Although Boston is VERY small (you could easily live in any of the places mentioned in this thread outside of Everett and get to where you are going in 20-30 minutes on a bike), living in Cambridge/Somerville/Brighton/JP is very different than living in Boston proper. I'd love to live in Cambridge, but I can't afford it, so I live in Brighton. If I wanted to live IN the city though, I'd move to Chinatown, Southie, or Back Bay.

Also: Brighton is NO WHERE NEAR as college-kid infested as Allston (it's next door neighbor with very blurry boundary lines. Note: Do not go near Allston.) or the Fenway/Kenmore area. Brighton's low income housing is mostly occupied by single-parent families and minority groups, while it's nicer areas are working professionals. You do get a lot of BC kids over in Cleveland Circle, but I like to pretend thats Brookline anyways.

You'll probably really like Brookline, the South End and Back Bay.

You might consider Charlestown as well. Really towny, really nice, great vibe, all while still maintaining a city feel, and it's literally across the street from where you say you'll be working.