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Old 01-26-2016, 11:29 AM
 
Location: Massachusetts
6,301 posts, read 9,585,524 times
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Waltham is better served by public transportation than Watertown. The bus lines that run through town from Watertown Square/Newton Corner don't run that often.

Waltham has more bus lines and a commuter rail stop that goes to and from Cambridge. Parts of Waltham are a short drive to the Newton Green line stops.

Watertown pretty much shuts down at night. Young couples without children and older singles tend to be drawn there. The people I know who moved there picked it as a Newton alternative rather than a Cambridge alternative. This is somewhat true about Waltham too. Watertown has a more suburban vibe and Waltham, other than North Waltham, has a more urban vibe. Waltham, like Somerville, has some pretty good ethnic cheap eats and a few places for drinks for young single people. Like another poster said the Moody Street nightlife scene does go up and down, depending on the economy. CDA on Moody has workshops and classes in photography and film. There is also a good movie theater off Moody that shows independent and popular films.

OP do add Medford and Melrose to search before committing to a town. Somerville is much more accessible from Medford and is pretty disconnected from Watertown, if OP likes the Davis Square scene, due to lack of direct public transportation between Somerville and Watertown. Melrose is not as connected to Somerville as Medford; however does have a growing population of young singles and families who work in downtown Boston.

Good luck.

Last edited by 495neighbor; 01-26-2016 at 11:40 AM.. Reason: add
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Old 01-26-2016, 11:49 AM
 
Location: Boston, MA
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If you like quiet, Watertown is perfect. East Watertown in the Coolidge Square area has a great ethnic presence (Greek, Middle Eastern and Armenian) it is also amazingly situated for access to Boston and Cambridge. I grew up there and besides the occasional terrorist throwing bombs and hiding out in boats, it is very very safe.

Sorry, I know I shouldn't joke about that.
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Old 01-26-2016, 01:28 PM
 
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Don't worry about Watertown....it's been on a steady upswing.
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Old 01-26-2016, 04:10 PM
 
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Seriously. There are express buses from Watertown Sq. as well as 71 bus going into Harvard Sq. Waverly commuter station in Belmont is not that far. Nor is Harvard Sq. for that matter. People in East Watertown walk to Brattle and Harvard Sq, and people are suggesting Waltham as a better option?! Waltham is further out, and better suited for people working outside of the city, and toward Burlington and Bedford.

Watertown has better location for Cambridge bound people, period. One of the main reasons it doesn't offer too much night life is that it is too close to Cambridge and Boston to actually compete with, not really necessary, unlike Waltham.

BTW sorry but Melrose is an awful suggestion to somebody like OP.
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Old 01-26-2016, 05:14 PM
 
Location: Everett, Massachusetts
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Watertown is quite Cambridge-centric and would be a good, solid, safe option. The 70 bus runs to Central Square, Cambridge through Watertown. Preferable to that is the 71/73 corridor (much of the 73 runs through Belmont just north of the Watertown line; the 71 goes down Mount Auburn Street straight into Watertown Square). These busses run very, very often, among the most frequent services in the whole MBTA system.

I'm sorry, but to say that Waltham is better-connected by bus is grossly misleading. Most of the busses that go to Waltham either take long routes through other cities, like the aforementioned 70 service, or are express busses with limited access. I actually think Watertown has a more hip crowd than Waltham, which skews more heavily toward college kids or older families than young twenty- and thirty-something professionals.

Melrose and Medford are nice too, but to get to Davis from them, save the West Medford, Medford Hillside and Medford Square areas of Medford, is really not much easier than it is from Watertown, where you can just switch to the red line at Harvard and go two stops to Davis after your bus ride in on the frequent 71.

Back to Watertown for a moment: the Coolidge Square area on the eastern end of that town is a great location and has a number of eateries, a couple of pubs, some great Armenian food stores, and very easy access to Cambridge. Check it out - it's a bit of a gem in my opinion!
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Old 01-27-2016, 09:45 AM
 
Location: Massachusetts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kingeorge View Post
One of the main reasons it doesn't offer too much night life is that it is too close to Cambridge and Boston to actually compete with, not really necessary, unlike Waltham.
That doesn't prevent Somerville from having places open at night and being very alive past dinner time. Or Brookline for that matter.
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Old 01-27-2016, 12:49 PM
 
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Agree that Waltham might be a little closer to what you're looking for than Watertown, but both have pockets with good/bad vibes. If you are buying, both are also always in high demand. Also maybe consider Medford?
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Old 01-27-2016, 02:37 PM
 
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,938 posts, read 36,728,963 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KJMoves View Post
Agree that Waltham might be a little closer to what you're looking for than Watertown, but both have pockets with good/bad vibes. If you are buying, both are also always in high demand. Also maybe consider Medford?
Yeah, or Malden. Malden seems to be getting nicer for going out.
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Old 01-27-2016, 03:22 PM
 
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If the OP can afford a place in Watertown, I'm not sure why he'd instead chose to live in Malden.
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Old 01-27-2016, 03:40 PM
 
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I'm in my late 20's and rent in Watertown with my fiancee. We're over by the Arsenal/Perkins School and love it here. I work in Kendall Square and it is a pretty easy commute for me, about 30 minutes during rush hour and 15-20 during non-peak hours. The Arsenal is developing, they just put in a beer hall and there are rumors of a farmer's market and updates to the theater.

We chose Watertown because it offers a lot of conveniences (stores, close to the pike) and you can grab a quick/cheap Uber to Cambridge or Boston if you want to go out on the weekends. I've taken the express bus to downtown a few times, haven't used any of the other bus routes that run through Watertown. Being able to run/bike along the river was also a huge draw and something I will miss when I move.

The culture is definitely different than the other areas that you referenced. You won't find any Area Fours or Ames Street Deli's in Watertown, but there are a variety of good food options. The crowds will be different than what you are probably used to, when we go out to eat in town we usually see a lot of families and older couples.

It might not offer exactly what you want, but it has a lot of positives and gives you easy access to the areas you enjoy.
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