Housing advice from Boston-area residents?

[jh1230]

Hello!

So, I only seem to use LJ when I'm feeling whiny, or I need something.  No real comment, just an observation.

Bottom line is this: I AM CURRENTLY CONSIDERING MOVING TO THE BOSTON AREA, probably quite soon (like, beginning of Oct?), in order to help myself find a job thereabouts.  On my search, I have found many openings in many different

Comments

[hanasaseru]

Believe me, whether or not you have a car will be a huge factor in where you want to live. I would definitely not recommend Newton at all if you don't plan on having a car. Watertown has more limited public transit, a commute could become a real pain from there without a car.

Somerville can be tough on parking, yes, but as some have said, it can be not so bad for a resident. Actually, the area of Somerville I (and Sami/Josh R/etc) live in is an excellent location - Porter Square is right on the border between Somerville and Cambridge, so if absolutely needed, people visiting you can park on the Cambridge side and still be within reasonable walking distance. Also, a huge factor if you don't bring a car, the Shaw's in Porter square is the biggest grocery store in that area of Somerville/Cambridge that I know of, and it's really, really nice to be able to walk to it.

As to Allston Brighton, the other place I have an opinion about - first off, and this is really more a matter of personal preference, but I would never want to live in a neighborhood like that. It seems to mostly consist of tall brick apartment buildings, and it all feels far to city-like and cookie cutter to me. Also, there are many apartments that face loud, busy streets, which I would also find generally unpleasant. It is also worth noting that, although it seems like the public transit from there would be pretty good, this doesn't seem to be the case in practice. The green line in that area may be a subway line, but it's not underground, so it actually gets held up by traffic, and can be very slow. In summary, I obviously have an strong bias against the living environment, and generally think this is not a good area, but again, some of that is a matter of personal preference.

I might also suggest you look at Malden or Jamaica Plains. I know they're both more out of the way from where most of the people in our primary social circles live, but both are fairly T-accessible, and reasonably inexpensive areas to live. Especially if you do bring a car, these can both be nice areas. I mean, Jamaica Plains I've heard about in a more word of mouth sort of way, but I've been in a relationship with someone living in Malden for the last year and a half, and feel more confident in that recommendation from visiting there and hearing about it a fair deal.