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Concepts, you are definitely right. And you are not a joykill, the Internet killed it before you. Under 400,000 I do not have much hope. I will have to somehow find a job in academia because on my husband’s salary only, it’s going to be tough. Speaking of which, to answer charolastra00’s question: “Would it be possible for you to move into the nonprofit or business world?”. The answer would be “yes, it would be possible, but no, I will not do it”.
I have been there, hated my life, the only kind of job I can hold down is an academic type, be it teaching adjunct. I had a fine academic job here, I was super OK with it, husbands drags me out of it, so the office, 8-5, punch the clock kind of job won’t happen again, not even in Boston. He was informed about it and he agreed. I suppose I would do it if it came to starvation ...but else, I am ready to be a SAHM, deal with those tiny windows and get on Prozac.
I'm sure you understand the economic situation and that this might be your only option. I'm kind of on the flip side- I always wanted to use my academics to go work in nonprofit or government but am looking at the economy and thinking continuing in academia to become a professor, even though I would HATE it. For your kids' sake, you might have to suck it up. I don't say that to be rude, just to be honest.
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Charolastra00, my kids are not school-age yet, my son is in preschool now (he is almost 4) and my daughter is 15 mo. So I have not yet experienced Georgia’s schools. I am aware of the national rankings and the disaster they spell for Georgia public education, but we were planning on getting into one of those “as good as it gets” districts in GA and hope for the best.
Would it be too much if I asked you what HS you graduated from?
I know Walton HS in Marietta is ranked about 100th in the nation, so this is certainly a major outlier for GA. It’s a “good ol’ nest” of something…but I also know that school culture often means a lot more than rankings based on standardized scores. And in GA, all school districts considered “very good” are typically districts with opulent housing, and a "study-so-you- can-make-money" atmosphere, suggesting exactly the type of culture and lifestyle that the Puritan, understated (and yes, overall better educated) Northeast might secretly despise. J
I went to South Forsyth High School in Forsyth County. Since I graduated in 2006, 2 more high schools have opened up that split up my high school and those are equally great- if not better. I walked out of high school with the equivalent of 8 years of Spanish (block schedule so I took Spanish every day for an hour and a half each day), 2 years of French (and could have been longer if I didn't take band), and some IB courses that I was allowed to take on top of all of my AP classes. It's a top 300 school but I don't trust those rankings since it only ranks based on AP/IB tests- it's probably higher for those who apply themselves.
And yes, my school definitely was situated in a place like you described. Most students went to UGA, GA Tech, and GA State for money reasons (despite that I was not in the top 10% of my class and got an 85% scholarship at a top private school that makes it cheaper than the HOPE) and were looking for careers rather than general education. I think this will be changing in New England too and unfortunately due to the cost, many young people do not stay in New England due to expense. I would LOVE to stay in the Boston area- love the houses, the attitudes, the education, the food, and the lifestyle. However, unless I get a lucrative job offer untypical of the general first job wages, I will have to start my life back in GA to be able to save and accumulate any degree of wealth or security.
For instance, my brother got his first apartment in Beacon Hill which is a fairly nice neighborhood in downtown Boston. It's a 3rd story walkup studio that's teeny tiny but costs a few hundred a month more than my boyfriend's HUGE 1 bedroom apartment in downtown Decatur that has free parking in a lot, an elevator, a pool, and exercise room. That's a big problem with Boston which I'm sure you're finding.
For instance, my brother got his first apartment in Beacon Hill which is a fairly nice neighborhood in downtown Boston. It's a 3rd story walkup studio that's teeny tiny but costs a few hundred a month more than my boyfriend's HUGE 1 bedroom apartment in downtown Decatur that has free parking in a lot, an elevator, a pool, and exercise room. That's a big problem with Boston which I'm sure you're finding.
My friend got a 3rd floor place in Beacon Hill. For 255 square feet, there was one room - living room, office, and bedroom in one, a tiny bathroom, a tiny kitchen. Low ceilings, numerous power and cable issues, and massive heating/cooling problems. All for 1100 a month.
You get for what you pay. He could have done far better in Fenway/Kenmore or out in A/B. But it's the name brand Beacon Hill. And Lord knows what nicer places in Beacon Hill go for.
4. The housing market: we looked at it on the Internet and just about had a nervous breakdown. I have seen half a million dollar houses in supposed good school districts that people in the Atlanta area would be ashamed to live in. Literally.
I moved 9 months ago from Mass. to Texas. Not having been to Atlanta, I'm not familiar with the housing architecture there or the real estate market. However, compared to Mass., you get about twice the house for your money in Texas. At least that's the way it seems to me.
Syracusa - my wife and I were originally from the western part of MA - only 150 miles away and believe me, even that has been a world of change for us! So what to do?
We had the opportunity to rent for 6 years when we were younger and used that time to do LOTS of day trips. We looked at NH, RI, coastal towns, farm towns, etc. etc. Better to rent for an *extra* year than to rush in to a town that is unknown.
For us, a european feel translates, as you said, in to the self-contained community where folks can live and work, walk to shops, etc.. I think it'd be useful for folks here to consider which of their towns/cities have active downtowns that can offer an in-town feel. MA towns have been around for a l-o-n-g time and many were in their hayday with manufacturing which left decades ago in favor of service jobs in the cities. Some of these have come back more than others and some may never.
I think of towns/cities like Salem, Newburyport, and even Portsmouth NH as some of the larger coastal cities that have come back. The draw-in tourists and thus often have a nice assortment of shops, dining, etc.. There are lots of smaller north shore towns (towns north of Boston) that have quaint downtowns that may offer a similar experience.
Syracusa - my wife and I were originally from the western part of MA - only 150 miles away and believe me, even that has been a world of change for us! So what to do?
We had the opportunity to rent for 6 years when we were younger and used that time to do LOTS of day trips. We looked at NH, RI, coastal towns, farm towns, etc. etc. Better to rent for an *extra* year than to rush in to a town that is unknown.
For us, a european feel translates, as you said, in to the self-contained community where folks can live and work, walk to shops, etc.. I think it'd be useful for folks here to consider which of their towns/cities have active downtowns that can offer an in-town feel. MA towns have been around for a l-o-n-g time and many were in their hayday with manufacturing which left decades ago in favor of service jobs in the cities. Some of these have come back more than others and some may never.
I think of towns/cities like Salem, Newburyport, and even Portsmouth NH as some of the larger coastal cities that have come back. The draw-in tourists and thus often have a nice assortment of shops, dining, etc.. There are lots of smaller north shore towns (towns north of Boston) that have quaint downtowns that may offer a similar experience.
Those sound really nice. It's going to be a matter of affording one.
Does anyone know anything about Marblehead and Swampscott? My husband says that those would be the towns closest to his work where we could afford to rent on just his salary and maybe some "leftover" work that I could do online for my current institution in GA.
How are those?
PS: I looked at some pictures of these two towns on the net, and they sure do look charming. I can see why many people think MA is worth the money.That sterile, planned look of the southern suburbs is definitely not there. If only I could get a job in MA!
I know nothing about Swampscott from personal experience. I've heard in a general kind of way that it's a nice town, but have never heard details.
It's been enough years since I was last in Marblehead that it could have changed some. It seems to generally be regarded as a nice and reasonably affluent town. I recall a downtown area that would probably meet the "walkable" criterion pretty well, and a lot of shingle-sided buildings that fit the look of a New England coastal town. In the downtown/waterfront area Marblehead can get a bit crowded with tourists during the summer, but looks generally like a nice town.
If you're considering that general area, a couple of towns that might fit in terms of the character you're seeking would be Rockport and Newburyport. Maybe a bit longer commute than Marblehead, especially from Rockport, and they also might be a bit touristy during the summer, but nice towns. I don't know anything about the rental prices in either, but they would be worth looking into if the price were right.
About those houses with small windows you were talking about earlier, I'm just theorizing here, but I think it's not likely to be a result of any continuing Puritanism. Rather than not wanting to be seen in their private lives due to some residual Puritan modesty, I do think it's possible that in the densely populated inner suburbs the houses are often so close together that people might prefer to avoid picture windows just so that they keep some basic sense of privacy. Another theory I have is that there is a sense of tradition in this area, which leads many people to prefer traditional architectural styles. These would include house styles reminicscent of a time before indoor heating, when windows may have been small as a way to keep out the cold during the winter, and before modern prosperity, when glass had a premium price the average person back in the day could not afford to pay on a large scale.
When I was a child business too my family to a small town just outside Boston. Mind you BOTH my parents had been born and raised in Texas with the accent AND ALL.
We lived there 10 years, in that time we all made lifelong friends. People that I at 42 am still in contact with, people I went to gradeschool with. My parents remained in touch with their friends as well when business took us back to Texas.
As far as your relatives in the South visiting, we had people coming to visit us all the time and we played tourist right along with them. New England and Boston in particular is RICH with history, there is something to see around every bend.
Your making assumptions that there aren't alot of people in New England who are transplants and thats just not true. You will find your niche there I assure you. AND Boston is more like an old European city then it could ever be like a modern Atlanta.
When I was a child business too my family to a small town just outside Boston. Mind you BOTH my parents had been born and raised in Texas with the accent AND ALL.
We lived there 10 years, in that time we all made lifelong friends. People that I at 42 am still in contact with, people I went to gradeschool with. My parents remained in touch with their friends as well when business took us back to Texas.
As far as your relatives in the South visiting, we had people coming to visit us all the time and we played tourist right along with them. New England and Boston in particular is RICH with history, there is something to see around every bend.
Your making assumptions that there aren't alot of people in New England who are transplants and thats just not true. You will find your niche there I assure you. AND Boston is more like an old European city then it could ever be like a modern Atlanta.
I miss New England very much.
Very nice post. Thanks for sticking up for us New Englanders. I complain a lot about our weather but, really, can't imagine living anywhere else. Anywhere I've been is a "nice place to visit but...."
syracusa, I'm new to this forum, but I can understand where you are coming from. My husband, 3 girls and I lived in Melbourne Australia for 13 months (2006-2007). We moved there after living in northwest Alabama in a tiny town. We were not accepted in Alabama because we hadn't been born or raised there, plus racism still runs through it. However, we made the best out of it. It was not an easy task.
While I know you have been here for sometime now I would like to offer you a piece of advice that was given to us before we moved to Australia. We were told not to compare Melbourne to the USA. We had to base our experience as an Australian sees life not how "we do things in the USA" as we would offend the Australians especially if we said "Well, back in the USA we did_______this particular way." Adhering to this advice did not cause us to miss home less, but gave us a greater appreciation for the Aussie way of life. I'm not trying to come down on you or tell you your wrong, but rather encourage you to be open minded.
Regarding how "we people in New England are" I've said this to lots of southern folk when I was down there. You have to give us New Englanders a chance to get to know you. We're not just going to open up and let you in because we want to know you're character first. What kind of friend will you be? I say this without any reservation because I was born and raised in CT, visited MA, NH and ME on a regular basis. I also lived in RI for 6 years. I've moved around with my family a lot and the great thing about moving to a new place is the adventure (as mentioned before).
Someone previously said not to fret over not having family around you. I agree. We knew no one in Australia, we knew no one when we moved to NH (my extended family that lives up here is estranged now) and we're getting ready to move to a new town because my husband got a new job, but it is 2 hours from where we are currently living (eastern NH). I'm not worried about it because I know I will meet new people and I will give them the opportunity to meet me and I'm not going to set up a time limit on how long I will give them to accept me. Living in Australia taught our family to come together in a tighter bond. We became each others friends (my kids were 14, 12, and 11 when we were in Oz) and eventually we made really good friends.
I truly believe that going into this with an open mind and a sense of adventure is the way to approach this time. The internet is a wonderful tool to look up towns and cities you might be interested in living in. Look at a map and circle the cities then go on a virtual visit. It really isn't as bad up here as some people make it out to be, especially in the south. One last thing you will find another position at a college up here. There are many fine colleges and coming from a college in GA doesn't mean you're less experienced or not worthy of a wonderful position. The Boston area can be your oyster and the dream job of your choice its pearl if you allow it to be.
I do apologize for the length. I hope this will help and not cause you more discomfort. It will all be okay!
Cheers,
Frankie
Last edited by fairdinkumfrankies; 08-21-2009 at 09:20 PM..
Reason: gramatical error
No worries! And I mean that with complete sincerity. Boston is in fact modeled after a European city, it is in "New England" after all. I have lived in Massachusetts my whole life and have never viewed anyone from the South or elsewhere as an "outsider". I know stereotypically Southerners are friendly and us New Englanders are crabby, but the truth is there are people of all kinds no matter where you go. There are lots of friendly people here, especially in the Boston suburbs. People here in the distinguished suburbs of Boston tend to be high class people with excellent educational backgrounds, who know how to treat people with genuine kindness and know not to judge people based on their dialect or other cultural or geographical backgrounds. I think once you settle in, you'll adapt and come to love it fairly quickly. You'll see.
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Marblehead and Swampscott
