Inman and Union squares are actually great options - quick bus ride and longer walk to Harvard square. I think she will be able to find a place within her budget if she’s willing to live with roommates.
Thanks. I told her to look at this thread! It’s one thing to look at listings and another to actually hear what people have been able to do.
My first real apartment after college was in JP in the early '00s.
While the apt was a dump in many ways, crime wasn’t an issue when I lived there for nearly a year. Left it when better housing options came up.
However, if she’s working ~Harvard Square, JP isn’t very optimal from a commuting standpoint. When I moved to a part of Brookline not too far from the Longwood area which is near JP, the commute to Harvard Square was a bit more than an hour during rush hour traffic and the T takes a circuitous route. While the buses geographically may take a shorter route, they weren’t as reliable in scheduling and traffic can greatly increase commute times.
I’d second the recommendation in looking on the Cambridge side of the Charles River.
Be sure to check to see how the “not on a T line” apartment is from the nearest T stop.
One apartment I looked at in an isolated section of Brighton was located so far from the B branch of the Green Line that it was a 15 minute drive if one had a car or if one needed public transit…required 3 bus transfers and an hour just to get to that T stop due to the convoluted bus routes in that area. Incidentally, everyone living in that area owned a car by necessity.
After calculating the cost/benefits…decided the cheaper rent on that apt was more than offset by the inconvenience and long commute time involved.
Apt I ended up settling in for several years was only a bit more, but located next to 2 T stops and was a 40 minute commute each way to my workplace. Only exception was whenever there was a major Red Sox game…especially against the Yankees as the commute traversed through the Fenway Park area.
I just completed an internship at a B4 firm in Boston and several of my managers lived in JP; I can’t imagine someone making 100K+/year would live in an area they deem unsafe. I also know several staff/faculty on campus who live in JP and enjoy it.
Mission Hill is really not as bad as people say-- a lot of my friends live there, many smaller females, and none ever complain about feeling unsafe. Roxbury is a little scarier but livable.
I’d highly recommend living on the Cambridge side, at least; the Red line across the river was severely affected in the tough 2014/2015 winter. Just stay vigilant on those listings!
D2 is living in Sommerville/ Davis Square. She pays $800/month and has 3 roommates. She did have to " interview"for the room. But she got it and gets along well, almost a year later, with her roommates. She loves the area.
Update: D signed a lease for a room in a furnished Watertown apt. ( 2 other roommates) in a house near Mt. Auburn Street. Bus is 10 minutes to work (buses every 15 min). It’s $870 plus utilities. She can move in Aug. 15. Thanks to everyone for your input. It’s quiet but if she doesn’t like it she can always move next year. Store, bank, etc. are within walking distance.
We have two young friends living in Watertown. They love it!
Jamaica Plain has always been a “diverse” neighborhood economically. Mansions on the Jamaicaway, triple deckers near Egleston square.
Watertown is great! I lived there after grad school. The bus service to Harvard Square s really nice. If she is near Mt Auburn she is probably able to take either of two lines. And Watertown has nice restaurants and plenty of places to buy groceries. Great choice!