Boston, Massachusetts

UndercoverPages
Living in Boston
2y ago
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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.

EfficientArt1144
Living in Boston
1y ago
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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

_bonita
Living in Boston
1y ago
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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 ✌🏽

nattarbox
Living in Cambridge
1y ago
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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.