Advice about Oak Square, Brighton? (Boston, Brookline: appointed, rent, houses)

[vanitycase]

I've managed to read a few of the threads on this topic, but I haven't gotten a really good feel of the area.

I'm a young female grad student and I'm considering getting a room in Oak Square because I've found a really nice place with low rent and free parking. And it's close to BC, which is what I want. However, I've gotten the impression that Oak Square is quiet and suburban-y, and a little run-down. Is this a good description of the place? I hope not because I REALLY don't want suburban life.

I'm looking for a neighborhood with a young population (grad students, young professionals, etc), good nightlife (not of the trendy-nightclub variety, just good bars and pubs, an interesting music scene), local businesses instead of chains, foodie-type restaurants, and hopefully with unique bookstores and things like that. I would have loved Coolidge Corner, but cheap housing is important and I've gotten a great deal in Oak Square. I mean, free parking. I'm not passing up my free parking.

(Could I walk from Oak Square to Coolidge Corner or Brookline Village? How long would that take?)

I'd love it if anyone could give me a good overview of Brighton, and Oak Square in particular. Local atmosphere, nightlife, neighborhoods that it compares to in terms of culture and demographics, etc. I'm out of the country right now, and it's hard to get a sense of things from the Interwebs.

Thanks!

[NotAPrincess]

I don't know enough about Oak Square to answer your main questions, but I can tell you that walking to Coolidge Corner or Brookline Village is theoretically possible, but it is about 3 miles. You can take the 57 bus that would get you part of the way there, and then you'd have about a mile walk or so.

[ogre]

Whether Oak Sq. is "suburban-y" depends on how you define this term. I'd describe that neighborhood, and most of Brighton really, as outer-urban residential. There are many single-family houses, but the fact that the houses are usually close together, with tiny yards, along with the public transit connections in Brighton, seem to me to give the area more the feel of being on the outer fringes of a city rather than truly in the suburbs.

Whether the area would be considered a bit run down also depends on what you picture when you think of an area as run down. Like most outer residential sections of Boston, and many inner suburbs, Brighton is an older area, so the houses tend to be a bit faded in most neighborhoods, but they are solidly built, and usually well maintained on the inside, and the area is certainly not a slum district, or even close to that.

Around Oak Sq. you can find some of the kind of people you'd like to have as your neighbors, but the area is not a big center for the kinds of businesses you're seeking. I don't know that neighborhood intimately, so I can't suggest particular businesses, but it's possible you might dig up the odd classy pub or offbeat bookstore. Not knowing the neighborhood really well, I'm not sure what you might turn up, but in terms of its general character, that area is not a mecca for such businesses. It's more a cozy low-brow neighborhood kind of place with plain Jane/regular Joe kinds of eateries and watering holes.

[shiver]

Practically speaking, Oak Square to Coolidge Corner is not walkable. As mentioned, it's about 3 miles.

I wouldn't call Oak Square suburban, but it's definitely more on the residential side. Washington St. is the main drag and there is a big and nice YMCA, some commercial stores, but you'll be disappointed if you're looking for a Coolidge Corner. It's a perfectly good area and I wouldn't call it run down, but you must realize that there's a reason why it's more affordable - it's a bit on the outskirts of things and there's not as much going there.

That said, about a 1/2 mile down the road approaching Brighton Center the area gets a little more commercial. And Brighton Center (about a mile down Washington St.) definitely has more restaurants, bars, stores.

Can you provide a cross street address near the potential apt? I can tell you how far away you are from things. But in general, if you want to be very close to the action, it may not be your ideal, but it's a good location for a BC student, has free and easy parking, and cheaper rent. It's also a bit of an older area (a mix of 20s, 30s and older) so you won't find it overrun with undergrads.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by shiver

Practically speaking, Oak Square to Coolidge Corner is not walkable. As mentioned, it's about 3 miles.

I wouldn't call Oak Square suburban, but it's definitely more on the residential side. Washington St. is the main drag and there is a big and nice YMCA, some commercial stores, but you'll be disappointed if you're looking for a Coolidge Corner. It's a perfectly good area and I wouldn't call it run down, but you must realize that there's a reason why it's more affordable - it's a bit on the outskirts of things and there's not as much going there.

That said, about a 1/2 mile down the road approaching Brighton Center the area gets a little more commercial. And Brighton Center (about a mile down Washington St.) definitely has more restaurants, bars, stores.

I agree 100% with this.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by ogre

it's possible you might dig up the odd classy pub or offbeat bookstore

The main bar I can think of there is The Last Drop, which I would hesitate to call "classy." There's also the Castlebar on Washington St near the 7-11, which is a fairly standard Irish pub.

It really is not that far to Brighton Center, a 15 minute walk or a very quick ride on the 57 bus.