Boston:best neighborhoods for associates? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Moving to Boston after law school curious as to the best neighborhoods for young associates. Will be working downtown.

[kellyfrost]

"The Town" was a fantastic movie. Everytime I think about Boston I immediately think of that movie.

[Anonymous User]

"The Town" was a fantastic movie. Everytime I think about Boston I immediately think of that movie.

kelly stop posting on forums and go out and do something man

[kellyfrost]

"The Town" was a fantastic movie. Everytime I think about Boston I immediately think of that movie.

kelly stop posting on forums and go out and do something man

When you do the kinds of things I do day in and day out at work, you quickly realize you don't have the ambition to go out and do fun or crazy things. I would rather post on TLS for a while and then get fully focused on preparing for work the next day.

[texas1100]

Back bay

[Anonymous User]

Back Bay and Beacon Hill are very nice, but not the cheapest areas to live. The North End has great Italian food and would also be a good choice. Stay away from Brighton, Fenway, and Allston unless you want to be around BU/BC kids all the time. The Seaport is really nice and has a few new buildings going up plus good restaurants and shopping. South End is a little more mature, but not bad either.

[1styearlateral]

Not Allston.

[kingpin101]

Back bay is freaking gorgeous.

[Voxius]

Don't do Beacon Hill unless you're really into overpriced antique shops and a constant feeling that you're going to tumble down, well, Beacon Hill.

I lived in Back Bay and loved it. South End is also a really nice area (not sure why someone else said it was more mature than Back Bay).

[Anonymous User]

Also curious as OP. Any thoughts on seaport? Seems close to downtown but not sure whether its a place people want live as opposed to just go out in the summer.

[lawlorbust]

Not Allston.

[Anonymous User]

Also curious as OP. Any thoughts on seaport? Seems close to downtown but not sure whether its a place people want live as opposed to just go out in the summer.

Seaport is pricey and upscale. A lot of firms are moving out there, but it's still not very convenient because there aren't that many restaurants or grocery stores and other necessities around. That's likely to change in the coming years.

[joeytribbiani]

Back bay or Southie, what people said about Allston/Brighton is true, all BC/BU students/grads. Also base where you live on the T. If possible live on the red or blue lines, and avoid the green line (unless its the city underground stops, then it doesn't really matter, but once the lines split off to B,C,D, & E it sucks). Cambridge/Somerville if close to the red line would also be good to look at, personally love Somerville but it's a little farther so look close to the T if you check it out.

[Dr. Nefario]

Anyone have thoughts on East Boston? It seems to be renovating a lot of buildings and be closer to Allston/Brighton pricing. Are any of these areas going to have a 2 bedroom under about 2600/mth? Or is there anywhere itd make more sense to buy then rent, even when you have loan debt?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have thoughts on East Boston? It seems to be renovating a lot of buildings and be closer to Allston/Brighton pricing. Are any of these areas going to have a 2 bedroom under about 2600/mth? Or is there anywhere itd make more sense to buy then rent, even when you have loan debt?

I looked at East Boston two years ago and was able to find bedrooms for $800-900/mo. These were shared living situations with strangers though, found on craigslist. Didn't end up taking any of those rooms and opted for Cambridge instead. From what I hear from Boston locals, east Boston has been "up and coming" for some time and it's best to stick close to the metro. Even then, I didn't get the best vibe from the places I looked it (it wasn't somewhere I felt safe walking around at night as a lone female).

[WearyCartographer]

I live in JP and am a big fan. Great restaurants/bars, lots of green space, no real issues with parking and a true neighborhood feel. The commute downtown isn't bad on the orange line (and is even better to Back Bay). Downtown commute would be on average no more than 45 minutes depending on how far from the orange line you are on either end of the trip. I'd say 2k-2.4k is the sweet spot for 2 bedrooms which will generally be nicer and larger than what you'd find in the neighborhoods closer to downtown.

Eastie is probably the only neighborhood people have thrown out positively so far that would be cheaper. I think in five years it will definitely be the new "it" place to live for young professionals in Boston. There are definitely good deals to be had and the commute to downtown is super easy on the blue line. If you aren't using the T though, it can be a bit of a pain to get too, especially at rush hour with traffic in the tunnels going to and from Logan. Definitely a bit more worn down then some of the other neighborhoods and slightly more crime. Commute beyond downtown (e.g., Back Bay or Cambridge) would be less than ideal but still doable.

You can't go wrong with the neighborhoods that others have mentioned either (South End, Back Bay, Seaport, Beacon Hill) but you will likely be paying more and/or living in a shoebox.

[Anonymous User]

I live in JP and am a big fan. Great restaurants/bars, lots of green space, no real issues with parking and a true neighborhood feel. The commute downtown isn't bad on the orange line (and is even better to Back Bay). Downtown commute would be on average no more than 45 minutes depending on how far from the orange line you are on either end of the trip. I'd say 2k-2.4k is the sweet spot for 2 bedrooms which will generally be nicer and larger than what you'd find in the neighborhoods closer to downtown.

Eastie is probably the only neighborhood people have thrown out positively so far that would be cheaper. I think in five years it will definitely be the new "it" place to live for young professionals in Boston. There are definitely good deals to be had and the commute to downtown is super easy on the blue line. If you aren't using the T though, it can be a bit of a pain to get too, especially at rush hour with traffic in the tunnels going to and from Logan. Definitely a bit more worn down then some of the other neighborhoods and slightly more crime. Commute beyond downtown (e.g., Back Bay or Cambridge) would be less than ideal but still doable.

You can't go wrong with the neighborhoods that others have mentioned either (South End, Back Bay, Seaport, Beacon Hill) but you will likely be paying more and/or living in a shoebox.

Shoebox is right. Some of the studios downtown are close to $2000 and are quite literally the size of a hotel room at ~400-500 sq ft.