Any advice in sorrounding neighborhoods in Boston (Cambridge, Quincy: apartments, rent)

[LVGIRL_1]

Hi everyone,

I have never been to Boston and I just accepted a position in downtown's JFK building. Does anyone have any suggestions on areas to live that are close to public transportation/subway and not too far on the surrounding neighborhoods? No more than a 30 minute commute would be nice and the rent I am looking at no higher than $2,000. Thank you so much for your feedback.

[TAM88]

Quincy is solid location. It borders Boston, has direct highway access and has multiple stops on the Red Line. Going from North Quincy, Wollaston, or Quincy Center to Park Street is anywhere from 20-35 minutes. You can either walk to the JFK building, it's a short one, or you can jump on the Green Line for one stop and get off at Government Center. Apartments in Quincy are also a good value and parking is easy to come by.

Other areas that would work would be Somerville, Malden, or Medford.

[Verseau]

I dunno about Quincy... that's at least a 30-40 minute commute from the actual T stations to the JFK building, and probably longer during rush hour. That's quite a commute if you don't happen to live really close to the T.

TAM88's suggestions are good if you want more bang for your buck, but honestly your budget shouldn't really rule out too many locations within 30 minutes of downtown. I guess it just depends on the quality of the apartment you're looking for. What amenities do you need? Are you looking for a 1-bedroom?

What kind of neighborhood are you looking for? Would you be willing to sacrifice cleanliness and/or safety for a nicer place/lower rent? Do you need restaurants and nightlife nearby? Do you want someplace quieter? Would you like to be around people of a particular age group? I'll need more specifics before I can recommend a particular neighborhood.

[LVGIRL_1]

Originally Posted by Verseau

I dunno about Quincy... that's at least a 30-40 minute commute from the actual T stations to the JFK building, and probably longer during rush hour. That's quite a commute if you don't happen to live really close to the T.

TAM88's suggestions are good if you want more bang for your buck, but honestly your budget shouldn't really rule out too many locations within 30 minutes of downtown. I guess it just depends on the quality of the apartment you're looking for. What amenities do you need? Are you looking for a 1-bedroom?

What kind of neighborhood are you looking for? Would you be willing to sacrifice cleanliness and/or safety for a nicer place/lower rent? Do you need restaurants and nightlife nearby? Do you want someplace quieter? Would you like to be around people of a particular age group? I'll need more specifics before I can recommend a particular neighborhood.

Thank you Verseau and TAM 88 for your suggestions.

I am looking for a 2 bedroom (2 to 1 1/2 bath)clean apartment with washer and dryer, parking, close to subway. Nightlife and restaurants would be nice but I am definitely looking for a safe area. As far as the age group, I am a young professional but would not necessarily like to get stuck on an area of college students partying every weekend. Thank you for your recommendations again.

[Verseau]

Well, with those criteria your options are definitely more limited. I think your best luck would probably be around Malden Center. I don't know this area well enough to speak to the safety of it, but most people have told me that it is attracting more and more young professionals due to its convenience and affordability. Hopefully someone who knows the area better can chime in.

If you're lucky you might be able to find something that fits your criteria along the Red Line in Cambridge or Somerville (e.g. Central Square, Davis Square... although the latter might be pushing your maximum commute time). Other parts of Somerville and Medford would definitely have places in your budget, but they'd be too far from the T for a 30-minute comute. There are certainly other T-accessible neighborhoods within your budget as well (Brighton, Quincy...) but they would also be a longer commute.

[LVGIRL_1]

Thanks Verseau. I was doing searches all day yesterday and the areas you suggested came up. I found a potential place in Dorchester and East London. However, I was told that Dorchester is too dangerous, is there any truth to that? How about East London?

[Verseau]

Originally Posted by LVGIRL_1

Thanks Verseau. I was doing searches all day yesterday and the areas you suggested came up. I found a potential place in Dorchester and East London. However, I was told that Dorchester is too dangerous, is there any truth to that? How about East London?

East London? Do you mean East Boston?

The conventional wisdom with Dorchester is that it is relatively safe east of Dot Ave (Dorchester Avenue), an area I used to live in. The crime rate tends to increase on the other side of that road. Someplace near the JFK/UMass stop or Savin Hill would definitely be within your commuting range. That said, the neighborhood isn't exactly the most attractive area in the city.

East Boston would be very convenient for your commute. I would probably put it a notch above Dorchester just because it's a little more vibrant and you see more people walking around at night and so forth. However, it's a primarily immigrant (Latino) community, and like most immigrant communities it's not the cleanest or the safest area in the city. Still, in terms of crime rates it does fare better than most parts of Dorchester or Roxbury. Jeffries Point is definitely one of those up-and-coming areas that is starting to attract a ton of young professionals who work downtown.

Honestly, it's tough to say exactly what your comfort level is. I think the best thing would be for you to visit these neighborhoods and see how you feel.