This is the thread where I ask about Boston

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What are the better neighborhoods to live in which are also affordable? Any other advice for someone planning to make the move? etc.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 20:34 (twenty-three years ago)

they got a twelve year old running the ballclub

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 20:38 (twenty-three years ago)

I was certain this was going to be a thread concerning another leg of Gareth's never-ending US tour!

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 20:38 (twenty-three years ago)

they got a twelve year old running the ballclub

*sigh* One day I will know what jokes like this mean. And I will laugh and laugh. heartily.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 20:39 (twenty-three years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002572.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 20:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Sterling it all boils down to how much you are willing to spend. When I moved out of Boston rents were about $1000 a bedroom in Allston/Brighton/Brookline. Which are all 20 minutes by T to downtown, 10 minutes drive. These are of course non-traffic time. You can also try Cambridge/Somerville. But these are typically the safest and affordable. Allston/Brighton, may be the cheapest out of the bunch. Advice, would be if you have a car leave it home.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 20:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Boston is not a car town? :-(

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 20:56 (twenty-three years ago)

Affordable Boston neighborhoods... um, define "affordable". You will probably have the best luck with Brighton, Allston and east Somerville (technically another city but closer to downtown than parts which are officially Boston). Expect to pay upwards of $600 per person for an apartment if you have roommates.

You might also want to check out Harbor Point on Dorchester/South Boston border, which has absolutely stellar views of the harbor for comparatively little money, as well as central air and ridiculous amenities (tennis courts, convenience store, fitness club, two pools, etc).

One important consideration: are you moving to Boston for school or work? If school, which school? Coming to Harvard or MIT means you will probably want to live in Cambridge, Allston, or Somerville regardless of price, while BU would push you more towards Brighton, Allston or Brookline and Northeastern would put you in the South End or Roxbury. (If you're going to Emerson, bite the bullet and prepare to pay out the ass for someplace to live; even Chinatown's prices have climbed markedly since that section of town became "hip and cool".)

Oh, and unless you enjoy being anally violated by excise tax and crazy insurance rates, ditch the car. (It's only worthwhile if you need to travel outside the reliable public transportation zone, like say out to Route 128 and towns like Waltham, Burlington, Woburn, Everett, Saugus, etc.)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 21:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Let us not forget this perennial thread -- read, Sterling, and ponder. ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 21:56 (twenty-three years ago)

"What are the better neighborhoods to live in which are also affordable? "
Two years into buying a house there and I'm about to give up. the only city where everyone bids 25-100 grand ABOVE the asking price. A broker actually showed me a picture of a 185,000 trailer in a trailer park (and it was an old trailer)! If your single get a as many reliable roommates as possible and ditch the car

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 22:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Jamaica Plain is a nice neighborhood, a bit out of the way maybe. Somerville is relatively cheap but that's because it's kind of far from the subway. My cousin pays $425 for an enormous loft in chinatown but he's probably just very lucky.

― Kris (aqueduct), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 22:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Somerville has many many buses that go straight to major subway stops, though.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 23:08 (twenty-three years ago)

A friend of mine told me that Watertown (also right near Cambridge) is apparently a community on the grow and cheaper (for now) than the ever-rising Somerville rates.

― dave k, Tuesday, 29 April 2003 23:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Watertown is really nice- my friends lived there, and it's a very easy bus ride from the Harvard T stop. You'd need a car for groceries, etc. if you lived there, though, and parts of it feel really suburban.

Jamacia Plain has the Arnold Arboreteum, which is a great park, and seemed really nice when I was last there (abt 1998, but it probably hasn't changed too much...). If you move into the city itself, you're probably best off with a bike & some rollerblades. The city is relatively flat, so it's easy to just bike around.

― lyra (lyra), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 01:18 (twenty-three years ago)

please buy the house that BurmaKitty grew up in. It's in Somerville and on the market. BurmaKitty can't manage the property from here.

― BurmaKitty (BurmaKitty), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 02:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Boston = AAA New York

― jm (jtm), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 03:24 (twenty-three years ago)

Basically there is nowhere to live in Boston for anything like the national average rent. When I lived there I was in constant fear of not having enough money to buy food due to rent woes. But some people somehow find ways to cheat and get great rent , like 500$ a month. I guess you need luck. Unfortunately there are a lot fo college students so the cheaper places are often party time places.

― Mike Hanle y (mike), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 04:30 (twenty-three years ago)

thats 500$ per person by the way, FYI

― Mike Hanle y (mike), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 04:30 (twenty-three years ago)

good god that thread is depressing Ned.

but no matter.

related q: what's the race breakdown in boston -- is there segregation, which neighborhoods are less so?

also is there a gay district and is it livably hip or unlivably so?

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 06:24 (twenty-three years ago)

Boston? Segregated? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

"I was in South Africa the other day -- or was it Boston?" -- Chris Rock, pre-fall-of-Apartheid.

(Non-smarmy answer: Boston and its 'burbs are absurdly segragated. Ever the public transportation. Very much a down side.)

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 06:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Sterling the gay district would be the South End. Its beautiful and twice as expensive as any other district. Lots of Brownstones and hip restaurants.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 09:09 (twenty-three years ago)

boston is ridiculously segregated.

(don't get me started on how shitty boston is, btw.)

― toby (tsg20), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 09:39 (twenty-three years ago)

Saying Boston is segregated is kind of like saying water is wet.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 12:26 (twenty-three years ago)

(boston veteran here )
search: jamaica plain, central square/cambridge, somerville, allston, brighton.

goto: boston phoenix.com to search for roommates and apts. & to get a good idea of $$

living in boston with a car is possible. south boston is good for this. depends on the building.

boston in terribly hip and cool right now. so good luck.

segregated? yes and no. no because the city is so small, neighborhoods are right next to eachother.

jamaica plain or central square is where you will find the most types of people.

― kephm, Wednesday, 30 April 2003 13:30 (twenty-three years ago)

In retrospect Jamaica Plain didn't seem segregated at all, but I just could have been amused by all these people speaking Spanish.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 30 April 2003 14:09 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

let's not forget allston/brighton either
hello, russians, brazillians, white college students, and like 50 other ethnic groups all living in the same hood.
if allston isn't diverse, I don't know what the fuck you expect.

― MY FAVOURITE LIGHTER IS CHEESEBURGER (trigonalmayhem), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

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