Haverhill

Residents find a small waterfront area in Upper Acre, which is situated next to the Merrimack River and New Hampshire, and is just 36 miles north of Boston. The area is known as the “Queen Shoe City of the World” after its role in the industry during the early 1900s. Today, the community has a two-block section called the Washington Street Shoe District, which is lined with old shoe factory buildings. Major employers in Upper Acre include The Holy Family Hospital and The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, which is in New Hampshire. The neighborhood has an assortment of stylish, early 20th-century dwellings. “The homes here are really beautiful,” says Stacey Caruso, a Realtor who has worked at Coldwell Banker Realty for over a decade. Residents will find single-family colonial and classic revivals and art deco homes ranging from $400,000 to $600,000 with wooded backyards and fenced porches. Houses tend to sit closely together, with many properties in the neighborhood including some lawn space and decent-sized sidewalks. Multifamily units are popular with developers, who purchase them to use as rental properties. “There’s a lot of investment in the area,” Caruso says. “Homes tend to sell quickly around Upper Acre, no matter the style.” Children who go through Haverhill Public Schools, which has a C-plus from Niche, attend Pentucket Lake Elementary School, which also has a C-plus. Kids advance to John G. Whittier Middle, which has five career technical education programs and a C-plus. Haverhill High School has a B-minus from Niche and offers students an extensive honors program called the Classical Academy. There’s a small playground in proximity to some homes on 12th Avenue, where children can enjoy themselves. The Alfred DiBartolomeo Memorial Park is a popular waterfront location where residents can take in views of Lake Pentucket while going on picnics. Residents visit the Merrimack River for fishing, boating and swimming. The Renaissance Golf Course and Haverhill Country Club are used for practicing golfing techniques. Upper Acre provides commuting convenience as well, situated close to Interstate 495. Residents here can hop on I-495 for drives around town and to Boston and New Hampshire. Public transportation is available by train from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority or by bus from The Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority. The Boston Logan International Airport is 38 miles away. Locals start their mornings at Raff’s Café, which is located on Primrose Street. “People like Raff’s since it’s been around for a long time,” Caruso says. Mother Cluckers is a popular restaurant known for its chicken sandwiches and wings. Residents use Market Basket for groceries and hygiene products, while Home Depot is used for home improvement items. The neighborhood hosts weekly concerts at the Blue Ocean Music Hall, which is located next to the Salisbury Public Beach. Residents visit New Hampshire, which is 3 miles away, for recreational adventures at Diana’s Baths, a waterfall location. Boston is roughly 45 minutes away and offers locals many history museums and statues like the U.S.S. Constitution. Sports enthusiasts can enjoy baseball games at Fenway Park.

Lower Avenues is a centrally located community in historic Haverhill, Massachusetts, about 26 miles north of Boston. Many in this renter-heavy neighborhood start and end their days in longstanding condominium buildings and townhouses. Others make themselves at home in single-family houses with classic 1800s and 1900s designs. Regardless, every Lower Avenues household is within blocks of entertainment options, commuter routes and other amenities. Lower Avenues offers convenient proximity to several downtown Haverhill hotspots while avoiding a highly urban environment. Some locals can take sidewalks down central corridors like Nichols and White streets to popular dining, shopping and entertainment destinations. “My favorite coffee shop is Battle Grounds, right in the heart of downtown,” says Realtor and YouTuber Chris Blauvelt of William Raveis Real Estate. “You have a brewery called The Tap Brewing Company, with great beer and food. The Hidden Pig has sandwiches and burgers. There’s a new Italian restaurant called BOSA with views of the Merrimack River.” A few independent businesses operate within Lower Avenues, including Mother Cluckers, a restaurant known for fried buttermilk chicken. Service providers like Advance Auto Parts have locations in the neighborhood, while groceries are available just down Main Street at Market Basket. Lower Avenues locals have less than a 2-mile drive north or west to Interstate 495, a prominent Boston-area beltway. Drivers have about a 35-mile trip to the city via I-495 and Interstate 93. Haverhill Station presents an alternative for commuters, offering roughly 70-minute train rides that skip rush-hour traffic. This terminus on the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s Haverhill Line is within walking distance of many Lower Avenues homes. “Most people who live in Haverhill either work from home or commute,” says Realtor and YouTuber Joe Luciano of RE/MAX Bentley’s. “I don’t think as many people work there that live there. My sister lives in Haverhill, and she commutes to Boston.” “The neighborhood is very multi-family-heavy,” Blauvelt says. Many Lower Avenues residents live in condominiums, townhouses and duplexes contained in Victorian- and Colonial-style buildings from the 1800s and the 1900s. Some townhouses from the 1980s and other recent decades also appear. Multi-family properties start in the mid-$200,000s for one-bedroom condos around 700 square feet; townhouses typically cost in the $300,000s. Meanwhile, single-family homes feature New Empire, American Foursquare, Queen Anne and Colonial-style architecture. Turnkey detached houses start in the high $300,000s for three bedrooms and can top $500,000 for five bedrooms. The Haverhill YMCA opened in Lower Avenues’ southeast corner in 2006. Members of all ages can work up a sweat on its basketball courts, in the indoor pool and during group fitness classes. The organization also offers childcare services and an early learning center. Across the street, G.A.R. Park offers a small green space with a fenced-in playground, tree-shaded benches and commemorative displays, including a Korean War memorial. Most Lower Avenues students attend Pentucket Lake Elementary School and John G. Whittier Middle School. They’re less than 1 mile north on adjacent campuses and have C-plus grades overall from Niche. Haverhill High School, rated a B-minus, is a similar distance to the west. Haverhill High’s nearly 2,000 students can learn in-depth about the language, auditory and visual arts in its Classical Academy. CAP Index gives Lower Avenues a 7 out of 10 Crime Score, meaning it’s at nearly twice the risk of criminal activity as the national average. Violent crimes with higher scores include sexual assault, robbery and assault with a weapon, rated 9, 8 and 7, respectively. Motor vehicle theft — rated 8 out of 10 — is the most likely property crime. These estimates are roughly on par with nearby Haverhill neighborhoods like Highlands and downtown.

Just across Main Street from downtown Haverhill is Highlands, a living, breathing display of the city’s nearly 400-year history. Its winding, tree-dappled streets are home to longstanding Haverhill landmarks from various eras. To the west, a red brick steeple towers over First Baptist Church, established in 1765. Haverhill City Hall, built in 1908, stands a few blocks south. However, the local homes make for the most holistic, wide-ranging document of Haverhill’s journey through the centuries. Highlands has perhaps Haverhill’s most architecturally diverse collection of domiciles built from the 1700s to the 2020s. Second Empire, Queen Anne, Dutch Colonial, Arts and Crafts, Federal and American Foursquare designs can all be spotted when visiting the neighborhood. Realtor Chris Blauvelt of William Raveis Real Estate says the Victorian architecture stands out. “You have a lot of massive, beautiful Victorian homes built in the 1800s and 1900s, which are usually well-maintained by their owners,” he says. The average detached home is about 2,650 square feet — considerably larger than the national norm. Homebuyers might spend from the $400,000s for a four-bedroom Foursquare to the $800,000s for a six-bedroom, nearly 5,000-square-foot Arts and Crafts house. Multi-family developments range from about $200,000 for a one-bedroom condo in an 1800s Victorian-style building to about $400,000 for a 2000s townhouse. “There are some good spots for potential investors due to the multi-family properties there,” says RE/MAX Bentley’s Realtor and Essex County expert Joe Luciano. Blauvelt adds, “You have more multi-families than single-families in that part of Haverhill.” Gale Park occupies a triangular, ¾-acre block in the neighborhood’s northern tip. Visitors will find the only public fountain in Haverhill, as well as monuments commemorating veterans of World War I and other historic conflicts. Its shaded benches offer serene spots to crack a book, take a lunch break or catch up with family over the phone. Lake Saltonstall Conservation Area covers over 160 acres just east of the neighborhood. This park’s public beach offers swimming access to the eponymous basin, which locals call Plug Pond. Wooded trails surround the lake and connect hikers to the 700-acre Winnekenni Park Conservation Area, whose centerpiece is the English-inspired Winnekenni Castle. “You almost forget you’re in Haverhill when you’re there,” Luciano says. Sidewalks flank a few streets in Highlands, offering some locals walking access to nearby businesses. A Market Basket supermarket operates just south of the neighborhood, while a CVS can be found along Main Street to the west. Mediterranean Pizza & Subs Restaurant has called Highlands home since 1969, serving Italian and Greek staples in a laid-back environment with wooden booths. Some of downtown Haverhill’s most popular restaurants —including A-1 Deli, a downhome American-style café — are within blocks. Students in Highlands attend three schools in the Haverhill Public Schools district, all within 2 miles. Golden Hill Elementary and Dr. Paul Nettle Middle operate less than ½ mile east. Niche gives them overall grades of C-plus and C, respectively. Haverhill High School has a B-minus and offers career pathways to students interested in biomedicine, information technology and other trades. Highlands is less than ½ mile from the epicenter of downtown Haverhill, which includes the local Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority station. It’s the starting point of the MBTA’s Haverhill Line and takes commuters to Boston in just over an hour. “You’re close to major highways like Interstate 495, which connects to Interstate 93 to the west and takes you into the city,” Blauvelt says. “You’re also close to the New Hampshire border — about 10 or 15 minutes away.” CAP Index says Highlands is at an increased risk of crime across the board. The neighborhood has a 7 out of 10 Crime Score overall, compared to a national score of 4. Sexual assault and robbery are considered the most likely criminal activities, with Crime Scores of 9 and 8 out of 10, respectively. The Haverhill Police Department reported a 25% uptick in citywide robberies from 2021 to 2022. However, reported rape occurrences dropped considerably during the same period.

When looking at the Walnut Square neighborhood, its prime location is just the start of a long list of assets. This section of the Haverhill features a housing inventory with great variety, composing an area with a quiet demeanor. These houses are sandwiched between major highways and the downtown area of Haverhill, allowing commuters plenty of options for getting to work as well as shopping or dining. The neighborhood also has proximity to several schools and parks, making education and weekend fun just a short walk or drive away. “There are a lot of advantages for living here,” says Vivien Marcus, an agent with Keller Williams who has been serving the area for over 20 years, “the area is primarily residential, but you get well-preserved homes with quick access to 495 and New Hampshire for tax-free shopping.” Walnut Square has houses dating back to the late 19th century, and options here span the 20th century and into the 21st. Haverhill is home to classic Massachusetts housing, with several homes having Colonial Revival and Foursquare style alongside newer ranch-style houses. There are also “many beautiful old Victorian homes and tree-lined streets,” Marcus says. Many homes are on larger lots, with additional oak and maple trees adding a little extra shade. The neighborhood is also home to several multi-unit or two-family homes, with prices ranging from $400,000 to around $700,000, with some older colonial revival residences costing up to $875,000. The location of Walnut Square allows for several ways to commute and get around the city. For pedestrians, there are sidewalks everywhere, so “they are a great space to go walk the dog,” Marcus says. Haverhill is also in the process of renovating many of the area’s sidewalks. Drivers have access to State Route 125, also known as Main Street, running through the middle of the neighborhood, and Interstate 495 at the north for commuting options. Those who wish to skip the roads can head to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Haverhill commuter rail station to reach Boston and neighboring areas. “The commuter rail is really nice,” Marcus says, “the trains can also take you as far as Portland with Amtrak.” Holy Family Hospital is less than 4 miles away, and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport is 33 miles to the north. Kids in Walnut Square may start their education at Pentucket Lake Elementary or Walnut Square Elementary, which receive a C-plus and B rating on Niche, respectively. They can then continue to Whittler Middle School, which receives a C-plus rating and is known in part for its standout drama club. The club, which stages multiple productions each school year, was voted the best afterschool program in the city by both The Eagle Tribune and The Haverhill Gazette newspapers in 2023. Students then finish up their education at the B-minus-rated Haverhill High School. Lake Pentucket is a built-in spot for water fun in Walnut Square. The Steven F. Woidyla Landing and Trail borders the water, a boat launch and a place to go for a stroll while walking past local anglers and kayakers. Marcus also noted the Winnekenni Park Conservation Area as another popular nearby park, which is a 700-acre expanse with more than 9 miles of trails. The area also includes an 1870s castle built by Dr. James R. Nichols, a 19th-century doctor, chemist, author and editor. Riverside Park is another prominent local park just 3.5 miles away that is home to several baseball diamonds and a dog park for residents to enjoy. While Walnut Square is primarily residential, downtown Haverhill is less than two miles away and is home to various new dining options, with Marcus noting downtown becoming a very up-and-coming area. One popular downtown spot is BOSA Coastal Italian, a high-end restaurant that recently opened and offers views of the river to diners. Downtown also has The Hidden Pig, a locally owned gastropub known for its burgers. Groceries are found downtown at the Market Basket along the Merrimack River. Haverhill is home to a number of events throughout the year, with one of the largest and most well-known being River Ruckus, which typically takes place in late September. During the event, the main roads are closed to make room for stages, vendors, and food trucks with live music all day long, as well as a car show and a dazzling fireworks display over the Merrimack River. Marcus also talked about the rubber ducky race, where hundreds of participants let loose rubber ducks into the river for a chance at a number of prizes. In early December, the city comes together once more for the Haverhill Christmas Stroll, which fills the night air with holiday music and culminates in the annual tree lighting at Washington Square. For weekly events, the Haverhill Farmers Market has been a staple in the area since 1978, connecting residents to local farmers every Saturday from June to October. “Haverhill has a bunch of events throughout the year, and all of them are really well attended,” Marcus says.