). Beach-wise, it's nothing like California... but Nantasket Beach is one of the better ones around Boston, and it's by Hingham which is a nice place with small-town feel that's convenient to Boston (15min drive to Quincy Adams T stop, then you can hop on the Red Line that takes you directly into downtown Boston), although Hingham itself may not have a lot of rentals/apartment options.

Going further infland, places like Milton, Canton and Sharon should all work for you. If you don't mind not being in a small town setting, Quincy would be very convenient in terms of the commute to Boston (has T running through and it's close to the city) and in terms of many nice apartment options. In Southshore, there are blue-collar type towns (Brockton, Randolph, Stoughton) scattered amongst nicer upper-middle class towns like Canton and Sharon, so that is something you'll need to bear in mind.

All of these places will be less than an hour from Providence. Cape Cod has nicer beaches than Nantasket, and Cape Cod is not that far from all of these Southshore cities.

[brightdoglover]

The news business is staggering in all its forms.
I suggest the OP consider trying really hard to get a related job in a smaller market before trying for a big-city first job.