Boston? | Imamother

amother

Tue, Jul 26 2022, 10:53 am

Does anyone have any current information on what Boston is like in terms of school, mikva, shuls, cost of living, food, community life/organizations etc? Is there an Eruv?

We have both boys and girls in elementary so would want to know about elementary and high schools...

We are strictly Frum- I cover my hair fully, cover elbows, tights etc.

amother

Tue, Jul 26 2022, 11:28 am

How expensive is it? Housing where I am now isnt cheap either so we rent... so expensive is all relative!
I can do a Zillow search but where does the frum community live?
What did you hear about it?
Husband's job might make him move there so want to see if it is at all feasible or appropriate for us...

amother

Tan

Tue, Jul 26 2022, 11:31 am

I don't live in Boston but I know housing there is probably one of the most expensive cities. No idea about rent, though.
I know Brookline is the main frum area. I knew a family that sold their old falling apart house there for over a million dollars and I think that was close to 30 years ago.

gr82no

Tue, Jul 26 2022, 11:40 am

There is an eruv. Most frum people live in Brighton. A lot of people live on Priscilla rd and portina rd.
There is Torah academy for elementary boys and girls. There is bais yaakov Boston for high school and boys high schools.
There is also schools like maimo and Schechter which is coed.
There’s shaloh house and neha which are more like Hebrew day schools.
There is the butcherie which sells a lot of kosher food but more expensive than in New York.
The community is very nice and welcoming. There’s the people who are there because the husband is in kolel, people who are there because of the job, and people who come because of schooling but a lot of those people aren’t there for a long time.
Yes housing is super expensive, I’m not sure how much rent is but I think not much more than Brooklyn is. I might be wrong about that.
There are mikvoas close by and a few shuls.
Mass transit is awesome.
Last I heard there was no Hatzalah there.

amother

Tue, Jul 26 2022, 1:06 pm

gr82no wrote:

Thank you. Looked on Zillow and housing is expensive... about what we are dealing with in our current location. Yikes.

What are the schools like? Large? Small? What "type"?

Anyone know about Malden?

amother

Orchid

Thu, Jul 28 2022, 6:27 am

One of my best friends is from Boston. If I remember correctly her entire grade was 8 girls. (Torah Academy - the "bais yaakov" there
I knew a bunch of girls in the grade below her - that grade was 10 girls, until one family moved to Lakewood.
But all the families that I know who live in Boston are quality. Highly recommend them Smile

Can't speak for anything else about Boston though - only been there once for my friend's wedding, which was in a shul.

imasinger

Thu, Jul 28 2022, 6:58 am

Malden is a shlep to the schools, but if your kids can handle it, it's cheaper than Boston, and the community there used to offer housing subsidies, not sure if they still do.

I'm happy to answer any questions I can, I've lived in Boston for more than 20 years, and am familiar with many of the schools and shuls.

One thing I love about the area is how un-snobby it is. In general, people are warm and kind to all.

amother

Raspberry

Wed, Sep 07 2022, 7:12 pm

Malden is a shlep. Sharon is more common for people with young children, but there's not much in the way of rentals. Sharon largely sends to Brookline/Brighton schools, though it does have its own mikvah. Brookline tends to be bonkers expensive and very modern. It's beautiful, and we lived there for a bit for work, but it would be hard to raise a family there.

Brighton is more religious, and where more black hat people tend to be. There is a YU-right crowd in Brighton, but again, it's very transient. Brookline, Brighton, and Sharon all have an eruv. I believe Malden does as well.

People tend to come for school and work, then leave. It's hard to gain a foothold unless you make a lot of money. We did Costco in Dedham for meat and cheese, though the Butcherie is available for top offs. Many people take trips to NY for their bigger meat shops.

amother

Black

Wed, Sep 07 2022, 7:25 pm

amother Tan wrote:

Brighton is the younger frummer area these days. There’s a nice smallish elementary school for both boys and girls (Torah academy).

Housing prices are through the roof though.

amother

Azalea

Tue, Mar 07 2023, 11:19 am

amother OP wrote:

I live in Boston, the frum neighborhood called "Brighton"

The community is unbelievably friendly, warm, and "family like"

The Torah Academy and Bais Yaakov students are somewhat Yeshivish but mostly the schools have a variety of "levels" of yeshivish. The schools are pretty well run.

We have Mikvos, a Kollel, and a few organizations, but not many.

We do have a Chaveirim and a TAG! Which is great

Yes there is Eruv.