For Those of You From Massachusetts...
 

One of my sorority sisters, knowing that I grew up in New England, asked me to help out a friend who got a job in MA and will soon be moving there. The girl knows nothing about the area... only that she'll be working on the outskirts of Worcester, but would like to live closer to Boston, and possibly in the city. She said she imagines she'll have to pay at least $1000/month (a very realistic expectation), and she wants to be in a more trendy/young area with a lot of stuff to do... bars, restaurants, entertainment, etc. She has a car and will need to use it to commute to work.

She said some people have told her to look in Marlborough, Framingham, Newton... and I don't know enough about these areas to really give her some good advice about which would be best. Or is there another city/town there that she should look at? She said she doesn't mind a long commute, so I want to give her advice about areas closer to the city.. where maybe should could take the T in when she'd like.

Where should I tell her to look?!

Brighton/Allston for near the city, Back Bay in the city, and Jamaica Plain for reasonable prices (although I suggest looking closely at the neighborhood that the apartment is in, because some parts can be very seedy).

I'd also suggest Allston/Brighton. Possibly something close too like Saugus or Peabody? All the places I know around the city are the seedy ones.

Allston-Brighton was actually the one place I was going to tell her to look. I had a friend who lived there, so I'm pretty familiar with that area. But of course I want to give her a few more options :)

My daughter and her boyfriend just moved to Alston/Brighton in April. She loves it. She is right on the T. She hates how crowded the T is after work so she walks the 3 miles home from Cambridge.

DaffyKD

LOL. Not saying a word.

If she wants to live in Boston/Cambridge, she will be paying through the nose for rent. My husband and I spent a couple of years in heavily-subsidized "student family housing" and we still paid around $1k/month for a tiny one-bedroom apartment (albeit one with an awesome view of the Charles River). The same apartments now go for nearly $1500/month. Getting a place in Boston/Cambridge with parking may be difficult - there's a reason Zipcar was founded there.

Allston/Brighton is a good option. It's near the T if you want to get into Boston/Cambridge and hit a restaurant, or a bar or two, and not worry about a designated driver. (Be warned that Cambridge cops are Nazis - you do not want to be pulled over on a DUI, or even get a parking ticket, there.) Plus, on-street parking can be very hard to find.

I have friends in Braintree. It's T-able if you want to get into the city, but it's the dead tail end of the Red Line.

I have friends in West Roxbury. It's commuter-rail-able but the schools suck. (They send their daughter to private school.)

Just my $0.02 based on knowledge from someone who moved out of MA 12 years ago. :p

Cause my friends are from the seedy towns. I live on a beach.

Hello! I am from MA and currently work in Framingham. I would not recommend Framingham or Marlborough for a young person... at all.

Waltham, which is along the Masspike, and 128 (or 95 whatever you what to call it) has a lot of young people, and is affordable. You could definitely find something under $1000. Easy commute to Boston and some what easy (just long) commute to Worcester.

Watertown, which is next to Waltham is also great for young people and is affordable.

Newton and Belmont are nice areas to live as well.

Personally, I do not like Allston...at all. There's no parking ever, it's crowded and full of college kids. Brighton is nice and has more of a neighborhood feel to it. However, I don't think you are going to find anything decent under 1000 in Allston/ Brighton (unless you have a roommate).

I personally love South Boston "southie", which is another place worth looking into. The rents may be higher, and there's the problem with parking there too. Southie has a lot of young people in the neighborhood, and has less college students then Allston and Brighton.

Hope this helps!

Most of the western suburbs are quite nice: Newton, Brookline, Wellesley, Sudbury, Weston... Brookline and Newton are a bit more urban and are both on the Green Line and on bus routes as well. Lots of BC students and young adults live on the Brookline/Newton line in the Chestnut Hill area. The turnpike goes through Newton and there are 2 turnpike exits for it as well (one on the 128 interchange and one on the eastern side of the city (Newton Corner).

Belmont, Concord, Carlisle, Lexington, Lincoln are also quite nice but they are more WNW than true west.

Insuring your car in a Boston suburb is MUCH less expensive than in Boston proper.

Similar to some of the other posters, I'd recommend the metro west suburbs Brookline, Newton, Wellesley (though I don't know how young the pop is here). Brookline and Newton in particular are pretty easy to commute into Boston and are more urban and young, however, they can be expensive so it depends on how close to $1K she wants to stay.

Cambridge/Allston/Brighton aren't bad (and VERY close to the Mass Pike), though as others have mentioned can be over run with college students--though there are pockets of somewhat older and older residents.

Southie is nice (and close to the Pike, but that much further from Worcester). While normal time/distance wise Worcester isn't too far, I think traffic should be s HUGE consideration for your friend even though she is doing a reverse commute.

I grew up in Marlborough and I don't know that I'd recommend it to someone who's looking for a scene with lots to do. Last year the Boston Globe called it the top place to raise a family in the metro area, but I wouldn't want to live there as a young adult.

I'd recommend Newton, of the options others have mentioned.

I agree - Marlborough is not a happening spot (though the 401 had the best teryaki steak tips). The mall is okay. We lived there for five years.

Even if she's working in Worcester, she'll probably want to "go out" in Boston a lot, so anywhere along the commuter rail should be good. (Unless she likes dive bars like Ralph's.)

Places like Cambridge, Newton, Allston, Brighton, etc. are quite a drive from Worcester, so it's really a personal choice how far one wants to commute. Wellesley is $$$$ but has nice shops and restaurants.

Is she willing to have roommates? That might help her stretch her $1000. It all depends on her commuting preferences, space needs, etc.