The driving in eastern Massachusetts is pretty horrible, especially during rush hour (7:30am - 9:30am | 4:30pm - 6:30pm). Inside Route 128/I-95 expect to see many one-lane roads with traffic lights everywhere. Very slow moving at times with over-saturated roads. The Worcester area is just as bad. So are some communities in between I-495 and 128/I-95.
Public transit in the state is great IF you work/live near a train or subway line. Driving/parking to stations can be time consuming and expensive. Plenty of bus routes inside 128/I-95, though they have to deal with road traffic.
I lived in Boston for a bit without a car near the subway. Super-easy (and cheap!) to get around. It's definitely a very walkable city so long as you have something warm to wear in the winter. Having a car in Boston is expensive mostly due to parking. There is street parking, but good luck getting a spot! :)
Stay here long enough and you begin to enjoy the cold winters and hot summers... At that point you'll become a super-aggressive driver, focused on making money right away and someone who likes Puritan laws that aren't enforced evenly.
Pros
- Decent public transportation
- Huge college talent pool to draw from
- Startups in the area tend to come out of area colleges
- Recruiting from those colleges is probably the primary draw for the big tech company offices in the area
- Slightly cheaper rent than SF, with much cheaper options accessible by public transportation
- Home prices are way cheaper than the SF Bay Area
- Great nightlife, successful sports teams if you're into that
- There's a 200 year old frigate in the harbor that used to do battle with pirates and there are lots of cool old buildings all around
- The area is becoming more startup friendly. There are resources like TechStars and the Cambridge Innovation Center that weren't around a decade ago.
Cons
- Annoying Puritan laws that aren't enforced evenly
- Cold, long winters
- Hot summers, though this past summer wasn't especially hot
- Not much of a startup culture compared to other cities. Other than the students, people are pretty complacent in general in Boston/New England
- Most people in the area are from there originally or went to school there, more-so than other cities
- Small bubble of startups working on tools for academics
- Parking and driving are kind of a nightmare. Lanes disappear, Massachusetts drivers are super-aggressive, lanes are really skinny, etc..
Neutral
- Not as diverse as other cities, especially outside of the colleges
- Startups in the area are more focused on making money right away