Working in Boston, Living in New Hampshire
The best residential location for people working in Boston might surprise you. A recent report sheds doubt upon the old notion that living close to your workplace always offers advantages. In fact, these days, putting some distance between your home and your office generally contributes to your family’s financial well being- at least if you live in Boston.
Boston: a Great City for Commuters
Of course, Boston maintains a well deserved reputation as one of the most remarkable cities in the United States, and the world. Its historical and cultural contributions comprise an important part of the national fabric.
Wonderful people, many significant public landmarks, riveting sports teams and local cuisine offer the assurance that Boston will remain important far into the future. Yet despite this great city’s significance as a dynamic commercial and cultural center, as a residential location for workers, the City today suffers from some distinct disadvantages. These include:
- High crime rates;
- Significant housing costs;
- Heavy local taxes.
Perhaps for these reasons, this vibrant urban center in Massachusetts every week day draws more than a million suburban commuters into its midst, according to the World Encyclopedia of Cities. Employees, shoppers and others travel from outlying areas by automobile, subway, bus, trolley, ferry and light rail into the bustling downtown district.
Important Findings
A mortgage and consumer loan site recently released a new study that highlights some of the challenges faced by people who live in the greater Boston metropolitan area. The report examined income tax figures, cost of living indexes, housing costs, consumption taxes and other financial and statistical data to ascertain the best residential sites for people working in the Boston area. Its findings generated considerable interest. They suggest that some of the commuters who travel the greatest distances to work in Boston may actually enjoy a brighter financial situation than their co-workers living within the city.
Commuting Advantages
What did the report list as the best residential locations for people working in Boston? The three best places involved longer, not shorter, commutes. A statistical analysis revealed these sites offered better financial conditions:
- New Hampshire;
- Rhode Island;
- Suburban Massachusetts.
For example, the study found that commuters who journeyed to Boston from New Hampshire enjoyed 33.62% better financial conditions over similarly situated people living and working in the city. Scenic New Hampshire, home of ski resorts and quaint New England villages, offered several distinct advantages:
- No state income tax on wages;
- Lower house prices;
- Considerably less crime.
Commuters who resided in Rhode Island improved their situation by 14.25%, and those living in suburban Massachusetts obtained a 9.64% advantage.
Weather Issues
Even recent weather emergencies suggest that commuting in 2015 holds benefits. The residents of outlying areas often avoid some of the harsher impacts that urban residents endure as a result of weather-related shutdowns.
For example, early during 2015, Reuters reported that a heavy snowfall caused the shutdown of overwhelmed municipal subway and rail service; as national guards worked to remove huge piles of snow blocking streets and public buildings, residents of Boston contended with massive school and business closures and workplace disruptions. Probably many inhabitants of the City envied commuters residing miles away in less heavily impacted outlying areas!
