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Where to live in Boston?

6 points by frodo01 ↗ HN
I'm moving to boston in January, and have to start looking for apartments. I like startups, hackers, bookshops, theatres, sports (skiing, skateboarding). If anyone could tell me which places I shouldn't miss checking out, it would be great.

I checked the past discussions and it seems that Cambridge, Somerville and Harvard Square are nice places. Is there anywhere else I should definitely look at?

I'm single and can pay about $1.5k in rent.

9 comments

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cschmidt
Davis Square in Somerville is nice. It is on the Red Line of the T, so can pop into Boston without driving.
djb_hackernews
I had many friends who lived in Davis, it really only made sense if you went to Tufts or worked north of the city. Besides that rents were inflated because of Tufts and you are pretty far removed from Boston proper.
nostrademons
It's been about 4 years since I checked, but at the time, Davis was significantly cheaper than Central/Harvard or anything downtown.

It's about a 20-25 minute subway ride on the red line from Davis to downtown. Judge for yourself if that's too far. It's definitely more removed from things than the Harvard/Central/Kendall area, but that's nothing compared to some of the commutes that people are willing to put up with in the Bay Area (where it's an hour, with no traffic, to get from San Francisco to Mountain View).

The other thing I liked about Davis is that there seemed to be a burgeoning micro-startup scene there, with a lot of tech minded people working out of coffeeshops. Granted, that was 2006-07, so I'm not sure if it's still there. But there were many more young people than in, say, Central Square or downtown.

desigooner
I think Davis Square is a little too far removed from quite some Boston areas .. I'd suggest Harvard Sq or Central Square if you liked Cambridge ..

I've been happily living in Brookline (Coolidge Corner) for the past 2 years. Not as much of student population as Cambridge or certain other areas of Boston. It's quiet and safe. Only downside: No overnight street parking

venturefizz
Cambridge is great - especially Harvard Sq. You might want to check out South Boston. I lived there for four years and liked it. Good luck with the move!
djb_hackernews
I lived in Central Square, and in my partial opinion, it was perfect. The Square itself has tons of shops, bars and restaurants, and is right on the red line and more importantly major bus lines. It's in the middle of MIT and Harvard, tons of startup activity here. Parking was always easy to find and neighbors were all young people. Whole Foods, Shaws and a Whole Foods knock off I can't remember. Trader Joes in neighboring Cambridgeport. It was a 2 mile walk to Fenway, a walk I made many times. For 1.5K you might be able to find a one bedroom, definitely find one that is not directly in the square.

I also have to make an argument against South Boston. It's like a whole different city, you seriously need to get on a highway to actually get into the city if you aren't taking public transportation. Plus parking is terrible and rents are inflated.

fjabre
Cambridge/Somerville - Porter Square, Harvard Sq, Central Sq

Boston - Allston/Brighton/Brookline.

mickt
There's also Back Bay, parts of the Fens, and Downtown.

Downtown is where all the subway lines meet. Back Bay & the Fens have a bit more nature around them, and easy access to the slow Green Line.