I just received a really good package to go to graduate school in Boston. So, I’m dragging my family across the country.
I went and visited the school a couple of months ago and it was like I was in a completely different country (what’s the deal with tolls?). I was born and raised in California. When I was stationed outside of California while in the military I was mostly in New Mexico and Nevada.
So yeah, this will be an adventure.
Before we talk to you about the east coast, where do you plan to live, in Boston or one of the surrounding cities?
Any specific questions you have? I’m sure you’ll acquire more, but…
Well, I’ve been to Boston on occasion, and although it’s more temperate than here, be prepared to face four seasons of weather each and every year. And we all complain about the north eastern weather, but really each season is unique and wonderful in its own way.
Winter is great when it starts. But by the end of it you’re completely and utterly fed up with the white shit and just want it to end. Summers are never long enough, but they’re hot and nice and seemingly endless when you get a good one.
Ottawa is close enough that I think my weather rants compare.
I do not say this to be mean, but you will not like it. People are very uptight compared to the places you have been, they are also more depressed on average AFAIK. Your family will not like it either, you will rue the day you left the west coast. Probably it won’t be so bad because you will be in grad school - which is probably a bit of a separate universe, but afterwards, if you stay, you will really be exposed to the general east coast/new england culture.
[Spinal Tap] the Boston gig was just cancelled. its okay its not a big college town. [/Spinal Tap] 
It’s a beautiful city despite the fact that their baseball team sucks. :p. It gives you the opportunity to take a $10 bus ride to New York or Philadelphia. In my opinion these three cities are the cradle of Liberty. If you are a history buff moving to the north east will be a great move.
None of this is true.
We’ll probably be in one of the surrounding cities. I’d love to live in the city but there isn’t any way we could afford that.
I grew up in the South, then lived in California. I spent three months cruising the East Coast by sailboat, and LOVED Massachusetts. You are just saturated in the history you read about in school. Besides exploring Boston, plan side trips to Salem and Gloucester (summer is best, even with the tourists). Both have family-friendly festivals in August - the Salem Maritime Festival and the Gloucester Waterfront Festival.
I found the people friendly and helpful, especially if you have an appreciative attitude toward their home state. And I loved the accent.
ps If you’re a Yankee fan, keep your mouth shut about it.
The most important thing to know about Boston is that their baseball team blooooooooooooooows.
Also they have an OK public transportation system.
I’m from Ohio and now live in New York. I agree with Leaffan, the seasons are great. I love the fall colors, the snow falling, the flowers of spring blooming, and the warm toasty summers. If your children haven’t experienced these, they may love the new changes.
As for people being uptight, that’s a joke. Assholes are everywhere. If you tell people you are new to the area, most people will suggest great events and places for you to visit. Some are even hidden gems.
Good luck in your move! I hope it’s everything you wanted and more. Just remember, it may be tough at first, but it’s easy to slide back into a comfortable pattern.
…and if you have an infant, Never put him/her in a Carter’s baseball outfit.
cue elderly dotting grandma-type
“Aww… isn’t he cute? Look at him…”
Notices typical Carter’s one-piece baby baseball outfit
Before Your Eyes, elderly dotting grandma-type transforms into a Wes Craven style Shrieking Rage-Harpy
“…If those are Pinstripes, I’ll rip 'em off with my bare hands!!!” :eek:
Sea-sons? What are these sea-sons you speak of? 
The Red Sox comments are all from jealous New Yorkers, pay them no mind.
Boston is a great city to live in/near, certainly different than life in CA but you should enjoy things here. We do have seasons, and summer is short compared to CA but if you embrace winter it can be a lot of fun. Proper clothing, especially footwear, will make your life much more enjoyable.
Depending on where you will be working you can live fairly far outside Boston and commute via the commuter rail. I’d start looking along those lines and narrow your search as you get enough information on the towns. Your choices range from relatively urban suburbs to fairly rural (but more expensive) towns further out. Do you have kids that will be in the school systems?
The culture here is somewhat different than CA but people are people. It’s not hard to find friends or be social despite the stories you’ll hear. The differences IMO are mostly superficial.
Welcome! Now get yourself a Red Sox cap, a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, and a pair of Bean boots.
All of it is true!! It is proven fact!!! I’m only kidding, it depends on the person of course. Most of the people I ever met that have come to the east coast from the west coast go back, or want to - but I’ve only lived in Philadelphia and D.C. so maybe Boston is different - the only person I knew that moved to Boston that I grew up with didn’t like it though, but that’s not really much to go on.
One thing to be aware of is that the east coast has what has been called the “megalopolis” - a gigantic piece of urban and suburban sprawl that stretches all the way from Boston to DC and also includes Hartford, CT, NYC, Newark, NJ, all of the NJ Turnpike, Camden, NJ, Philly, Wilmington, DE, and Baltimore. Few rural areas remain in this area. You can walk all the way from the White House in DC to the Inner Harbor of Baltimore through city streets and suburban-sprawl neighborhoods (miles of fast food, car dealerships, strip malls, and random crap). There are no farms.
Stop the whitewash. People in Boston aren’t uptight, they’re flat out snobby, self-centered, greedy, obnoxious, and ignorant. And they aren’t depressed, they’re utterly miserable, barely clinging to the will to live. But they’re still better than the people in New York.
And so what if the Red Sox suck? They’re not the Yankees.
It won’t be long 'til that’s the ONLY way to get from there to there. 
BTW, that sprawl is rapidly sprawling to Richmond, VA (they won’t admit it, of course). 
Yep it’s coming down I95, the traffic and suburbs were almost as far as Fredericksburg, now they’ve gone south past Fredericksburg towards Richmond.
Stoughton / Taunton is a nice area. Far enough from the city to be relatively cheap but close enough to be in the city in less than an hour.
Don’t listen! He’s only trying to lull you into a false sense of security before casually mentioning that you should visit the USS Constitution.
He’ll be on a roof top with friends in lawn chairs and binoculars taking bets on how many times you cross “that damned bridge” before you finally find your way there…