So what keeps you here? (Boston, Cambridge: houses, buying, universities)

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by lrfox

That said, we're leaving the state shortly. Not far - just to Providence.

Seekonk is 4 miles so that’s virtual Massachusetts. Congrats!

I’m here because I grew up here on the coast an hour south of Boston with the endless summer. It’s not the absurd Boston cost of living but I can be in Chinatown in an hour on a weekend. The harbor is walking distance and it’s excellent boating. The beach is a mile. It quickly transitions to semi rural so the bicycling is excellent. I grew up surrounded by the Portuguese/Azores culture. Linguica is my go-to pizza topping. I ate kale before it was trendy. It’s great seafood. It’s the Massachusetts banana belt so an extended fall and not much snow. It’s not congested here. It’s a deterministic 10 minutes to the highway and a half hour before I see much traffic.

Everywhere is a compromise. I’m here because it’s the most affordable coastal living within an hour of a major city so I can retire comfortably. Property prices were 1/3 of where I used to live in Portsmouth NH and it’s an $8.33 mill rate. I was paying $35/hour to have my house remodeled in 2010.

[newenglandgal123]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Seekonk is 4 miles so that’s virtual Massachusetts. Congrats!

I’m here because I grew up here on the coast an hour south of Boston with the endless summer. It’s not the absurd Boston cost of living but I can be in Chinatown in an hour on a weekend. The harbor is walking distance and it’s excellent boating. The beach is a mile. It quickly transitions to semi rural so the bicycling is excellent. I grew up surrounded by the Portuguese/Azores culture. Linguica is my go-to pizza topping. I ate kale before it was trendy. It’s great seafood. It’s the Massachusetts banana belt so an extended fall and not much snow. It’s not congested here. It’s a deterministic 10 minutes to the highway and a half hour before I see much traffic.

Everywhere is a compromise. I’m here because it’s the most affordable coastal living within an hour of a major city so I can retire comfortably. Property prices were 1/3 of where I used to live in Portsmouth NH and it’s an $8.33 mill rate. I was paying $35/hour to have my house remodeled in 2010.

I liked Portsmouth a lot more like 5-10 years ago compared to how it is now. It's become so built up and congested that you feel like you're in MA with the property prices to match. Modest size condos in downtown going for $1-2M and many of those don't even have a water view which I'd expect at that price!

[htfdcolt]

Short answer to the OP: Nothing. Moved here for a job 7 yrs ago from elsewhere in New England. Changed companies in '22 but kept a remote job, so I can work from anywhere in theory.

As a native Midwesterner, I'm the first to say that if you're not in a sector (e.g. academia, healthcare, biotech, robotics) for which Greater Boston provides a unique ecosystem--don't move here. It *is* too expensive for most people, the traffic seems to have gotten worse than pre-pandemic, and the infrastructure here is old and crumbling.

[BOORGONG]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Seekonk is 4 miles so that’s virtual Massachusetts. Congrats!

I’m here because I grew up here on the coast an hour south of Boston with the endless summer. It’s not the absurd Boston cost of living but I can be in Chinatown in an hour on a weekend. The harbor is walking distance and it’s excellent boating. The beach is a mile. It quickly transitions to semi rural so the bicycling is excellent. I grew up surrounded by the Portuguese/Azores culture. Linguica is my go-to pizza topping. I ate kale before it was trendy. It’s great seafood. It’s the Massachusetts banana belt so an extended fall and not much snow. It’s not congested here. It’s a deterministic 10 minutes to the highway and a half hour before I see much traffic.

Everywhere is a compromise. I’m here because it’s the most affordable coastal living within an hour of a major city so I can retire comfortably. Property prices were 1/3 of where I used to live in Portsmouth NH and it’s an $8.33 mill rate. I was paying $35/hour to have my house remodeled in 2010.

Yes to all that, and the architecture is just as purdy as Mass and the sweeter parts of Conn.

[tovarisch]

Don't forget that there are other parts of MA than just greater Boston. I grew up in Newton but have been in Northampton since 1980, and I love it here. COL is manageable, plenty to do, natural beauty...the list is long. It's been a great place to raise a kid, too. I'm about to retire and I have much to look forward to.

[Saguarogirl507]

Originally Posted by tovarisch

Don't forget that there are other parts of MA than just greater Boston. I grew up in Newton but have been in Northampton since 1980, and I love it here. COL is manageable, plenty to do, natural beauty...the list is long. It's been a great place to raise a kid, too. I'm about to retire and I have much to look forward to.

I am beginning to adjust to living out here in Amherst but it has not been easy. I still miss Brookline very much. But there is no going back now since we were priced out after the pandemic. I just wish there was a train to Boston I could hop on when I need to feel the city around me. There is supposed to be a commuter rail coming eventually but most likely not in my lifetime.

[tovarisch]

You left your heart in Greater Boston.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by tovarisch

Don't forget that there are other parts of MA than just greater Boston. I grew up in Newton but have been in Northampton since 1980, and I love it here. COL is manageable, plenty to do, natural beauty...the list is long. It's been a great place to raise a kid, too. I'm about to retire and I have much to look forward to.

I agree... and every place is a compromise. If you live out in a low density region - the air is cleaner, the environment is greener, the housing is cheaper, there's less traffic, less stress, parks are nicer, farm stands abound, if you like country pursuits like gardening, fishing, hunting, horse-riding, cross-country skiing, hiking, kayaking, etc - it's pretty ideal... but you'll have to give up some access to the best of the big city in terms of e.g. top flight medical care, museums and fancy shops.

Certainly the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires offer a very different lifestyle than the Boston suburbs, and many of the biggest downsides - like the traffic and housing cost, are significantly reduced. One of the nice things about the area that you are in is that you're not totally out in the sticks, and you retain access to some of the trappings associated with the city. Newburyport has a similar profile, but my personal finances have been smashed by divorce. I plan to retire in Camden, ME - another place like this, but more affordable than Newburyport.

[r_p]

Originally Posted by msRB311

I don't think MA is a bad place to live but I will say again that I don't think the COL is justifiable and it's hard to understand how it continues to go up. I get the whole supply and demand thing but it has been very surprising to me over the past few years what people have been willing to pay to live here. It's kind of laughable what a SFH costs in most parts of greater boston.

Other places are not cheap anymore. Also, there are deals to be had even in the Boston area. E.g., the house below went under asking. I went to the open house and it was great. Not bad for a South Natick location with a seperate au pair/in-law suite on 1.6 acres.

https://www.redfin.com/MA/Natick/10-.../home/11672228

[newenglandgal123]

Originally Posted by r_p

Other places are not cheap anymore. Also, there are deals to be had even in the Boston area. E.g., the house below went under asking. I went to the open house and it was great. Not bad for a South Natick location with a seperate au pair/in-law suite on 1.6 acres.

https://www.redfin.com/MA/Natick/10-.../home/11672228

I wouldn't necessarily call a $1M plus priced house a deal! However, that's coming from the perspective of a single income household. I make six figures and I couldn't afford that! That's the thing though....there's pretty much no decent housing anywhere in the state that's less than $1M anymore unless you opt for a townhouse/condo or want to live in the western boonies.