That 495 tech belt thing was because office park space was so cheap and having 75,000 sqft was required back during the Sun and Digital days. No one really chose to live out there after graduating for college, and if they did move out there it was either reluctantly for a shorter commute or because employees were further on in life (e.g. 30-somethings then would consider suburbia ideal; in my late 20s, early 30s now very few people want to live outside of major cities, opt for public transportation over having cars, etc). Now Central Square is gentrified enough to the point where a heroin junkie won't rob you at at 9PM, and at least amongst my friends, the young & educated (both in the sciences and the liberal arts) either chose to stay in the city post-college (or move out to a comparable city).
>No one really chose to live out there after graduating for college
Sure they did. I knew relatively few people who chose to live in Boston/Cambridge after graduation in the 80s. Yes, some of this was because of the commute to their jobs in Metro-West. But I knew lots of people (including myself) who never seriously considered living in the city post-graduation.
As you say, places like Kendall and Central Square weren't exactly desirable locales. Both the state of much of Boston/Cambridge (and even Somerville) and the general attitude toward urban living among certain demographics has obviously shifted.
