Hi all,I have friends in both of these states but since the ones in GA are closer, I have always considerd it the 1st option but recently I was informed by a friendly member of this forum that GA is notthat good interms of opportunities and public transport. One of my friends in MA had actually originally moved to GA but latter relocated. I am leaning towards taking his opinion and moving to Boston. I would appreciate any opinion. Thanks
Masachusetts vs Georgia
- Thread starter waks
- Start date
Mass
Wring from Boston area here.
Mass is extremely cold during winter, summer is really short, cost of living is extremely high, home heating costs can be enormous, the public transport is Ok if you are in Boston or pick a town with a train connection, and lots of jobs for highly educated individuals in tech, biotech, academia, and the like.
Pluses: higher incomes, educated people, safe towns, four seasons, beautiful snow during winter, good medical facilities, lots of schools/colleges.
Wring from Boston area here.
Mass is extremely cold during winter, summer is really short, cost of living is extremely high, home heating costs can be enormous, the public transport is Ok if you are in Boston or pick a town with a train connection, and lots of jobs for highly educated individuals in tech, biotech, academia, and the like.
Pluses: higher incomes, educated people, safe towns, four seasons, beautiful snow during winter, good medical facilities, lots of schools/colleges.
I've lived in Boston ever since I moved to the States (2001) and I LOVE it! I'm moving to NJ by the end of the year and not looking forward to it...
Boston is one of the most expensive cities in the US and yes winters are a little rough but it offers some much in terms of education, jobs, arts, entertainment, culture.... Being from Europe, I also found a nice little european flavor here that you would not find in most other US cities.
The location is also a plus: right on the East coast (convenient if you want to travel overseas), most airlines fly to/from Boston, only a 4-hour drive to NYC, 4-5 hours to the Canadian border...
Boston is one of the most expensive cities in the US and yes winters are a little rough but it offers some much in terms of education, jobs, arts, entertainment, culture.... Being from Europe, I also found a nice little european flavor here that you would not find in most other US cities.
The location is also a plus: right on the East coast (convenient if you want to travel overseas), most airlines fly to/from Boston, only a 4-hour drive to NYC, 4-5 hours to the Canadian border...
Don't be mislead by a single fact. I mean that GA is a big state, there are different places with different opportunities and different public transport. What does make sense for me, is a more general opposition between North and South. And nobody but you can know what is better. As for me, I spend one summer in Boston, and felt very miserable there. The happiest day was the day when I came back South. I found local people unfriendly and rude, streets were full with drunks and bums, very dirty around (I lived in Somerville and Cambridge), small parking spaces everywhere - absolutely impossible to drive a truck around, and so on and so forth. And the food is flat and base. In one word, Yankee land was a real nightmare for me.
It's me...
I will come out of the woodwork and say, yes, it me that told him that.
I have first hand experience of living in Atlanta & Boston and I can give an honest view...of what a newcomer to America can experience.
To put things in perspective, I have also lived in Toronto, Canada and Seattle, WA and I'm of the opinion that ATL sucks big time, no matter what anyone says about cost of living, cold/snow, southern attitudes etc.
Waks, any advice you get will be tainted with personal bias, that being said, remember that you will not come and buy a car right away, or rent your own 1 bedroom apartment...at least not in the first 3-6 months.
Atlanta is manageable with public transit, but Boston is by far, more efficient and you can get farther or live farther than where u work, and still get to work in a less costly manner, time-wise or money-wise than Atlanta.
Also cost of living is higher in Boston, but they PAY MORE, for the same kind of work than Atlanta.
Finally, as a member of the same country, Boston has a higher Kenyan community than Atlanta, and the community is more localized as compared with Atlanta's which is more dispersed.
So, to wrap this up, ONLY YOU can decide where to re-settle yourself. Dont sign an apartment lease, until you go to both Cities, live there for about 2-3 months (and make sure you come to Boston in the winter to acclimatize yourself to the winter) and then decide.
Hint: you will likely settle in Boston, just like your friend
I will come out of the woodwork and say, yes, it me that told him that.
I have first hand experience of living in Atlanta & Boston and I can give an honest view...of what a newcomer to America can experience.
To put things in perspective, I have also lived in Toronto, Canada and Seattle, WA and I'm of the opinion that ATL sucks big time, no matter what anyone says about cost of living, cold/snow, southern attitudes etc.
Waks, any advice you get will be tainted with personal bias, that being said, remember that you will not come and buy a car right away, or rent your own 1 bedroom apartment...at least not in the first 3-6 months.
Atlanta is manageable with public transit, but Boston is by far, more efficient and you can get farther or live farther than where u work, and still get to work in a less costly manner, time-wise or money-wise than Atlanta.
Also cost of living is higher in Boston, but they PAY MORE, for the same kind of work than Atlanta.
Finally, as a member of the same country, Boston has a higher Kenyan community than Atlanta, and the community is more localized as compared with Atlanta's which is more dispersed.
So, to wrap this up, ONLY YOU can decide where to re-settle yourself. Dont sign an apartment lease, until you go to both Cities, live there for about 2-3 months (and make sure you come to Boston in the winter to acclimatize yourself to the winter) and then decide.
Hint: you will likely settle in Boston, just like your friend
DavidTseng
Registered Users (C)
So,which city is the best place to live in US?I want cheap rent,good living standard and good transportation.Weather is not very important for me !Oh ! The most important is that there should be a lot of job oppurtunities.I don't like small cities because it's hard to find job and the living standard is not good.The transportation is also not good there.Maybe the rent will very cheap in small cities.I also don't want to live in the major city like New York because the rent is very expensive !!! It's atleast about US$1000 a month to rent a studio there.Maybe more depending on the location!The nearby location of New York city like New Jersey city is also quite expensive.Oh!This is just my opinion ! Is it true or not ???
As I'm chinese,I would like to live in the city which have chinese town.So,I can find some chinese restaurants to eat !!! Ha...Ha...
I know there are many chinese in the city like San Francisco,Los Angeles etc.Maybe San Francisco is cheaper than Los Angeles for the rent.What do you think ?
Do you have any advice for me to live in US ???
As I'm chinese,I would like to live in the city which have chinese town.So,I can find some chinese restaurants to eat !!! Ha...Ha...
I know there are many chinese in the city like San Francisco,Los Angeles etc.Maybe San Francisco is cheaper than Los Angeles for the rent.What do you think ?
Do you have any advice for me to live in US ???
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"Best City" is relative...you have to live there to know...
some people think LA is the best, since they get to see hollywood stars everday,
others thin NYC is best since they can hassle, and survive in the financial capital of US
others think Miami is the best coz they can live by the beach, party everyday, see hot guys & gals
others think Kansas City, missouri is great coz they can smell cornfields & cow-poop everyday
What matters is your own comfort level as a new immigrant with new people/culture and very important temporary accomodation as you get settled. Thats why USCIS requires people for fill out affidavit of support.
You can come to America with big dreams, but I tell you, your initial years will be rough if you dont arrange to adapt socially correctly. the people already there who speak/share same cultural backgrounds will come in handy when seeking jobs, food, and just help ease homesickness & loneliness.
I have see people go mad, or just plain commit suicide since they got depressed when the America the dreamt about was not what they found.
In SF, you don't have much choice and all the apartment is expensive. LA is a big city and you have more choice, but I 'm sure you definitely need a car in LA.
between Boston (expensive and cold, European and chic, with good transportation) and Atlanta (inexpensive, warm, definitely not European, bad traffic and bad public transportation), I'd say - Atlanta. I have lived here for 5 years now, and the only thing I can complain is traffic and lack of good public transportation.
I had lived in Columbia, MO for 10 years prior to that, and we didn't have traffic at all.
Other than that, Atlanta is very green, lots of parks, very reasonable real estate prices (I am comparing to Chicago, Boston and SF), reasonable rent prices, very ethnically diverse, cultural life for those who can afford it, no need for very warm clothes if you have a car, definitely very mild winters and summers that are surprizingly not bad. Good schools in the north of the Metro Area.
I had lived in Columbia, MO for 10 years prior to that, and we didn't have traffic at all.
Other than that, Atlanta is very green, lots of parks, very reasonable real estate prices (I am comparing to Chicago, Boston and SF), reasonable rent prices, very ethnically diverse, cultural life for those who can afford it, no need for very warm clothes if you have a car, definitely very mild winters and summers that are surprizingly not bad. Good schools in the north of the Metro Area.
slackerdemigod
Registered Users (C)
http://www.findyourspot.com/
Try http://www.findyourspot.com/ - a helpful resource if you are not sure where you want to live.
It will provide a list of 24 cities/towns that most closely match your preferences. It also provides a 4-page summary of each city. You can add two additional cities so if Boston and Atlanta don't appear on your list you can still get access to the 4-page summary for these cities.
Think about each question carefully and try to be as accurate (and realistic) as possible.
Try http://www.findyourspot.com/ - a helpful resource if you are not sure where you want to live.
It will provide a list of 24 cities/towns that most closely match your preferences. It also provides a 4-page summary of each city. You can add two additional cities so if Boston and Atlanta don't appear on your list you can still get access to the 4-page summary for these cities.
Think about each question carefully and try to be as accurate (and realistic) as possible.