Area Recommendations (can I even afford the move?!)

[NorthShoreLuke]

Originally Posted by 2sha23

Hi all!
I'm open to buying or renting a 2 or 3bd with 1000+ sqft. If I buy, the house price should preferably be less than $300,000, but I can go up to $350,000 (I've seen some options in Lynn, is this a good city?). If I rent, rent ideally would be less than $2,200.

Safety is a big concern as I am young with a young child.

I hate driving so a 30 minute rush hour commute is a hard limit.

I'm black (is racism really that bad?) and would prefer a more diverse community. I don't want my child to be 1 of few people of color growing up.

You won't find any homes to buy in nice neighborhoods for those prices. Maybe rent, if you're willing to commute 45+m.

As for Lynn, not a nice area at all. There is an old poem that has hung around for generations: "Lynn Lynn, City of Sin, You never go out the way you came in". The area has yet to gentrify and continues to be a hotbed of drugs and youth gang activity. I know hard people who live there and claim it to be okay; however, those are also the people who could not afford to move out if they wanted to.

Racism is not bad here, especially not within the city limits. My wife is black, and we have never felt uncomfortable regarding it near the city. The farther you get away from the city, the less African Americans you see. There are a lot more in city suburbs than when I was a child many years ago, but the more rural suburbs you won't see many at all. I went to my niece's graduation party in Weymouth High last year and there was a healthy African American population there. In general, I have observed a healthier population of African Americans in the south shore suburbs more than the north shore if that is important to you. Areas I would suggest for you to look: Quincy / Weymouth in the south, Malden / Melrose in the north (better for your commute).