Moving to West Roxbury, MA - experiences, thoughts, opinions?
September 6, 2023 6:53 PM Subscribe
Considering buying a condo in West Roxbury, MA and would love to hear other MeFite experiences or opinions
After a year of significant life changes, grief, being nomadic and lots of transitions, I am hoping to stay in one place for a bit and found a condo in West Roxbury (part of the city of Boston but not the same as Roxbury, which is its own distinct neighborhood) that I really like.
There are a ton of positives including access to the city via commuter rail, location on a busy main drag with lots of shops and restaurants, and a 10 min drive to one of my best long term friends. I can work from home.
About me: I've lived in Boston before, but that was a decade ago when I was younger, and I lived a lot closer to the city. West Roxbury was not on my radar then but as an almost 40 yr old, I am not really into nightlife so much as I am into having a beer somewhere and heading home to read a book, or going into the city once or twice a month for concerts or cool cultural events.
I AM a POC though and West Roxbury has a rep for lacking in diversity, and being "conservative" (I'm liberal but have lived in very red areas, and conservative in Boston doesn't mean the same thing as conservative in Louisiana, for ex.)
Despite the positives I listed, this area seems older and people seems to think of it as somewhat boring and suburban. It baffles me that a place with housing that's walkable to the necessities of daily urban living and that has the benefits of being part of the city of Boston is not more on the radar. What gives?
Questions:
- is WR truly that boring of a place to be?
- are the politics truly that stifling (it has the rep of being very NIMBY)
- would I feel completely out of place as a minority single woman?
(And before folks chime in with "rent and try it out!" please, for the purposes of this post, let's just assume that renting is off the table)
After a year of significant life changes, grief, being nomadic and lots of transitions, I am hoping to stay in one place for a bit and found a condo in West Roxbury (part of the city of Boston but not the same as Roxbury, which is its own distinct neighborhood) that I really like.
There are a ton of positives including access to the city via commuter rail, location on a busy main drag with lots of shops and restaurants, and a 10 min drive to one of my best long term friends. I can work from home.
About me: I've lived in Boston before, but that was a decade ago when I was younger, and I lived a lot closer to the city. West Roxbury was not on my radar then but as an almost 40 yr old, I am not really into nightlife so much as I am into having a beer somewhere and heading home to read a book, or going into the city once or twice a month for concerts or cool cultural events.
I AM a POC though and West Roxbury has a rep for lacking in diversity, and being "conservative" (I'm liberal but have lived in very red areas, and conservative in Boston doesn't mean the same thing as conservative in Louisiana, for ex.)
Despite the positives I listed, this area seems older and people seems to think of it as somewhat boring and suburban. It baffles me that a place with housing that's walkable to the necessities of daily urban living and that has the benefits of being part of the city of Boston is not more on the radar. What gives?
Questions:
- is WR truly that boring of a place to be?
- are the politics truly that stifling (it has the rep of being very NIMBY)
- would I feel completely out of place as a minority single woman?
(And before folks chime in with "rent and try it out!" please, for the purposes of this post, let's just assume that renting is off the table)
POC and former Jamaica Plain resident (though it's been 20 years for me, too, I still visit for work).
Live where you want. Boston is a weird, weird place when it comes to race and I'd probably never live there again for that reason. It just ... doesn't change. It's the only city where I've ever lived in where black people go downtown and look as if they need permission to be there. We don't. If you've found a place you love (in this market!!), buy it. You'll find your community and most likely will be left alone. Westie is close enough to JP and Roslindale that you'll probably hang out in those areas more anyway.
posted by simonelikenina at 7:28 AM on September 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Live where you want. Boston is a weird, weird place when it comes to race and I'd probably never live there again for that reason. It just ... doesn't change. It's the only city where I've ever lived in where black people go downtown and look as if they need permission to be there. We don't. If you've found a place you love (in this market!!), buy it. You'll find your community and most likely will be left alone. Westie is close enough to JP and Roslindale that you'll probably hang out in those areas more anyway.
posted by simonelikenina at 7:28 AM on September 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Probably should have added that I'm unfortunately pretty much priced out of JP and Roslindale - thanks for the thoughts so far!
posted by Eudaimonia at 1:08 PM on September 7, 2023
posted by Eudaimonia at 1:08 PM on September 7, 2023
West Rox resident here. First, to answer your questions:
- I think your "beer then home to read a book" and "go to city once or twice a month" is a good fit from a personality perspective to West Rox. We are in town more frequently than that (a few times a week) and frequent JP & Rozzie, but the restaurants are strong and the city quite accessible. We do a lot of biking into town, but the bus and commuter rail make downtown pretty close.
- Politics: There is a strong progressive bloc in the neighborhood (though there is also a strong NIMBY bloc). Our city councilor is a POC.
- I can't speak to the POC or the single part. But, I would say that the community activities I (white gender non-conforming female) and my spouse (white cis-male) have been part of in the neighborhood (running and biking groups, progressive group, business group) are very welcoming.
I have no idea what gives about West Rox -- I've found it to be a bit of a hidden gem. I am glad, to some extent, that it is off the RADAR as our rent is so much cheaper than a similar place would be almost anywhere else in the city. The townies are a pain, when it comes to some things (OMG BIKE LANE DRAMA), but we also have a number of POC owned businesses that are doing well.
Feel free to MeMail me with any additional Qs!
posted by chiefthe at 2:00 PM on September 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
- I think your "beer then home to read a book" and "go to city once or twice a month" is a good fit from a personality perspective to West Rox. We are in town more frequently than that (a few times a week) and frequent JP & Rozzie, but the restaurants are strong and the city quite accessible. We do a lot of biking into town, but the bus and commuter rail make downtown pretty close.
- Politics: There is a strong progressive bloc in the neighborhood (though there is also a strong NIMBY bloc). Our city councilor is a POC.
- I can't speak to the POC or the single part. But, I would say that the community activities I (white gender non-conforming female) and my spouse (white cis-male) have been part of in the neighborhood (running and biking groups, progressive group, business group) are very welcoming.
I have no idea what gives about West Rox -- I've found it to be a bit of a hidden gem. I am glad, to some extent, that it is off the RADAR as our rent is so much cheaper than a similar place would be almost anywhere else in the city. The townies are a pain, when it comes to some things (OMG BIKE LANE DRAMA), but we also have a number of POC owned businesses that are doing well.
Feel free to MeMail me with any additional Qs!
posted by chiefthe at 2:00 PM on September 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
(another) West Rox Resident! Disclaimer: I am a white, married, cis male, and speak from that perspective - I hope this can still be helpful to you!
tl;dr My take is similar to chiefthe's: West Rox, is a bit of a hidden gem, despite its reputation.
When I was growing up in Boston in the 1980s and 1990s, West Rox had the reputation as a Boston "Staten Island" - suburban, far away from the City center, and full of cops and fire fighters, with an attitude (and demographics) to match.
Some people still think of it that way, but I've learned that there are more welcoming and progressive-minded people here than I initially thought. The more NIMBY/status-quo minded people can be intimidatingly loud and unpleasant, but there are not as many as I initially thought.
I work from home somewhat near the "main drag", and I really enjoy walking there and to the grocery store. The restaurants are good, and there are a few relatively small bars there that could meet your needs. There a fairly easy connection to Roslindale, with its own businesses and nightlife.
posted by jason6 at 6:26 PM on September 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
tl;dr My take is similar to chiefthe's: West Rox, is a bit of a hidden gem, despite its reputation.
When I was growing up in Boston in the 1980s and 1990s, West Rox had the reputation as a Boston "Staten Island" - suburban, far away from the City center, and full of cops and fire fighters, with an attitude (and demographics) to match.
Some people still think of it that way, but I've learned that there are more welcoming and progressive-minded people here than I initially thought. The more NIMBY/status-quo minded people can be intimidatingly loud and unpleasant, but there are not as many as I initially thought.
I work from home somewhat near the "main drag", and I really enjoy walking there and to the grocery store. The restaurants are good, and there are a few relatively small bars there that could meet your needs. There a fairly easy connection to Roslindale, with its own businesses and nightlife.
posted by jason6 at 6:26 PM on September 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers, to the West Roxbury folks in particular. Your insights were super helpful and I'm excited to move to this part of town. (I close tomorrow! Eek!)
posted by Eudaimonia at 6:53 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Eudaimonia at 6:53 PM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
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posted by mareli at 4:33 AM on September 7, 2023 [2 favorites]