New to Boston? Start Here
Plain answers to the things newcomers ask most — moving, money, the T, trash, parking and schools.
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Plain answers to the things newcomers ask most — moving, money, the T, trash, parking and schools.
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New to Boston, or still figuring out how the city runs? Each one points to the city's official page, and a few link to the other tools on this page.
Most Boston leases run September 1 to August 31, so a huge share of the city moves on the same day. The piles of still-usable furniture left on curbs — especially around the student-heavy Allston neighborhood — get the nickname "Allston Christmas." Streets fill with trucks that day, so book movers early and grab an early time slot if you can.
Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road and Memorial Drive are car-only parkways with low stone overpasses — as low as about 9 feet. Trucks, box trucks, vans and buses aren't allowed on them at all, but every year, most of all around September 1, a rental truck tries anyway and gets its roof peeled off. Pick your truck in the Don't Get Storrowed tool on this page to see the verdict and the truck-legal way around.
Usually first month's rent, last month's rent, and a security deposit — about three months before you get the keys. Since August 1, 2025, a landlord can't make you pay the fee for a broker the landlord hired; you only owe a broker fee if you hired your own. To add up your own number, use the Move-in Cost Estimator tool on this page.
Collection days are set address by address — the two ends of one street can differ, and the densest neighborhoods are collected twice a week. Search yours in the What's My Trash Day? tool on this page, or at https://www.boston.gov/trash-day . Recycling goes out on the same day as the trash. Put it out no earlier than 5 p.m. the night before and have it at the curb by 6 a.m.: putting it out early is a $25 ticket. In a week with a city holiday the city delays collection in some neighborhoods, so check that week rather than assuming.
From April 1 to November 30 the city sweeps streets on posted days and tows cars parked on the wrong side; the North End, South End and Beacon Hill carry on into winter. Search your street in the When Is My Street Swept? tool on this page for the next dates, and watch the posted sign — it's the last word. If your car does go, a private company has it: call the Boston Police line on 617-343-4629 to find out which one.
When the mayor declares a snow emergency, parking is banned on marked main roads and those cars are towed. Residents with a parking sticker can use discounted garages, and "space savers" have their own rules — including a couple of neighborhoods where they're banned. The Snow Emergencies & Your Car tool on this page walks through all of it.
The MBTA — the "T" — runs the subway (the Red, Orange, Blue and Green lines, plus the Mattapan trolley), buses, and the Commuter Rail. You tap a CharlieCard to pay. For live service alerts, see the MBTA Subway Status tool on this page.
Boston Public Schools uses a home-based assignment plan: your home address generates a personalized list of schools, you rank at least five, and a computer lottery assigns seats using walk-zone and sibling priorities. Registration runs in rounds early in the year. Apply and check this year's deadlines at https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/registration .
311 is the city's non-emergency line. Call 311, use the BOS:311 app, or go to https://311.boston.gov to report potholes, missed pickups, rodents, broken streetlights, downed limbs and more. Parking and street cleaning are the most-reported issues in the city.
Boston is a city of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own feel, rents and parking rules. A few to orient by: Allston-Brighton (student-heavy), Back Bay and Beacon Hill (historic and central), the North End (the old Italian-American core), South Boston and the Seaport (waterfront and fast-changing), Dorchester and Roxbury (the largest, most diverse), Jamaica Plain, East Boston (across the harbor, near the airport) and Charlestown.
Town Tools builds free, public tools for Boston and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.