Boston draws praise for its cultural institutions, museums, sports, colleges, hospitals, architecture, and walkability. (Reddit, Reddit)
Food culture spans Italian, seafood, specialty coffee shops, and improvised tex-mex gatherings among residents. (Reddit, Reddit)
Some residents find the job market difficult, citing long searches even with advanced degrees. (Reddit, Reddit)
Boston public schools serve a largely low income and diverse student population, according to district data. (Reddit)
Nightlife in Boston includes dive bars and music venues, and one resident mentioned not being a big club goer. (Reddit, Reddit)
“it's clean, safe, and really accessible” (a resident)
Who tends to love Boston, MA
Foodies: Residents praise a wide range of great restaurants and food options across neighborhoods.
Walkers and transit users: Many find Boston highly walkable with good public transit, bikes, and buses.
Outdoor enthusiasts: Residents enjoy parks, trails, and water activities like kayaking and sailing.
Pet owners: Multiple dog parks and off leash areas are available with dog friendly outdoor seating.
General impressions
Boston is described as a beautiful, relatively safe, and clean city with great cultural institutions and hospitals. Boston is a beautiful and relatively safe and clean city.(Reddit)
One resident shared that their parents immigrated from the Dominican Republic in 1989 and worked full-time while raising them in Boston. My parents immigrated from the Dominican Republic in 1989, worked full-time while raising me(Reddit)
One resident from the UK says they have a sweet life and good career there and have no plans to leave. I have a sweet life here and a good career etc(Reddit)
Nightlife and social
Favorite dive bars mentioned include Druid, Burren for music, Old Mcgouns, Silhouette, and Beantown Pub near Park Street. Druid, Burren (music), Old Mcgouns and Silhouette are some of my favorite dive bars in the area.(Reddit)
One resident who moved to Boston alone said they did not manage to establish a social network. So I moved to Boston solo. Didn't manage to establish a social network.(Reddit)
A resident who likes Boston for being clean, safe, and accessible shared that they are not a big club goer. I like Boston, it’s clean, safe, and really accessible.(Reddit)
One resident advises going out Thursday through Saturday to meet people and checking out areas like Seaport, South Boston, and South End. Go Out to meet people on Thursdays - Saturdays(Reddit)
Jobs and work
One person who moved from Cape Cod worked at a grocery store for $20 an hour. I worked at a chain grocery store and made $20/hr.(Reddit)
A spouse expressed gratitude for having a job that pays the bills in the current economy. We have jobs and can pay the bills and that's a blessing in itself.(Reddit)
One resident said salaries should be on par with SF and NYC, though at least benefits are real compared to restaurant jobs. Salaries in Boston should be up to par with SF and NYC(Reddit)
One resident said job hunting is hard because companies overhired during the pandemic and rising interest rates in 2022 helped pop the employment bubble. Companies overhired during the pandemic. The increase in interest rates back during 2022 helped pop the employment(Reddit)
Making friends
One resident notes that Boston has many clubs and groups like craft clubs, bar crawls, outdoor groups, and board game groups to find friends through. craft clubs, bar crawls, outdoor groups, boardgame groups, all sorts of classes(Reddit)
One resident mentions a Facebook group called Make Friends After College that is fairly active with events in Boston and Somerville. Make Friends After College (Boston, Somerville, etc) that you can join(Reddit)
One lifelong Massachusetts resident says friendships are typically formed through work, shared clubs, or bars. making friends is typically done in the workplace, through shared clubs or interests(Reddit)
One resident shared that they moved to South Boston about a year ago and works as a corporate lawyer. I moved here about a year ago and am currently working as a corporate lawyer(Reddit)
Dating
One resident prefers meeting guys in real life rather than through dating apps for more natural relationship development. not a fan of dating apps and would love to meet guys in real-life settings(Reddit)
One resident finds dating in Boston great due to a constant turnover of attractive young singles. Never ending turnover of single attractive 20 somethings.(Reddit)
One resident has had a decent experience using multiple dating apps, meeting some great people while passing on others. having a decent time. I've met some great women and passed on a lot of people(Reddit)
One resident believes the best way to date offline is through mutual friends or acquaintances. by far the best approach is to meet people through a mutual friend or acquaintance(Reddit)
Events and festivals
One resident praised Newport Folk Fest along with several Boston area venues as being on the good list. Deep Cuts, Sinclair, Roadrunner, MGM Fenway, Brighton Music Hall, Symphony Hall, etc on the good list(Reddit)
Seasons and weather
One resident said March is the worst month to visit, followed by August due to heat and humidity. March is the worst month to visit, followed by August (too hot and humid)(Reddit)
One resident said this year's winter storm with cold and snow might rank among the worst. Between the cold and the snow, this year will probably make the list(Reddit)
Cost of living
One resident advises against paying excessive rent for a one bedroom apartment when a cheaper option exists. You can get a ONE bedroom apartment for $2k(Reddit)
One resident is frustrated with landlords charging extremely high rents for small studio apartments. $2800 for a studio and $2200 for a shoebox(Reddit)
One resident points out that moving a neighborhood or two away from downtown leads to noticeably lower prices. if you take a look one or two neighborhoods out you'll find the prices to drop pretty(Reddit)
One resident looking to rent found that one bedroom prices seem astronomical. the prices for 1 bedrooms seem astronomical(Reddit)
What Boston, MA is known for
Boston Marathon (April): famous marathon race run on Patriots Day
Boston Harborfest (July): harbor themed festival with reenactors
Head of the Charles Regatta (October): rowing regatta on the Charles River
More on Boston, MA
The full Varro guide adds rent and home prices, local taxes, schools, healthcare, getting around, weather by month, and a quiz that shows how Boston, MA fits what you want.