top 5 or 10 places to live in Boston?

A friend of mine is moving to Boston next year but doesnt know where to look to find a nice area

Public Comments

1. Over a bar, to the right of a bar, to the left of a bar, across the street from a bar, behind a bar.
2. Boston is a city of culturally distinct neighborhoods. How's that for a euphemism? What nationality is your friend? Do the research or she will be miserable.
3. There are so many spot! Just a few out of the many are: Massachusetts, St Tremont, St. Newbury, St. Dalton, and St Arlington.
4. You have to decide what you're looking for and what you can spend. Boston is an expensive city. Beacon Hill- Very nice, close to downtown, VERY expensive, lots of old money. Charlestown- Cheaper but still expensive, working class families, most of them have been there for generations South Boston- Working Class Irish, some bad areas and some very nice by the beach. Crime has been escalating there over the past few years. It is getting turned into condos and the old residents are resentful of all the new people moving in. South End- Gay neighborhood, very nice places to live, clean, semi safe, expensive. Cambridge- College students, very liberal, can be fairly cheap. Somerville- College (mostly grad) students, old Italian neighborhood, also Brazilians. Cheaper than most places around Boston. Fenway- Close to everything, near a lot of nightclubs, can get loud, lots of college students. Brookline- Jewish neighborhood, nice places, safe, expensive Roxbury- Black neighborhood, not very safe, dirty, cheaper Dorcester- Irish and Black neighborhood, not safe, dirty, cheap Allston- Student ghetto. Fun if you're away from home for the first time. LOTS of bedbugs. Be careful. Not that safe OR cheap. I wouldn't live on Newbury St.- unreasonably high rent for miniscule places. No parking ever. Crowds all the time. Why anyone would live there I don't know. I'm sure there may be more neighborhoods but that's all I can think of right now. Hope that helps.
5. back bay is a nice place to live in boston. you have access to alot of stores like copley mall and your not to far from downtown. there alot of ways to get around with the MBTA
6. Well it really depends. . .If they are a young person, looking for lots to do, bars, coffee shops, singles, etc. . .they should check out parts of Cambridge, Somerville, Allston, Brighton or right downtown! If they are going to have a family with them or would rather be slightly away from the hustle of directly being in the city (and yet still only minutes away) they should look at Newton, Watertown, Arlington, Lexington, parts of Cambridge, and other surrounding cities.
7. Brookline is nice - safe, close to downtown, easy access to public transit and has a lot of great restaurants and stores. Unfortunately expensive though (Anywhere in Boston is but especially Brookline). Brighton is also nice - for the same reasons, except maybe a little less "manicured" than Brookline and somewhat less upscale, and cheaper than Brookline. Still a great area though (especially for younger people). Other good areas are Cambridge, most of Somerville, Newton and Quincy.
8. If you need a car, then Quincy is a good start to look.