DC or Boston with 3 kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not native to either city, but we moved from Boston to DC about 5 years ago. I can't tell you how much I prefer DC. First of all, if you are planning on publics you absolutely must live in the burbs if you are in boston (which are unquestionably fantastic) but the boston public school lottery system is horrendous and there are no neighborhood schools. We had one child in a larger childcare center in boston 3 days a week and were paying $2100. Quality childcare there is exorbitant... there are very very few options. Nanny will be cheaper but not cheaper than here. The weather... I will caution you not to underestimate the weather and the impact it will have on your life. Its a major, major factor. The city is really quite small. You'll hit every decent restaurant there within the year, and they are not that good and expensive. There are fewer museums and cultural events. Its really a fairly parochial city at the end of the day.

Agree with all of this. Lived in Boston for six years. Winter lasts from September to April and not only is it cold, it is super windy. Snowed every single day for all of January one of the years we lived there.

Least friendly, most grouchy people I ever encountered. Also still extremely racially segregated.

It was fun for a year or two, but there is no way I'd move back.

I agree with both of these and I will say having friends in the burbs, their schools are great, but their commutes stink. Going to the beach in the summer is the only upside I could see.

[Anonymous]

But the beaches are very crowded.

[Anonymous]

I vote Dc

[Anonymous]

Do you like winter, OP? Boston is cold. Has a much milder summer, but a dreadful winter. It's charming, cute, lots more to do than DC, IMHO, but no Federal Government, so politics isn't as dominant.

I hate Boston accents. I don't think I could endure spending my life listening to them.

But I love Vermont, so I'd move to Boston so I could be near Vermont. Boston has lots of nice suburbs: Lexington, Concord, Westminster, Brookline, Newton, Wellesley, etc. etc. Housing is about on a par with DC, probably a tad cheaper. Good schools in the suburbs. Cambridge is nice, but schools are a bit more iffy, same for Arlington.

So ask yourself: Do I like winter?

[Anonymous]

Boston is NOT friendly. Very xenophobic, but there are loads of transplants, and they are friendly.

Traffic is terrible. Drivers are about as bad as DC drivers. Crime is about the same.

Lots of colleges, lots of young people.

If DH could get a job there, I'd move. It seems a tad less competitive then DC, for some reason.

I have a number of friends there, and we visit fairly often. I like visiting, but there are not a lot of jobs there. DC seems more job-friendly. We moved here because we got jobs here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have family in Boston and would move back in a heartbeat, mostly because all the trips there are driving me nuts, and I feel like I'm missing out on having a close relationship with my two nephews. Beyond that, it's a little more apples-to-oranges.

The work culture is more laid back pretty much anywhere but DC. I wouldn't worry about having to stay long hours, unless you're in a very particular field of work, because all the overachievers end up here.

People in Boston are sometimes said not to be friendly, because they have that stiff upper lip and are more reserved. It's the "live and let live" mentality. However, there are a number of transplants from other cities who you'll find are much easier to deal with.

People really enjoy the outdoors, there's a mass exodus to beaches in summer and to VT/NH for skiing in winter. There are a gazillion very cute New Englandy towns to visit, you can do trips to Canada, etc.

If you don't mind living in the farther-out suburbs, look into Concord or Lexington. If it's important to live closer to the city, check out Arlington (great schools but very old housing stock) or Brookline (hard to find a small home, but great semi-urban option if you want to live in a mansion). Cambridge is great, but their school system is all lottery, no in-bound option. I'm not 100% sure, but I think Boston schools aren't a realistic option (but someone correct me if I'm wrong). My sister lives in Marblehead, which is nice and right on the ocean shore, but the commute is really crappy.

I think some may find Bostonians are little too small-town, and they are always comparing themselves to New York.

The housing stock in the Boston area is a positive. It is charming, certainly compared to DC housing stock - lots of built-ins, porches, foyers, all of this is a given for the most run of the mill houses, whereas in the DC area, these features are unusual and command a price.

To each their own. We love our town house in Capitol Hill, but there's nothing equivalent in Boston. The older houses in Arlington tend to have small rooms and are poorly heated. And the closer to bus route/T station, the worse the house and the higher the price. But it's only what, three stops, to Harvard Square, and a few more to Downtown Crossing, so it's hard to compare.

Yes, tiny little rooms, in houses like these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ih7WBSMoME