Can anyone tell me about Taunton? (Boston, New Bedford: apartment complexes, renter, condo)

[jaime_mac]

I will be relocating to Massachusetts in March. My boyfriend, who grew up there, has already moved back, and will most likely be finding us a place in Taunton since he's been staying there recently and has friends in the area. I was just wondering about this area. Also I will be graduating in March with a BFA in Advertising and hope to find a job pretty quickly in that industry. I've done some research on companies in the Boston area and there seem to be quite a few ad agencies, just doesn't look like a lot of hiring is going on lately, which I can understand.

I've tried looking for places to rent and have run into the problem finding a place that will rent to people with dogs. We have two pretty well behaved dogs, one is 25lbs and one is about 50lbs. They won't get any bigger and stay inside for the most part unless they have to go out to do their business. I would love to find a place that has a yard they can run around in while being supervised, but nearly every place I've looked at online says NO DOGS. Is that typical in Massachusetts? I grew up in Southern California and have lived in Texas for the past 10 years. If you have an animal and rent from an apartment or a private renter they require a pet deposit and some require pet rent, but most all will rent to people with pets.

[Daley7264]

Very few places will allow pets of any kind. Your only hope is to rent a condo, townhouse or house from a private owner who would allow pets. Most apartment complexes won't allow them. This is mass, everyone is worried about being sued for allowing a dog that attacked someone or caused an allergic reaction to the people across the hall. or having to sue for damages caused by pets. As far as Taunton is concerned it's not bad, smaller, old mill city. Some parts are not so nice, like any where. Look around and pick carefully. You can go in any direction a town or two over and find much nicer towns. Good luck!

[jaime_mac]

Thanks for your reply.

I can totally understand people being concerned with a dog biting or damage to an apartment caused by a dog, but that is why in Dallas they charge a pretty hefty pet deposit, at least $300 in most places.

Honestly I would rather rent from a private renter instead of renting an apartment in an apartment complex. I've noticed that most private renters don't mind renting to people with animals as much but some posts I've come across are still saying No Dogs.

I don't know that we would be in Taunton forever, but that's where he wants to live right now and since I don't know anyone but him right now I'm pretty much up for whatever until I check everything out lol

[Daley7264]

Things are a lot different in MA than TX or SoCal. Be prepared for a different attitude. Some friendly people but just different from other area's. Good luck here!

[jaime_mac]

All of my family is from different parts of New York and the east coast so I'm already accustomed to the different types of personalities and attitudes that come from that area. A lot of my friends always told me I had a bit of an east coast attitude, whatever that might be so I think I'll be fine in that department lol

My only concern is winter! Although it gets cold in Dallas, and is currently 36 degrees and didn't even make it out of the mid 30's yesterday, I've never lived anywhere it snowed or got below 0. Yes, it snowed in the mountains in California, but I lived in the suburbs/valley and every once in a while it snows in Dallas, but we mostly get ice and I try to not go anywhere when there is ice on the ground because Dallas drivers flip out and drive like maniacs when that occurs.

We actually had snow flurries here a few weeks ago and people were doing 20mph on the roads. It wasn't sticking, the ground wasn't cold enough to ice over, but god forbid water drops out of the sky it's like the world is ending!

[BriInNH]

Hey there Jaime

First of all, pet deposits are illegal in Massachusetts. Your deposits ( first, last, security) are the only legal deposits. The security deposit covers any possible pet damage. That is governed by state renting laws. This is also likely why pets tend to be frowned upon.

Secondly, I grew up in Taunton. It certainly has its ups and downs. You want to be careful where you live. There is quite a bit of typical city crime and problems. YOu both really should do your homework before you jump in.

[jaime_mac]

Originally Posted by BriInNH

Hey there Jaime

First of all, pet deposits are illegal in Massachusetts. Your deposits ( first, last, security) are the only legal deposits. The security deposit covers any possible pet damage. That is governed by state renting laws. This is also likely why pets tend to be frowned upon.

Secondly, I grew up in Taunton. It certainly has its ups and downs. You want to be careful where you live. There is quite a bit of typical city crime and problems. YOu both really should do your homework before you jump in.

Hi Brin

Thanks for the clarification on pet deposits....that makes much more sense now!

And my boyfriend grew up and lived all over different parts of Mass. so he knows way more than I do. I trust him for now, but I'm sure I'll have my say in where we live after I get up there and get to know places. I mean it can't be any worse than living in East Dallas.

[lrfox]

I spent a good chunk of my life two towns over from Taunton (2 exits down route 24) in Assonet. As Bri mentioned, Taunton's hit and miss. It only has a population of around 50,000 but is VERY spread out. This means that around the center of Taunton, it's a little bit urban with a a cute little town center (the "Taunton Green") and a bit higher density development. I've heard people discuss crime as an issue in Taunton and in spots (particularly around the middle), they may be right. However, it really isn't bad. Check the crime statistics (they are listed HERE if you scroll down a bit) and you'll see that Taunton is actually well below the national average in terms of the crime rate... far below many cities that some people consider, "safer."

Furthermore, since Taunton is large in terms of land area, you have a blend of living situations. It's a little urban closest to the center of town as I already mentioned. However, it gets suburban and even rural just a little ways outside of the center of town so depending on where you want to live, you can probably find an environment that fits within Taunton itself.

Taunton may only be about 40 minutes from Boston, but it feels further. I've always felt that Taunton was more aligned with Providence, RI than Boston (Prov. is only about 25 minutes away). Taunton feels a bit out of the loop socially, so if you get the chance after living here for a while, I'd suggest living closer to the city. I grew up in the area so I know plenty of people (as your boyfriend does) but New England isn't an easy place to make friends and Taunton is probably worse. Taunton's not a college town (though some Wheaton kids live there) nor is it a hub of industry and economy. As such, it's relatively insular and most people that live there have lived there their entire life and know everyone they want to know. I think you'll find it difficult to meet new people and make friends (REAL friendships anyway) on your own in Taunton, even if you have a connection in your boyfriend. Providence, Boston, and New Bedford are where people go for nightlife, there's very little in Taunton.

I don't think it'll be as hard as you think to get a dog into a rental. Most rentals are private (there aren't nearly as many apartment complexes in the Northeast as there are elsewhere) and pets are negotiable even if it's not advertised that way. I'd at least ask. Taunton is technically a "city" but it's very little and not very dense (barely over 1,000 people per square mile) so you'll see that most places have a yard or are near some open space for your dogs.

As far as work goes, you're going to have to plan on commuting if you still live in Taunton. You already looked at Boston which is where most of the jobs will be, but look at Providence (which is closer and easier to access than Boston) and even New Bedford or Fall River for advertising work too. Those cities are within commuting distance and will have some work.

I'd look at renting in towns around Taunton like Norton, Dighton, Berkley, Bridgewater, Lakeville, and Assonet. These are all close to Taunton but will afford you a little more open space.

good luck with your move.

[jaime_mac]

Thanks lrfox!

I just really have two big concerns at this point which are finding a rental that will accommodate dogs and getting a job to pay back my student loans. I pretty much figured I'd be having to commute to one of the bigger cities for employment, especially if I want to work in advertising. I do know that Massachusetts provides a better and wider public transportation system than Dallas or North Texas as a whole does. Basically if you don't have a car here and you don't live right downtown you're stuck.

Thanks for all of the helpful tips and I will look into the towns you listed for renting. I just spoke with my boyfriend and although he would rather live in a more rural area because he hates the city, he thinks that for right now we'll probably have to live closer to a city, but he really wants to stay away from Boston.

[JJS_1966]

I grew up in Raynham/Taunton and still get to the area relatively often. Taunton seems to have become progressively more depressed since when I was younger. I think the crime thing is a bit embellished as most of the town is relatively safe. It is very large and spread out. The downtown area and it's infrastructure are pretty rundown, and there really isn't much in the way of nightlife. It's pretty much a typical old MA mill town that has seen better days. Fortunately, Providence, RI is a short drive. If you're younger and still enjoy going out, I would look for a place closer to Boston.