Moving out of Boston
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5/29/2006
My wife and I have lived in Boston for 2 years. Compared to other places we have lived, including Fort Collins (CO), Portland (OR), Raleigh-Durham, San Francisco, Boston easily has the worst quality of life. People are not friendly, period. Nor do people seem happy at all- attitudes are poor among everybody except the very privileged. Most everybody we meet is anxious to move away.
We were hoping for a more diverse community of people as well but have been disappointed to find Boston is mostly made up of (1) rich, snobby yuppies from elitist families and New England prep schools, (2) "lifers" who have lived in the area their entire lives and are predictably cynical, unpleasant and unhappy, and (3) college students. The college students really create the sense of diversity and vitality in the area. But most of them actually leave town once they graduate. We find there aren't good attitudes about minorities compared to other places - we aren't minority, but have heard several insensitive, derogatory remarks.
The economy is relatively strong and diverse, though you'll have to make a lot of money to afford housing here. Home prices have skyrocketed in the Boston area in recent years. If you don't want to burden yourself with 2 hour commute by living out by I-495, you will have to pay at least $400k for a starter single family home in a less than desirable town. Prices seem to be stabilizing but are still very high.
It is not a good place to own a dog. There are very few parks that allow dogs off leash and they are typically crowded and small. Attitudes towards dogs are not friendly on average. We have found the town of Brookline to be better than average in this respect but not great.
The climate is summer and winter. Summer is humid and hot (though not as hot as the south) and the winter is quite cold and harsh. Spring and fall are nice but if you blink you might miss them....
The best thing about Boston is the history, the pubs, the museums, Fenway. Those are things you can experience in a week-long family vacation to Boston... but not good reasons to live here.
We are looking to move soon back out west where we can have a better quality of life- more affordable housing, friendlier people, more laid back attitudes, more outdoor recreational options.
Kevin | Brookline, MA