#5: Concord
For those who want to feel connected to history and nature, while enjoying the boons of luxurious privacy, look no further than Concord, Massachusetts. The Middlesex suburb possesses a unique combination of a rural and village aesthetic, making for a variety of walkable experiences.
Concord center is host to some of the most significant historical sites in all of America. For those who want to watch a re-enactment, during clement seasons of the year, one will find historical events regularly around sites like Old North Bridge, Barrett’s Farm, and Lexington Green is a short drive or bike ride away. In addition to its significance in the Revolutionary War, Concord was also the birthplace of Transcendentalism, a philosophy grounded in the simplicity of living among nature. Families can enjoy swimming in, or walking around, Walden Pond, visiting Henry David Thoreau’s fabled cabin in the meantime, and fans of Little Women can visit Louisa May Alcott’s home where she wrote the novel.
For those uninterested in the history, Concord still has plenty to offer families. Concord center has an irreplicable village feel to it, with ice cream, bookstores, family-owned boutiques, and parks all within walking distance of each other. A little further down the road, families can take a summer day to row down the Concord River together. The town also is home to Concord Academy, one of the most prestigious private schools in the state, and Concord-Carlisle remains a great public school option. Pair all of the aforementioned with a high level of safety, Concord stands out as one of the best suburbs in Massachusetts.
#4: Newton
Minutes away from Boston, Newton, MA is one of the best places to raise a family. For those who want to enjoy an upscale suburban experience with a highlight on amenities and attractions, Newton delivers.
While perhaps having more of an urban feel than Concord, Newton has several green spaces dedicated to allowing residents to enjoy some truly beautiful perspectives of nature. The trails of the Hammond Pond Reservation give families a relaxing stroll on a calm spring day, or they can elect to have a picnic at Cold Spring Park.
Besides access to nature, Newton boasts several other attractions for a weekend day. For those who enjoy shopping, or those who need a gift in a pinch, the Newton Mall may be the nicest mall outside of Boston. With several designer stores located inside, and an Apple store, Newton residents never find themselves underdressed for an occasion, and fixing the broken screen on their IPhone is not an all day affair. Although Newton has more than just shopping to offer; its cultural proximity to Boston has sprouted several museums to intellectually explore, and the Newton Free Library has the scale to keep bookworms rooted in place for hours on end.
As a community, Newton, is extremely safe to live in and has plenty of events to bond around. Residents can gather together to celebrate Newtonville Village Day or come together to help out with the Newton Community Farm. This helps foster relationships with neighbors as well as giving kids a safe way to bond outside of school. That said, Newton North High School is a very well-funded school that produces excellent outcomes for its students.
#3: Brookline
Although still certainly a suburb, Brookline definitely sits as the most urban entry on this list. For those who really love Boston, but they want a safe, family-centric place to set down roots, Brookline is the way to go. Several celebrities have or have had residences in this town for this exact reason, including but certainly not limited to Tom Brady, Larry Bird, Robert Kraft, Barbara Walters, Conan O’Brien, and Jon Krakauer. In fact, our Operations Manager, Nicholas Schulman, lives in Brookline himself.
Brookline Village has a variety of things to do on a Friday night, whether that having a delicious dinner at any one of its fabulous restaurants or catching a movie at the historic Coolidge Theater. Brookline is also home to the Larz Anderson Auto Museum and the childhood home of John F. Kennedy (which offers guided tours of the original Kennedy home). Alternatively, for those looking to spend a day in Boston, this entry ranks the closest in proximity to the city, with Fenway Park being within walking distance of some areas of the town.
Brookline’s public school system remains competitive with the alternatives listed in previous entries, and multiple elite private schools are near to the town. Additionally, crime rates are very low in Brookline, blowing averages out of the water. All considered, Brookline is a fantastic option to raise a family with a slightly more urban and connected feeling to it.
#2: Wellesley
A drive through Wellesley looks picturesque, with parts of it demonstrating the comforts of extreme luxury and other ends looking like the kind of neighborhood one would find in an American story-book. This college town, home to Wellesley and Babson College, reaps the benefits of a high amount of investment from its residents, both individuals and institutions, in creating a lovely Massachusetts suburb.
Due to the high concentration of colleges in the area, many businesses have called Wellesley home, and with it come many opportunities for jobs. Moving can be difficult, and nobody envies the task of finding a new job, but Wellesley has plenty of openings for a variety of different fields. Finance companies and the business universities can take advantage of a business skillset, many real estate companies constantly need contract work/managers, and any healthcare skillset is a vital need to the hospitals around the area, or the nursing college in the nearby town of Weston. Life can present many challenges, but finding a job close to home is not usually one of them for Wellesley residents.
Further harping on the benefits of living in this college town, a pleasant art scene exists within it. Students regularly put on performances of people’s favorite musicals, and there is more than one curated art gallery. For those with a particular penchant for the arts, this is an excellent choice, as plenty of local options exist for a casual night out, and like many other entries in this list, Boston is just a stone’s throw away for special occasions.
Although this may start to sound like a broken record, it is important to mention: Wellesley is quite safe. While those who live next to the colleges might have to file a noise complaint every once and a while, the vast majority of the Wellesley residents live in a state of tranquility, with most housing resembling the high end of what Boston suburbia has to offer. It’s school system is also quite competitive, and students who do not want to go far from home for college do not have to. It is truly unique in the sense that it is one of the only suburbs in Massachusetts, if not the country, that has a complete education pipeline at very highly ranked schools. If kids do not want to go far away for college, they do not have to in Wellesley.
#1: Weston
Weston benefits from all the aspects of being a Boston suburb without the feel of the city. Fifteen miles away from Boston, residents enjoy easy access to everywhere, surrounded by four major highways to get anywhere in eastern Massachusetts, whether that be into the big city or south towards the beaches. It also has MTBA commuter rails for those who want to drive, or Westonites can choose to bike on the Mass Central Rail Trail, enjoying the true rural nature of the area.
With kids in mind, Weston boasts a top ten school system in all of Massachusetts. Very few public schools are able to stand up to the performance of private schools, but Weston High School manages to do exactly that, allowing kids to have a top-tier education while still enjoying the normative aspects of public school. Moreover, between vigilant neighborhoods and a well-funded police department, Weston remains one of the safest towns in Massachusetts.
Between the scenic trails along the Charles River, or the excitement and attractions of Boston a stone’s throw away, there is always something to do! This compliments the unique sense of community that exists in Weston, from neighborhood gatherings to town wide events.
And lastly, the houses are simply gorgeous here. If you don’t believe us, take a look for yourself!
