Living in Boston

Boston has been welcoming immigrants since 1620. Look here for the answers to some common newcomers' questions, or better still, come to an alumni event with your local resource questions!

Canadian groups and clubs

Besides getting involved with the Queen's alumni, there are other ways to reach out:

• There is a meetup.com group for Canadian expatriates in Boston that organizes periodic pub nights as well as having a nifty website for posting profiles and meeting other Canadians in Boston.
• The Harvard Graduate Student Canadian Club is an active group which most years puts together popular events including Canadian Thanksgiving dinner and a curling bonspiel that are also open to non-students as space permits. Their Canucks mailing list is an especially good one to join if you are chronically in need of a ride to Montreal.
• The Canadian Women's Club of Bostonorganizes several presentations a year by Canadian authors and notables, a slate of social events (generally held in Weston), and also supports several organizations in Boston and in Canada that focus on women's and girls' development.
• The Canadian Consulate General in Bostonsponsors networking events and promotes the visits of all kinds of Canadian cultural ambassadors to New England every year, from children's theater to soloists playing with Boston's best orchestras. Contact them about their events mailing list.
• The Canadian Embassy in Washington runs the Connect2Canada website/mailing list effort to provide a clearinghouse for Canada-related event information across the US as well as an array of Canadian factoids intended for US consumption.

Sports

• Boston Red Sox on  NESN (local),  Fox WFXT 25, or ESPN (national), and on  WEEI 850AM
• Boston Bruins on NESN and on WBZ The Sports Hub 98.5FM
• New England Patriots on various broadcast TV networks by game and on  WBZ The Sports Hub 98.5FM
• Boston Celtics on Comcast SportsNet New England (CSN) and on WEEI 850AM

Don't miss the outstanding college sports in Boston, including the annual Beanpot hockey tournament pitting BU, BC, Harvard, and Northeastern, all sometime NCAA Division I championship contenders, against each other!

Newspapers

• Boston Globe, daily paper of record
• Boston Herald, tabloid daily
• Weekly Dig, free alternative weekly (skews towards students)
• Boston Phoenix, free alternative weekly (skews towards indie mainstream)
• Boston Metro, free rapid-fire daily, familiar to Toronto and Montreal commuters

Radio

• Light Rock WXRV The River 92.5FM, WBOS 92.9FM, WBMX Mix 104.1FM
• Rock/Alternative AMP 103.3, Jam'n 94.5, WAAF 107.3FM
• College  WERS 88.9FM
• Country WKLB 102.5FM
• Classical  WGBH classical 99.5FM
• Jazz  WGBH 89.7FM (evenings)
• Oldies WODS 103.3FM HD2/3
• News/Talk  WBUR 90.9FM & WGBH 89.7FM (NPR - most familiar format for CBC listeners),  WBZ 1030AM  (traffic/weather),  WRKO 680AM (talk radio)

Renting in Boston

Finding a rental can be a surprise for many newcomers to the area. Real estate agents are gatekeepers for most of what's available, and though their enthusiasm for helping rental clients varies wildly, you are unlikely to avoid their standard one-month's-rent fee.

You may decide to find an agent and choose from what they can show you. Or look to a big landlord like  Archstone, the biggest manager of large, full-service developments around Boston. Many paid services also exist to funnel ads to you, but none is nearly as comprehensive as they claim.

If you shop on your own,  Craigslist  carries by far the largest number of agency and by-owner ads, but be prepared to do a lot of sifting. Continuous reposting, especially by agencies, many of whom are representing the same properties, creates a tremendous daily volume of mostly redundant ads, but it is the only place to find pretty much everything that is available. Craigslist is also the most active forum for free ads to buy and sell your stuff locally once you're moved in.

The big day for rental turnovers in Boston is September 1st. If you are expecting to move then, you'll find the biggest selection, but expect the competition to create extra pressure to sign leases quickly, a lot of ads for places that are already rented, somewhat higher rents, and difficulty hiring movers or trucks.

Transportation

Everything you've heard about driving in Boston is probably true. If you're thinking about living in the city, and have never considered life without a car, now is the time to start! These are the people who can help:

• MBTA, subways, buses and commuter rail
• Amtrak, intercity rail
• Massport, airport and suburban airport shuttle service
• Zipcar, car-sharing in Boston and major cities across the US and Canada