Boston relocation advice
 

Hello,

I am an early thirties single professional relocating to Boston in a month and am finding it a bit overwhelming trying to parse the various options, etc. I'm looking for a 1 bedroom and my budget is 1500-2000$. I will be working downtown and wish to use trains/subway to get around (will not be owning a car). Ideally, the trip to work would take no more than 45mins. Obviously, with no car I will need to be in a neighbourhood with readily accessible amenities.

Having said all that, my number one priority is finding a smoke free environment. I have an extreme level of second hand smoke sensitivity, which usually leads to disturbed sleep if neighbours (even in nearby buildings) are smoking at night on balconies, etc.

Can anyone offer some suggestions or help? I've been thinking maybe some of these loft conversions that are smoke free communities might work?

Thanks for your help!

http://www.smokefreeapartments.org/list_massachu.html

Ignoring any discussion that may kick the thread off to OMNI/PR, apparently it is legal in MA for a landlord to ban smoking. At least one insurance company may have gotten into the game offering insurance discounts for rental property owners that do so. This may be creating more options for the type of housing you seek.

While I don't have anything to offer to the discussion, I wanted to welcome you to FT, Bosnewb! ^

Besides the smoking issue, what type of area do you want to live in ? One with bars/restaurants, something quiet but easy access to the city, downtown feel ?

What location downtown are you working in (near which T Stop) ?

Depending on where you are commuting from might make the recommendation a little different. You don't want to be switching multiple subway lines to be commuting (you can, just a PITA).

You can live in the Longwood area out near the Fenway which is in Boston or something like Davis Sq in Somerville which will be busy and have a college/young sort of vibe. If you want quiet, then look at something more like Brookline maybe, still next to Boston.

Cheers.

Thanks for the welcomes and suggestions so far!

@raft I hadn't seen that link yet, but even there it only lists a few buildings. Still useful though, so thanks.

@PWM the closest station is Backbay Stn. I want to live in an area which has an eclectic mix of restaurants (Asian, European, American, etc) and good availability of groceries, produce shops, etc as I am pretty health conscious and do like to cook my own food most nights. I don't care about loud (eg traffic) as long as the building can seal that out, but yes a party every night type of area is not for me. I would prefer quieter. I would also prefer to be in an area which has a lot of people my age or a bit younger and from a wide array of backgrounds. Also, I am an avid cyclist and usually do 40km rides every couple days so it would be nice if there is a relatively safe route I can take right from my doorstep (ie don't want to be on the busiest of roads obviously). To give a bit more of my personality, I do like quality and am willing to pay for it, but high price certainly does not equal quality and I prefer going to little family run restaurants that are usually much more fairly priced, not to mention authentic. I'm also not rich and generally careful with my money.

Hope this additional info helps... and again, none of these other things matter if I can't sleep due to SHS!

How about Longwood/Mission Hill/Hyde Square area? Close to the orange line for the Backbay Station T stop, and Jamaica Pond to walk and cycle. Nice area.

Or perhaps JP. More funky and sometime a bit dicey but a lot cheaper and tons of shops and restaurants. Also on the orange line. And next door the Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park. The area east of Centre street and just west of the Green street T stop is pretty nice to live. Walk to Centre st. for the shops and restaurants.

Aren't those areas more student-y?

What kind of a perimeter should I look at to be within a 45min train ride to Backbay stn?

Students are everywhere: you're moving to Massachusetts, not North Dakota.
Any stop on the orange line is within 45 mins to Backbay stn.

Thanks dieuwer2 :)

I think I also overheard that one of the lines should be avoided, which one is that?

All of them suck. Each in their own particular way, though.

I think the green B line sucks most :p

I'd suggest the Porter Square/Davis Square area in Cambridge/Somerville. On the Red Line (about 20-25 mins to Back Bay sta, which includes one train change), in a lively-but-not-rowdy, ethnically-diverse neighborhood filled with shops, restaurants, food outlets, young professionals, students, and just about anyone else you can imagine. (Except Republicans, maybe.)

Also an especially bike-friendly part of town, both on the streets and with access to the Minuteman Bikeway.

Yes, students are everywhere in Boston. Fact of life...it's one reason the rents can seem high for what you get.

If you don't mind a 45 min commute, then yes, something around Davis Sq would be nice and probably what you want. Not too far by T to downtown Boston, but you will be over 30min and maybe higher during the morning rush.

I lived in Porter Sq for 2 years and it is sort of in that spot between Harvard and Davis so you don't quite have all the students, but you also sort of miss having a "square" type of feel like Davis or Harvard. But it does have everything you need (restaurants, shopping center, etc). Since you bike, it's an easy 5 to 10 minutes to Davis or Harvard.

I think the suggestion of Jamaica Plain (JP in Boston talk) is a good one because you would be on the Orange line and have a much quicker commute. All the areas of Boston are gentrified so the reputation has changed. The Orange line used to be considered the the least safe of all the T lines, but that is not true anymore. You still need to practice good habits since you're in the city, but nothing special.

The green line is just slow that is why people dislike it. If you want something west but still in the city, consider Coolidge Corner in Brookline. Probably meets your requirements as well and the T will go to Copley for work. Probably a little less than 30min in the morning.

Cheers.

RE: Smoking, Boston tends to be mostly small ~5 unit buildings so specifically seeking out a "smoke free community" may not get you too far. I would just focus on finding a few places you like, then evaluating the smoking situation on a case by case basis. I don't think it will be too hard to find a smoke free building.

Cambridge is just across the river from Back Bay, and may be a good option to consider in your price range. There are many neighborhoods with great ethnic restaurants, groceries to walk to. Commuting to Back Bay, you would probably want to look somewhere near Central or Harvard, which have a bus line running every 10-15 minutes down Mass ave to Back Bay. These areas do have a lot of students and young professionals, but there are also some quieter areas around there where families live such as Cambridgeport or between Inman and Harvard Square.