Early American history forever preserved in Bedford
As the owner of the oldest intact flag in America — flown at the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775 — Bedford offers a slice of early American history with small-town charm and natural appeal. Centuries after its incorporation in 1729, the community has grown to include more than 14,000 residents, catering to both families and commuters with easy access to major highways and employment centers, a highly rated school system, thousands of acres of parkland and veteran services.
About 23 miles from downtown Boston, Bedford preserves knowledge of the town’s founding families with historical sites like the Job Lane House and perennial exhibits at the Bedford Free Public Library, including the intricately designed flag. Several historical churches still line the town’s main thoroughfare of Great Road, towering above the Town Hall with white steeples built in the early 1800s. Newer religious structures include the Boston Buddha Vararam Temple and the St. Michael Parish.
Home to the Hanscom Air Force Base and its accompanying airfield, Bedford offers care and housing at its VA Memorial Hospital campus. MBTA trains and local buses offer hassle-free commutes to major employers across the area, including leading tech companies just off Crosby Drive. And with multiple interstates and freeways surrounding the community, Bedford residents can easily explore Boston’s highlights or skirt around the traffic to bayside beaches.
A taste of wild Massachusetts in the Hartwell Town Forests
Despite its location within 20 miles of Boston, Bedford is surrounded by a ring of parks that make this small town an outdoor recreation destination. Massive conservation areas such as Hartwell Town Forests and Elm Brook offer natural escapes with miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. In summer, Springs Brook Park invites children and parents alike to enjoy the filtered and chlorinated artificial reservoir, playground and concession stand. And for those who’d rather be on the water than in it, there’s a boat ramp for the Concord River right beside the Hart-Desiato Memorial Bridge.
The town’s municipal complex also serves as a recreational hub for the community, attracting kids to the Bedford Town Center Playground and the Bedford Skate Park. Nearby, Bedford Depot Park honors the town’s railroad history with a tanker on display, marking the entrance to the Narrow Gauge Rail Trail and the Minuteman Bikeway, two lengthy and well-maintained multi-use trails that follow the path of the former railroad. With an annual average of more than 40 inches of snow, Bedford can quickly become a winter destination as well, with cross-country skiing trails at most wildlife parks and the frozen-over fishing hole of Fawn Lake serving as a popular ice skating rink.
Annual Bedford Day highlights the importance of community
As a small town, Bedford takes its community celebrations seriously, with the largest display of local spirit coming during the town’s annual Bedford Day festival, usually marked by a 5K race, a colorful parade, local arts and crafts vendors and evening fireworks. Come Halloween, the Chamber of Commerce organizes a Trunk-or-Treat for the kids, and cooler weather brings the annual Holiday Tree Lighting and Winter Walkabout.
A touch of history and modernity along Bedford’s streets
With a median single-family home price hovering just over $1 million, Bedford is considered more expensive than Middlesex County overall. Rear driveways are more common among the town’s older properties, minimizing street parking and highlighting the area’s ornamental architecture. Toward the center of town, Colonial Revivals like the storied Hartwell-Corey House shine with 1820s character, surrounded by early 1900s builds that showcase vibrant Victorian and New England cottage styles.
Buyers should expect to see prices ranging from $800,000 to nearly $2 million, depending on size, age and renovation status. Traditional four-bedroom midcentury ranch-style homes can list for about $900,000, while contemporary 3,500-square-foot farmhouse-style estates easily top $1.7 million. Freestanding condos, which may look like simple subdivisions at first glance, offer one of the most flexible living options for those hoping to skip the yard maintenance. Communities such as Lane Farm and Huckins Farm provide HOA-organized amenities for their spacious million-dollar properties, including clubhouses, tennis courts, a pool and even community stables.
College prep at Bedford High
Students can start at either Lt. Job Lane Elementary or Lt. Elezer Davis Elementary, which score grades of A and A-minus on Niche, respectively. After spending a few years at A-rated John Glenn Middle, teens can complete college-level AP courses at Bedford High, which also scores an A on Niche. After graduating, some students may enroll at Middlesex Community College, which sits less than 5 miles north of the town center.
Small-town shopping on Great Road
Aptly named Great Road is home to the town’s greatest concentration of retail and restaurant options, ranging from fast casual favorites like Chipotle to Indian cuisine to unique local finds such as Eva’s Little Kitchen, an internationally inspired café run by a Northeastern University graduate. Bedford Market Place hosts Whole Foods Market and Marshalls, and T.J. Maxx and Stop & Shop are right down the road. Across the street from Bedford High, Bedford Farms Ice Cream is a beloved legacy business. This vintage counter-serve kiosk opened in the 1880s, making it the community’s longest-running establishment.
Commercial and industrial sectors also branch from this main thoroughfare, filled with big-name firms in the biotechnology, medical manufacturing and solar industries. Across the Northeast Expressway, the Crosby Drive business district attracts tech-savvy workers with some of the biggest names in robotics, including the iRobot Corporation and software company Data Intensity.
Crime
Bedford’s overall CAP Index crime score is 2 out of 10, which is slightly lower than the national average. According to the FBI, property crimes accounted for more than 40% of all crimes in 2019 while violent crimes barely hit 1%, illustrating a county-wide trend: Crime rates across Middlesex County have plummeted since 2014, with Data USA reporting a more than 90% drop in violent crime rates.
I have been involved in residential and commercial real estate for more than 15 years. My areas of expertise include selling, buying, rentals and property management. I come with decades of management experience in the hospitality and retail industries, prior to branching out into real estate. My strengths include quick turn around with Sales, buyer representation for primary residence purchases, as well as secondary, investment and vacation property purchases and rentals ., “I love the person-to-person relationships that are created in this industry, and I embrace bringing joy to anyone who is looking for that special place where they will build memories. I’ll go that extra mile for anyone to make a deal happen seamlessly.” Please call me at 617-590-6611 for all your Real Estate needs.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
