Where should I live in Boston?
January 29, 2021 9:35 AM Subscribe
This question will garner a lot of responses. Coming from the NYC market, so I can't imagine it would be worse but I got the point in NYC where I would know someone who would know someone that would get me an apartment below market rate, I don't know how common that was. Is Boston the same way? I'd prefer something studio or one-bedroom as close to $2k as possible, could push to $2,500k. My office is in the "Back Bay" and I'd like a commute under 45 minutes. Less would be better, I'm not afraid of non-gentrified neighborhoods. More inside!
I'd prefer to not drive, I like eclectic neighborhoods like East Village where I lived once in NYC. I also lived in pre-gentrified Harlem, Bronx and South Brooklyn. As long as it is eclectic and diverse I like it but given I'm new to the city if I'm stuck in the suburbs I'm sure I'd be okay. I don't drive so it would have to be somewhere I can bike to public transport. Again, I'd like to save so being in a cool neighborhood and paying $2500k isn't my ideal, I'd rather live in a non-cool neighborhood or a neighborhood that people deem sketchy (aka pre-gentrified Harlem and Bronx). That said, I'm not looking for the worst neighborhood possible, I'm just well aware of when I was in New York there was definitely guys who hang out on the corner hustling but they knew me and I knew them and I didn't care.
Hope that makes sense. I'm in my mid 30s, male and have a professional job so roommate drama isn't something I'm looking for. I figure since there was a large student population in Boston I was hoping there'd be student housing that'd be cheap. Again, cheap student housing isn't something I'm necessarily looking for but I'd rather save until I get to know the city.
Any other advice about Boston would be helpful, assume it isn't the middle of Covid. Trying to get myself excited about moving and realized there's not a lot of movies that have Boston as a character such as Ghostbusters, Annie Hall, etc. that are more odes to the city. The Departed and the rest seem to take place in bars and just have Mark Wahlberg in a heavy Boston accent.
Thanks!
I'd prefer to not drive, I like eclectic neighborhoods like East Village where I lived once in NYC. I also lived in pre-gentrified Harlem, Bronx and South Brooklyn. As long as it is eclectic and diverse I like it but given I'm new to the city if I'm stuck in the suburbs I'm sure I'd be okay. I don't drive so it would have to be somewhere I can bike to public transport. Again, I'd like to save so being in a cool neighborhood and paying $2500k isn't my ideal, I'd rather live in a non-cool neighborhood or a neighborhood that people deem sketchy (aka pre-gentrified Harlem and Bronx). That said, I'm not looking for the worst neighborhood possible, I'm just well aware of when I was in New York there was definitely guys who hang out on the corner hustling but they knew me and I knew them and I didn't care.
Hope that makes sense. I'm in my mid 30s, male and have a professional job so roommate drama isn't something I'm looking for. I figure since there was a large student population in Boston I was hoping there'd be student housing that'd be cheap. Again, cheap student housing isn't something I'm necessarily looking for but I'd rather save until I get to know the city.
Any other advice about Boston would be helpful, assume it isn't the middle of Covid. Trying to get myself excited about moving and realized there's not a lot of movies that have Boston as a character such as Ghostbusters, Annie Hall, etc. that are more odes to the city. The Departed and the rest seem to take place in bars and just have Mark Wahlberg in a heavy Boston accent.
Thanks!
Yeah, I immediately thought Jamaica Plain, too.
posted by briank at 10:06 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by briank at 10:06 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
Well, there's Good Will Hunting , but that's more of a Cantabridgian story....
Look along the T lines, and you can get farther out of downtown. If you are willing to bike to the T, then you can go out to like Somerville/Medford. And if you will ride MBTA commuter rail, then you can move out to the damn country (i.e., the lines out of back Bay Station, heading south, take you pretty far out in under 45 minutes): I lived in Rhode Island and rode the train about 50 minutes in to Bay Bay and walked -- and, later, I rode to South Station and walked almost to Fanieul Hall.
Jamaica Plain would be good, and West Roxbury is already gentrified. Brookline is really nice and very cool, but probably out of your price range; same for a lot of Cambridge. Some students live in Allston (Rock City)/Brighton. Longwood Medical Area and streets out along the E line are right on the border of "fancy meets ready-for-gentrifying," and still have a mix of Regular People and doctors.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:08 AM on January 29, 2021
Look along the T lines, and you can get farther out of downtown. If you are willing to bike to the T, then you can go out to like Somerville/Medford. And if you will ride MBTA commuter rail, then you can move out to the damn country (i.e., the lines out of back Bay Station, heading south, take you pretty far out in under 45 minutes): I lived in Rhode Island and rode the train about 50 minutes in to Bay Bay and walked -- and, later, I rode to South Station and walked almost to Fanieul Hall.
Jamaica Plain would be good, and West Roxbury is already gentrified. Brookline is really nice and very cool, but probably out of your price range; same for a lot of Cambridge. Some students live in Allston (Rock City)/Brighton. Longwood Medical Area and streets out along the E line are right on the border of "fancy meets ready-for-gentrifying," and still have a mix of Regular People and doctors.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:08 AM on January 29, 2021
Two things about working downtown - first, the city is very walkable since the downtown core is pretty small, and second, your commute is going to be heavily influenced by the closest T stop to your office. The T is organized in a hub-and-spoke system, so any transfers are going to require going all the way in to downtown and then changing trains (I probably wouldn't bother with buses in rush hour). The flip side to this is that it may be possible, depending on the exact address of your office, to have multiple train lines available a short walk in several different directions. Take a look at a map and see what's close.
Back Bay is usually served either by the Orange Line or the E branch of the Green Line. Orange Line leads north up to Malden (more suburban feeling towns with walkable downtown cores of their own) and south towards Roxbury/Dorchester/JP. It's also served by the Fairmount Line of the commuter rail, which goes as far south as Hyde Park. You can take the Fairmount Line for subway fare through that distance. Dorchester ("Dot"), Roxbury, and Mattapan are generally the more diverse neighborhoods (someone feel free to correct me on this if my stereotypes are out of date). If you bike, the city has been getting much better as a cycling community and owning one may help you get around better. No bicycles allowed on the T during rush hour and never at all on the Green Line (folding bikes excepted).
One thing I will point out is that the city can be very segregated by what T line you're on. What I mean by this is if you have friends in Cambridge (Red Line) they are going to be very unlikely to visit you if you're on the Orange Line due to the time and difficulty involved in switching lines. Actually, people seem to be very loath to cross the river in general, so bear that mind.
We just rewatched the original Thomas Crowne Affair last night, and the city features heavily as its own character. Give it a watch!
posted by backseatpilot at 10:08 AM on January 29, 2021 [7 favorites]
Back Bay is usually served either by the Orange Line or the E branch of the Green Line. Orange Line leads north up to Malden (more suburban feeling towns with walkable downtown cores of their own) and south towards Roxbury/Dorchester/JP. It's also served by the Fairmount Line of the commuter rail, which goes as far south as Hyde Park. You can take the Fairmount Line for subway fare through that distance. Dorchester ("Dot"), Roxbury, and Mattapan are generally the more diverse neighborhoods (someone feel free to correct me on this if my stereotypes are out of date). If you bike, the city has been getting much better as a cycling community and owning one may help you get around better. No bicycles allowed on the T during rush hour and never at all on the Green Line (folding bikes excepted).
One thing I will point out is that the city can be very segregated by what T line you're on. What I mean by this is if you have friends in Cambridge (Red Line) they are going to be very unlikely to visit you if you're on the Orange Line due to the time and difficulty involved in switching lines. Actually, people seem to be very loath to cross the river in general, so bear that mind.
We just rewatched the original Thomas Crowne Affair last night, and the city features heavily as its own character. Give it a watch!
posted by backseatpilot at 10:08 AM on January 29, 2021 [7 favorites]
Jamaica Plain is very gentrified but remains a pretty vibrant neighborhood and is a little more affordable than other parts of Boston. It’s where I lived and where I’d probably opt to live if I ever moved back. You would be able to ride a lovely bike path to Back Bay and it’s also an easy subway commute. I’ll warn you that Boston is unreasonably expensive these days.
posted by cakelite at 10:10 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by cakelite at 10:10 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
Also, the MBTA commuter lines are divided into two groups: either they terminate at the North Station, or they go through Bay Bay Station into South Station. Most of them stop at Boston neighborhoods, so the commuter trains can be used as mass transti even for people not riding the whole way.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:10 AM on January 29, 2021
posted by wenestvedt at 10:10 AM on January 29, 2021
I think the one thing about Boston vs. NYC is that public transit access drops off a lot more steeply once you're out of the urban core. So ironically I think it may be possible to get a better deal "for a given commute time on public transit" in NYC vs. Boston.
I agree with the advice about Jamaica Plain. Somerville/Medford is a good idea if you're willing to bike. East Arlington maybe. There's a new green line extension that should give you a fairly direct commute so I would look around the area of the new green line T stops also. Dorchester comes to mind as well.
posted by peacheater at 10:11 AM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
I agree with the advice about Jamaica Plain. Somerville/Medford is a good idea if you're willing to bike. East Arlington maybe. There's a new green line extension that should give you a fairly direct commute so I would look around the area of the new green line T stops also. Dorchester comes to mind as well.
posted by peacheater at 10:11 AM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
Lots of good suggestions here, but I will add a few more:
I would also say maybe Central Square in Cambridge (more of a bike or bus commute, works better if you're closer to the Mass Ave end of Back Bay).
And Malden Center might be worth checking out - it's an inner suburb kind of on the gentrification bubble at the moment. What that translates to in terms of rent on a 1-bed I don't know! But you can get from Malden Center station to Back Bay station in about 30 minutes. Walkable town center, good Chinese and other Asian food.
Roslindale (adjacent to Jamaica Plain) is another more-suburban option (though it's a neighborhood of Boston). Commute would either be via Forest Hills station on the Orange Line or commuter rail (which has poor service on weekends).
The Boston rental real estate market seems like it's in a bit of a state at the moment due to students not coming into the city because all their classes are online plus a certain amount of flight the suburbs, which could translate to good deals? I haven't been looking much so I don't really know.
Somerville and Medford are kind of a pain to get to the Back Bay although you probably could do it (Green Line Extension will help but it's only supposed to open in December).
You might even be able to get into the South End for under $2500 right now. It gets grungier as you get towards Mass Ave and Melnea Cass, fancier toward downtown and the Back Bay.
As for thoughts on Boston, Boston is really neighborhoody. Could you call it insular? Yes you could! But anyway I've lived in a lot of places in Greater Boston (in Boston Proper, outer Boston neighborhoods, inner suburbs, car-dependent suburbs) and there are things I love about all the places I've lived but I'm not sure how they tie together into a "Boston" concept overall.
posted by mskyle at 10:34 AM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
I would also say maybe Central Square in Cambridge (more of a bike or bus commute, works better if you're closer to the Mass Ave end of Back Bay).
And Malden Center might be worth checking out - it's an inner suburb kind of on the gentrification bubble at the moment. What that translates to in terms of rent on a 1-bed I don't know! But you can get from Malden Center station to Back Bay station in about 30 minutes. Walkable town center, good Chinese and other Asian food.
Roslindale (adjacent to Jamaica Plain) is another more-suburban option (though it's a neighborhood of Boston). Commute would either be via Forest Hills station on the Orange Line or commuter rail (which has poor service on weekends).
The Boston rental real estate market seems like it's in a bit of a state at the moment due to students not coming into the city because all their classes are online plus a certain amount of flight the suburbs, which could translate to good deals? I haven't been looking much so I don't really know.
Somerville and Medford are kind of a pain to get to the Back Bay although you probably could do it (Green Line Extension will help but it's only supposed to open in December).
You might even be able to get into the South End for under $2500 right now. It gets grungier as you get towards Mass Ave and Melnea Cass, fancier toward downtown and the Back Bay.
As for thoughts on Boston, Boston is really neighborhoody. Could you call it insular? Yes you could! But anyway I've lived in a lot of places in Greater Boston (in Boston Proper, outer Boston neighborhoods, inner suburbs, car-dependent suburbs) and there are things I love about all the places I've lived but I'm not sure how they tie together into a "Boston" concept overall.
posted by mskyle at 10:34 AM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
... I'm not sure how they tie together into a "Boston" concept overall.
Easy: they all hate the Yankees. Har!
What about out the Blue Line, toward Everett?
Somerville has had a ton of development in the past few years, and (the fixed-up part, anyways) is pretty cool. Malden is like the next step out, as mskyle points out, and so there should be a price break -- made more obvious by the fact that the Red Line kind of sucks when compared to the Green Line, or neighborhoods closed to downtown. (But then, I haven't lived there in 30 years, so mine are the impressions of a visitor!)
What's the North End like these days, now that Charlestown is finished being made unaffordable?
posted by wenestvedt at 10:46 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
Easy: they all hate the Yankees. Har!
What about out the Blue Line, toward Everett?
Somerville has had a ton of development in the past few years, and (the fixed-up part, anyways) is pretty cool. Malden is like the next step out, as mskyle points out, and so there should be a price break -- made more obvious by the fact that the Red Line kind of sucks when compared to the Green Line, or neighborhoods closed to downtown. (But then, I haven't lived there in 30 years, so mine are the impressions of a visitor!)
What's the North End like these days, now that Charlestown is finished being made unaffordable?
posted by wenestvedt at 10:46 AM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
(North End, well pre-covid, is a mix of older italian townies and younger professional women, probably several to a small apartment)
Look at East Boston, it's right next to the airport but not noisy as the takeoffs are away from downtown. It does put you at the mercy of the Blue line but it's crowded during rush hour but generally reliable. Jeffries point is a really nice very mixed neighborhood. It's on the water but only recently have lux high rises started, still has an ethnic vibe.
posted by sammyo at 11:34 AM on January 29, 2021
Look at East Boston, it's right next to the airport but not noisy as the takeoffs are away from downtown. It does put you at the mercy of the Blue line but it's crowded during rush hour but generally reliable. Jeffries point is a really nice very mixed neighborhood. It's on the water but only recently have lux high rises started, still has an ethnic vibe.
posted by sammyo at 11:34 AM on January 29, 2021
+1 to JP. I live a little further out (W. Rox), but if I was going to move closer into the core, JP would be one of the neighborhoods I would consider.
Spotlight uses Boston as a character to some extent, and I recently heard good things about, Between the Lines.
posted by chiefthe at 12:20 PM on January 29, 2021
Spotlight uses Boston as a character to some extent, and I recently heard good things about, Between the Lines.
posted by chiefthe at 12:20 PM on January 29, 2021
Other people have mentioned Somerville, but I feel compelled to add my own plug for my adopted hometown. It's a very cool place to live, with a nice combination of the amenities of living in a big city and the neighborhood feel of a suburb. It is somewhat inconvenient to Back Bay (you'll either need to bike or take some combination of bus/train downtown and then switch to the Orange or Green line, a process which would take ~45 minutes on a good day) but that will change dramatically when the Green Line Extension project finishes (theoretically later this year). The GLX is basically going to put a Green Line station every half mile or so through Somerville and into the southern end of Medford.
Ordinarily I would say that your budget is going to be rather tight, but this year may have changed that at least for the moment. With COVID and lots of colleges not bringing students back to campus, there are a lot of landlords desperate to find tenants and anecdotally I've heard that there are very good deals to be had.
One last note about timing: because of the massive number of college students, the Boston rental market is heavily centered around the academic year. Most apartments are on September 1st leases, and many of those that aren't are on June 1st. Looking at another time of year is a double-edged sword: you can get good deals from landlords desperate to fill empty units, but you'll have many fewer options.
posted by firechicago at 12:28 PM on January 29, 2021
Ordinarily I would say that your budget is going to be rather tight, but this year may have changed that at least for the moment. With COVID and lots of colleges not bringing students back to campus, there are a lot of landlords desperate to find tenants and anecdotally I've heard that there are very good deals to be had.
One last note about timing: because of the massive number of college students, the Boston rental market is heavily centered around the academic year. Most apartments are on September 1st leases, and many of those that aren't are on June 1st. Looking at another time of year is a double-edged sword: you can get good deals from landlords desperate to fill empty units, but you'll have many fewer options.
posted by firechicago at 12:28 PM on January 29, 2021
Here's a couple of maps we looked at when we bought in Boston ~5 years ago:
But if you explore the transit map and find other promising spots, they'll also be great! The last time I moved was from one of the "best" neighborhoods on the Red Line, near Davis Square, to one of the "worst" by some lights, near Fields Corner, and it's ... a place people live. There's fewer places to have brunch (and notably fewer stores aimed at my demo in general) but the lines are shorter. That leaves me skeptical that we have neighborhoods worth avoiding, exactly; we just have segregated neighborhoods, a struggling public transit system with a few parts that work better than most, traffic-choked roads, and a lot of retail that therefore caters to its immediate neighborhood.
posted by john hadron collider at 12:40 PM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
- Mapnificent's map of public transit time to a particular location like your work. Flipping back and forth between this and apartment listing maps will tell you a lot.
- Justice Map's race and income map. Helpful for understanding what's going on socioeconomically in a segregated city and how you're fitting into that. There's not a right answer but it's helpful to know. (We're applying for kindergartens right now and finding out that Boston is 50% white but its public schools are 15% white, so I'm kinda seeing everything through that lens, but good grief is Boston wrapped around the axle of racism.)
But if you explore the transit map and find other promising spots, they'll also be great! The last time I moved was from one of the "best" neighborhoods on the Red Line, near Davis Square, to one of the "worst" by some lights, near Fields Corner, and it's ... a place people live. There's fewer places to have brunch (and notably fewer stores aimed at my demo in general) but the lines are shorter. That leaves me skeptical that we have neighborhoods worth avoiding, exactly; we just have segregated neighborhoods, a struggling public transit system with a few parts that work better than most, traffic-choked roads, and a lot of retail that therefore caters to its immediate neighborhood.
posted by john hadron collider at 12:40 PM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Little disappointed it seems like 2500 is the low-end for a studio/one-bedroom. Would increasing my commute and looking outside of Boston lower that? I’m sure or hoping 2500 gets me more than NYC and one bedroom is truly a one bedroom or a studio isn’t completely crammed. Where does the service industry live? I might be confused due to how extensive the transport is in NYC so I knew people commuting to the city from Coney Island.
posted by geoff. at 1:25 PM on January 29, 2021
posted by geoff. at 1:25 PM on January 29, 2021
Depends on how annoyed you are by gentrifiers. Jamaica Plain is a great neighborhood for a million reasons, but it's also getting less diverse and eclectic, two words you used.
I live in the next Boston neighborhood to the south - Roslindale. It's gotten expensive, but you can totally rent an apartment for way less than $2500. I've seen 2 bedrooms for $1800-$2k. It's definitely a diverse neighborhood and a bit quirky. You could bike to the orange line to Forest Hills and go right to Back Bay that way (both orange line). We do have a Commuter Rail in Rozzie to Back Bay, but it's expensive and has bad weekend service.
However if you prefer not to ever drive, living in a place with the T (vs Commuter Rail) is way better. So JP or Brookline on this side of the river (both pricey and more gentrified and I'm not sure anyone would call Brookline "eclectic"). On the other side of the river, Central Sq in Cambridge or one of the many squares in Somerville would probably make you happy. Those places would be way more expensive than over here.
I guess it depends on what matters most. Honestly you would probably like any of the places I mentioned--just depends on which is most important.
posted by jdl at 1:27 PM on January 29, 2021
I live in the next Boston neighborhood to the south - Roslindale. It's gotten expensive, but you can totally rent an apartment for way less than $2500. I've seen 2 bedrooms for $1800-$2k. It's definitely a diverse neighborhood and a bit quirky. You could bike to the orange line to Forest Hills and go right to Back Bay that way (both orange line). We do have a Commuter Rail in Rozzie to Back Bay, but it's expensive and has bad weekend service.
However if you prefer not to ever drive, living in a place with the T (vs Commuter Rail) is way better. So JP or Brookline on this side of the river (both pricey and more gentrified and I'm not sure anyone would call Brookline "eclectic"). On the other side of the river, Central Sq in Cambridge or one of the many squares in Somerville would probably make you happy. Those places would be way more expensive than over here.
I guess it depends on what matters most. Honestly you would probably like any of the places I mentioned--just depends on which is most important.
posted by jdl at 1:27 PM on January 29, 2021
Hit submit and saw your latest update geoff. Seems to be lots like this in Roslindale. Hyde Park is also nearby and will be cheaper, but also part of the city.
posted by jdl at 1:30 PM on January 29, 2021
posted by jdl at 1:30 PM on January 29, 2021
A few important corrections: The Blue Line doesn't come particularly close to Everett, and wenestvedt is probably the first person I've ever heard claim that the red line sucks compared to the blue line.
posted by bowbeacon at 1:35 PM on January 29, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by bowbeacon at 1:35 PM on January 29, 2021 [5 favorites]
You can get easy access to anywhere in Back Bay on any of the Green Lines (B, C, D, or E). I pay just under $1,000 for one room in a 3BR apartment in Fenway. I have friends who lived in Allston - definitely Student Neighborhoods - and had nice 1BR apartments for about $1800, but they also lived in a building full of BU and BC students and it got noisy during the school year. Further out along the B, there are some cheaper apartments in Brighton and Chestnut Hill, closer to BC. My boyfriend pays $2500 for a very nice 1BR in Central Square. It's doable, but you have to be persistent when hunting
posted by ChuraChura at 1:44 PM on January 29, 2021
posted by ChuraChura at 1:44 PM on January 29, 2021
Revere is supposedly one of the next big things, near the beach, off the blue line, but I wouldn't call it eclectic necessarily? Worth a look anyway. Lynn is also worth your time, commuter rail accessible and very diverse and great food and cultural festivals in non- covid times. More than an hour commute to back bay potentially though.
Roxbury might fit the bill, very vibrant, some sketchy-seeming areas, very diverse, and some really incredible people. I don't know about rental prices there though.
Price-wise what you're looking for does exist, I currently live on the Somerville side of Medford in the price range you're describing but lucked into it passed down from a friend with a landlord that is more interested in reliable long term tenants than maxing our rent. Finding yours might require a little extra effort (and a healthy bit of luck) perusing non-real estate sources and word of mouth. I don't know how helpful that info is to you other than to give you hope?
bowbeacon... I dunno, I used to live off the blue line and now live off the red line. I whole heartedly agree that the red line does suck compared to the blue line.
posted by danapiper at 1:59 PM on January 29, 2021
Roxbury might fit the bill, very vibrant, some sketchy-seeming areas, very diverse, and some really incredible people. I don't know about rental prices there though.
Price-wise what you're looking for does exist, I currently live on the Somerville side of Medford in the price range you're describing but lucked into it passed down from a friend with a landlord that is more interested in reliable long term tenants than maxing our rent. Finding yours might require a little extra effort (and a healthy bit of luck) perusing non-real estate sources and word of mouth. I don't know how helpful that info is to you other than to give you hope?
bowbeacon... I dunno, I used to live off the blue line and now live off the red line. I whole heartedly agree that the red line does suck compared to the blue line.
posted by danapiper at 1:59 PM on January 29, 2021
While you're looking at maps -- bike commuting along Storrow Drive even as far out as Watertown is quite doable, there's a dedicated bike path. That opens up both sides of the river to the west. There are parts of North Allston that are more eclectic. Watertown and Cambridge really vary out there but definitely good spots within those. Newton is much more, uhm, white bred.
You could, for instance, live out towards Fresh Pond and bike most days, reserving the red line as a backup for rainy/snowy days.
posted by Dashy at 2:30 PM on January 29, 2021
You could, for instance, live out towards Fresh Pond and bike most days, reserving the red line as a backup for rainy/snowy days.
posted by Dashy at 2:30 PM on January 29, 2021
And, as someone said above, you really need to center around which T line* is closest to your work. If your work is close to the Charles River red line stop, I'd definitely live in North Cambridge or East Arlington; there's good, even covered I think, bike parking at Alewife.
*counternote: I think every person on this thread will agree that the green line sucks (it's above ground and so, so slow.
posted by Dashy at 2:35 PM on January 29, 2021
*counternote: I think every person on this thread will agree that the green line sucks (it's above ground and so, so slow.
posted by Dashy at 2:35 PM on January 29, 2021
(I don't mind the Green Line! But I was coming to Boston from Central Ohio, not a place with a subway)
posted by ChuraChura at 2:42 PM on January 29, 2021
posted by ChuraChura at 2:42 PM on January 29, 2021
I love the green line but I've never had to commute on it, all the lines have problems but most of the time all are great in an aging infrastructure kind of way, occasionally quite unpleasant. And the red line stop at Charles is a pleasant walk to Back Bay.
East Arlington is walkable to the red line but has become very popular so may not fit the requirements, it's increasingly diverse but was 'run' by a catholic priest (exaggeration but he stopped the redline from going through town in the 80's) but it is pleasant and livable. Although compared to the east village it's the burbs.
But, also, reality check, you'll be one of us "bridge and tunnel" people, learning to drive is something to seriously consider, there's a whole lot of the non Manhattan area that just assumes car access and there's a lot that's great just too far from the ends of the lines.
posted by sammyo at 2:56 PM on January 29, 2021
East Arlington is walkable to the red line but has become very popular so may not fit the requirements, it's increasingly diverse but was 'run' by a catholic priest (exaggeration but he stopped the redline from going through town in the 80's) but it is pleasant and livable. Although compared to the east village it's the burbs.
But, also, reality check, you'll be one of us "bridge and tunnel" people, learning to drive is something to seriously consider, there's a whole lot of the non Manhattan area that just assumes car access and there's a lot that's great just too far from the ends of the lines.
posted by sammyo at 2:56 PM on January 29, 2021
To put it mildly, Boston is a much more car-centric town than New York. I think the metro Boston area’s public transportation is pretty good, but it isn’t the all-encompassing system we have in NYC and there are many underserved areas. Furthermore, I grew up in a suburb of Boston that is right on the red line and most of the people who lived there thought it was “sketchy” to take the subway four stops into the city. I think this is definitely changing, though! If you decide to live in one of the cheaper areas mentioned here (Revere, East Boston, Watertown), you might pay cheaper rent but you will wish had a car all the time - especially in the winter.
posted by cakelite at 3:19 PM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by cakelite at 3:19 PM on January 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
Counterpoint: I lived for a number of years in Boston without a car and did fine. It's true it's not as easy as in NYC, but it's manageable.
I would suggest also looking at Cambridgeport, which is, basically, the area in Cambridge south of Central Square (which itself has gentrified quite a bit). Because you will have to walk a bit or bike to Central Square, rents are (or were, a couple of years ago) some of the lowest in Cambridge. You could also look around the east of Porter Square, at or over the Somerville boundary. (To the west tends to be dominated by the law school population.) These areas are more demographically mixed than much of the rest of Cambridge. But whether that would work depends on whether there's a Red Line stop near your job, though.
posted by praemunire at 5:17 PM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
I would suggest also looking at Cambridgeport, which is, basically, the area in Cambridge south of Central Square (which itself has gentrified quite a bit). Because you will have to walk a bit or bike to Central Square, rents are (or were, a couple of years ago) some of the lowest in Cambridge. You could also look around the east of Porter Square, at or over the Somerville boundary. (To the west tends to be dominated by the law school population.) These areas are more demographically mixed than much of the rest of Cambridge. But whether that would work depends on whether there's a Red Line stop near your job, though.
posted by praemunire at 5:17 PM on January 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
Also, don't be afraid of the buses. The 1 goes down Mass Ave from Harvard Square and deposits you at a green line stop or a convenient walk to a lot of Back Bay.
posted by ChuraChura at 5:19 PM on January 29, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 5:19 PM on January 29, 2021 [5 favorites]
It’s totally possible to not have a car in Boston, I don’t even drive! It’s easy if you live in like, Porter Square. Not easy if you’re looking at some of the other areas mentioned in this thread.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the neighborhoods mentioned here lack the “I can walk out the door and run all my errands pretty easily” factor that so many in New York have (this was sort of a problem when I lived in Jmaica Plain, but it probably isn’t anymore) If you really don’t want a car, make sure you really research walkability.
posted by cakelite at 6:23 PM on January 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the neighborhoods mentioned here lack the “I can walk out the door and run all my errands pretty easily” factor that so many in New York have (this was sort of a problem when I lived in Jmaica Plain, but it probably isn’t anymore) If you really don’t want a car, make sure you really research walkability.
posted by cakelite at 6:23 PM on January 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
I only know Boston, and not Cambridge and Somerville, so that is what I will tell you about here.
You can definitely find a studio or one bedroom for $2000, but you will need to do some leg work, and possibly pay a brokers fee. One thing to know is that in some neighborhoods people actually put signs in their window when they have an apartment to rent- mostly to keep "neighborhood" people as their tenants.
Boston has a lot more apartments that are two bedrooms or more because they are generally in houses or in what we call a triple deckers as opposed to in big buildings like NYC. We do have big buildings too, but those are generally in the area called "Boston Proper" which is Back Bay, South End, Fenway/Kenmore areas. As you go out into other Boston Neighborhoods, the apartments are carved out of houses. Triple Deckers are a three story building with three apartments, and these are always 2+ bedrooms. So one of the reasons you are seeing more expensive places is that one bedrooms and studios are not as common as in NYC. Places that have a lot of one bedrooms and studios are generally newer builds- they are all labeled "luxury" and are priced as such.
Student housing generally runs with a lease from September to September, so if you are moving in at another time of year, you generally won't find student housing, and if you do they generally will only sign a lease until August 31st, and then resign, with a raise in rent for September 1st. The main student housing in Alston/Brighton, Fenway, and Mission Hill.
One thing to know about the subway system is there is no ring ling, or line that circles the city- all of the lines meet at Downtown Crossing, or Park St, or another stop in the center of the city, and then go outward. So, to go from Jamaica Plain to Cambridge, you take the Orange Line to Downtown crossing and then switch to the Red Line. However, if you bike, the city is very east to bike, and you can make better time then with the subway. Buses are a mixed bag- some only run once an hour, some less. Some not on weekends.
I am a lifelong resident of Jamaica Plain, and I am super biased about it. However, it is pricey, and there are a lot of new apartment buildings (like the ones I referenced above.) popping up all over the place that are sort of nuts in my humble opinion when it comes to the rent, and I have heard a lot of horror stories about management. My friend one a lottery for an affordable rental unit in one of the new "luxury" buildings on Huntington Ave, and she hated the management so much she moved out after a year. Jamaica Plain has two options to get to Back Bay, the 39 bus, which does run regularly, and the Orange Line. You could look in West Roxbury, Roslindale, or Hyde Park- but then you would be looking at taking either a bus to the orange line or the commuter rail. You could also look at Milton- which is a town that borders Boston. Jamaica Plain is often referred to as JP, and there is a very active Facebook group called "Jamaica Plain Real Estate: Rent or Buy," where you could post about looking for a place, and might be able to find a place. Jamaica Plain now has a Whole Foods, and a number of other smaller groceries, and some of the best restaurants in the city. Jamaica Plain has a lot of beautiful green space, and is a pretty political place to be- in the 1960s grassroots activist fought having an interstate highway built through the center of it- houses had already been demolished to make way for the highway, and the community fought it, and won. That is now where the Orange Line runs.
I am happy to answer any other questions about Boston or Jamaica Plain specifically via meta mail.
posted by momochan at 6:58 PM on January 29, 2021
You can definitely find a studio or one bedroom for $2000, but you will need to do some leg work, and possibly pay a brokers fee. One thing to know is that in some neighborhoods people actually put signs in their window when they have an apartment to rent- mostly to keep "neighborhood" people as their tenants.
Boston has a lot more apartments that are two bedrooms or more because they are generally in houses or in what we call a triple deckers as opposed to in big buildings like NYC. We do have big buildings too, but those are generally in the area called "Boston Proper" which is Back Bay, South End, Fenway/Kenmore areas. As you go out into other Boston Neighborhoods, the apartments are carved out of houses. Triple Deckers are a three story building with three apartments, and these are always 2+ bedrooms. So one of the reasons you are seeing more expensive places is that one bedrooms and studios are not as common as in NYC. Places that have a lot of one bedrooms and studios are generally newer builds- they are all labeled "luxury" and are priced as such.
Student housing generally runs with a lease from September to September, so if you are moving in at another time of year, you generally won't find student housing, and if you do they generally will only sign a lease until August 31st, and then resign, with a raise in rent for September 1st. The main student housing in Alston/Brighton, Fenway, and Mission Hill.
One thing to know about the subway system is there is no ring ling, or line that circles the city- all of the lines meet at Downtown Crossing, or Park St, or another stop in the center of the city, and then go outward. So, to go from Jamaica Plain to Cambridge, you take the Orange Line to Downtown crossing and then switch to the Red Line. However, if you bike, the city is very east to bike, and you can make better time then with the subway. Buses are a mixed bag- some only run once an hour, some less. Some not on weekends.
I am a lifelong resident of Jamaica Plain, and I am super biased about it. However, it is pricey, and there are a lot of new apartment buildings (like the ones I referenced above.) popping up all over the place that are sort of nuts in my humble opinion when it comes to the rent, and I have heard a lot of horror stories about management. My friend one a lottery for an affordable rental unit in one of the new "luxury" buildings on Huntington Ave, and she hated the management so much she moved out after a year. Jamaica Plain has two options to get to Back Bay, the 39 bus, which does run regularly, and the Orange Line. You could look in West Roxbury, Roslindale, or Hyde Park- but then you would be looking at taking either a bus to the orange line or the commuter rail. You could also look at Milton- which is a town that borders Boston. Jamaica Plain is often referred to as JP, and there is a very active Facebook group called "Jamaica Plain Real Estate: Rent or Buy," where you could post about looking for a place, and might be able to find a place. Jamaica Plain now has a Whole Foods, and a number of other smaller groceries, and some of the best restaurants in the city. Jamaica Plain has a lot of beautiful green space, and is a pretty political place to be- in the 1960s grassroots activist fought having an interstate highway built through the center of it- houses had already been demolished to make way for the highway, and the community fought it, and won. That is now where the Orange Line runs.
I am happy to answer any other questions about Boston or Jamaica Plain specifically via meta mail.
posted by momochan at 6:58 PM on January 29, 2021
From what I've read on Boston.com, rents in Boston have dropped a fair bit. My advice would be to find somewhere as close to work as possible - South End, Bay Village, Fenway. You might even be able to walk to work! for more affordable options I'd suggest Mission Hill or parts of Dorechester (which is quite large and variable in terms of commuter accesbility, price, and level of gentrification).
posted by emd3737 at 11:55 PM on January 29, 2021
posted by emd3737 at 11:55 PM on January 29, 2021
Where are you looking that you're finding $2500 as the low end? On craigslist (I know, craigslist) I see lots of 1-beds for around $2000 or (a little) less in most of the neighborhoods discussed here. This is a fairly fancy newish "luxury" development that has 1-beds for $2500 - 700+ sqft! All Mod Cons! Literally above a Whole Foods. Some of the big apartment sites are very skewed towards highrises, which accounts for a fairly small portion of rental stock in Boston - lowrises and multifamily homes are more common.
posted by mskyle at 3:37 AM on January 30, 2021
posted by mskyle at 3:37 AM on January 30, 2021
A couple of additions to the excellent answers upthread:
Most of the answers so far have avoided any mention of Roxbury/Mattapan as potential neighborhoods. Welcome to Boston, the most segregated city in the country! Roxbury and Mattapan are overwhelmingly African-American/Latinx, and tend to get omitted from the conversation when white people ask about housing options, even though they're on the Red Line and are hella cheap compared to other southern Boston neighborhoods. I'm guessing you aren't going to be clutching your pearls about it, but I'm completely serious when I say you have a decent chance of being the only white dude living on the block. My kids both go to daycare in the consensus most-dangerous-part-of-Roxbury, and we've never felt even the slightest bit unsafe, but if you have friends living 3/4 of a mile away in Mission Hill or Jamaica Plain, they'll never come visit you and they'll be cagey about why.
Housing stock in much of Boston can be... weird. You have your turn-of-the-century triple-deckers, yes, but there are also a ton of bigass single-family houses that were divided into two or three units thirty years ago, and you'll find rentals of renovated attic space with weird gambrels making the impromptu bathroom unusable if you're more than 5'8". If you're amenable to living in weirdly-shaped space, that's where you'll find your cheaper rents.
Speaking of cheaper rents: finding apartments through traditional channels will probably make it feel like $2500 is the floor for a one-bedroom in most of the city. There's a pretty robust community of rentals-by-owners, which don't usually show up on realtors' maps because they go by word-of-mouth to avoid the broker fees. That means you have to join the neighborhood Facebook/NextDoor group to find those rentals... and the neighborhood groups demand that you live in the neighborhood first. I'm in a couple of those groups for Jamaica Plain, and would be happy to be your intermediary if JP seems like your neighborhood of choice--MeMail me! Rentals-by-owner are also your best chance for finding a lease that doesn't turn over on September 1st, which is Allston Christmas: the day every student lease in the city turns over, and the rest of us hunker down and try not to drive anywhere because the fleet of UHauls snarls traffic. Avoid September 1st leases at all costs.
Inner-ring suburbs here are wildly variable in terms of rental prices. That difference isn't always explained by transit access or proximity to the city--the hidden factor is usually public school quality. Revere and Chelsea are a stone's throw from the city and are on the Blue Line, but have terrible schools and haven't gentrified (much), so they're much cheaper than Somerville or even Arlington. If you don't have kids, or aren't planning on sending them to public school, you should definitely consider towns like that--it's where I'd go if I were child-free.
posted by Mayor West at 6:56 AM on January 30, 2021 [6 favorites]
Most of the answers so far have avoided any mention of Roxbury/Mattapan as potential neighborhoods. Welcome to Boston, the most segregated city in the country! Roxbury and Mattapan are overwhelmingly African-American/Latinx, and tend to get omitted from the conversation when white people ask about housing options, even though they're on the Red Line and are hella cheap compared to other southern Boston neighborhoods. I'm guessing you aren't going to be clutching your pearls about it, but I'm completely serious when I say you have a decent chance of being the only white dude living on the block. My kids both go to daycare in the consensus most-dangerous-part-of-Roxbury, and we've never felt even the slightest bit unsafe, but if you have friends living 3/4 of a mile away in Mission Hill or Jamaica Plain, they'll never come visit you and they'll be cagey about why.
Housing stock in much of Boston can be... weird. You have your turn-of-the-century triple-deckers, yes, but there are also a ton of bigass single-family houses that were divided into two or three units thirty years ago, and you'll find rentals of renovated attic space with weird gambrels making the impromptu bathroom unusable if you're more than 5'8". If you're amenable to living in weirdly-shaped space, that's where you'll find your cheaper rents.
Speaking of cheaper rents: finding apartments through traditional channels will probably make it feel like $2500 is the floor for a one-bedroom in most of the city. There's a pretty robust community of rentals-by-owners, which don't usually show up on realtors' maps because they go by word-of-mouth to avoid the broker fees. That means you have to join the neighborhood Facebook/NextDoor group to find those rentals... and the neighborhood groups demand that you live in the neighborhood first. I'm in a couple of those groups for Jamaica Plain, and would be happy to be your intermediary if JP seems like your neighborhood of choice--MeMail me! Rentals-by-owner are also your best chance for finding a lease that doesn't turn over on September 1st, which is Allston Christmas: the day every student lease in the city turns over, and the rest of us hunker down and try not to drive anywhere because the fleet of UHauls snarls traffic. Avoid September 1st leases at all costs.
Inner-ring suburbs here are wildly variable in terms of rental prices. That difference isn't always explained by transit access or proximity to the city--the hidden factor is usually public school quality. Revere and Chelsea are a stone's throw from the city and are on the Blue Line, but have terrible schools and haven't gentrified (much), so they're much cheaper than Somerville or even Arlington. If you don't have kids, or aren't planning on sending them to public school, you should definitely consider towns like that--it's where I'd go if I were child-free.
posted by Mayor West at 6:56 AM on January 30, 2021 [6 favorites]
I'm surprised that Allston/Brighton hasn't come up more. It's definitely a heavy student neighborhood, but it's also a lot cheaper than, like, Southie. The new Boston Landing commuter rail stop goes straight to Back Bay; there are also buses, and obviously biking is an option. Depending on where you are, you may also be near the Green "B" line of the T. There are a lot of luxury condo buildings in the area near Boston Landing, but there are also a lot of multi-family houses, especially in the Brighton part towards Brighton Center or Oak Square. While many houses are crammed full of students in illegal apartments, there are also plenty of multi-family units that are more normal (some of which are owner-occupied). The negative: even if your house isn't full of students, some of your neighbors will be, so kids getting into loud drunken arguments in the middle of the street at 1 AM will be a thing that happens. The obnoxiousness level will decrease the further you are from the B line or public transportation, though.
posted by posadnitsa at 7:01 AM on January 30, 2021
posted by posadnitsa at 7:01 AM on January 30, 2021
Because of Covid, rents are dropping. There is a spacious 1 bedroom with patio space in my building in Brookline on the market for $1,900 a month plus two months free. It has been empty for 9 months, so management is anxious to get it rented. It would be about a 30 minute ride on the Green Line to Back Bay.
Don't get discouraged! There are more options available in your price range than some of the above commenters make it seem.
posted by stripesandplaid at 7:17 AM on January 30, 2021
Don't get discouraged! There are more options available in your price range than some of the above commenters make it seem.
posted by stripesandplaid at 7:17 AM on January 30, 2021
If you want full on deep urban there's a section just west of the South End called Dudley sq (recently renamed to Nubian sq) that may be worth a scan. 5 minute walk to the end of Back Bay and some friends may be nervous visiting after dark. Close to everything. I have no idea what rents would be like.
posted by sammyo at 9:51 AM on January 30, 2021
posted by sammyo at 9:51 AM on January 30, 2021
(The 1 ends in Nubian Square so it's a very easy commute)
posted by ChuraChura at 10:04 AM on January 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by ChuraChura at 10:04 AM on January 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by mekily at 9:44 AM on January 29, 2021 [9 favorites]