The wider Boston region, even if you define it conservatively, contains dozens and dozens of other towns and communities. Living “in town” (as it is called), is a patchwork of hundreds of neighborhoods all with mini-cultures and a host of shops and restaurants. They all have their tree-lined streets and parks and respites from the commotion. It doesn't take long to find your rhythm. If you can afford the rent or mortgage in Boston proper, it's got a lot of world-class stuff. You'll never tire of the scenery and there's a host of possibilities for something new every single day. Plus, the New England Autumn and some of the best healthcare hubs in the country.

You will never be bored. And neither will your kids.

Alternatively the median U.S. home price of around $200,000 buys about 371 square feet of residential space in Boston. As for renting, the region is among the four or five priciest in the nation. Only if you’re coming from San Francisco, San Jose, and New York City (and maybe D.C and LA.) will Boston’s housing costs not shock you. And, it’s dense. It's full of narrow lanes and tight fits. You don’t need a car if you live in town and nor should you want one. It’s called “The Walking City” and there’s nowhere to park.


It's Never Boring

LookyLOO Review of Boston

It is impossible to ignore the college scene’s influence on the lifestyle of the city, even if it is merely in observing that you are constantly walking by schools and seeing scores of youngsters walking about the streets. When you combine the college kids with the scores of graduates who work and play in the city there is no question it is a young place and that vibe is for the most part a really invigorating thing. 
There is a patrician side to Boston that contrasts with the college scene, fancy events and Beacon Hill (THE fancy neighborhood)  aristocracy. There is a theater and performing arts and museum culture in Boston but again, the vibe skews to younger, more playful daily and nightly activities. Taking the T to see the Red Sox. Hitting up the casual bars/restaurants in Back Bay after some shopping on Newbury Street. Picnicking and throwing the frisbee on Boston Common. It’s just a blast taking advantage of all Boston has to offer people of any age. 

If you want to see what fun locals get up to in Boston check out the [**calendar of events**](https://www.meetboston.com/events/).



Lifestyle 

Boston has a vast number of industries but two stand out: tech and health. Outside of San Francisco there isn’t another city with a denser concentration of tech opportunities than Boston. Health and healthcare are also massive industries here as the hospital systems, health/biotech research facilities are unparalleled. 

Work in Boston is also convenient as the subway system, called the T, is very functional at moving you around the city and beyond. Living and working in the city is either a walk or a short train ride. It is a great city for job hunting in tech, biotech, health, finance and of course the biggest category of all: higher education. This city is highly trained, highly educated, and highly compensated. As was noted, the downside of all those smarts and compensation is commensurate pricing in housing. If you can afford it though it is an incredible place to work. 


Worklife 

[**Boston Public Schools**](bostonpublicschools.org) receive a [**"B" rating on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/boston-public-schools-ma/). It's one of the cites that has geographical relevance in school assignment but you can apply to any throughout the city. While the city has schools that under-perform it also has some of the best [**public school magnets**](https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-magnet-high-schools/m/boston-metro-area/) in the country, the most notable, [**Boston Latin**](https://www.niche.com/k12/boston-latin-school-boston-ma/). 

Here's an interesting summary of the school process for Boston Public Schools from a local parent: 

**RogueInteger**
2y ago
Dorchester

"First ignore people that shit all over BPS. There are a lot of schools in Boston, and many form opinions on headlines from the worst ones without every going, sending their kids, or knowing someone that went.

The city has a lottery system. Options are based on where you live with the exception of a common catchall schools.

Schools have different tiers inferring quality. To understand a school you should talk to neighbors. When it's time to register your kid, you will rank schools. The algorithm also considers proximity, tier, and time of registration. If your child doesn't get into their top school(s) they can be waitlisted which may open up up until and through the school year.

This process sounds scary because there is an element of chance, but I know of zero parents that registered early that did not get their kid into one of their top two schools.

This only covers Lower School admission. Upper school is another lottery, pathway, or testing admission section."


Schools

It’s not for the faint of heart but the experience, if you can afford it, is a fun ride. A lifetime worth of culture, history, educated people, diversity, doctors and stuff for all ages to enjoy. 


It's a fun ride

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**_bonita**
Living in Boston
1y ago
✭✭✭

Boston is nice and I echo many of the PRO points Boston is expensive, but I think it’s worth it. Philly is cheap, ANDDDD mad violent, ugly, and dirty, and PA as a state is not where I would want to be.

I think generally Massachusetts is a great state to live in as you have an incredibly educated and tolerant population. Great social safety nets for many people, which is why in my opinion, we have less issues with violence and poverty. It does lack some diversity, but outside of NYC, you really won’t find places as culturally and racially diverse as NYC. Despite its lack of diversity, as a non-white person, I have never felt discriminated against and feel that I am safe.

I find Bostonians to be less provincial as some of the Massachusetts local natives. So, coming from somewhere else shouldn’t be a problem, a lot of people come from all over the world. I am a NYC transplant. Again, the locals, tend to be from here, they went to HS/prep school/College here and their social circles are more insular and more white.

I like that I can go visit family in NYC/Philly quickly. I love that I have access to an international airport if I want to go to Europe or west coast. I love that I have decent job prospects and a stable state economy.

Winters can be gloomy but TBH they have been mild since like 2014. It’s really only from nov-mid march that it’s gray. Otherwise, spring, summer and fall are wonderful.

Just my 2 cents ✌🏽

It’s expensive.

Reviews of Boston from Locals

**The Best Thing About Boston?** 

The wider Boston region, even if you define it conservatively, contains dozens and dozens of other towns and communities. Living “in town” (as it is called), is a patchwork of hundreds of neighborhoods all with mini-cultures and a host of shops and restaurants. They all have their tree-lined streets and parks and respites from the commotion. It doesn't take long to find your rhythm. If you can afford the rent or mortgage in Boston proper, it's got a lot of world-class stuff. You'll never tire of the scenery and there's a host of possibilities for something new every single day. Plus, the New England Autumn and some of the best healthcare hubs in the country.

You will never be bored. And neither will your kids.

**The Worst Thing About Boston?** 

It’s expensive. The median U.S. home price of around $200,000 buys about 371 square feet of residential space in Boston.  As for renting, the region is among the four or five priciest in the nation. Only if you’re coming from San Francisco, San Jose, and New York City (and maybe D.C and LA.) will Boston’s housing costs not shock you. And, it’s dense.  It's full of narrow lanes and tight fits. You don’t need a car if you live in town and nor should you want one. It’s called “The Walking City” and there’s nowhere to park.

**How You Living?** 

Some of the towns and cities—including Waltham, Sudbury, Winchester, and Stoneham—are downright pastoral, with widely spaced single-family homes amid lush yards and down long driveways. Some—including Boston proper Quincy, Medford, and Cambridge—are mostly densely urban and come with all the bustle you would expect to find in a big city.

Downtown Boston is expensive, but so are those farther-flung pastoral areas, where single-family houses with yards can quickly run into the seven figures each.

If you’re used to sizable yards and lots of elbow room, you should probably forget it. There will be crowds and unless you move to the region’s farther reaches, you will hear your neighbors from time to time.

Picking a neighborhood you like is supremely important. They are often distinct in terms of retail, parkland, and transit options and as such, the neighborhood you pick will become a neighborhood you spend a lot of time in—as opposed to many cities, where one amorphously bleeds into another.

**Neighborhoods:**

**Allston** is close to many colleges and universities in and around the City, so it’s known for its student population and twenty-something artists. In recent years though, immigrants and young professionals have moved to the area. 

**The Back Bay** is old money and new money trying to become old money. An historic district neighborhood, it’s pretty gorgeous.

**Bay Village** is a brick row house oasis. The neighborhood is surrounded by Chinatown, Back Bay, the South End. and Downtown. Bay Village features tree-lined streets and shops and restaurants. One of the smallest neighborhoods in Boston makes up for its lack of size with its atmosphere.

Boston’s **Beacon Hill** is certainly one of the city’s prettiest enclaves, though hardly a landing pad for the progressive set. Familiarize yourself with the term “Brahmins.” Also, young doctors who work at MGH and John Kerry.

**Brighton** is a peaceful neighborhood for young families and professionals. Sitting on the shores of the Charles River, Brighton has many multi-family homes and condos. 

**Charlestown** is on the north side of the City, on the banks of Boston Harbor and the Mystic River.  The neighborhood has historical roots, but it has turned into a busy, modern-day neighborhood. Lots of Boaters and the boater-adjacent and families wise enough to have snatched up townhouses back in the day.

Located along the southern edge of Downtown, Boston's **Chinatown** is a commercial and cultural hub for the City's Chinese community. The Leather District is a small neighborhood just east of Chinatown, nestled between Dewey Square and Kneeland Street. The nine distinct blocks are noted for their 19th century brick warehouse structures.

**Dorchester** is the largest neighborhood in Boston and also one of the most diverse. Long-time residents mingle together with new immigrants from Vietnam, Cape Verde, Ireland, and many other countries. A rising number of hipsters and UMass-Boston students have discovered its charms, and upcoming redevelopment suggests momentum that way.

**Downtown** has served as Boston's hub since the 1700s. Home to City Hall, numerous corporate headquarters, condos and apartments, and some of Boston’s most beloved tourist attractions — including the historic Freedom Trail and Faneuil Hall.

**East Boston** is a vibrant neighborhood featuring one of the most beautiful waterfronts in the City. Once a center for shipbuilding it has always been a neighborhood of immigrant multi-generational Eastie families. It houses the city’s largest population of foreign-born residents.You can see the diversity in the neighborhood’s many ethnic restaurants. 

**Fort Point/Seaport/Innovation District**
Not clear whether it’s still up and coming or peaked but it’s happening and it’s on the water.
It’s popular with business professionals, empty nesters who came back to the city, artists who have found a way not to get forced out.

**Kenway / Fenmore** means living in the shadow of Fenway Park and has its advantages (and one large, crowded disadvantage).  Baseball fans. BU and Emerson grads live here as well as  those mysterious folks who can afford the new luxury condos.

**Hyde Park** is Boston’s southernmost neighborhood. It has all the amenities of the city in a suburban environment. The Neponset River runs through its center. You can see the community spirit in the neighborhood’s many shops and restaurants

**Jamaica Plain** “JP” is the classic streetcar suburb that has become home to funky twenty-somethings and funky families with their funky little kids. 

**Mid-Dorchester** is a vibrant neighborhood home to diverse cultures and many immigrant-owned businesses. The city is bringing lots of new development to the area, including housing and light industrial and commercial opportunities. With the improvement of the Fairmount/ Indigo Line, there's now easy access to jobs and the downtown financial area.

**Mission Hill** offers diverse housing styles; new condos, brick row houses, and triple-decker homes make the neighborhood an architectural landmark. 

**The North End** is a hub for the City's Italian-American community. Its character is woven through the neighborhood's narrow, yet vibrant streets. The North End also boasts some of the City's best restaurants and old-world cafes. it’s become a melting pot of old-timers, Suffolk students, and young professionals.

**Roslindale Village** is the original Main Street district. There's a vibrant shopping and dining area with unique shops and bistros. Downtown is just a quick ride away on the MBTA Orange Line and Commuter Rail. Here you’ll find the Arnold Arboretum. It's a 265-acre park that’s part of Boston’s Emerald Necklace. Many of the area’s colonial homes are now condos that house the City’s growing population

**Roxbury** is a former farming community and home to the Shirley Eustis House. It’s the nation’s only remaining country house that a British Royal Colonial Governor built. Today, Roxbury is the heart of Black culture in Boston.

**South Boston (Southie)** is the stuff of The Departed and Affleck/Damon/Walhberg. Perhaps no other region in America is as stereotyped as Boston. Southie is at the heart of the gritty Irish-American stereotype. It’s an urban neighborhood of working class Irish American Catholics that Boston has become so well known for but people with money are suddenly moving in. 

**The South End** is a cosmopolitan neighborhood. It is just minutes away from Downtown and the Back Bay, and has recently become one of the city’s most popular neighborhoods. Once an urban jungle, it’s the premier spot for the hip urbane with money, and still the flagship gay mecca. It is shared with folks with cash and also people in the nearby housing projects.

**The West End** has always been an ethnically diverse and vibrant neighborhood. It’s home to prominent Boston institutions, including Massachusetts General Hospital and TD Garden. With a bustling business community and a growing residential population, the West End is an up-and-coming neighborhood in Boston.

**West Roxbury** is in the southwest corner of the City of Boston. Today, people know the neighborhood for its civic activism and youth programs. West Roxbury has a suburban vibe with its tree-lined streets and single-family homes.

**The Wharf District** was formed during the “Big Dig Project”, with the demolition of the Central Artery and creation of the Greenway.

**The Squares**: Most of them are pretty easily accessible by subway but some require a bus. Some are in Boston and some are in towns on the edge of the city but regardless the great public transport here makes them all relevant choices when you're getting down to neighborhoods. 

**Harvard Square** is home to Harvard students, former Harvard students, Harvard employees, Harvard professors, 30-something professionals, and many an entrenched family.

**Inman Square** is like the rebellious young member of the Square family. The culturally diverse East Cambridge neighborhood is a treasure trove of multicolored storefronts and restaurants.  It’s home to professionals, working people, and students from nearby MIT and Harvard. With strong Brazilian and Portuguese influences, the neighborhood has a cultural flair.

**Central Square** is one of the rougher and tumbler parts of Cambridge -- some people like that. There’s a significant homeless and indigent population, so the rest of the residents are people who don’t mind that, meaning young and chill.

**Porter Square** is nestled between Davis and Harvard Squares, it’s crawling with grad students (Lesley University is headquartered here; Harvard Law School isn't terribly far) young professionals and multi-generational families. Porter is considerably dense with goods (including a Japanese Mall) and is a chowhound's playground. 

**Davis Square** is the glam part of Somerville (sort of) with Tufts students and professors, young professionals, and entrenched locals who have managed to hang onto their rentals.

**Union Square**: There’s a fast pace of new development in the neighborhood. It’s where the New York Times goes to gauge Greater Boston’s hipness quotient. Curbed calls this home to “the tattooed and mustachioed.” And writes that it houses the city’s most serious eaters and drinkers.

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** 

It’s not for the faint of heart but, the experience, if you can afford it, is a fun ride. A lifetime worth of culture, history, educated people, diversity, doctors and stuff for all ages to enjoy. 


Some of the towns and cities—including Waltham, Sudbury, Winchester, and Stoneham—are downright pastoral, with widely spaced single-family homes amid lush yards and down long driveways. Some—including Boston proper Quincy, Medford, and Cambridge—are mostly densely urban and come with all the bustle you would expect to find in a big city.

Downtown Boston is expensive, but so are those farther-flung pastoral areas, where single-family houses with yards can quickly run into the seven figures each.

If you’re used to sizable yards and lots of elbow room, you should probably forget it. There will be crowds and unless you move to the region’s farther reaches, you will hear your neighbors from time to time.

Picking a neighborhood you like is supremely important. They are often distinct in terms of retail, parkland, and transit options and as such, the neighborhood you pick will become a neighborhood you spend a lot of time in—as opposed to many cities, where one amorphously bleeds into another.


Neighborhoods

It is a bit ridiculous trying to narrow down Boston to a few neighborhoods for college kids. There are colleges everywhere so what’s the point to some degree. That said, there are a few that draw bigger volumes due to proximity to the biggest schools. Fenway/Kenmore has the greatest concentration due to Boston University, Emmanuel College, Simmons, Wentworth, Mass College of Art, and Harvard Medical School all in the area. 

Allston/Brighton is another big option. It is home to Harvard Business School and part of Boston College is here. It’s also just a short train ride to Boston U. Both of these areas are filled with cheap (for Boston) apartments, plenty of bars and restaurants and some of the best public transportation in the country. 
- Fenway/Kenmore
- Allston/Brighton


College Students

Fenway/Kenmore

The Fenway/Kenmore area remains popular with young professionals when they graduate due to tons of housing options, and the bounty of restaurants, cheap (and nice) bars and tons of shopping. Right next door and nicer and more expensive is Back Bay. Those making the big bucks can afford to live here and even those who save a few living farther up Comm Ave still come here to hobnob and socialize. In more recent years South Boston, or “Southie” as Mark Wahlberg likes to call it, has become hot due to continued gentrification of the surrounding communities. 
- Fenway/Kenmore
- Back Bay
- Allston
- South Boston


Young Professionals

Back Bay

One of the common behaviors in Boston is to move between neighborhoods every year or two as your station and patience for city life waxes and wanes. Young professionals will shift from Allston/Brighton to Back Bay or South End or Brookline when they want to remain in the city but get a bit more refined lifestyle. 
- Back Bay
- South End
- Brookline


DINKs/SINKs

Brookline

Jamaica Plain is a diverse neighborhood that attracts the LGBTQ+ community in general and queer/trans people of color in particular. Centre Street is the “center” of the commercial district for the community with plenty of queer-friendly restaurants and shops lining the streets. 
- Jamaica Plain
- South End
- Dorchester


LGBTQ+

Jamaica Plain

As with most cities a lot of families hit the ‘burbs when the kids come and they feel the need for room and great public schools. Boston has some strongholds though for families that want to hold onto city life and seek neighborhoods with some of the benefits of suburbs. West Roxbury and Roxbury are two of these neighborhoods with West Roxbury historically being the Irish and white side of the dividing line, and Roxbury the predominantly black family community. Gentrification and demographic shifts have changed things some but these remain heavily family neighborhoods.  Beacon Hill is the fanciest of Boston neighborhoods and families who crave a blue blood lifestyle with a short walk downtown set up shop here. 
- West Roxbury
- Roxbury
- Beacon Hill
- Charlestown
- East Boston


Families

West Roxbury

Boston

**UndercoverPages**
Living in Boston
2y ago
✭✭✭✭

I've lived in New York, Boston and Chicago. They are all vibrant cities with a lot to offer. The best fit for you will depend on your priorities. If you want a smaller city with great access to day trips and the outdoors, Boston is the best of those. If you want to spend most of your time outside of your apartment exploring the endless array of things to do in your city surrounded by people from all over the world, New York is for you. If you want big city amenities, plenty to explore, but budget is a priority, Chicago fits that bill.

If you are the kind of person who likes to make close friends, plan your social scene for the weekends and likes to return to your favorite spots rather than go to a new place every week, Boston is a great fit. Boston is by far the smallest of the three. It's a really nice city. Things are mostly well-maintained, clean and orderly, though I'm sure you'll read about the recent problems with the transit system. Within a few weeks, you'll have seen most of the main sights. There is still plenty to see and keep you busy, but you have to look a little harder. The people are friendly, but a lot of them have pre-existing social connections from school or work. In my experience, it's the kind of town where you make friends through activities (sports leagues, meetups, etc.), rather than chance encounters. There are a lot of great destinations within a couple hours drive and the best access to a variety of landscapes. You can go to the beaches of Cape Cod, an old fishing village in Rockport, or climb mountains in New Hampshire. Housing is slightly cheaper than New York and apartments are generally larger.

**Efficient_Art_1144**
Living in Boston
1y ago
✭✭✭

Boston
I love that it’s walkable, full of public parks, and easy to get out to the shore or the mountains or the woods easily. It’s got great museums, has a lot of good musical acts that come through, and is generally safe.

It’s just about as costly as nyc, doesn’t have the night life or endless variety of food that ny has. Also if you liked the warm weather in Florida year round, it’s colder than NYC and more prone to a heavy, damp Nor Easter every so often during

**nattarbox**
Living in Cambridge
1y ago
✭✭✭

**Pros:**

Clean

Livable scale (not too big, not too small)

Mostly safe

Top tier career and education opportunities

Car-optional living (walk, bike, transit sort of)

15 minutes to a good international airport

Access to skiing, hiking, Maine

Access to NYC

**Bad**

Insanely expensive

Winter sucks in the city

Not a very social/friendly culture

**What to Know Before Moving to Boston**
It has been one year since moving to Boston, and I want to address the most frequently asked questions and concerns I get about living in Boston and what you should know before moving to Boston.

Boston, Massachusetts

Wicked Pissah

Looklyloo Score: 93