Advice on Cambridge area?

[The_Mule]

I'm seriously considering a job offer in Cambridge, Mass. I'm currently in Michigan. Any advice on nice places to live in the area, commutes, public tansportation (I hear the train system is nice), etc?

Thanks.

[Submariner]

1. I live on the Orange Line

so it is easy to commute into the city. No driving, no parking fee, no hassle. If you can move into Cambridge, or next to a T stop that gets you to Cambridge easy, it would probably be most cost effective for you. You may pay higher rent, but that is offset by what you save on car wear and tear and fuel costs.

Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Allston/Brighton or Arlington would be good towns to live in and get you close to where you may work. Good luck, and welcome to Kennedy country.

http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_subway.asp

[The_Mule]

2. Thank you!

And thanks for the MBTA link. I'm from a "blue state", but I'm looking forward to deep blue Massachusetts.

[Submariner]

3. Your welcome, and

try this link for apartment hunting. I used this when I moved back here a few months ago and it has most all the listings.

http://re.boston.com/Rentals/searchindex.asp

[TaleWgnDg]

4. My first and only advice to you is please check the real estate

.
My first and only advice to you is please check the real estate market, both as a potential buyer of real estate or as a renter of real estate. We, here, in Massachusetts live in the most expensive real estate area of the country. Hold onto your hat while you check this out.

Now, as for Cambridge, Massachusetts? It's one of the best places to live in the country, from upper class, to middle class, to working class, Cambridge has it all. In addition, it has both MIT and Harvard plus several other colleges/universities. In short, it's tops.

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[The_Mule]

7. It is expensive, isn't it?

But, I've never let money make my decisions for me, and I don't plan to start at this stage of my life.

I loved the part of the city I saw. I'm looking forward to living and working in the area.

[AllieB]

5. I live north of Boston now, but grew up in Somerville and Cambridge

Cambridge is a very convenient place to live. It has great access to public trans, and is very walkable. Cambridge has one of the most expensive real estate markets in the US. If you want to live alone, be prepared to pay at least 1300-1500 dollars for a studio or one bedroom apartment. This price usually doesn't include a parking space, and street parking is tough. You may want to check out Craig's list for housing in addition to Boston.com.
Good luck! :-)

[The_Mule]

6. Thank you!

I was very impressed with Cambridge during the interview. I walked from my hotel to the company, and we took the train to go get dinner. I'm not used to it, but it's very nice to be able to get around without worrying about a car.

Cambridge is *quite* expensive, but I don't think that's going to stop me from accepting the job offer.

Thanks again!

[AllieB]

8. Good for you! I think you'll like living in Massachusetts

Cambridge really is beautiful and historic, with lots of great bars and restarants, and cultural activities.

[TaleWgnDg]

9. Well, then. WELCOME to MASSACHUSETTS! You're gonna

love it here. Cambridge is terrific. A great diversity of folks. Lotsa culture. Lotsa history. Lotsa academia. Lotsa R&D stuff. Lotsa bio-med stuff. Lotsa entrepreneur stuff. And lotsa high tech stuff. Cambridge is one of the more liberal communities in and around Boston which is of itself progressive as well as the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts, overall. Enjoy!!


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[MannyGoldstein]

10. Welcome, Comrade... To The People's Republic!

We locals refer to Cambridge as the People's Republic of Cambridge... it's pretty funky (except for Brattle Street, which is pretty... stinkin' rich). And it varies a lot from area to area.

The following are generally true of Cambridge, Boston, and the immediate suburbs:

The Good:
Lots of smart people
Lots of nice people
Lots of interesting people and stuff
(Click and Clack on NPR's Car Talk are pretty typical of the many eccentrics what we have around here - two MIT grads that fix cars and have a radio show)
*Tons* of music culture for a pretty small town - but not much opera for some reason
Lots of good cheap food because of all the students
Governance that probably sucks less than every other state (except, of course, for Romney - but the governor of Mass. has virtually no power)
Astonishingly good public schools in many communities - even many of the rich and famous folks send their kids to public school in my city (Newton)
No religious crazies, other than many of the Catholic priests
Healthcare stinks less than any other area in the US (except perhaps Rochester MN)
Athans (Brookline and Brighton) makes the best pastries in the US - on a par with Europe
Sleepy LaBeef occasionally makes it into town
Lots of young people

The Bad:
Housing in Mass is WAY overpriced (but prices are rapidly dropping - finally)
Houses are small, old, and generally not in good shape
Economy is pretty non-optimal these days
Winters are cold (probably better than MI though)
People are not particularly friendly until you really get to know them
Parking is a cluster--k
It takes five years to Fugger out how to drive around town - street layout is, um, interesting
Fresh produce is, by-and-large, abysmal (except on Johnny D's in Brighton, not to be confused with the excellent music venue of the same name in Somerville)
Not a tremendous number of older people - many flee the cold

Public transportation is a mixed bag - primarily a hub and spoke system, rather than a grid like NYC. If there happens to be public transportation that goes exactly where you need to go, you're golden. Otherwise, you're fairly screwed.

High tech is also a mixed bag here - there's a lot of talk about it, and a lot of interesting stuff at MIT, but I can't think of anything commercial and cutting-edge that has come out of Massachusetts in the last 20 years or so - the West Coast is much better in this regard.

Unless you're rolling in dough, you might want to live in Somerville, Med ford, Arlington, Watertown, or another suburb.


Good luck!

[YankeyMCC]

11. Shameless plug for hometown

I live in Arlington just west of Cambridge.

It's also expensive but maybe not quiet as expensive as Cambridge at least it's a good option to expand your search. It's a much more "suburban" environment but still very close to town and well covered by MBTA buses and if you land in East Arlington very close to Alewife T station. And the Minuteman Bike path cuts right through so it makes for a good way to commute to Alewife.

And even for a "more suburban" town it has a great selection of diverse restaurants, nice little local theater, great independent book store and other interesting shops. It's a very progressive politically active town - of course so is Cambridge :)