Well this week i have an interview in boston, ( i live in pa) I have never been to boston, but I would like some views on living in boston. I am 23, and have never livined in a major city.But i do visit philly and NYC often and i kind of have an idea what i might be in for. I know rent is expensive, but what can i expect to pay to live in a safe neighborhood, Do i really need a car or can i get by on public transportation? Are the people friendly? any info would be helpful, thanks

Well, this is a travel forum, as opposed to a "relocaton" forum.

For sure, "rent" is exhorbitantly expensive within the city of Boston. Most folks commute from nearby suburbs.

All depending upon where you decide to live you may or may not need a car. No matter what, though, without one, you will, obviously need to rely on public transportation. And, if you "need" a car, registration, sales tax, town tax, INSURANCE PREMIUMS (all depending upon the town in which you decide to reside), add up (way, way up).

I would say that the people (compared to various other places on the planet) are NOT particularly friendly or helpful.

All in all - you will have to engage in a considerable amount of research to determine whether this is an ecomically feasible and worthwhile "move" for you.

Living and working in Boston can be a positively magnificent experience. If your promised incomed renders you able to actually live in the city, or within a reasonable commute - all the better.

Be advised,however, that rents are extraordinarily high in Boston and environs. The more convenient the commute, the "safer" the neighborhood, the higher the rent.

Many younger people live in the Allston/Brighton neighborhood - usually with lots of roommates. Fairly safe neighborhood. That's where my brother lived as well as his wife before they were together. More recently outsiders are moving into Southie also. Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury are iffy. Jamaica Plain is good, Hyde Park is okay but not great. West Roxbury is suburban. Back Bay and Beacon Hill are top of the line. North End is very good also. Most of Charlestown is good and parts are very very expensive. Another brother and his wife lived there while doing fellowships at Mass General - took the incomes of two doctors to afford it. East Boston is a good possibility but you are on the other side of the harbor from everything and close to the airport so noise is a factor. You might consider looking into the following websites...
craigslist.com, boston.com, bostonphoenix.com. Boston is a great city to live and work. Meeting people is probably easier the younger you are. But my sense is that alumni of the same college tend to hang together. Do you have an alumni association to hook up with?

You can get by without a car, since the Boston area has a very extensive public transportation system, fondly called "The T." Check www.mbta.com for maps.

You can get an idea of apartment costs by checking the listings in the Boston Globe, at www.boston.com.

There are so many college students and grad students in the Boston area, it's pretty easy to find an affordable roommate situation even though the full rent amounts are scary.

Bostonians are naturally reserved around people they don't know, which is often interpreted as "unfriendly" by people from other parts of the country. But once they get to know you, the friendships are often deep and caring.

I've lived in boston for many years under rent control, couldnt afford to buy where I lived, and loved for so many years'. The Armani cafe/shop is now next door..'so We moved across the bridge near MIT as I don't drive and the subway stop is there.

I moved to Boston when I was 23, and I'm never leaving (clarification - last year I bought a place with my now-wife just south of Boston... but I still consider it "Boston" and I still work in the city). I was from NJ originally - near NYC - and Boston is a much more managable place than NYC, and has much more to do than Philly..

The people in Boston are, at least, not unfriendly, but it does help if you know some people beforehand. At 23, you'll be in good company and there is a good bar and music scene (GREAT local music scene actually) for people in their mid to late 20s.

Rent is expensive amost everywhere. I lived in Jamaica Plain for years, found it relatively safe and it was affordable.

I didn't have a car my first year living in the South End, and I didn't need one. But if you move farther out, even to parts of Cambridge, Somerville, Brighton or Brookline, you might find it useful. Plus, having a car lets you go see what makes Boston really great... the stuff that's outside of it like the North Shore, the Cape, the Berkshires, etc...

In short, it's a great place to live, you'll have lots of fun and meet people easily, and you're in a good location to see the rest of New England which is really cool.

Hi illusion-

Well, I lived in Boston for 8 years (late teens-mid 20's) and then moved to Philadelphia and lived there for 6 years. I have to say Boston is much nicer than philly. Even though Boston is a big city, it is still small enough that you can get around without a car. Having a car is expensive and can be a burden (think about digging your car out from snowstorms).

I didn't think people were unfriendly, at least not a huge difference between Boston and Philadelphia.

Thanks for all the help, i will have to check into the alumni association thing. I am also going to look into getting a roomate, for the first year at least. The only problem i have with not having a car is that while i can leave my car at home with my parents i will still have the car payments. HOw is the job market in the area? After my boyfriend graduates from college he will most likely move to the area. Thanks again you have been very helpful

The job market depends entirely on what type of job he's looking for! Some fields are strong, others, weak. If he's a Spanish-speaking special ed teacher, he'll be in high demand; if he's in a computer-related field, he'll find lots of competition.

Owning a car is really not cost-effective. Even if you want to have one for occasional weekends afield, it's cheaper to rent that to insure, much less to make payments. If you move to Boston, find a place on the T and get rid of the car.

Er, that's Spanish-speaking OR special-ed teacher, though I suppose being both would be even better.

First go to this Web site: http://re.boston.com/rentals/searchindex.asp . It will give you a good idea of what rentals cost.

The Boston area is EXTREMELY expensive, even in the suburbs. Unless you plan to live with several roomates in a small, claustrophobic apartment, the only affordable housing you will find will be in Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

Having a car is essential unless you live in the central part of Boston (which is the most expensive part). Car insurance rates are outrageous. I live in a nearby suburb, and pay $1000 per year on my 1985 car that is not even covered for collision insurance. I've been wanting to buy a new car, but insurance for it would cost me at least $3000 a year.

Regarding jobs: The entire Boston area has been in a state of depression for at least the past 5 years. The job market here is very, very bad.

Sorry for the bad news, but if you are young and open to moving to a new city, there are several other places in the country you will find much less stressful, e.g. Austin, Tampa. The job opportunities there are also much better.

Regarding the need for a car in Boston-
You don't have to live in the *central* part of Boston in order to use public transportation. The T and commuter rail does service Boston suburbs. The question is whether your future job location is accessible by public transport or not.

I had a car for 4 out of 8 yrs I was in Boston. I needed it because of my work hours and work location. Here are the downsides:
1. I had to pay for parking at home (because I lived in Brookline and no overnight street parking is allowed)
2. I had to pay for parking at work locations in downtown.
3. When I used to drive to Back Bay or Chinatown, I spent more time looking for a spot than the actual time it took to get there.
4. Digging my car out from heaps of snow every winter.

As Anonymous says, you can just rent a car for weekends if you need to. In downtown Philadephia they have a car-sharing program for folks who live downtown. I'm sure Boston has something similar, which can be easier/cheaper than renting one.

how bad is the winter weather in boston? How about summer?

I grew up in the Boston area and from my perspective, the winters went on waaaay too long. I now live in different part of country in which winter lasts about 4 weeks. However I can't imagine the weather would be substantially different than what you have in Pennsylvania. Overall, when I think of weather conditions, the opt-cited phrase, "wait a minute, weather will change" comes to mind. For example, last week my Mother was melting with unseasonable spike in temps up to 90! Only lasted briefly and now weather is back to "normal" for this time of year.

i agree, i am not a winter person, but if offered this job i would be a fool to turn it down

My sister and her husband live in Somerville (just outside of the actual city, very much still "Boston") and they pay $1400 per month for an apartment that is 2 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, a dining room, bathroom and kitchen that could be an eat in if you wanted to. Small area outside to have a gas grill etc. Fairly safe, in my estimation. (I've stayed there a few times, leaving my newer truck on the street, never had a problem.) They live about a 5 minute car ride from the Museum of Science, Cambridge and Storrow Drive. That being said, I think that their rent is extraordinarily low, even for Somerville. The apartment is huge, and you can't go wrong for that price. My sister is a web developer, and she just switched jobs and had her pick of a couple that she interviewed for. Great money too, but maybe it's what she does. I lived in Boston for 6 years, but left about 11 years ago. I can say that I loved it, and I think it's something anyone in their early 20's should do (live in any big city, actually) regardless of how expensive it is. Get roommates, eat in, ixnay on the car and ride the T, walk around downtown and people watch to occupy an entire day....find the bargains...DO IT!!! MOVE THERE!! Sometimes I wish I still lived there....

Illusion, if you have the chance to live in Boston, go for it! It's a wonderful city and something you should experience if the opportunity comes your way.

I lived in the city when I was your age (after a stint in Philadelphia) and it was great fun. Twenty years have passed since then and I still look back very fondly on that time in my life before I was tied down with "adult" responsibilities like mortgages and tuitions. Boston was fiendishly expensive when I was in my 20s--nothing has changed there--but it was, as my husband would say, "good value for money." There was always something going on, places to go, and things to do. Boston is a great place! I was never at a loss for excitement in Boston. Oh, and ditch the car as everyone says. I had mine with me; it sat in the alleyway while I paid exhorbitant rent on it, and I finally drove it to my parents' house. I didn't need it.

If you ask about the winter, then you may not like it. If you are a winter sports type person (I am not), lots of skiing, snowboarding, etc. close by. But if you do not like dark, dreary, cold days that can start in November and end in late April, winter can get depressing.

Parking in winter unless you have a garage or designated space is tough - cars get plowed in, people get very possessive about spaces they have dug out. If you rely on public transportation, schedules are screwed up in bad weather, and there are icey puddles for months at a time.

And I love living here - have lived here for almost 30 years. But every winter I complain about the weather and threaten to move.

Boston does have, um, interesting winters. But the temperatures are moderated by our proximity to the ocean, and the weather and darkness are probably not very different from what the OP is used to in PA. Just dress for it!

Public transit is indeed affected by the weather, but not as much as cars are. The Green Line of the subway system is affected the most, since so much of it runs above-ground, along the streets.