The Best Town Commons in Massachusetts (Boston, Cambridge: houses, neighborhoods, schools)

[Eric H.]

The town common has been a vital community element of towns and cities across New England, dating back to the Colonial days. In this day of rampant overdevelopment, it's heartwarming to see that these open spaces -- usually located downtown -- have remained intact and still serve as a meeting place for community events and public ceremonies. It goes without saying that these village greens help beautify our downtowns and make us think back to a previous era when community spirit was perhaps the most important element of a town. In many regards, that community spirit is still intact in many of our communities, and the town common serves as a great meeting place where you can say "hi" to your neighbor during an event. It is, after all, quintessential New England, particularly when framed by a church with tall white steeple, and historic homes and buildings.

If I was moving to New England, I think the town common -- along with a vital downtown -- would be on my "list" when choosing a community. While the neighborhoods, schools, safety and proper development are most important, I think a great town common really adds that New England authenticity to a community.

There are a lot of great town commons in Massachusetts. Here are some of my favorites:

Lexington
Concord
West Brookfield
Walpole
East Bridgewater
North Attleboro
Foxboro
Norwood
Wrentham
Natick
Franklin

I'd be interested in hearing abour your favorite Massachusetts town commons!

[CaseyB]

Grafton, Cohasset.

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by Eric H.

The town common has been a vital community element of towns and cities across New England, dating back to the Colonial days. In this day of rampant overdevelopment, it's heartwarming to see that these open spaces -- usually located downtown -- have remained intact and still serve as a meeting place for community events and public ceremonies. It goes without saying that these village greens help beautify our downtowns and make us think back to a previous era when community spirit was perhaps the most important element of a town. In many regards, that community spirit is still intact in many of our communities, and the town common serves as a great meeting place where you can say "hi" to your neighbor during an event. It is, after all, quintessential New England, particularly when framed by a church with tall white steeple, and historic homes and buildings.

If I was moving to New England, I think the town common -- along with a vital downtown -- would be on my "list" when choosing a community. While the neighborhoods, schools, safety and proper development are most important, I think a great town common really adds that New England authenticity to a community.

There are a lot of great town commons in Massachusetts. Here are some of my favorites:

Lexington
Concord
West Brookfield
Walpole
East Bridgewater
North Attleboro
Foxboro
Norwood
Wrentham
Natick
Franklin

I'd be interested in hearing abour your favorite Massachusetts town commons!

Franklin,really?Haven'y been there in awhile.Pittsfeild,Williamstown,Lenox.

[scanz]

Northampton and Amherst have nice town centers also.

[Wilm1965]

Lexington
Burlington
Concord
Amherst

[missionhill]

Northampton lacks a common, but Amherst's is nice; also Petersham, Hardwick, and Grafton. Royalston's is supposed to be a classic but I haven't been. I agree about West Brookfield. I like Dorchester's, with a gleaming Unitarian church at the top and a battered Catholic church opposite. Falmouth is high on the list and Cohasset's is beautiful. Ipswich has two commons. Washington Square in Salem is magnificent.The biggest and, by far the most interesting common is right in Boston. Cambridge Common is nice but a bit lame compared to Boston's. The Charlestown Training Field is small but full of character.

[holden125]

Gotta agree with Salem, Cohasset, Lexington and some of the others. Also Hopkinton, the start of the marathon. Weston's OK.

Franklin is really nice. I like the Cambridge Common. A lot of people don't really check it out since it's bounded by busy streets.

[lrfox]

Taunton's is excellent:


Assonet also has a nice little one with hisoric houses surrounding a nice green alongside the rapid flowing river. Very picturesque. There are some great old bridges on either side too.

[brightdoglover]

Can't beat Lexington!
Harvard, MA, has a beautiful common with old buildings, library, general store. Lovely.
The Littleton Common was destroyed by highway access, split up by 119 and trafficked. It's a real shame. A very nice vet memorial and benches on one side, and the other side well kept but sort of inaccessible and crowded by traffic. A real loss.
Cambridge Common is neat for such an urban location. Lively with people, a real treasure in the city. Only slightly sketchy after dark, and fine if you stick to the sidewalks.

[nene70]

Glad to hear that Grafton is one as that is a place of interest for us to move ;-)