You Won't Miss the City if You Move to These Boston Suburbs

It ’s laborious to ticktack metropolis living … except , you make love , the traffic , the real - estate cost , and the general sense that the " wealthy person " have adopt it all from the rest of us . If you ’re looking to set down roots someplace more affordable , it ’s worth sway up your urban apotheosis and looking further abroad . Whether you want a mountainous backyard , a eating house scene that rivals the city ’s , or a shore townsfolk that grant you twelvemonth - round beach admittance , each of these Ithiel Town could make you reconsider your Never Suburbs posture . And when we say " suburbs , " for the record , we ’re not talk Brookline or Newton ; at minimum , there must be a commuter rail involved .

Newburyport

Population:17,800The first time you visit a Newburyport transplant , you ’ll go home murmur about your own soiled - city world . The 2d time , you ’ll start peruse real acres . The bantam coastal metropolis is a charming enclave that still yield you big - urban center trappings . require to live in a 19th - hundred New England classic ? Tons of condos have been carved out of historic properties . Like to drill first thing in the morn ? Boutique exercise studio apartment abound , although there arealsokayak launch point all around town , as well as walking track on nearby Plum Island . relish walking to fine - dining spots?Ceia Kitchen + BarandBRINEare just two of your of - the - minute options . And then there ’s the Newburyport / Rockport commuter line that takes you direct into North Station in about an hour … no 93 dealings cephalalgia required .

Hingham

Population:22,150Just a 45 - minute body of water ferryboat ride aside from the metropolis , Hingham is the idealistic refuge for straw hat who still want to dip a toe in Boston waters now and then . TheHingham Shipyardis where you ’ll find your colleague yachties ; even if you ca n’t afford your own boat , you may join theFreedom Boat Cluband have temporary admittance to an talkative fleet . The shipyard is also a shopping and dining harbor that includesAlma NoveandWahlburgers , Paul Wahlberg ’s high- and low - end dining ventures , respectively . material estate ai n’t tatty , but you ’re buy into a townspeople whose public Rosa Parks rival Boston’s : World ’s End , Wompatuck State Park , andWeir River Farmcombine to offer more than 600 acres of outdoor shenanigans . Hingham is also minutes fromNantasket Beach … and did we mention that the piss ferry has a bar on board ?

Worcester

Population:182,500When theNew York Timestakes notice , you know a city ’s on the up - and - up . The Woo has suddenly become a home for sophisticates – or mayhap it always was , but now it ’s get the love it deserve . The shopping is one of the most pleasant surprises : theCrompton Collectivebrings together local artificer and antique dealers , and theCanal Districtincludes retail spot and a Fannie Farmer marketplace . The canal itself is like the Charles River of the west : kayak it in summer , skate on it in winter . But the intellectual nourishment is the existent story here : Wormtown Brewery Tap Room , Armsby Abbey , The Canal , The Fix , anddeadhorse hillare just a few of the New venture appeal outside attention – and foreigner moving in . Start Zillowing now , because the business district condo cost will shock and amaze you .

Northampton

Population:28,590Jonesing for a ‘ thug even more reformist than JP or Union Square ? It does n’t get more Birkenstocks - and - granola than Northampton . Coffee shops , veggie restaurants , music venues , indie hemp shops … hippie stereotypes are alive and well in this hamlet . But what makes Northampton so singular is its remarkable urbanity , including a vibrant arts biotic community , museums , and a walkable Downtown , which is full of unpretentious , high - timbre restaurant likeJake’sandPaul and Elizabeth ’s . And then it contract even well : attend out a windowpane , and you ’re gazing not at a smoggy skyline , but upon picturesque tidy sum . With Amtrak now put up daily train service into the Back Bay station , you could make an existent go of the commuter train liveliness … but then again , you might have problems pluck yourself out each aurora . Is Smith College hiring ?

Duxbury

Population:15,050Who would n’t want to hold out in the same townsfolk asIsland Creek Oysters ? Or a place dotted with shingled saltbox homes , the like of which you unremarkably only see on the Cape and Islands ? Or a South Shore protection so fear that locals never want to leave ? It ’s all about fulfil your coastal animation fantasies in Duxbury , where you could take seafaring lessons at theDuxbury Bay Maritime School , tavern hops fromSun TaverntoMileposttoWinsor House , and revel in the residents - only parking at Duxbury Beach .

Ipswich

Population:13,175For appetiser , just consider what it would think to go within spitting distance of Crane Beach , nautical mile of pristine shoreline where you’re able to hike , cod horses , and walk the dog – and it ’s pretty much all yours in the offseason . Then , consider what it would intend to be minutes away from the iconicClam Box(OK , we know what it would mean : you ’d put on 20lbs of sheer glad weight ) . There ’s a higher - falutin ’ dining world beyond fried clams in this town though , especially at dapple likeSaltand1640 Hart House . If you ’re a cycling enthusiast tired of the mean street of Boston / Cambridge / Somerville , you ’ll be vibrate by the expansive deal biking conniption , or if you ’re more into Equus caballus , stables are plentiful in this bucolic , stone - walled domain .

Portsmouth, NH

Population:21,440Portsmouth is like that secure hometown admirer you put on will never switch … except now it totally has . Where once there were the same dependable restaurants and bars , now there are concert , galleries , and chi - chi restaurants and watering holes ( Row 34,Street , Block Six ) to augment all the classic . Oh , and abookstore that serve up alcohol . And do n’t bury about that whole no - taxes thing . Live free and choke smug , y’ all .

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Portsmouth