Moving to Boston within the next year.. Need help (Cambridge: apartments, for rent)

[soundwave.22]

Me and my wife are looking to move into Boston from Harrisburg, PA within the next year. We have been looking at apartments for rent and are wondering what parts of the city would should be avoiding.

Dorchester seems like an area to avoid.
We have been looking at apartments in south botson, east boston, winthrop, cambridge and fenways areas. Are any of these ares a bad idea to live in as far as safety goes?

Any help or ideas on where to look for apartments would be great, or just areas to avoid. Looking for something close to the T so we can get rid of one of our cars. Thank you

[golden_calf]

It would be helpful to know what kinds of things you would like to live near, and what you'd prefer to avoid. Busy streets with lots of restaurants, shops, and bars? Quiet residential streets? Do you have any pets? How important is living space to you? How long are you willing to drive around looking for parking?

A good place to start is to cruise the apartment listings on Craigslist (boston.craigslist.org) to get a feel for prices.

[soundwave.22]

We are personally looking for things close to the T. We would only have one car. Not really that concerned just want to stay out of "bad" areas. It would be nice to be near some local shop kind of things. Not really concerned if close to the T.

[golden_calf]

Okay, in that case, I would suggest searching Craigslist with Google Maps open in another window. If crime is a concern, yeah, in general it seems you should avoid Dorchester, unless you can be within a block of a T station. Most people here seem to look down on Allston/Brighton (more Allston than Brighton) for its annoying student population, though personally I love it. (I tell friends that if I wanted a samosa, custom cut foam rubber, or a chinchilla, I could get it by walking less than a block -- and I find that cool.)

Most other places should be fine. Though I would like to point out that I lived in East Boston for a year, and I've never been mistaken for a hooker so many times in my life, before or since.

[eevee]

see, I dislike it when people tell others to avoid Dorchester all together. Dorchester is HUGE, the largest neighborhood in Boston, and it's absurd to tell newcomers to avoid the whole area. there's another active thread (moving to Dorchester w/ kids) where goyguy rates various Dorchester neighborhoods. some are much better than others.

also, I personally never quite understand what "the T" means. for the most part, I always use it to refer to the system as a whole- the buses, subways, trolleys, commuter rail, and commuter boats. some people only use it to refer to the subways. IDK, this is just a sticky point w/ me, I guess there is no right or wrong answer, but many people (sometimes w/ good reasons) don't look into these other options. sticking close to just the subways limits your options a bit, and the areas right around some stops can be sketchy. if you're willing to consider buses (or at least a 10min+ walk to the train) you could check out some areas in Cambridge and Somerville. since you have a car, this further limits your options.

you haven't mentioned a budget, so it's hard to pinpoint what areas would work, but I would check out JP, Dorchester (YES, I said Dorchester! do a forum search on Dorchester and check out the active Dorchester thread below. Dottie has about a dozen or more different neighborhoods that vary greatly from multimillion dollar mansions on Ashmont Hill to the crime filled projects of Franklin Fields. check it out and don't rule it out entirely), Roslindale, West Roxbury, Somerville (mostly anything except parts of Winter Hill), etc. not all of these areas are close to subway stops, so in some cases you'll have to rely on buses or commuter rail.

Allston and Brighton could also be options, but it depends. I've lived in Allston, couldn't do it again. the term "student ghetto" pops up a lot when talking about this area, though it only really applies to certain parts along the main strip, like the buildings off of Brighton, Harvard, and Comm. Ave. there is a lot of shopping around, but there is also a lot of drunken undergrads (there are several sports bars nearby), some break-ins, bed bug infestations in some buildings (don't buy used furniture there!), and very little parking. again, this isn't the whole area, but depending on how old you are, you may find the area to loud and not really fitting what you want. Brighton is better, especially the further away from Allston you get. Oak Sq is nice and could fit your needs (depending of course on where you work/go to school, your budget, nightlife requirements, etc), but it doesn't have subway access and not much trolley access (though truthfully, the #57 bus is faster than the "B" green line trolley at times!)

since you have a car, you options are limited. unless you really, really need it, I'd ditch it and join a program like ZipCar where you could rent a car as needed

[Akhenaten]

I lived in Fenway for 7 years and loved it. It's close to pretty much all green line T's except the "B" line (which is fine). Tons of good restaurants, bars, movie theater, gym, shopping, etc. Walking distance to Back Bay areas, Prudential Center, Newbury Street.

I own a car and parked on the street the entire time with a free resident sticker that you get from the city. The only car issues I had was parking violations whenever I forgot to move my car for street cleaning... and I also got keyed once, but amazingly that happened only one time, one month before I moved out of the neighborhood, dammit. Never had a break-in. Sometimes finding a place to park is tricky but it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. When it snows, however, for the love of god do not move your car or you're screwed.

The neighborhood is very safe and has undergone quite a bit of development in the past 5 years so prices are rising fast. Also, you'd have to deal with the Red Sox craziness on home game nights. Perhaps this won't bother you but I don't give a rat's ass about sports so really for me it was just a big infiltration of suburban families and a few drunken baseball idiots. Otherwise, I loved living there immensely.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by Akhenaten

I lived in Fenway for 7 years and loved it. It's close to pretty much all green line T's except the "B" line (which is fine). Tons of good restaurants, bars, movie theater, gym, shopping, etc. Walking distance to Back Bay areas, Prudential Center, Newbury Street.

I own a car and parked on the street the entire time with a free resident sticker that you get from the city. The only car issues I had was parking violations whenever I forgot to move my car for street cleaning... and I also got keyed once, but amazingly that happened only one time, one month before I moved out of the neighborhood, dammit. Never had a break-in. Sometimes finding a place to park is tricky but it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. When it snows, however, for the love of god do not move your car or you're screwed.

The neighborhood is very safe and has undergone quite a bit of development in the past 5 years so prices are rising fast. Also, you'd have to deal with the Red Sox craziness on home game nights. Perhaps this won't bother you but I don't give a rat's ass about sports so really for me it was just a big infiltration of suburban families and a few drunken baseball idiots. Otherwise, I loved living there immensely.

completely OT question: was the Trilogy ever finished?? I haven't been by that area in over a year. I wonder how much more prices will jump up n that area when it's done and all occupied by new businesses?

[holden125]

Originally Posted by eevee

see, I dislike it when people tell others to avoid Dorchester all together. Dorchester is HUGE, the largest neighborhood in Boston, and it's absurd to tell newcomers to avoid the whole area. there's another active thread (moving to Dorchester w/ kids) where goyguy rates various Dorchester neighborhoods. some are much better than others.

Agree 100%. Ashmont and Savin Hill are nice, Jones Hill, there are others.

Originally Posted by eevee

also, I personally never quite understand what "the T" means. for the most part, I always use it to refer to the system as a whole- the buses, subways, trolleys, commuter rail, and commuter boats. some people only use it to refer to the subways. IDK, this is just a sticky point w/ me.

I use it only to refer to the subways as a means of differentiating between subways and commuter rail, which are such totally diffferent animals. I also refer to buses and boats differently. So I'd say "You have to take the bus to the T."

I do say "the T" when referring to the MBTA administration, as in "they've been doing repairs on the Fitchburg line for a year, when the T said it would take only a month."

Originally Posted by eevee

Allston and Brighton could also be options, but it depends. I've lived in Allston, couldn't do it again. the term "student ghetto" pops up a lot when talking about this area, though it only really applies to certain parts along the main strip, like the buildings off of Brighton, Harvard, and Comm. Ave.

Brighton is better, especially the further away from Allston you get. Oak Sq is nice and could fit your needs (depending of course on where you work/go to school, your budget, nightlife requirements, etc), but it doesn't have subway access and not much trolley access (though truthfully, the #57 bus is faster than the "B" green line trolley at times!)

Also agree 100%. Brighton Center and Oak Sq. along the 57 are nice areas, not overrun with undergrads or bedbugs. Brighton along Comm Av and by Cleveland Circle have more undergrads. The 57 is generally better than the B, but Brighton Center's one big drawback is that it takes too long to get downtown. My friend lives there and works by the Children's Museum. It takes an hour or more (86 bus to Harvard, to Red line, or 57 bus to Kenmore, to Green and then to Red at Park). If he can get a ride it's 15 mins on the Mass Pike.

The commuter rail runs right along the Mass Pike into South Station and stops at Newtonville. It would be nice if they added a stop or two in Brighton or Allston. Maybe near the Stop n Shop, or by Cambridge St. and the Pike interchange?

[RemiJP]

Originally Posted by eevee

completely OT question: was the Trilogy ever finished?? I haven't been by that area in over a year. I wonder how much more prices will jump up n that area when it's done and all occupied by new businesses?

Ha, it is done but a few more buildings just like it are currently under construction! It looks like Harvard bought many units in the Trilogy. There's a West Elm, Emack & Bolio's, a steak place, and my all-time favorite pizza place, Cambridge 1, has crossed the river and moved in on the ground floor. Not too bad, but it definitely changes the neighborhood.

[lz1982]

The 57 is generally better than the B, but Brighton Center's one big drawback is that it takes too long to get downtown. My friend lives there and works by the Children's Museum. It takes an hour or more (86 bus to Harvard, to Red line, or 57 bus to Kenmore, to Green and then to Red at Park). If he can get a ride it's 15 mins on the Mass Pike.

Worth noting that there is an express bus from Brighton Center to downtown (the 501, I think) but it's really designed for 9:00-5:00 commuters, so it only runs during those times, and not on weekends. It's also not covered by a monthly bus or combo pass.