About to graduate, got a job in Hudson...Where to live? (Boston: apartment complex, quality of life)

[wolfgang239]

That is why I recommended Hudson. Again, by the time you get out of Worcester from the type of area you are looking for Hudson is a much better commute. You might go out on week nights to begin with but after a few months you will be glad to be 5 min from work in a boring neighborhood vs 45 min from work in a boring neighborhood.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Parsec

Didn't they just lay off a couple thousand employees in the past year?

yes

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by fishstik

I'll be an engineer at Intel's Hudson branch.
I'm not really looking for clubbing and nightlife, but I would love to be able to just go out on foot from where I live to check out museums and live music around town. That's why Boston proper appeals to me more. It doesn't sound like living in Hudson would provide that. I'm just trying to find a good compromise between isolated suburban living and a long commute.
Well if it's just as boring as Hudson, then I might as well live in Hudson, no? Should I be living closer to the center of Worcester instead?
Marlborough will probably be my pick if the other areas (Worcester, Waltham) end up not being worth the extra commute.

Thanks again, everyone, for the invaluable advice!

If you go suburban, Marlborough is not at all a bad pick. Decent restaurant scene including the popular Fireflys BBQ, Wildwood Steakhouse and a growing art scene and café around the new Lincoln street lofts, Brazillian culture and restaurants in both Hudson and Marlborough. The Horseshoe Pub in Hudson is famous even with the Boston people for having 100 different beers on tap, Harvest Cafe a farm to table restaurant and the new trendy Railtrail Flatbread place are just some hidden gems in Hudson.

[scorpio516]

I'd suggest Hudson. It can be nice, there's some stuff to do, and fairly safe. IMHO sleepier, but less gritty than Marlborough.

A movie theatre is one exit down 290 @ Solomon Ponds
Worcester is pretty close, 20 minutes or so down 290 if your planning on a night out.

But, think of how much time you'd save not commuting!

In my office of 20 or so in Franklin, there are three big 10 alumns - one for UofM, one from Illinios, and a Penn State alum. Her and her husband are both alums and have football season tickets.

[hken]

I'd give Framingham a toss because it's a reverse commute and you might be able to commute it in 30 minutes. Framingham has more commercial activity and with the state college there, probably more twentysomethings nearby. Even for little things like a little take-out variety or stopping by mall after work I think Framingham has the convenience not to mention a lot of apartments. You just need to be close to the Pike

[fishstik]

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions and advice! I've decided on Hudson or Marlborough and will drive out there during spring break in March to take a look at the areas and its apartments.

[Danimal14]

Fishstik - have you learned anything more in the last month? I'm moving to Boston as well (//www.city-data.com/forum/massa...if-single.html)

Similar situations, we should share knowledge!

[fishstik]

Haven't been doing much research lately--I've mostly been focusing on my last semester at school. I'll be setting up tours of apartments pretty soon though; I'm heading out there in a couple weeks and will check out Hudson/Marlborough and Waltham (still haven't completely ruled it out) and places in between.

Will update this thread after this!

[fishstik]

Alright folks. I just spent the day driving from Boston to Brighton to Waltham to Marlboro to Hudson looking at six different craigslist listings. Against basically everyone's advice on here and Reddit, I'm about to commit to a shared house in Waltham. Here are some factors that led me to make this decision:

- Difficulty of finding listings in Hudson. I was not able to make ANY appointments for showings of places in Hudson. The selection goes way down as you move away from the city.
- Bad experience in Marlboro. It does seem pretty run-down. One place I visited was REALLY run-down.
- Place in Waltham is month-to-month. So if I really get sick of the commute, I can easily start looking elsewhere.
- Hudson/Marlboro really seem isolated coming from downtown and even Waltham. Can't see myself staying sane there for too long.

It ended up being a decision between roommate situations in both Waltham and Marlboro, with similar rents, and I opted for Waltham. Hope this helps other recent grads!

[timberline742]

That makes a ton of sense.