Living near Longwood medical area (Boston, Worcester: apartments, rentals, condos)

[AN2010]

Hi,
I am wondering what all neighborhoods are within 30 minutes commute from Longwood medical area and are safe at night.
Thanks a lot!

[ogre]

Besides a 30-minute commute and safety, what are your other criteria for an area to live in? There is quite a variety of neighborhoods and towns within 30 minutes of Longwood. What's your housing budget? Buying or renting? Want to be near public transit or does that matter? What type of neighborhood are you looking for (urban, suburban, mix of the two, etc.)? Is school quality an issue?

[AN2010]

Hi Ogre! Thank you so much for your reply!
My budget is ~$1200 without heat and with heat ~$1300 - I will be renting. My absolute maximum is ~1400 although would really like to be in the $1200 range. I would like to have a parking spot included in the rent. I really don't want to live in a studio, 1BR is fine.
Yes being near public transportation is very important but the place can be ~ 5 mins walk from bus or train. Urban and Suburban does not matter and school is not an issue. I should feel safe to walk from public transport to apartment at night (say 8pm).
Thanks a ton!

[holden125]

One place that comes to mind immediately is Jamaica Plain (a neighborhood in the city of Boston that is southwest of the LMA), particularly near Centre Street or South Street. From JP you can take the 39 bus to LMA, which is generally a quick ride. Parking does not come with many apartments there, but some parts of the neighborhood have relatively easy street parking, and some don't require a resident sticker.

The other is along the D (Riverside) branch of the Green Line in either Brookline or Newton. That train (trolley, really) stops at Longwood, which is just across the Muddy River from the LMA in Brookline. It's a short walk to the hospital area. You may have an easier time finding a place with parking in your price range in Newton, which is more suburban. Brookline is closer to Boston and is, for the most part, more urban, so rentals generally are pricier there. Also, because the town does not allow overnight street parking, apartments with parking spots are at a premium and tend to cost more.

The D line stops in Brookline are:

Longwood (within walking distance to LMA-a lot of people working there live here, but for a place with parking it may be more expensive than you want to pay)
Brookline Village (a nice area with a "downtown" of sorts, restaurants and shops)
Brookline Hills (nice area, a bit more suburban but not as spread out as some suburbs)
Beaconsfield (near the Washington Square neighborhood, a lot of amenities nearby but some quiet suburban-like streets also)
Resevoir (near Cleveland Circle, an area with a good number of undergraduates, but also near high-end suburban streets in Chestnut Hill)

The D line stops in Newton are:

Chestnut Hill (woodsy suburbia)
Newton Centre (as the name suggests, probably the largest of Newton's "villages," with a town centre)
Newton Highlands (somewhat more suburban area with nice big old Victorian homes and a small village center on Walnut St near the station)
Eliot (leafy suburban area)
Waban (a high-end suburban area with a small, upscale village center-not sure how many rentals around here)
Woodland (suburban area near a country club, some condos near the station)
Riverside (a big terminus with a large parking lot out by Route 128)

Brookline also has an area, south of Route 9 near High St, with a bus going directly to LMA. That might be worth a look.

Be careful when looking-you really need to be near one of these stations. Don't just look for "Newton" or "Brookline" as many apartments are nowhere near the stations.

[ogre]

If you're talking about a 30-min. commute by public transit and you want a really safe neighborhood, this does narrow the possibilities. Housing budget and the desire for parking narrows it further. Holden has covered your best choices well. Something I would emphasize is to pay especially close attention to his recommendations on where to live in Jamaica Plain. JP usually seems to be regarded as a section of Boston where safety varies a lot depending on the local area within JP, so you need the kind of info Holden provided in order to pin down the areas with access to public transit which are also safe. If you want a really safe area, Newton and Brookline are probably your best bets, especially Newton.

Another option you might consider could be questionable depending on your commuting schedule. Holden listed the sections of Newton along the green line's D branch. Newton is also served by commuter rail. The D branch is a trolley line--the subway when the subway is out far enough from downtown Boston to be above-ground. It runs a lot more often than the commuter rail trains, so the question of whether the commuter rail would work depends on your schedule.

This is especially true because the commuter rail station you would use at the Boston end of the trip, Yawkey station, has somewhat limited service, and the Newton stops have less than the full schedule of commuter rail service as well. The trains during the usual rush hours stop at Yawkey station, and all the trains going outbound from Boston during the evening stop there, but there are gaps in service at Yawkey at many other times. Also, no commuter trains inbound to Boston stop in Newton during most of the afternoon and evening, so you'd have to always be going to work in the morning for commuter rail from Newton to work. You can find more details at the transit service website: MBTA Commuter Rail > Framingham / Worcester Lines Schedules and Maps.

If the commuter rail schedule works for you, the Auburndale, Newtonville, and West Newton areas could all fit your criteria, and are worth a look.

[AN2010]

Thanks a ton for a lot of useful information!
What do you think about Malden and any other place on Orange line. It seems the apartments are more spacious in the same price range than what I would get close to LMA. The commute time seems to be about 40 mins instead of 30. Is the orange line reliable and is Malden or any other place in that line safe at night?

[holden125]

Originally Posted by AN2010

Thanks a ton for a lot of useful information!
What do you think about Malden and any other place on Orange line. It seems the apartments are more spacious in the same price range than what I would get close to LMA. The commute time seems to be about 40 mins instead of 30. Is the orange line reliable and is Malden or any other place in that line safe at night?

The Orange Line generally is reliable; the big thing with that commute is that, unless you walk over from the Orange Line stations at Ruggles or Roxbury Crossing, you'd be looking at two trains (most likely a transfer to the E branch of the Green Line at North Station or Haymarket), or a train/bus combo. Waiting for two trains, or for an additional bus, can add time.

No doubt that Malden is cheaper than Brookline or Newton. People debate how nice/safe Malden is, but in my experience it's generally safe. It's a totally different kind of place from Brookline or Newton. Brookline is a fairly upscale quasi-urban locale with many professionals. Newton is a high-end suburb. They both have restaurants, boutiques, etc. Malden, on the other hand, is a slightly gritty residential area without the same scene. The population tends to be blue-collar long-time locals or more recent immigrants. There are some very attractive parts of town. The area near Everett is probably a bit more run down. Overall not a bad town, but totally different from Brookline, Newton, or JP.

[abhambra]

Hello, how safe is the area around Tremont and Calumet streets. I am concerned about walking around there after 7 or 8 pm when it gets dark. If anyone knows about the types of people who generally live here it would be of great help. Thanks a lot.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by abhambra

Hello, how safe is the area around Tremont and Calumet streets. I am concerned about walking around there after 7 or 8 pm when it gets dark. If anyone knows about the types of people who generally live here it would be of great help. Thanks a lot.

Maybe start new thread for better responses?

[such sweet thunder]

Originally Posted by abhambra

Hello, how safe is the area around Tremont and Calumet streets. I am concerned about walking around there after 7 or 8 pm when it gets dark. If anyone knows about the types of people who generally live here it would be of great help. Thanks a lot.

Tremont and Calumet puts you in the heart of Mission Hill. It's primarily a student neighborhood that has been fully gentrified for quite a while. The area you're looking at is very convenient to amenities. You'd be right next to a full-range grocery store (an expensive one mind you that carries crappy produce but a grocer nonetheless), pharmacy, gas station, ample street parking, and a series of good trendy and fast casual restaurants. The Green E line, unlike the B and C lines actually is solid so the neighborhood is served well by public transportation.

The bad, if this is bad for you, is that the neighborhood you're looking at is very, very, very studenty. Every September 1st is Armageddon on Mission Hill, and you'll see roving bands of drunk kids most weekend nights when the weather is warm. It's the most student-orientated neighborhood in Boston next to maybe Allston. Mission Hill also has some unique crime problems, a lot of which is from the students themselves, and some of which is from how hard it is to police -- the hill isn't a joke and there are areas that cannot be accessed easily by cars. I loved my three years in Mission Hill, and if you don't mind students it might be for you.

If you're looking for neighborhoods that might be more orientated towards young professionals check out Fort Hill, Roxbury, and the area around the Stony Brook T Station in JP. Both neighborhoods have fewer students, less general activity and probably conversely, less crime. A car will be a little bit more important for running errands and fetching groceries in these areas but your money might actually go a little further than it would on Mission Hill.