Pros: Great suburbs to raise a family, small, people from all over, close to Europe, diverse opportunities (not just tech), relatively safe, bike paths, green, beach in the summer, more sunshine than Seattle, plenty of water, NH, Vermont, and Maine in the north.
Cons: Harvard, food (good cafes, shitty restaurants), expensive, windy and cold in the winter (not much snow though), rains all year, Boston the city sucks.
I was exaggerating of course. There are nice things about Boston. The new seaport is indeed nice (super fancy and expensive), Charles river too. I don't like the common. Back Bay is not bad, but Newbury street is overrated and expensive. (although it has a few gems). The downtown crossing area sucks. Quincy market too. North end has good Italian restaurants. Driving in the city and parking is really bad (which bothers me more as a pedestrian). It's not a pretty urban city compared to Chicago or most European cities of similar size.
Overall, as someone who lives in the suburbs of Boston, it's nice to visit every once in a while, but that's about it.
Pros: Great suburbs to raise a family, small, people from all over, close to Europe, diverse opportunities (not just tech), relatively safe, bike paths, green, beach in the summer, more sunshine than Seattle, plenty of water, NH, Vermont, and Maine in the north.
Cons: Harvard, food (good cafes, shitty restaurants), expensive, windy and cold in the winter (not much snow though), rains all year, Boston the city sucks.