I'm moving to Boston!

[jent]

:yay:So, I just found out that I got a fellowship that is pretty much my dream opportunity-- excellent program, and one that is located in Boston, where we are very excited about living. I know there are quite a lot of you in the Boston area, so please give me your advice about moving & where to live (my sister does live in the Boston area, but she lives in a suburb that is west of what I think is considered MetroWest, so that doesn't work for my commute). I'll be working on the Longwood campus, so looking for the best commuting arrangement for that area. DD has one year left of preschool & then we will be looking at public K.

We are not sure about rent vs. own. We currently own, but are in a much lower COL area so our $$ wouldn't go as far. DH & I are still trying to figure out what makes the most financial sense.

[LMPC]

So happy to hear the great news!!! Congratulations!!! :cheerleader1:

[ncat]

I have several friends who have worked in the Longwood area, lived in Brookline and really liked it.

[WolfpackMom]

Congratulations!!! You will love Boston and for living as PP has said I LOVE (ok she said "liked" but I love Brookline, thats where my mom grew up. They have beautiful old, but updated, houses you can rent there. My grandmother rented on 34th street for like 40 years until the owners went along with the rest of the hood and updated the victorian house. It was right around the corner from the T, I loved walking that neighborhood, not sure what is like recently though.

[Green_Tea]

Had my first two babies in Boston and lived in Arlington. We moved away 6 years ago and I STILL miss Arlington!

You're going to LOVE living there - such a beautiful, fun city. Congrats!

[scriptkitten]

I don't know what vibe you are looking for but Brookline and Newton (which is made up of a bunch of different suburbs) would probably work for an easy commute. They are both pretty expensive however.

If you are artsy, there are areas of Jamaica Plain that are up and coming. There is a big complex called "The Brewery" that houses kids music, art, and dance classes among other things. A lot of JP is not family-friendly, but there are pockets that are pretty cool. It would be a very quick commute to the Longwood area.

In Boston, the south end is a beautiful, family-friendly neighborhood, but its expensive.

Welcome.

[bluestarfish18]

LOVE LOVE LOVE Boston! Needless to say, I'm coming to visit.

[Pepper]

Congratulations!!

I worked in the Longwood area for several years. We rented an apt in Cooldige Corner (in Brookline) and loved it - it was great to be able to walk to work. We also went carless while we lived there, which saved us some dough. When it came time to buy a house, tho, Brookline and nearby areas were too pricey for us.

We ended up in Malden, which is on the opposite end of the Orange line (our monthly mortgage pmt on a single-family house is about what we paid in rent in Brookline!). It did take me 45min-1 hour to commute each way but I didn't mind it so much. I would walk to the T station, ride the Orange line until Roxbury Crossing and then walk up to the Longwood area. I got in ~30 min of walk and 25 min of reading on the train each trip, which was kind of nice. But, if you are dealing with getting kids to/from school that commute might not work for you so well.

FWIW Malden has a public Early Childhood Learning Center for preschool as well as several private preschools. The "full-day" sessions is 8am-2pm I think, with an pre- and after-school programs. The kindergarten is full day (also 8-2ish) with afterschool programs available at some of the schools (there are 5 K-8 schools in the city).

[jent]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone!

We did a little research and are interested in Brookline and Newton, though of course both are very expensive (I get the sense that Brookline is more so). We're hoping to find a place that has walkable neighborhoods- currently we live in an area that's semi-rural/suburban but we have to drive everywhere, so that's one thing we are very excited about with moving. DH has dreams of getting rid of 1 car. Looking for family friendly, with parks/playgrounds/recreational opportunities nearby. And nice restaurants. We are kind of in a culinary wasteland right now. We are kind of liberal, crunchy granola types, I'm not sure if that qualifies us as artsy. We are more nerdy than artsy, I'd say ;).

I've heard good things about Arlington & will have to look into it, though it seems to me the commute would be more difficult. (I'm always wary of having to cross a bridge to get to work. Bridges always need construction when you least expect it.)

Tell me more about Jamaica Plain-- I don't know much about that area at all. Is it considered part of Boston, or a town of its own?

[Twoboos]

I am also in one of those West of MetroWest suburbs, so have no advice there. But I just wanted to say welcome to MA! Don't forget to leave your R's behind, LOL!

[AbbysMom]

Jamaica Plain is great because it's right on the bus line to Longwood but also on the T so if you needed to get into downtown Boston, it's very convenient. The area is very young (30's professional vibe) and has many doctor/hospital types living there. Very artsy and lots for the kiddos. They also have a very happening main street with lots of little restaurants. Plus the Lil' Peach where Joey Mac from NKOTB used to hang out :)

It is part of Boston and very close to downtown. There are other parts of Boston where you need to take a bus and train to get downtown.

If you are looking more nerdy than artsy, Cambridge and Arlington are better but not closer. And I'm sure there are plenty of nerds in JP :)

[hillview]

JP is great -- we looked there. Schools are not so great. The neighborhood is more city vs suburb and so safety is more of a consideration (I am a city girl so I wouldn't be afraid in JP but I would be more aware of my surroundings). Parts of JP are more suburban and some are fabulous and some parts are less so.

Newton is more homogenous and has great schools. It is more of a suburb but there are lots of little villages with restaurants etc.

Brookline is a mix of college kids (welcome to Boston -- might be the largest college town on the planet) and everyone else.

PM me with specific questions. I grew up in down town Boston and still live in the area.

WRT renting vs buying, the market is softer than it has been (cheaper) but it is WAY more expensive then most other cities in the states. Interest rates are at an all time low which helps. If you plan to stay for 4+ years I'd look into buying. Less than that I'd look around.
/hillary

[jent]

JP is great -- we looked there. Schools are not so great.

That's what I was worried about-- JP is part of Boston right? And Boston has some sort of school lottery process rather than neighborhood schools?



WRT renting vs buying, the market is softer than it has been (cheaper) but it is WAY more expensive then most other cities in the states. Interest rates are at an all time low which helps. If you plan to stay for 4+ years I'd look into buying. Less than that I'd look around.
/hillary

The fellowship is 3 years, with a possibility of staying on to do research for a few years after. So, it's right on the cusp of that "does it pay to buy over rent" issue. It's the low interest rates and soft-er market that has us tempted to buy, but there are a lot of practical reasons to rent for now.

[wencit]

I am also in one of those West of MetroWest suburbs, so have no advice there. But I just wanted to say welcome to MA! Don't forget to leave your R's behind, LOL! :yeahthat:

Congratulations! I'm so thrilled for you!

[billysmommy]

Congratulations!!!

We'd love to meet you :)

[hillview]

The fellowship is 3 years, with a possibility of staying on to do research for a few years after. So, it's right on the cusp of that "does it pay to buy over rent" issue. It's the low interest rates and soft-er market that has us tempted to buy, but there are a lot of practical reasons to rent for now.

Well I might be tempted to buy but it would be a challenge not knowing the areas so well. Can you rent short term while you have a look around? For long term stay put good schools, I'd look to rent or buy in Brookline or Newton. For short term, put kids in private school (20k) I'd rent in JP or Boston.
/hillary

[jess_g]

Congratulations! And welcome to Boston. I don't know much about the areas right around Longwood but I can say that I drove to the Longwood area for 3 months while my son was in NICU and it is doable taking the commuter rail and the T if you don't mind walking a bit. This would open up a lot of places to live in that are more suburbun if that is what you want. I have also heard that Brookline and Newton have realy good public schools and I know Brookline is right next to Longwood.

I also must agree with Hilary that maybe you could rent for a while to get settled before buying a place because once you buy something you will be there for a while.

Jessica.

[wolverine2]

JP is an awesome place to live with a family. Lots of activities, lots of green space, totally walkable. Quick bus ride to Longwood. It is part of the Boston Public Schools, but there are more options than you might think in the public schools. Yes, it does depend on the lottery, but there are quite a few good schools at the elementary level. But a lot of them start at the K1 level (4 by Sept 1) and the lottery deadline for that is in February. If your daughter would be eligible for the K1 for next year, and you miss the lottery because you don't live here yet, then you need to wait until K2, and while there are still options, there aren't nearly as many. Then I might want to make sure I had a backup option like private school. Moving to Brookline or Newton takes out the uncertainty, but then you don't get to live in JP. :)