Boston & Cambridge, MA

[starmaker]

On 3/31/2012 at 2:40 PM, rsticker said:

I am going to attend Brandeis for graduate studies. We are a family of four .

where do families live?

Waltham itself is one of the cheapest inner-ring cities surrounding Boston. People have suggested Newton, which is certainly nice, but pricier. If you don't mind a commuter rail ride, Arlington and Belmont are nice (though Belmont's expensive).

I saw that people mentioned Weston...if you are living on a typical grad student salary Weston's going to be tough to afford, even compared to everything else I just mentioned.

A note: Unless mass protests prompt the state to intervene (working on it!) the MBTA is going to see significant fare hikes in a few months.

 

On 3/25/2012 at 8:38 PM, Silent_G said:

I agree! Where are you people finding affordable one bedroom apartments in Somerville? I can't find a studio for less than $1600, and I definitely need a one-bedroom. This is ridiculous.

Your mistake appears to be trying to live in a place by yourself in an inner-ring city. There are exceptions, but people don't usually find affordable one-bedroom apartments. They find housemates. And Somerville, being a place full of three-story houses with 2-3 apartments each, mostly has rental stock that's meant for more than one person to live there at a time. There just aren't that many one-beds to begin with.

[Silent_G]

Your mistake appears to be trying to live in a place by yourself in an inner-ring city. There are exceptions, but people don't usually find affordable one-bedroom apartments. They find housemates. And Somerville, being a place full of three-story houses with 2-3 apartments each, mostly has rental stock that's meant for more than one person to live there at a time. There just aren't that many one-beds to begin with.

I won't be living alone. I'm getting married in August, and my fiance is a student at Brandeis, while I'll be starting at BU this fall. We need a place somewhere in the middle, that's convenient for each of us on MBTA--we won't have a car--but still relatively affordable. Somerville seems like the best option.

[starmaker]

Silent_G: Yeah, the Porter Square area (which is partially in Cambridge and partially in Somerville) is locationally convenient for your situation, then, since there's a commuter rail stop on the right line there. I saw someone suggest East Somerville, which will be cheaper, but your commute will also be a lot more of a pain.

You can probably find something for under $1600, but it's still unlikely to be cheap (you'll be lucky to get it under $1400). Your housing will be cheaper if you're willing to live with others (another couple, perhaps).

There's the Green Line B branch (the same one that BU is on), but the parts of Newton that it goes to aren't really very close to Waltham/Brandeis.

Another option to look at, though it'll probably cost similarly to what Somerville does, is the North End in Boston proper. You could catch the Green Line at the North End station and take it to BU, your fiance could catch the commuter rail at the North End station and take it to Brandeis. Very convenient. Here are some North End listings that have one-beds (not studios) for as little as $1650: http://www.bostonapartments.com/apartments-for-rent-BOSTON%20-%20NORTH%20END.htm

Edited April 5, 2012 by starmaker

[Silent_G]

Silent_G: Yeah, the Porter Square area (which is partially in Cambridge and partially in Somerville) is locationally convenient for your situation, then, since there's a commuter rail stop on the right line there. I saw someone suggest East Somerville, which will be cheaper, but your commute will also be a lot more of a pain.

You can probably find something for under $1600, but it's still unlikely to be cheap (you'll be lucky to get it under $1400). Your housing will be cheaper if you're willing to live with others (another couple, perhaps).

There's the Green Line B branch (the same one that BU is on), but the parts of Newton that it goes to aren't really very close to Waltham/Brandeis.

Another option to look at, though it'll probably cost similarly to what Somerville does, is the North End in Boston proper. You could catch the Green Line at the North End station and take it to BU, your fiance could catch the commuter rail at the North End station and take it to Brandeis. Very convenient. Here are some North End listings that have one-beds (not studios) for as little as $1650: http://www.bostonapa...NORTH%20END.htm

Thank you!

[fosgfp]

Hey folks, I'm looking for roommates, prefereably gay or queer females/trans/nonbinary/genderqueer (or friendly to all of those) type folks for housing in Cambridge this upcoming school year. Ideally I'd like to rent a house with 3-4 bedrooms, but I am open to a smaller place if I find the right roommates. Anyhow, if anyone is interested send me a message!

[MsBOOM]

I will be attending Harvard Divinity School in the fall - and at first, I thought I could find a studio within a 10 mile radius within the $800 range, but that doesn't seem to be the case! Looks like I'll need to find a roommate(s) - but being somebody from the Washington, DC area with NO friends in the area of Cambridge/Boston at all... how could I even go about doing such a thing?

Another question I have - My ideal move-in date is August first, but it seems like everyone is asking for a move-in much earlier or Sept 1 (which isn't possible, because my classes start August 30th). Is this because I am looking for housing too soon? Will I find more openings for that time-frame in May/June?

[rockandroll]

I will be attending Harvard Divinity School in the fall - and at first, I thought I could find a studio within a 10 mile radius within the $800 range, but that doesn't seem to be the case! Looks like I'll need to find a roommate(s) - but being somebody from the Washington, DC area with NO friends in the area of Cambridge/Boston at all... how could I even go about doing such a thing?

Another question I have - My ideal move-in date is August first, but it seems like everyone is asking for a move-in much earlier or Sept 1 (which isn't possible, because my classes start August 30th). Is this because I am looking for housing too soon? Will I find more openings for that time-frame in May/June?

For roommates, I would actually ask current students at your school/within your department what they did. I'm sure they'll have a million suggestions.

In Boston, particularly in the city, everyone moves on September 1. It's a huge mess and if you can find a way to move slightly before then, in mid- to late-August, do it. I'm actually looking to do the same thing- I live right in the city and my lease ends on August 31, but it was a nightmare to move in at the same time as everyone else because the streets in my neighborhood are ridiculously narrow, so I'm hoping to find a place near my new school (Brandeis, which is slightly outside of the city) that will let me move in a week or two before then.

[agp]

When is the best time to look for apartments in Boston? I'm starting at BU in the fall, and I was thinking of going up at the end of May/ beginning of June. Will most be taken by then?

[rockandroll]

When is the best time to look for apartments in Boston? I'm starting at BU in the fall, and I was thinking of going up at the end of May/ beginning of June. Will most be taken by then?

Most likely. If you're looking to get an apartment right in the city or in the area most accessible to BU (which would be Allston/Brighton, where many students live), you should try to find somewhere as soon as possible- people start reserving places in the early months of the year. There will always be some apartments available right up until the fall, but because these areas are comprised almost exclusively of students looking to move on September 1, it's important to put down a deposit on a place ASAP in order to get somewhere good. However, if you're looking to live with roommates, you can always find single rooms within apartments that are looking for someone to move in, so that's a legitimate back-up plan as well.

[mcs717]

Most likely. If you're looking to get an apartment right in the city or in the area most accessible to BU (which would be Allston/Brighton, where many students live), you should try to find somewhere as soon as possible- people start reserving places in the early months of the year. There will always be some apartments available right up until the fall, but because these areas are comprised almost exclusively of students looking to move on September 1, it's important to put down a deposit on a place ASAP in order to get somewhere good. However, if you're looking to live with roommates, you can always find single rooms within apartments that are looking for someone to move in, so that's a legitimate back-up plan as well.

Is it possible to find places near Boston College with an August 1 move in date? It sounds like they are all arranged for May 1 or Sept. 1 move-ins...

[LizJayne]

Is it possible to find places near Boston College with an August 1 move in date? It sounds like they are all arranged for May 1 or Sept. 1 move-ins...

I was just talking to a broker about this, and she said it's much easier to find housing around Boston College with a Sept. 1 date- August dates are rare. I have, however, seen a few June dates.

[rockandroll]

Is it possible to find places near Boston College with an August 1 move in date? It sounds like they are all arranged for May 1 or Sept. 1 move-ins...

Unless you find a sublet that will allow you to move in earlier (which might still require you to sign a September 1-August 31 lease), it's almost impossible to find anything outside of that right in the city. BC is easily accessible from other areas by car, however, and these have a lot more wiggle room. Additionally, if you live in a big apartment building that has people moving in and out all around the year, that would solve your problem as well.

[fosgfp]

Hey all, there is a facebook group for new grad students in Boston/Cambridge: http://www.facebook.com/groups/417852061575938/

Description:

Group for individuals starting grad school in Boston in 2012. Any and all schools, programs, majors, etc welcome. Hopefully this group will be a good resource for meetups, finding roommates, activities, etc.

[wreckofthehope]

Unless you find a sublet that will allow you to move in earlier (which might still require you to sign a September 1-August 31 lease), it's almost impossible to find anything outside of that right in the city. BC is easily accessible from other areas by car, however, and these have a lot more wiggle room. Additionally, if you live in a big apartment building that has people moving in and out all around the year, that would solve your problem as well.

Not sure about "impossible". My apartment had an August 1st move-in date, as did many I viewed -- I think realtors trying to appeal to a non-student clientele often have June, July and August 1st start dates, I saw many in Brookline, for instance.

[fosgfp]

Hi folks, my plans changed and I now have some flexability about when I go to Cambridge to hunt for a place. When do you think is the absolute BEST time to go and look for a place? I am primarily going to be looking in Central Square and Kendall Square

[panda123]

My wife and I are starting grad school at MIT this Summer (i.e. June). The MIT Family housing options seem to be real old apartments, and there seems to be some sort of lottery going on to get them. We have our own furniture, so are looking for unfurnished 1 bedroom apartments (around 500-700 sq ft). We thought that it might be a good idea to sublet an apartment for the Summer and then look for a place for Fall while we are there, but most sublets are furnished places as the owners come back at the end of Summer. We are willing to pay up to $ 1800, but ideally less for a nice and clean apartment in a nice neighborhood; preferably including AC, heat, hot water; it would indeed be awesome if other utilities such as electricity, internet, and cable also be included. However, it is real hard to figure if an apartment or its neighborhood is good from craigslist. From what I've heard so far Porter Sq and Brookline seem to be nice neighborhoods, but Brookline is a 40 min commute to MIT, and Green line doesn't seem to be reliable. So, where do you think would be an ideal place within a reliable 30 min commute? Also, I haven't had any success in finding an apartment with washer/dryer inside unit; do you think it would be unreasonable to ask for it for $ 1800 a month? I appreciate if you guys could make any suggestions. Thanks!

[sociologo]

For those already living in the Boston area:

What do you guys think about living slightly outside the city? I'll be starting at Northeastern in the fall, and just like everyone else in this forum, I am grossed out by how expensive housing is. If I'm going to pay that much, I'd like to get a little more for my money.. I know the commute will depend on the area, but would 30-40 minutes be so bad for the first year of a PhD program?

[starmaker]

We are willing to pay up to $ 1800, but ideally less for a nice and clean apartment in a nice neighborhood; preferably including AC, heat, hot water; it would indeed be awesome if other utilities such as electricity, internet, and cable also be included.

I was thinking that your requirements didn't seem unreasonable. $1800 or less for a 1-bed in a not-high-crime neighborhood? Sure, that's definitely doable. Then you put in the thing about wanting that $1800 to include AC, heat, hot water, and maybe electricity, Internet, and cable. You aren't going to find a lot of apartments that include all those things with the rental cost. Period. You might find one that includes utilities, though.

Not many apartments in the Boston area have central AC to begin with, let alone covered in the rent, unless they're in pretty new buildings, which most are not. It drives me crazy, since I grew up in the Southeast, where we maintain a civilized difference between indoor and outdoor temperature.

Cambridgeport and Porter Square seem like likely places. Possibly Union Square and Inman Square as well.

[danyeleb]

I didn't see anything about this on recent pages and I'm too lazy to read through all 26 pages of the thread, so I apologize if someone has already answered my question.

Anyone know how parking works in Boston? I'm moving there for the fall semester from Philadelphia and it seems like there are a lot of rules about parking that I just don't understand. I don't plan on driving very often at all, but I would like to take my car with me when I move in case I do need to drive somewhere or to drive myself home for occasional visits. Can someone explain the rules to me as if I were a ten-year-old child, please?

On a similar note, how is public transportation in Boston, specifically the subway system? Will it be easy for me to access different parts of the city via public transportation? I'm going to BU and will likely live in a nearby area, but I'm sure there will be times when I want to branch out a bit. Are there areas around BU that provide greater access to public transportation than others? That could factor in to where I decide to live.

Speaking of living arrangements, it seems like Allston is a popular, reasonably priced neighborhood for BU students. I'm just coming out of undergrad, so I'm fairly confident that I would be okay with living in an area that is heavily populated by students. However, I am concerned about safety because I am new to the city and I am a relatively young, petite female. My undergrad school is in a pretty rough part of Philly, so I know how to handle myself in a high-er crime area, but I'm not used to living off campus. Assuming I'm not doing something ridiculous, like drunkenly stumbling down the middle of the road by myself at 2am or whatever, will I have to be particularly cautious in this neighborhood?

These questions may seem kind of silly, but I've only been to Boston once before, so I know very little about the city and prefer getting my information from people who actually live there, you know? Anyway, anything you can tell me will probably be helpful. Thank you.

[rockandroll]

I didn't see anything about this on recent pages and I'm too lazy to read through all 26 pages of the thread, so I apologize if someone has already answered my question.

Anyone know how parking works in Boston? I'm moving there for the fall semester from Philadelphia and it seems like there are a lot of rules about parking that I just don't understand. I don't plan on driving very often at all, but I would like to take my car with me when I move in case I do need to drive somewhere or to drive myself home for occasional visits. Can someone explain the rules to me as if I were a ten-year-old child, please?

On a similar note, how is public transportation in Boston, specifically the subway system? Will it be easy for me to access different parts of the city via public transportation? I'm going to BU and will likely live in a nearby area, but I'm sure there will be times when I want to branch out a bit. Are there areas around BU that provide greater access to public transportation than others? That could factor in to where I decide to live.

Speaking of living arrangements, it seems like Allston is a popular, reasonably priced neighborhood for BU students. I'm just coming out of undergrad, so I'm fairly confident that I would be okay with living in an area that is heavily populated by students. However, I am concerned about safety because I am new to the city and I am a relatively young, petite female. My undergrad school is in a pretty rough part of Philly, so I know how to handle myself in a high-er crime area, but I'm not used to living off campus. Assuming I'm not doing something ridiculous, like drunkenly stumbling down the middle of the road by myself at 2am or whatever, will I have to be particularly cautious in this neighborhood?

These questions may seem kind of silly, but I've only been to Boston once before, so I know very little about the city and prefer getting my information from people who actually live there, you know? Anyway, anything you can tell me will probably be helpful. Thank you.

Hey- I might be the perfect person to answer this question, because I grew up outside of Philly but have been in Boston for the last four years and will be staying on for at least one more, if not the rest of my life.

As far as how parking works in Boston: It doesn't. If you want to have a car, you have no choice but to live outside of the city, because monthly parking spaces here cost as much as rent (not exaggerating). All other parking is either in extraordinarily expensive garages, or is one- or two-hour parking, both of which are strictly enforced. Driving in Boston is also hell- there's an overabundance of one-way streets, and everything that you've likely heard about Massachusetts drivers (affectionately named "Massholes") is completely true, particularly if you have out-of-state license plates.

Here's the good news: Boston's public transportation system is absolutely fantastic. As a BU student, you're right: By far, the best place to live is the Allston/Brighton area, which is on the B branch of the Green Line (the mostly-above-ground subway that covers the downtown area and the western reaches of Boston). A monthly pass is $59, and it's well worth it. The B line is the least efficient just because so many students depend on it every day, but it comes about every 8 minutes and is by far the best way to get around. I lived on the border of Allston and Brighton and depended on the B line for a year and a half.

As far as getting home goes (I assume that "home" is Philly for you?), I can also give you advice on this one: Your options, both totally viable, are to either take the Amtrak Northeast Regional line (which is a little expensive depending on demand and the time of year, and which is also a fairly long ride- takes about as long as driving sometimes) or to fly. The bad news about flights is that for a year and a half, Southwest was flying between Boston and Philly for pretty cheap- but they just stopped running that route because not enough people were taking it (I was so pissed!!!). Now, you can take US Airways for about $100 each way, which isn't horrible and takes about an hour of in-flight time... no complaints there. The airport is easy to get to via public transportation as well, or you can take a cab for fairly cheap.

For when you do want to get out of the city, you can rent a ZipCar (which many Bostonians swear by- I've never done it personally, because I've always found public transit to be sufficient) or take the commuter rail, which runs to most destinations throughout the eastern half of the state (but no one likes western Massachusetts anyway). You can find out anything you need to know about getting around by going to MBTA.com, or by using the public transportation map on Google Maps (which I actually use more often than the official MBTA website because it tells you when the next train is coming). So my opinion should be pretty clear to you by now: Don't bring your car. It will cause you so much unnecessary stress, and Boston has the best public transportation of any city that I've been to (besides New York, because it's New York). You'll always be able to get home by taking the train or flying, and if you do want to get out of the city, there are definite ways for that as well.

As far as living in Allston goes: Boston is ALWAYS safer than Philly, no matter where you live (with the exception of some places in South Boston, which you don't have to worry about as a BU student). All that you have to worry about in Allston is drunk BU and BC students stumbling around and doing what drunk college students do. While obviously, you always want to be careful, I never had a bad experience during my time in Allston/Brighton.

A quick geography lesson: The green line, like I said, goes through the city, and then branches off into the B, C, D, and E lines. The B line has several stops right in the middle of BU, and then goes through Allston center, parts of Brighton, and then ends at Boston College. You would be fine living in either Allston or Brighton- Allston is closer to BU, but is slightly more crowded and city-like. Brighton is marginally less so and has some really pretty parts, including the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, which is great for walking around in nice weather. It honestly just depends on where you can find an apartment, because you will pretty much have to live with one or two roommates, no matter where you go, unless you want to pay over $1000 a month.

Let me know if you have any more questions. I went to Berklee (right in the heart of Boston, in the Back Bay neighborhood), am just about to graduate from UMass Boston (in South Boston), and will be attending Brandeis for my MA and possibly my Ph.D. next year. I've lived in Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and Allston/Brighton while taking every possible form of public transit, and I'll be moving to Natick (which is in MetroWest, an area of suburbs west of Boston where tons of people commute from every day) and getting a car for the first time this summer.

[nelson678]

Hey Everyone!

I'm going to BU next fall for my master's in counseling. I'm moving from Chicago and looking for a place to live. So if anyone needs a roommate, message me.

[doodle26]

Help! Is Waltham really such a terrible place to live? If it is where my school is located, has good restaurants and an interesting movie theater, has buses/train into Boston, and has lower rent - why is it so bad? Would I be foolish to move there (with my husband, who will be working from home)? It SOUNDS okay...

[wine in coffee cups]

^ Waltham's not a terrible place to live, just suffers greatly in comparison. If you are friends with a lot of other Brandeis students who live in Cambridge/Somerville and have social events out there, you'll find it's a trek to get in there and back out in the evening (infrequent trains/buses) or will have to drive in and deal with resident only parking in a lot of neighborhoods. This social inconvenience factor was what led some of the students I know at Brandeis to move to Porter Square. If you and your husband have a social life that isn't concentrated in Camberville (for instance, if most other students you are friends with live in Waltham), then you won't mind it as much.

[Usmivka]

Hi all,

MIT just did a rent analysis for their grad students and found that rent has on average increased by 7.5% in the last two years. Most live in Boston, Somerville, and Cambridge, probably weighted most towards Somerville. Buying is looking better and better. I can also say with conviction that finding and living in an apartment in the city of Boston (which is cheaper than Somerville or Cambridge by a long shot) have been the two most stressful and soul crushing experiences of my life. If you have a family or value sleep, run for the hills!

Cheers

[RefurbedScientist]

Help! Is Waltham really such a terrible place to live? If it is where my school is located, has good restaurants and an interesting movie theater, has buses/train into Boston, and has lower rent - why is it so bad? Would I be foolish to move there (with my husband, who will be working from home)? It SOUNDS okay...

^ Waltham's not a terrible place to live, just suffers greatly in comparison. If you are friends with a lot of other Brandeis students who live in Cambridge/Somerville and have social events out there, you'll find it's a trek to get in there and back out in the evening (infrequent trains/buses) or will have to drive in and deal with resident only parking in a lot of neighborhoods. This social inconvenience factor was what led some of the students I know at Brandeis to move to Porter Square. If you and your husband have a social life that isn't concentrated in Camberville (for instance, if most other students you are friends with live in Waltham), then you won't mind it as much.

I lived in Waltham for my UG years and I basically agree with @wine. If Boston weren't right there, Waltham would be a perfectly adequate college town with (ample) restaurants, book stores, bars, a movie theater, grocery stores, cafe, green spaces, etc. However, unless you really want to walk to class every day, there is little reason to live in Waltham and not Porter Sq. The commuter rail is a 20 minute ride that costs $4.50 each way (I think savings with a monthly pass are minimal). It comes every 2 hours or so, maybe every hour during rush hour. So it's a trade-off between living really close to the campus and commuting in to do urban things in Boston, on the one hand, or living in a semi-urban setting in Cambridge and commuting out to school, on the other. I think either way is pretty close to an ideal situation. Neither scenario would even approach "terrible" (many people commute much much farther than 20 minutes to get to school/urban center in this country).

I went to Brandeis and I live in Cambridge now. Any time I get on the commuter rail stop in Porter Sq., there are tons of grad students heading into campus. So it's simple enough. At the same time, I lived a fairly mature lifestyle as a UG at Brandeis (e.g. studied in the cafes, went to Cambridge/Boston on the weekends, avoided frat parties like a plague) and was mostly satisfied with the situation. However, as @wine said, there's really no reason to opt to live in Waltham unless (a) you really want the convenience of being to walk to and from class or ( most of your friends are in Waltham. Ultimately, those two factors will probably make or break either locale.