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Living in Boston

Home to MBTA, America's first subway system and dubbed "The Walking City" Boston is a pedestrian's perfect city. Bostonites can catch a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, or visit Boston Common, the oldest public park in the US.

The powerhouse investment firm, Fidelity Investments, solidified Boston's spot in the Top 30 Most Economically Powerful Cities in the World. Healthcare professionals often relocate to Boston to work at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Nearby Boston Apartments on Redfin

83 Walk Score of Boston, MA

Boston is Very Walkable

Most errands can be accomplished on foot.

Walk Score Map

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Photo of Chinatown Gate in Boston

Chinatown Gate

Photo of Union Oyster House, Inc. in Boston

Union Oyster House, Inc.

Boston is the 3rd most walkable large city in the US with 617,594 residents.

Boston has excellent public transportation and is somewhat bikeable.

Find apartments in Boston's most walkable neighborhoods: Beacon Hill, Chinatown - Leather District and North End.

Boston Apartments for Rent

Boston Neighborhoods

Rank

#

Name

Walk Score

Transit Score

Bike Score

Population

1 Beacon Hill 99 100 72 9,978
2 Chinatown - Leather District 99 100 76 4,431
3 North End 99 99 86 11,195
4 Bay Village 98 100 81 1,307
5 Downtown 98 100 79 9,358
6 South End 97 93 92 24,651
7 West End 97 100 89 4,062
8 Back Bay 97 96 87 18,194
9 Central Maverick Square - Paris Street 95 75 75 11,164
10 Fenway - Kenmore - Audubon Circle - Longwood 95 93 91 36,713
11 Lower Roxbury 93 92 92 13,752
12 Central Square 93 68 60 704
13 Hyde Square 91 73 87 8,114
14 Telegraph Hill 91 55 66 8,392
15 D Street - West Broadway 91 70 71 10,407
16 Mission Hill 90 89 77 17,692
17 Jeffries Point 90 76 71 8,312
18 Uphams Corner - Jones Hill 90 66 60 11,385
19 Meeting House Hill 89 69 58 7,489
20 Eagle Hill 88 66 58 9,558
21 Egleston Square 88 72 84 6,800
22 Allston 87 66 92 19,014
23 Fields Corner West 87 73 57 5,398
24 Columbus Park - Andrew Square 87 70 69 7,457
25 Fields Corner East 87 66 68 2,888
26 Jamaica Central - South Sumner 86 73 87 10,304
27 St. Marks 86 76 59 9,654
28 Sav-Mor 85 78 64 6,088
29 Dudley - Brunswick King 84 73 58 15,435
30 Commonwealth 84 69 73 22,199
31 St. Elizabeth's 83 71 74 15,539
32 Thompson Square - Bunker Hill 83 66 72 13,293
33 Ashmont 83 80 49 6,915
34 Bowdoin North - Mount Bowdoin 82 71 49 5,193
35 City Point 82 52 73 7,430
36 Mattapan Square 81 69 72 1,007
37 Highland Park 80 86 64 3,945
38 Medford Street - The Neck 80 66 63 3,078
39 Codman Square - East Codman Hill 80 75 53 9,774
40 Washington Park 79 75 67 17,431
41 Oak Square 79 56 65 16,728
42 Centre-South 79 59 70 4,462
43 Neponset - Port Norfolk 78 58 63 7,073
44 Stony Brook - Cleary Square 78 58 52 5,895
45 Metropolitan Hill - Beach Street 77 58 55 13,945
46 Wellington Hill 77 60 51 7,853
47 Lower Washington - Mount Hope 76 64 61 9,124
48 Columbia Point 76 67 67 16,963
49 Lower East Mills - Cedar Grove 75 70 60 5,242
50 Franklin Field North 73 74 64 7,044
51 Franklin Field South 72 63 62 10,221
52 Harbor View - Orient Heights 71 59 55 11,113
53 West Codman Hill - West Lower Mills 71 67 54 5,389
54 Forest Hills - Woodbourne 69 73 59 4,593
55 Jamaica Hills - Pond 67 60 78 7,611
56 Bellevue Hill 66 49 48 2,707
57 Southern Mattapan 63 65 56 10,243
58 West Street - River Street 61 56 49 14,063
59 Fairmount Hills 59 48 46 5,336
60 Brook Farm 58 44 47 12,731
61 Upper Washington - Spring Street 55 44 41 14,323
62 Readville 52 48 55 3,767
63 Georgetown 39 46 41 2,626
64 Long Island 0 0 7 532

Average Home Features

According to HomeAdvisor Data, these characteristics make up the average home in Boston

Average square footage 1900
Homeowners have 3.1 bedrooms
Homeowners have 2 bathrooms
Age of home 55 years
Average time living in home 13 years

Check out HomeAdvisor’s Boston Home Happiness Survey.

Eating & Drinking

There are about 2,498 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in Boston.

People in Boston can walk to an average of 6 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in 5 minutes.

Photo of Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston

Charlestown Navy Yard

Photo of Crazy Dough's Pizza in Boston

Crazy Dough's Pizza

Restaurant Choices Map

= More Choices

thumbnail for Chinatown GateThe entrance on Beach Street to the majority of restaurants & shops in Chinatown.

Ian R Hutchinson
on Chinatown Gate

72 Transit Score of Boston, MA

Boston has Excellent Transit

Transit is convenient for most trips. Find Boston apartments for rent on Redfin.

Public Transit Routes

Boston has excellent public transportation and about 110 bus, 12 rail, 3 subway, 5 light rail and 2 ferry lines.

Transit Time

The map above shows how far you can travel in 30 minutes from Boston on public transit.

Neighborhood Guides

Thinking of renting an apartment or buying in Boston? Ask our neighborhood guides a question.

Voula Paras

I grew up in west Roxbury mass, I am currently a home maker mother of 2, am engaged, travel around Boston and surrounding towns daily. I am a motivated go getter willing to try new things with a great scence of humor. Feel free to contact me if needed any info about Boston and surrounding towns.

Ask Voula about Boston

http://Voula.paras@facebook.com »

Photo of Francis D Martini Memorial Shell in Boston

Francis D Martini Memorial Shell

Photo of Francis D Martini Memorial Shell in Boston

Francis D Martini Memorial Shell

Photo of Navarrette Grocery in Boston

Navarrette Grocery

Photo of George Washington Statue in Boston

George Washington Statue

Photo of Huntington Ave @ Mass Ave in Boston

Huntington Ave @ Mass Ave

Photo of Huntington Ave @ Mass Ave in Boston

Huntington Ave @ Mass Ave

69 Bike Score of Boston, MA

Boston is Bikeable

Some bike infrastructure.

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Bike
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What's It Like to Live in Boston?

Photo of Mission Hill Playground in Boston

Mission Hill Playground

Photo of Park Street Station in Boston

Park Street Station

Photo of Castle At Park Plaza Hotel in Boston

Castle At Park Plaza Hotel

Photo of Francis D Martini Memorial Shell in Boston

Francis D Martini Memorial Shell

Overview

Founded in 1630, Boston is one of the oldest cities in the US. Its critical role in US history isn’t confined to the Revolutionary War, though. The first public school was opened in Boston, and the city built the first subway system in the US in 1897. Boston was progressive about transit decades – a whole century! – before most of America’s cities. A city with that kind of foresight about mass transit means that there are solid foundations in place for great walkable communities.

The Boston area is home to a number of prestigious universities. Harvard and MIT across the Charles River in Cambridge. Tufts – well known for its medical school – is north of the city. That’s just big names, Boston has more than 100 colleges and universities and an estimated student population of over 250,000. The city is home to the iconic Red Sox, the Celtics, and the world famous Boston Marathon. Because of its location on the banks of the Charles, it’s known for rowing and is the site of the annual Head of the Charles Regatta.

All those students make for an educated work force. Hospitals are some of the biggest employers in the region, though there’s also a large financial services sector; Fidelity Investments is here. There are a few publishers including Houghton Mifflen and Bedford-St. Martins. Car share company Zipcar has their headquarters in Boston and many big tech companies – Microsoft, Twitter, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard – have satellite campuses in the region.

The oldest public park in the United States is in Boston – Boston Commons – and the city has been highly rated for its public park system. The city gets four true seasons, with spring and fall being spectacular, flowering trees or changing leaves, you get them both. Boston’s Irish roots still influence local culture, as does the sizeable Italian population. The city also has a large Jewish community.

Photo of Francis D Martini Memorial Shell in Boston

Francis D Martini Memorial Shell

Photo of Dorchester Heights National Historic Site in Boston

Dorchester Heights National Historic Site

Getting Around

The MBTA combines a subway (the “T”), bus, commuter rail and ferry boat system to provide transit to the greater Boston area. The extensive subway system includes a connection to Logan International Airport. If the subway doesn’t reach your neighborhood, the commuter rail line probably does. Bus service fills in the gaps.

Amtrak and a handful of bus lines run regular service to New York, Philadelphia, and Washington DC, and there are a number of express bus lines that serve these routes as well. If you need a car to run errands or move something big, Zipcar has dozens of stations not just in the city, but out in Brookline, Brighton, Medford, Malden, and more.

Turo and Getaround – peer to peer car sharing services – also operate in the Boston area.

MassBike publishes the map that shows where the best bike routes are in Boston – and most of the topography is very bicycle friendly. They’re plentiful, as you’d expect in a city with so many students. The city is seeing increasing number of bicycle commuter and continues to install bike racks and secure bike parking at major T stations. The Hubway has 72 stations in central Boston and 32 stations in Cambridge, Brookline, and Somerville.

thumbnail for Union Oyster House, Inc.The oldest continuously operated restaurant in America. JFK was a regular here.

Aerin
on Union Oyster House, Inc.

Neighborhoods

The North End is a historic neighborhood – it was where Paul Revere lived – and it’s top ranked in the city for walkability. It’s densely populated, the streets are narrow, there’s an abundance of excellent restaurants, and it’s got one of the city’s best public schools. This was once a primarily Italian neighborhood; gentrification has changed the character. There are more professionals and more fancy renovations of the colonial era brick buildings, and there are brand new luxury condo complexes right on the waterfront. You can have a gourmet kitchen and balcony with a view across the river while being walking distance from everything you need.

Chinatown also ranks very high for walkability. At street level, it’s got all the stuff you’d expect from a historic Chinatown, funky markets, great restaurants, but Chinatown is also home to towering modern highrise apartment buildings and some nicely renovated classic brick buildings.

You’ll find one and two bedroom apartments in modern buildings with onsite gyms, stainless steel kitchen appliances, and other luxury amenities.

West of downtown, Allston is on the light rail line and has lots of single family homes, some of them quite large, with four or more bedrooms. Forbes Magazine called Allston “blue collar meets hipster” in reference to the large student population mixed with working class families. There are two and three story homes here, places with hardwood floors, off street parking, and you may find prices a little lower than in other Boston neighborhoods.

Photo of Navarrette Grocery in Boston

Navarrette Grocery

Photo of Roslindale Fish Market in Boston

Roslindale Fish Market

Photo of Parkview Inn in Boston

Parkview Inn

Photo of Elsie E. Davis Square in Boston

Elsie E. Davis Square

Fenway, the area around the stadium, has a Whole Foods market and is bordered on one side by Back Bay Fens, a park with a rose garden, play fields, and, because of the fresh water, a nice spot for birders. It’s not just baseball at Fenway, the Boston Symphony is nearby and the Museum of Fine Arts. There are apartments in older, attractive brick buildings, some of them quite large. A few of the buildings have nice detailing still in place – box molding ceilings in the public areas, fireplaces, hardwood and hardwood floors.

Cambridge, across the river from Boston and home to Harvard University, has a mix of student housing, row houses and townhomes, and swanky new apartments. It’s possible to find some single family homes here, but most of the rentals are studios up to two bedroom apartments.

Everything near the university is walkable and you’re never far from transit. Because you’re close to campus, there’s all kinds of street life – there are dozens of restaurants and cafes in West Cambridge the neighborhood just south of campus.

There’s no shortage of walkable options in Boston. Should you pick a place right in the center of the city, or further out on the commuter line, it’s entirely possible to live car-free in this historic – yet always forward thinking – city.

Home to MBTA, the world's first subway system and dubbed "The Walking City" Boston is a pedestrian's perfect city. Bostonites can catch a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, or visit Boston Common, the oldest public park in the US.

The powerhouse investment firm, Fidelity Investments, solidified Boston's spot in the Top 30 Most Economically Powerful Cities in the World. Healthcare professionals often relocate to Boston to work at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Find apartments to rent in one of Boston's many historic neighborhoods. Heading to Beantown for college? Find walkable Boston college apartments for rent near Harvard, MIT, or Boston College. 63% of Boston residents rent their home. Search for apartments or homes in Beacon Hill, Brighton, Dorchester, or Charleston.

MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) makes transportation around the city easy, with convenient access to the Boston Subway, Green Line, Blue Line and Orange Line. Find the best place to live in Boston with Walk Score.

thumbnail for Charlestown Navy YardTake a tour of the U.S.S. Constitution Old Ironside at the Boston Navy Yard.

Ian R Hutchinson
on Charlestown Navy Yard

Boston is Talking About...

party play bos school bostonlogan international airport boston common food god train drink coffee walk class beer fenway park sleep fenway redsox sox eat

Boston is all about:

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Photo of Paul Revere in Boston

Paul Revere

Photo of Mildred Avenue Sprinkler Park in Boston

Mildred Avenue Sprinkler Park

thumbnail for Mission Hill PlaygroundNestled between the Mission Church & Maurice J. Tobin School is this large playground with water play & two basketball hoops & down the hill is a baseball field.

Ian R Hutchinson
on Mission Hill Playground

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