Thinking of moving to Boston from Los Angeles area NEED YOUR ADVICE (Cambridge: apartments, rent)

[AAA86]

I am a 23 year old single woman who is considering moving to Boston. I have narrowed it down to Boston and two other cities. I am curious about the lifestyle in Boston but statistics can only tell you so much. I won't be moving for about a year because I am in grad school to become a school counselor. I want to know more about the following things

-the different areas in Boston. I need to know especially about the schools, I want to be a counselor at a school (haven't decided if I want to be in elementary, middle school or HS yet) so I would like to know more about the schools.
-where is a good place to live, Im single and in my 20s I want to be around other young people who don't party 24/7 but still like to have fun and go out
-I also want to make sure its safe where Im looking to live
-advice on how to adapt to the weather. I do realize its going to be a huge change for me, but I REALLY want to live somwhere with more than the one and a half seasons I have now, I mean yes its winter in Southern CA, but I have worn a tank top and shorts outside in the past month, I want to know what to expect and any tips on how to prepare

Any other tips on living in Boston in general would be AMAZING!

Thanks in advance!

[xS☺B☺s]

23 single female moving to Boston? Well you will probably love Boston.

LA has a whole lot more to offer than BOS in many categories, but one thing BOS beats the bejeezuz out of LA is in the downtown category. Boston has the one of the best downtowns in the USA and perhaps the western hemisphere. You're gonna like that a lot. And that is where you're gonna want to live.

Go browse my pix in the Photo thread. It shows many of the downtown neighborhoods. The only one that's really lacking is Cambridge. See what you like and ask me for more detail.



Perhaps the largest improvement you'll experience in BOS is it feels much safer than LA. Boston is rich in culture and history, and has a cluster of some of the the nations best universities. If you appreciate history you'll like the old world feel. The very European feel is hard to beat. If you like educated people your age, well here's where they are. You sure don't have to worry about people partying nonstop. Superficial partying is just not predominant in the cerebral Hub. In fact, you will probably miss that.

You are going to find the winter to be very hard. An average winter day in BOS would be considered extreme in LA. You are also well advised to not bring your car. Although a car is very handy in BOS for enjoying the the surrounding suburbs and seashores, it is not necessary in BOS and is quite problematic (street parking is hell, 2.5K/yr insurance, $200/mnth private parking, $40/day parking garages). The subway service is fab though, safe, though certainly not superluxury.

Another huge amenity to BOS is you can get a bus to NYC anytime for $15 and often as cheap as $1 (megabus). Day trips to NYC, weekends in Montreal or DC rock.

[Cantabridgienne]

The picture you posted isn't Downtown, it's the Back Bay....


What is Cambridge lacking, exactly?

[holden125]

Originally Posted by Cantabridgienne

What is Cambridge lacking, exactly?

I understood Bostonian's comment to be that Cambridge was the only "downtown" or central area his photo collection was lacking, not that Cambridge itself is lacking anything!

The photos include all of the "downtown" neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill, the Back Bay, the South End, etc., as well as "Downtown Boston" in the pure sense. Perhaps he should say "Boston Proper" but I don't know if anyone from LA would understand that reference.

To the OP: As far as schools, there are many and it's too hard to generalize. The Boston Public Schools contain some good schools, some that are pretty lousy, some in between. Outside the city there are a lot of great school districts, some that aren't so great, and also many private schools. Hard to answer, but it's gotten tougher to get a job in public education here.

Boston and the nearby cities of Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline (which are on the transit system and totally integrated into Boston) have a lot of different neighborhoods, with different populations, average rents, nightlife opportunities, etc. It really depends on your rent range, your interests, and most of all your work location. Especially if commuting by public transit, it's important to live in a place that's convenient to where you have to go to work.

Generally speaking, some neighborhoods that might be fun for someone your age are:

City of Boston:
North End (some tiny apartments)
Beacon Hill (can be expensive, some tiny apartments)
Back Bay (expensive)
South End (expensive)
Fenway
Mission Hill (maybe on the noisy side)
Jamaica Plain (some parts safer than others)

Brookline (kind of expensive):
Brookline Village
Coolidge Corner
Washington Square

Cambridge:
Central Square
Cambridgeport
Harvard Square (kind of expensive)
Porter Square

Somerville:
Davis Square
Inman Square (on Cambridge line north of Central Square)

Farther afield:
West Newton
Newtonville
Central Waltham

The farther you go from downtown Boston, generally speaking, the easier it becomes to have a car, and the more likely you are to use it. The core of the city is so urban that you can walk or take the T everywhere.

[xS☺B☺s]

Originally Posted by Cantabridgienne

The picture you posted isn't Downtown, it's the Back Bay....


What is Cambridge lacking, exactly?

What Holden said - thanks H!

No, Cambridge lacks nothing, but my photo collection of downtown areas lacks good pix of Cambridge - a very worthy and integral part of "downtown Boston" and a glaring deficiency in my photo journal. And as Holden understands, to the world at large, "downtown" would include the entire urban core. People far away don't necessarily understand how we partition our downtown up into various neighborhoods or even cities. So iow - small "d" downtown.

Honestly though, I'm not sure there is a neighborhood in BOS actually called downtown. If you'd all like to get into an old fashioned tribal rumble about it, I'm gonna say we have a Financial District, Government Center (ole Scollay!), Waterfront ... so given all that - what is downtown? Atlantic Ave?

[Cantabridgienne]

Ah, I get it! Sorry, I misunderstood you before.

My quibble with the use of "Downtown" as a blanket statement is that it doesn't help someone researching the city that much. Like, if AAA86 saw your picure and though "yeah, that looks good to me!" he/she isn't going to find it listed under Downtown on any apartment site/CraigsList.

Using the more specific neighborhood terms (as Holden did, in his post) gives a new-to-Boston person a much stronger starting point in which to start research.

[ogre]

Now that we're straight on the idea that "downtown" as used above refers more to the general central city area, not just true downtown, I'll add that Bostonian's pic does capture the look of central Boston well. Basically, a big change from LA, aside from the overall difference in the two cities' sizes, is that Boston is much more concentrated. Pretty much all the amenities--you know, the stuff you go to the city for--are packed into a central area. That means convenience in the sense that once you get into town everything is right there, within walking distance or a subway ride, but it does make for some density and traffic all packed into some tight spaces.

Sounds as if you are thinking more of living in the city, not the 'burbs. Holden, whose posts are very informative, gave you good info about the schools in the Boston city system, and a good rundown of the areas that fit the young professional vibe you're seeking. I would caution you that the Fenway area, which Holden listed, might be a bit on the undergrad noisy side, or so I've heard. I'm not sure about Harvard Sq. either. Someone who knows Cambridge help me out here. I get the impression that there is a strong undergrad presence all along the river between MIT and Harvard, but is Harvard Sq. itself free of the excessive noise of the undergrad crowd? Hard to keep up with that, since Hahvuhd Sq. has changed over the years.

Weather? Well, some advice I can give you is not to wear those shorts and tank tops outside during the winter in Boston. Um, well, I guess you could, but you'd be cold! It's difficult to say how you'll adjust. Everyone is different about that. Have you been to northern Arizona during the winter? If so, that might give you some basis for comparison to Boston's winters, give or take. Not sure exactly. I don't know how much snow they get there. I think the temps may be similar, though. But keep in mind that a visit to a place with a cold winter does not prepare you for the fact that winter does drag on for a while in such places. My usual advice on how to deal with winter is to take the proverbial bull by the proverbial horns. Bundle up, and get out and do things. Fresh cold air feels good, and getting out and about feels much better emotionally than holing up at home and worrying about whether winter will ever end.

Just a little additional info there. Study Holden's post closely. Very good overview. And keep checking Bostonian's pic, just because it's a nice pic.

Best of luck with your decision and your move.

[gf2020]

Originally Posted by AAA86

I won't be moving for about a year because I am in grad school to become a school counselor.

Originally Posted by AAA86

I need to know especially about the schools, I want to be a counselor at a school (haven't decided if I want to be in elementary, middle school or HS yet) so I would like to know more about the schools.

No offense, but I think you should really focus on trying to find a job before you determine where to live.

I actually doubt very much that you can just move to Boston and easily find a job as a school counselor. Do you mean a guidance counselor? There are specific requirements and certifications required to be a guidance counselor in Massachusetts, make sure your California grad school program prepares you for that Mass. certification.

Are you bilingual in Spanish or do you have experience with special needs students? Either of those two criteria would give you a leg up out here but the best bet would really be to gain a couple years experience where you are now and then see if you can translate that experience in to a job in the Boston area, if that is what you decide you want.

I don't mean to sound like a Debbie Downer, but I would hate to see a young woman move all the way across country and then get discouraged because she could not find a job here in the Boston area. The public school systems in MA are very political and getting a good teaching or counseling job is often as much about who you know as it is what you know. I speak from experience, my wife has been a teacher for over 20 years.

Good luck!

[holden125]

I couldn't agree more with the recommendation to line up a job first. It's a big move and it may not be that easy to find work in your field, or in any field right now. Many landlords will want proof of employment or support before they rent to you anyway, and it's very important in this area to know where you're commuting to, so you can make a decision on where to live that won't leave you with a hellish daily commute.

I have never lived in LA, but I imagine you might consider living in Pasadena if you worked in Glendale, but it would not be much fun to live in Pasadena and work in Manhattan Beach. Boston is like that, but maybe even worse. The roads, and particularly the mass transit system, are set up in a way that you don't want to be on the wrong side of town for your job. And if you do find work in a school this is particularly important, since most schools are not in the heart of downtown Boston, where the commuter trains and subway lines are centered.

Originally Posted by ogre

I would caution you that the Fenway area, which Holden listed, might be a bit on the undergrad noisy side, or so I've heard.

Yeah. The Hemenway-St. Stephen area I mentioned is officially in the "Kenmore-Fenway" zone for resident parking purposes, and that has a good amount of undergrad noise. The area on the other side of the Fens, between Fenway Park and Park Drive (e.g. Peterboro St) has some of that scene as well, though not as much, I think. There are several colleges on the Fenway itself (the street), such as Simmons, Wheelock, Emmanuel, and some of the students live in that Peterborough part of the Fenway.

Originally Posted by ogre

I'm not sure about Harvard Sq. either. Someone who knows Cambridge help me out here. I get the impression that there is a strong undergrad presence all along the river between MIT and Harvard, but is Harvard Sq. itself free of the excessive noise of the undergrad crowd? Hard to keep up with that, since Hahvuhd Sq. has changed over the years.

I know there are plenty of people, undergrads included, out and about in the heart of the square, like JFK St, Mass. Av., but once you get a few blocks away I don't think it's that noisy as long as you're not right next to a bar or something. But it's been a while since I tried to get a good night's sleep there, so someone else may know better.

[AAA86]

Yes I was talking about a gudiance counselor position.

Of course I would look for a job first, I am not completely crazy. And I have done the research on the qualifications to become a school counselor out there, I am actually meeting with a certification specialist at my school to make sure I fulfill them.

I am also attending a national counseling conference in Boston in July and was going to ask more questions and use that time to network with anyone from Boston.

Boston is not the only place I am looking to move, I am looking at two other cities. I am not just picking a city and moving before I get everything lined up, if that was the case I wouldn't be looking over a year before I graduate, I am trying to be prepared and choose not only just a city, but be comfortable with the idea of finding a job in that city and making sure its a good fit for me before even the possibility of moving to the city to work.

On top of having a masters in educational counseling when I move, I have my bachelors in Communication concentration in Entertainment Studies, I have some experience at networks like FOX as well as event planning experience and public relation/advertising experience. I have a solid background and understand schools are a lot about who you know, I have back up plans.

I just wanted to make sure anyone reading this doesn't think Im moving without fully understanding what I am getting myself into. I know its not going to be easy, I know its a risk, but I have done the research and I know all the details and have the department of education and school districts bookmarked. I just want an idea of the actual way of living because that is something no book or website can tell you, the day to day. And there isn't the information on what the schools are like either.

I apperciate everything everyone has written and it will be added to all the information I have already obtained. Thank you so much for all your time and tips =)