I'm thinking about moving to boston at the beginning of the year. What should I expect?

Question

I'm looking at starting fresh and new. I'm looking for advice on employment, housing, atmosphere any thing will do. Thanks

Answer 1

Hi! Well first, let me preemptively welcome you to Boston. As with any major city, there are general rules to follow like figuring out public transportation, getting to know parking and traffic rules, finding local pharmacies/grocery stores/pubs/restaurants and so on, and preparing for the climate.

For apartment-hunting, check out craigslist.org in advance to look at the market in the area. Those are mainly places listed by the owner or current residents, but a lot of brokers use the site too, so whatever your needs are, they can generally be met on that site. While everyone has his/her own preferences and priorities, my advice to you is to look for areas in Cambridge, Boston proper, Allston/Brighton, and Brookline. These areas tend to be on the hip-per and safer side, though it obviously varies by specific location, and no place is completely free of crime or crappy apartments. Areas like Roxbury, Dorchester, Somerville, and Jamaica Plain (JP) have a wide range of safety and attractiveness levels, so be careful when looking in those areas. The rent can be significantly cheaper, but the apartments can also be crappy and/or not in safe areas. If you have no problem commuting a little bit in the morning (via subway, preferably), then also consider Quincy, Chelsea, Revere, Malden, Medford, Newton, Arlington (bus) and Watertown (bus). These surrounding towns are not "the city", but are all close enough for a daily commute and often worth it for the decreased rent prices. As with any city, though, take a look at the area before you commit to an apartment.

As for employment, what do you want to do? From what I know, Boston's job market is fairly average, though again, you can check the job section of craigslist to see what's out there (or monster.com or the boston.com listings, etc). Cost of living in Massachusetts is pretty high compared to other states, so pay is often higher here than other places. If you're starting a new career, aim for over $30k just to make sure you can pay rent.

The atmosphere of Boston is hard to describe. Many parts of the city are absolutely filled with college students for 9 months of the year, and then nearly barren for the summers. People who find themselves pained by the chortles and giggles of youth will not do well riding the green line everyday or living in Back Bay or Boston proper. I was recently a college student here, and even that experience doesn't help me when I'm surrounded by girls screaming into cell phones on the bus or walking slowly in lines of 4 or 5 in a row on the sidewalk, causing all sorts of pedestrian traffic jams. But if that doesn't bug you, then forget I said anything.

Also, this city has a major hard-on for sports, especially baseball. Football is big here, but with a short season and a consistently good team, it's talked about less frequently than baseball. The Sox, nestled in a densely-populated and densely-trafficked area of the city, attract more locals and suburbanites than everything else in Boston combined. People here have shirts, hats, shoes, necklaces, gym shorts, bracelets, sweatshirts, jackets, and pretty much everything else that can fit the big Red Sox B. The fans are passionate and usually lightly-buzzed on overpriced beer. If you dig baseball, this is the city for you.

As a final note, I can't cover everything here, but I can stress something I wish I had been told before I moved here: learn the public transportation system!! I don't just mean figure out the T (subway) stop closest to you, I mean figure out how the intricate and often infuriating system functions. For example, the green line splits into four branches, two of which only go inbound as far as a certain stop, another of which goes two stops further, and the last of which goes all the way to the end of the line. That took me a while to get. Make frequent use of MBTA.com and the "trip planner" feature there to figure out directions to any local areas. If you have a car, that's fine, but I guarantee you some trips will be easier on the bus or train than in the car. Parking is a pain, and often expensive, so use public transportation when you can. Outside of that, just enjoy the new city. And bring a sweater!

Answer 2

Hey man as long as you're not a Yanks fan, you'll be fine. Housing is pretty expensive(unless you're used to New York, Boston is cheaper than that) so I would consider renting. There are a lot of good places to eat in Boston, mostly pretty cheap too. There is a subway/bus system called "The T" (u really can't miss it) which is the best way to travel other than walking, as there isn't many parking spaces.

Answer 3

Use your common sense, EXPECT to be in a diferent state, diferent job, diferent wheather, diferent apartment, diferent people, Well, try to adopt yourself to your new home.

Answer 4

expect it to be pretty darn cold.