Which Boston suburb has the most walkable downtown? (Cambridge, Newton: schools, to live in)

[FromEverywhereUSA]

We're looking at relocating to the Boston area from the San Francisco Bay Area in about a year, and one thing we've really come to enjoy in Northern California is the walkable downtown found in most of the small communities out here. We'd love to find a similar vibe back East, if possible. Are there any towns around Boston that have a nice shopping and restaurant district of mostly local small businesses? Thanks!

[495neighbor]

Nice is subjective. Some town centers with mostly indie businesses include: Concord, West Concord, Waltham, Arlington, Watertown, Melrose, Wakefield, Salem, Natick, Norwood, Dedham, Malden, Maynard. All of these are walkable.

Walkable independent areas of the cities are Somerville (all of it) and Jamaica Plain.

Knowing what part of California you are coming from might help us narrow it for you a bit.

[gf2020]

I think Lexington is at the top of the list.

[Ninotchka P]

Many suburbs in the Boston area have walkable town centers. It comes down more to what size you are expecting? Most town centers listed above (and that's just a partial list) are just a few blocks long. Salem is really a small city, not a suburb, and has a substantially larger walkable center.

It would be more useful to know where you will be working and to focus your search by commuting distance and price point.

[Nobodybody]

Originally Posted by FromEverywhereUSA

We're looking at relocating to the Boston area from the San Francisco Bay Area in about a year, and one thing we've really come to enjoy in Northern California is the walkable downtown found in most of the small communities out here. We'd love to find a similar vibe back East, if possible. Are there any towns around Boston that have a nice shopping and restaurant district of mostly local small businesses? Thanks!

The short answer is - yes, there are several. From a true 'small community' with a walkable town center as you describe, which usually encompasses a few square blocks or more, to a town that abuts Boston proper and has this kind of feel through most of the town. Prices vary greatly, primairly driven by proximity to Boston, access to public transit, and quality of schools.

There are too many towns with this criteria to list all at once - as a few posters mentioned, you can get great firsthand advice if you can specify more detail (price range, where you will be working, kids/school priorities, etc).

Good luck!

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by gf2020

I think Lexington is at the top of the list.

Lexington has a beautiful walkable downtown. One thing on the OPs list that Lexington's downtown does not have is many local small businesses. Most of their businesses are chains like Bertucci's, Starbucks, Panera.

[alidmc]

Town centers in Mass. will be very different from town centers outside of San Francisco. Most towns in Mass. are still very car-dependent, even with walkable town centers. What types of amenities do you want to have access to? Do you prefer more upscale shops, access to open space?
I consider a "walkable" downtown to be one that has a mix of everything-shops, restaurants, rail access, library, culture (performance space or museums) and parks/open space. Very few towns in Mass have that level of variety. A few that I know-Manchester (with bonus of beach access), downtown Beverly (beach access as well), Hamilton/Wenham, Needham, Natick, Melrose, Wakefield, Reading, Salem, and Winchester.

[semiurbanite]

If you want to compare MA suburbs to the downtown of places like Burlingame, San Mateo, or Palo Alto - you are in for a bit of a surprise. Suburbs here are much more sleepy than what you have on the peninsula. Many were actually dry until only 5 years ago. For example if you live in Concord you want a decent Burrito you need to drive over half an hour into Cambridge or Somerville (actually for a bay area person you may not find what you consider to be a good burrito anywhere in MA lol). Newton probably has the most action once you leave the city.

[kingeorge]

Belmont has town center (in process of renovation) with excellent offerings (new independent food store is moving in in 2016). Then there is an additional little sq. Cushing Sq area which is also walkable, charming, and quite well "equipped". From Cushing Sq. on and along Trapelo Rd corridor toward Waverly Sq. is tons of different stores and business making it very easy to live in Belmont without needing to travel around for barely anything. Belmont/Trapelo corridor is in process of renovation/beautification with wider sidewalks, trees, and traffic calming measures making it even more pedestrian friendly. Schools are excellent, it is safe. Right on public transportation into Boston and Cambridge. RE steep but worth it.

Other places are Cambridge, Lexington, Concord, Arlington, Watertown, Somerville, Brookline, Newton, Wellesley, Medford, Reading, Melrose. Many towns have decent walkable centers. Some more sophisticated some stuck in time warp. It is your budget and your job site that will make you go to this or that town in the end. Commute is not easy so be careful where you land. Good life will cost you in MA.

Good luck.

[FromEverywhereUSA]

Thanks, all! Sorry for not offering more detail at first.... I didn't want to leave a fat block of text unless it was actually useful information.

Originally Posted by semiurbanite

If you want to compare MA suburbs to the downtown of places like Burlingame, San Mateo, or Palo Alto - you are in for a bit of a surprise. Suburbs here are much more sleepy than what you have on the peninsula. Many were actually dry until only 5 years ago. For example if you live in Concord you want a decent Burrito you need to drive over half an hour into Cambridge or Somerville (actually for a bay area person you may not find what you consider to be a good burrito anywhere in MA lol). Newton probably has the most action once you leave the city.

^ This response hits pretty close to what I'm looking for. We live on the Peninsula south of SF, so we're accustomed to large downtown areas like Burlingame and San Mateo (6x4 blocks) and smaller ones like San Carlos (about 6 blocks on a single street). I expect the "flavor" of New England to be quite different from NorCal, so it's more just that I'm hoping there's a place where I can go spend a few hours and get a lot done: grab lunch, a coffee, hit up a used book store, get a haircut, take the kids to the park, grab some fresh pasta for dinner..... all in one outing and within walking distance to one another. I prefer local businesses but I'm not too cool for a Starbucks or Panera, either.

Given that, is it possible to narrow the list a bit?