Advise on moving to coastal Mass (Boston, Cambridge: condos, high crime, homes)

[Zephyr2]

Lots to consider in this thread. I agree that coastal Mass. winters are not all that bad, but some people do seem to hate them. I lived in Westport and other places on the south coast for many years, commuting into the outskirts of Boston every day. Leaving home in the winter I might start out in rain, which would change to sleet and freezing rain, then snow, then back to sleet and freezing rain, then back to all rain by the time I arrived at work. That wet mess is the worst of winter. On the other hand, deep snow and cold is much less than further inland areas. Yes, there is surfing on the south coast. Places like Horseneck Beach can be great surfing at times. Horseneck is one of the gems of Mass. Most of the big waves come from offshore storms, so south and east facing beaches are the places to look. I was just watching a bunch of surfers the other day as Hurricane Terry passed well offshore. If you like boating and fishing the south shore areas are the best of Mass., IMHO. The water is much colder north of Cape Cod, so water sports are colder too, harbors to the north are more crowded in general, and there are fewer of them.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Conrad4402

So I’m down to just a couple spots north of Boston but can’t seem to reconcile why crime rates are so much higher than NYC suburbs. Boston I get. It’s a big city but suburbs that don’t get above a C rating seems strange. Any thoughts on why that is? Also, for the person who said New England winters are the worst, I have 200” of snow, a frozen lake with winds cutting to the bone and temperature hazard warnings to limit exposure to 15 minutes or less. Your winter is our spring. Definitely not decided on MA or anywhere else yet though.

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Assuming you're talking about the North Shore, where is it that you think is high crime?

Yeah that's interesting. Outside Revere, Lynn, Salem...most of the N Shore has a very low crime rate I thought.

[skeddy]

may want to consider Scituate, the last stop on the South Shore commuter train. Peggotty Beach has an active surfing group.

[Conrad4402]

Yes i meant North Shore. Issues with lack of Diversity in the more northern areas like Newberryport & Manchester by the Sea but so far the other areas, Lynn, Salem, Danvers, Revere seem unexpectedly lower ranking. I wouldn’t say it’s high crime at all but higher than comparable suburbs in NY, CT and NJ, RI & CA we are looking at. For the money and being a suburb I wasn’t expecting that. Overall North Shore seems like there are good school options, close to Boston, pretty liberal over all (more than NYC suburbs hands down). Maybe we are missing the sweet spot though.

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Assuming you're talking about the North Shore, where is it that you think is high crime?

[P Larsen]

It's only certain poor neighborhoods in less than a handful of North Shore communities that have a crime problem. Geographically, it's a much smaller issue than one might find in almost any other metro area. (Because those neighborhoods are old, dense and relatively small in size.) Even in Lynn, it's not an all-pervasive issue, as you can find relatively low crime pleasant areas in Lynn, though white suburbanites from elsewhere might not realize it at all because of lack of familiarity or worse.

[Conrad4402]

If we end up in MA it will be living in the North Shore area and hanging out for surfing in the south on occasion. No offense to other areas. They seem like wonderful places to live but lack the diversity we are hoping for. QUOTE=skeddy;59229056]may want to consider Scituate, the last stop on the South Shore commuter train. Peggotty Beach has an active surfing group.[/quote]

[Conrad4402]

Yeah that’s sort of what I was hoping to hear. A google search on statistics make the whole area seem questionable since they don’t break it into neighborhoods. There are rough spots no matter where you live and we aren’t made of sugar. At the same time, no one wants to dedicate $2M+ on a home with a C crime rating. I’ll try to look closer at neighborhoods. Thank you!

Originally Posted by P Larsen

It's only certain poor neighborhoods in less than a handful of North Shore communities that have a crime problem. Geographically, it's a much smaller issue than one might find in almost any other metro area. (Because those neighborhoods are old, dense and relatively small in size.) Even in Lynn, it's not an all-pervasive issue, as you can find relatively low crime pleasant areas in Lynn, though white suburbanites from elsewhere might not realize it at all because of lack of familiarity or worse.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Conrad4402

Yes i meant North Shore. Issues with lack of Diversity in the more northern areas like Newberryport & Manchester by the Sea but so far the other areas, Lynn, Salem, Danvers, Revere seem unexpectedly lower ranking. I wouldn’t say it’s high crime at all but higher than comparable suburbs in NY, CT and NJ, RI & CA we are looking at. For the money and being a suburb I wasn’t expecting that. Overall North Shore seems like there are good school options, close to Boston, pretty liberal over all (more than NYC suburbs hands down). Maybe we are missing the sweet spot though.

Lynn and Salem are not suburbs, they are urban cities with their share of poverty, crime and socioeconomic diversity (especially Lynn). Schools are poor. Danvers is more of a suburb, although it does have a number of apartments as well. Those places are certainly not the best of the North Shore, although "nice" suburbs and diversity generally do not coexist anywhere in Mass. Maybe look at Swampscott or Beverly?

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by Conrad4402

Yeah that’s sort of what I was hoping to hear. A google search on statistics make the whole area seem questionable since they don’t break it into neighborhoods. There are rough spots no matter where you live and we aren’t made of sugar. At the same time, no one wants to dedicate $2M+ on a home with a C crime rating. I’ll try to look closer at neighborhoods. Thank you!

If I had your budget (and liked the ocean), I would look at Nahant. Near the more diverse parts of Lynn but it's own enclave and surrounded by water. High school is in Swampscott.

[massnative71]

Diversity aside, Lynn is ghetto. Nobody considers proximity to that place an advantage.