Living in Greater Suburban Boston
Iyna Bort CarusoThe suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts, are quintessentially New England in landscape and lifestyle. Boston and its environs are home to more than 80 percent of the Bay State’s population, and it is in those environs outside city limits where some of the state’s most desirable communities are.
Residents value their historic downtowns with small-town sensibilities, leafy country roads and public schools that rank among the best in the state, if not the country. Some towns are semi-urban, others rural in feel. With access to Boston’s dynamic cultural offerings within the clutch of established neighborhoods just outside the periphery, there is no need to compromise when it comes to life in the suburbs.
Boston’s peripheral towns are crisscrossed in hiking paths and biking trails. Ski mountains and beach resorts are accessible in equal measure.
Brookline is an inner suburb long known for its affluence. A special point of pride is that it is the birthplace of John F. Kennedy. The oldest country club in the nation is here among Brookline’s historic properties. Across the Charles River from Boston is the intellectual capital of Cambridge, home of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Among its tight-knit neighborhoods is a standout culinary scene, an excellent public transportation system and an abundance of activities that center in and along the river.
Further afield are quiet communities such as Dover featuring expansive homes on large acreage. Concord, home of Walden Pond, is known as the “biggest little place in America.” Concord, along with nearby Lexington, is where the first shots of the American Revolution were heard.
The town of Medfield, about 17 miles southwest of Boston, is loaded with colonial charm. North of Medfield is Needham, located on a loop of the Charles River and an outpost for urban transplants with a variety of traditional Cape Cods, ranches and colonials homes.
The city of Newtown is comprised of 14 villages with lush cityscapes and elegant vintage homes. Weston is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Boston with a high per capita income, miles of horseback riding trails, tons of prestigious golf courses and country clubs.