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We are considering a move from Dallas to a suburb between Boston and Providence for my wife's job. We have lived in several parts of the country except the Northeast. We don't have friends or family in the area but the opportunity is exciting for her and it would allow her more time with our kids. If we move, we would hope to stay for several years.
I would love to hear what those on the forum love about Boston/Southeastern MA and if there are reasons you wouldn't want to leave, or, if there are those that would move if given the right opportunity, why they would be happy move (other than the weather or assuming a job that pays double your current salary).
A lot of this would depend on what you and your wife are hoping to find here. Give people some idea of that, and they can offer you some response about whether you'd likely find what you were looking for here.
Some of it depends on the individual's preferences. Things like political leanings, for example, or maybe even the weather to some degree, would depend on what you like.
Some points I'd think that most people would agree are advantages to the area would be all the history in Boston and vicinity, and the variety of outdoor scenery and recreation possibilities fairly close to the area, like within day-trip distance or convenient overnight distance.
Despite the fact that I listed weather as an example of personal taste, I think a lot of people would consider the weather here to be more or less a negative point, though it could be worse. Cost of housing is another reality which I'd think would pretty nearly universally be seen as a disadvantage in the Boston area.
Once I had kids, I really did not want to move again, because I wanted to provide them with stability. Of course, we did end up moving, and they've adjusted very well, and all of us like it here more than we liked where we lived before. But I would do whatever I could to not move again.
So, even if my kids were young, I would not move somewhere with the intent that it only be for a few years. (Although, if your kids are still very young, and you want that ability to move back in a few years if you don't like it as an insurance policy, I certainly understand that.)
I think the biggest piece of this is how much of an advancement this is for your wife's career -- not just the money, but the opportunities this opens up. It would also be important to consider where those advancement opportunities would lie -- would the vast majority of them be in the Boston area, or limited to a couple areas of the country? Or would the advancement opportunities be in a large number of places?
I have to say, for me, a big thing I like here are the politics, at least in the town where I live and in the surrounding towns. Where I lived before, I had a Congressional Representative and one Senator who did not represent me at all and they couldn't have cared less. It was dismaying. I love all three of my federal level Congressional delegation and I'm happy that I'm not constantly hearing horrific developments out of the state house. So, I would not be able to move to Texas. If this sort of thing is important to you, and you are happy with the situation in Texas, you might not like it in MA.
My husband and I have lived in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, and Midwest. (My husband lived in Dallas for a few years as a kid, but as a kid, couldn't assess what it's like to live there.) We've never lived in the west or west coast. We are very happy we have ended up here and like it very much. Part of it is that we live close enough to the city that it's easy for us to go into Boston frequently. We love the cities, so this is a huge part of our quality of life. Our prior home was fairly far from the large city in the metro area where we lived, and it was a huge PITA to get into the city, so a large part of our increased level of happiness is that we live so much closer to the city. But there are lots of people who couldn't care less about this, and would be just as content to live 50 miles from the city and go in at most once a year. I think that, in many respects, the cities and very close in suburbs are more like each other than they are to their far-out suburbs -- that is, I think living in the city or in a suburb bordering the city in Philadelphia or Chicago is more like living in the city or adjacent suburb in Boston than they are similar to living in a town 40 miles out. I think towns 40 miles outside the city are more similar to each other, whether they're 40 miles from Chicago or Boston, than they are to the large city they orbit. (Of course, this is in a very general sense, and when you get into the weeds, there are some differences. But I think this is a big piece to consider.)
In any event, I think the biggest issue will be the cost of housing, as the previous poster mentioned. You won't be able to get the same level of house here as you have in Dallas. Also, it will still be cold in April, and usually even in May. That is the biggest thing I don't like.
At this point in our lives, we seriously do not ever want to move. We'd be content to live here forever. The only place I'd even consider moving is Chicago, but even then, there would have to be a very compelling reason, and until my kids graduate high school, we would not move unless there was some kind of disaster. But, the reason we moved her is that this is the best (or really, one of two areas) that are best for my husband's career, so we knew that long-term, he'd have more opportunities, and it would be extremely unlikely that we'd ever be in a situation where we'd be forced to move if something happened to his job and he needed to find a new one -- there would be plenty of jobs in this metro area in his field, which wasn't the case in a lot of other cities (unfortunately, including Chicago.)
Once I had kids, I really did not want to move again, because I wanted to provide them with stability. Of course, we did end up moving, and they've adjusted very well, and all of us like it here more than we liked where we lived before. But I would do whatever I could to not move again.
So, even if my kids were young, I would not move somewhere with the intent that it only be for a few years. (Although, if your kids are still very young, and you want that ability to move back in a few years if you don't like it as an insurance policy, I certainly understand that.)
I think the biggest piece of this is how much of an advancement this is for your wife's career -- not just the money, but the opportunities this opens up. It would also be important to consider where those advancement opportunities would lie -- would the vast majority of them be in the Boston area, or limited to a couple areas of the country? Or would the advancement opportunities be in a large number of places?
I have to say, for me, a big thing I like here are the politics, at least in the town where I live and in the surrounding towns. Where I lived before, I had a Congressional Representative and one Senator who did not represent me at all and they couldn't have cared less. It was dismaying. I love all three of my federal level Congressional delegation and I'm happy that I'm not constantly hearing horrific developments out of the state house. So, I would not be able to move to Texas. If this sort of thing is important to you, and you are happy with the situation in Texas, you might not like it in MA.
My husband and I have lived in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, and Midwest. (My husband lived in Dallas for a few years as a kid, but as a kid, couldn't assess what it's like to live there.) We've never lived in the west or west coast. We are very happy we have ended up here and like it very much. Part of it is that we live close enough to the city that it's easy for us to go into Boston frequently. We love the cities, so this is a huge part of our quality of life. Our prior home was fairly far from the large city in the metro area where we lived, and it was a huge PITA to get into the city, so a large part of our increased level of happiness is that we live so much closer to the city. But there are lots of people who couldn't care less about this, and would be just as content to live 50 miles from the city and go in at most once a year. I think that, in many respects, the cities and very close in suburbs are more like each other than they are to their far-out suburbs -- that is, I think living in the city or in a suburb bordering the city in Philadelphia or Chicago is more like living in the city or adjacent suburb in Boston than they are similar to living in a town 40 miles out. I think towns 40 miles outside the city are more similar to each other, whether they're 40 miles from Chicago or Boston, than they are to the large city they orbit. (Of course, this is in a very general sense, and when you get into the weeds, there are some differences. But I think this is a big piece to consider.)
In any event, I think the biggest issue will be the cost of housing, as the previous poster mentioned. You won't be able to get the same level of house here as you have in Dallas. Also, it will still be cold in April, and usually even in May. That is the biggest thing I don't like.
At this point in our lives, we seriously do not ever want to move. We'd be content to live here forever. The only place I'd even consider moving is Chicago, but even then, there would have to be a very compelling reason, and until my kids graduate high school, we would not move unless there was some kind of disaster. But, the reason we moved her is that this is the best (or really, one of two areas) that are best for my husband's career, so we knew that long-term, he'd have more opportunities, and it would be extremely unlikely that we'd ever be in a situation where we'd be forced to move if something happened to his job and he needed to find a new one -- there would be plenty of jobs in this metro area in his field, which wasn't the case in a lot of other cities (unfortunately, including Chicago.)
Thank you. This is helpful. We don't expect our housing budget to go nearly as far, but that was true when we lived in Seattle, California and Chicago. Dallas is pretty remarkable in that way and the quality is outstanding at the higher end. We will be coming in to see some communities this month.
Hi. My original post wasn't that clear. I am interesting in knowing what those on the forum enjoy or love about the Boston and Southeastern MA area. We don't have family or friends to ask, just my wife's colleagues. Alternatively, if you would be happy to leave the area, is it only for warmer weather? We are running cost comparisons and coming to visit, but I am trying to get a better picture of the area from those who live there.
Hi. My original post wasn't that clear. I am interesting in knowing what those on the forum enjoy or love about the Boston and Southeastern MA area. We don't have family or friends to ask, just my wife's colleagues. Alternatively, if you would be happy to leave the area, is it only for warmer weather? We are running cost comparisons and coming to visit, but I am trying to get a better picture of the area from those who live there.
Gotcha. Well if you're asking just my take on the area, I can give you that.
I moved 6 years ago from Cleveland, Ohio which has overall a very similar climate to New England, so I dont really have strong opinions on Boston weather. It's exactly as I've always known weather to be. If anything, it's not as cold or snowy in New England compared to northeast Ohio.
What's good here? Consistently walkable and safe urban environments. I have biked and walked everywhere at all hours for my entire time here. I recently got a car a month ago, though it's not necessary for day to day life really. However, having the car has really opened up the area to me on weekends. There are great places to visit nearby. I am a Mass Audubon member and really enjoy visiting sanctuaries all over the state. In the city there is also plenty to do. I'm really into music and my gf is a professional classical musician, so we really value the offerings on that front. We are in the BSO young professional program which gets you very cheap orchestra tickets and networking opportunities with similar people. I also like going to some local indie shows near by. There are also some decent bars and restaurants to go out to. I'm not really into "nightlife" per se (like to be asleep by 1 on weekends) but I do value having some fun chill bars around. The libraries here are also great and there are tons of cultural things going on (yesterday I went to the oktoberfest in walpole and the greek dormition festival inSomerville, both were fantastic).
What's bad? Obviously cost of living. I won't bore you with details, all very easily searchable. Socially it's not an easy place to fit in. It's also too transient for my tastes. There can be a lot of headaches on the T, even though in general it's a good system. But theres a reason I mostly ride my bike and walk and got a car.
Would I move here again? Yes. Since I moved at age 22, why not? Would I recommend my peers now move here? Probably not. I do not currently have plans to leave, but as I move closer to starting family, it seems like something that might be preferable. There are really only 2 places in the country I really want to live: Cleveland and Boston.
Hi. My original post wasn't that clear. I am interesting in knowing what those on the forum enjoy or love about the Boston and Southeastern MA area. We don't have family or friends to ask, just my wife's colleagues. Alternatively, if you would be happy to leave the area, is it only for warmer weather? We are running cost comparisons and coming to visit, but I am trying to get a better picture of the area from those who live there.
Where would your wife's job be? Just asking because "in between Boston and Providence" isn't really Southeastern Massachusetts, so I just want to clarify on that. Living in Southeastern MA can be very different than living in the Boston area, as others have pointed out.
We are considering a move from Dallas to a suburb between Boston and Providence for my wife's job. We have lived in several parts of the country except the Northeast. We don't have friends or family in the area but the opportunity is exciting for her and it would allow her more time with our kids. If we move, we would hope to stay for several years.
I would love to hear what those on the forum love about Boston/Southeastern MA and if there are reasons you wouldn't want to leave, or, if there are those that would move if given the right opportunity, why they would be happy move (other than the weather or assuming a job that pays double your current salary).
Thanks in advance.
Dallas is a great city. I moved from Missouri, so it was certainly an upgrade for me.
Boston area, especially between Providence and Boston, is a great region. You're hours away from really cool towns & places in America.
Now that I'm here for about 8 years, I can't imagine living anywhere else (*maybe* Toronto) but can't live in Dallas (nature of my job) and no way in heck I'd ever move back to Missouri!
A few things that I like:
Great local foods
Four seasons (yes, winters can be harsh but I love snow and cold weather)
Great water fronts
Lots to see and do in Boston (museums, shops, restaurants, etc.)
Great selection of colleges within reach
Lots of opportunities
Before I moved, people told me that people are rude and unfriendly in Boston/East Coast area. Not true at all. I found them very friendly, welcoming, and open minded.
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