Boston

[Lala]

Hi everyone! My husband and I are going to be moving to Boston in July 2013. Yay! Does anyone have any advice on areas to live that are good for young families? We have a four month old baby and a big dog. We will be renting, and want to be near a subway stop as we only have one car. I don't mind being slightly outside the city, but not too far! I'm really hoping not to spend more than $2000 a month on rent, but I know that might not be realistic in such an expensive city. Any advice is much appreciated! Thank you!

[SuzySunshine]

I don't know rates, etc. but we know several families from med school that live in Jamaica Plain. One family specifically has one car and takes the subway 99% of the time.

[ladymoreta]

I don't know, but welcome!


Laurie

[TigerLily]

Arlington is really nice and has a lot of young families. Although, I think you need to take a bus to the subway.

[v-girl]

Welcome!

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Arlington is very nice but unless you live in the 1-2 blocks surrounding Alewife T station, you'd have to take a bus. I'd suggest checking out Somerville near Davis/Porter T stops. Those are the most affordable places with T access besides Jamaica Plain. I paid $1,500 for a 2 bedroom 1,000 square foot place within about 6 blocks of the T station (6 minute walk or so). I'm not sure the prices in Jamaica Plain but I know there are some sketchy areas in JP so look carefully before you commit.

My question for you is: Why are you moving? Are you moving for residency or school? What T line (the metro in Boston is called the "T") you want to be on is heavily influenced by what part of the city you'll need to get to. Somerville is on the red line, Jamaica Plain is on the Green line - each with their merits but not super convenient to certain areas in Boston.

[ms.conception]

Will you be at Harvard? My good friends from here have been there for almost a year now, he's in a Anesthesia Pain Fellowship at Harvard. They're a young couple, no kids with a dog, from Canada. I can ask them where they're living and what they're paying. I know that they're loving it and are within walking distance for J to get to work. Some of their criteria was that it be a "walkable" neighbourhood, lots of parks, close to work and semi-affordable. I know that their place is small, but they spend little time in their apartment.

[Tenacious_D]

Depends in which hospital your hubby will be working at. We live in Boston right now with 2 kids and 2 cars near the T and are renting a house for 2150 in an awesome neighborhood. PM me if you rather not share publicly.

[Tenacious_D]

Btw, you can absolutely spend less than $2000. Our first apt in Boston was a 2 bed 2 bath renovated place 1750.

[MrsPotts]

I would suggest Arlington, Medford, Newton, Melrose maybe but it will be a longer T ride on the orange line. We had a two bedroom apartment in Medford for 1100, but it was about a mile walk to the T, but the bus was right across the street from us. I miss Boston!!!

[Lala]

Arlington is very nice but unless you live in the 1-2 blocks surrounding Alewife T station, you'd have to take a bus. I'd suggest checking out Somerville near Davis/Porter T stops. Those are the most affordable places with T access besides Jamaica Plain. I paid $1,500 for a 2 bedroom 1,000 square foot place within about 6 blocks of the T station (6 minute walk or so). I'm not sure the prices in Jamaica Plain but I know there are some sketchy areas in JP so look carefully before you commit.

My question for you is: Why are you moving? Are you moving for residency or school? What T line (the metro in Boston is called the "T") you want to be on is heavily influenced by what part of the city you'll need to get to. Somerville is on the red line, Jamaica Plain is on the Green line - each with their merits but not super convenient to certain areas in Boston.

Wow thanks so much for all the specifics. I hadn't even thought about subway lines! My husband's going to be at Massachusetts General, so I guess I'd need to have good access to whatever subway line that is on! (I've never actually been to Boston!)

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Wow thanks so much for all the specifics. I hadn't even thought about subway lines! My husband's going to be at Massachusetts General, so I guess I'd need to have good access to whatever subway line that is on! (I've never actually been to Boston!)

MGH is actually a stop on the red line. For this reason, I would suggest Somerville as I mentioned in my previous post. You can get to the red line from the green line via park st stop but that requires a transfer. I love the red line, I think it's the nicest t line. I love Medford and some of the other towns suggested but if you want T access (vs commuter rail) I would suggest staying on the red line.

[Lala]

Thanks, TulipsandSunscreen. I will definitely look into those areas. On and congrats on the baby! Hope you're managing to get a bit of sleep!

[HeyMeganZ]

I think Somerville or Cambridge would be great. Being close to the T is ideal, especially if you want to get into the city without a car. We lived in Brookline, Quincy, Somerville and Cambridge when we lived there (for years), feel free to direct message me if you need anything.

[Lala]

Hi again,
For those of you who said that your husbands rode the T to work, what did they do if they had shifts at odd hours? What are the hours like for the red line of the T? If he decided to only drive when he had a night shift/ call shift, would he be able to find parking? Thanks, everyone!