Lexington

Lexington is proud of its designation as the “Birthplace of American Liberty.” Located only 13 miles northwest of downtown Boston, Lexington was the site of the first battle of the American Revolution in 1775, known forever as the destination of Paul Revere’s midnight ride and the “shot heard ‘round the world.” East Lexington has its own role in Lexington’s early history, an alluring neighborhood both past and present. East Lexington is a neighborhood teeming with a rich history. East Lexington — known by most locals as East Village — has its own role in Lexington’s early history, as it was initially the center of commerce within Lexington. “East Lexington was closer to Boston, so it was the first area of Lexington that was developed,” says Lester Savage, a longtime local Realtor with Lester E. Savage Real Estate. East Lexington has become a residential neighborhood but still enjoys a rich history and an immediate proximity to Boston. “Today, the area is relatively quiet, and you don’t get many highway or airplane noises there,” adds Savage. East Lexington provides residents with a quaint suburban setting, where most homes are set off from the sleepy streets behind generous and meticulously maintained lawns. Sidewalks and curbs are scant, but a canopy of lush greenery hugs the roads. Some of East Lexington’s homes date back to the late 1800s, but Savage says home buyers can also expect to find several early-to-mid-1900s examples. “Most of the homes here are in the colonial and Cape Cod styles that you’d expect to find in a Boston suburb, but there are also several interesting contemporary or midcentury modern homes,” Savage says. The available homes typically range from about $700,000 to more than $2 million, and the market in East Lexington is competitive regardless of the interest rates or national trends. Students in East Lexington begin their education at Harrington Elementary School, an A-rated school on Niche that sponsors the Big Backyard initiative, an outdoor educational program that provides guided nature walks for students. Next, students can move to Jonas Clarke Middle School — which earns a rare A-plus grade on Niche – and Lexington High School, an A-plus-rated school with an AP enrollment of nearly 50 percent and an average SAT score of 1390. “Lexington Public Schools are always ranked in the top 10 in Massachusetts,” says Savage. A significant portion of East Lexington is made up of conservation and recreation land, making it a perfect location for those who enjoy the great outdoors. Arlington's Great Meadows provides 183 acres of protected woodland and marshy plains, making it the biggest undeveloped tract in the entire region. A portion of the 10-mile Minuteman Bikeway runs adjacent to the meadows, and hiking trails traverse the park, from which you may spot dozens of different native and migratory bird species. Whipple Hill is another popular outdoor spot in East Lexington, where locals will find nearly 4 miles of trails weaving throughout the forest. Rindge Park offers a playground, basketball court and ball field on the banks of Arlington Reservoir. Busy weekends begin at Wicked Bagel, a locally owned coffee shop and bakery where the bagels are baked fresh daily and served with cream cheese or as part of a delicious breakfast sandwich. After grabbing breakfast, locals can run all their errands on Massachusetts Avenue, whether picking up groceries from Whole Foods Market or stopping in at the retail stores near Lexington Visitors Center. Locals have been shopping at Wilson Farm since it opened in 1884, making it one of the oldest markets in the country. For dinner, locals love the burritos, enchiladas and margaritas at Ixtapa Mexican Grill & Cantina. Situated among Boston’s suburbs inside the C-shape curve of Interstate 95, East Lexington is located a few blocks north of Route 2 near the historic Belmont Country Club. Residents can commute 13 miles into downtown Boston via Route 2, and the bus stops lining Massachusetts Avenue provide public transportation to spots throughout the region. The Boston Harbor provides nonstop ferry service to South Shore and Cape Cod, and Boston Logan International Airport is less than 30 minutes from East Lexington.

In 1951, a group of architects, including the renowned Walter Gropius, transformed an 80-acre plot of Lexington farmland into a community of midcentury modern builds. “You really cannot find houses like this in Lexington or almost anywhere else in Boston,” says Mike DeStefano, a local Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty. “They absolutely stand out against the colonials and cottages that the area is more known for.” Five Fields not only attracts Greater Boston homebuyers looking for larger acreages and eccentric architecture, but it also brings in families looking for highly rated education through Lexington Public Schools. With Waltham Street lining the eastern side of the neighborhood, groceries, restaurants, banks and other essentials are available within 1 or 2 miles of all residences. Five Fields serves as a contemporary deviation from the quintessential, aged New England neighborhood about 15 miles outside of Downtown Boston Tucked behind Five Fields’ towering white pine trees are a variety of contemporary and midcentury modern single-family homes. Roofs especially stand out in the housing stock here, with anything from flat or cross-gables to asymmetrical slopes. Properties tend to mimic ranch-style architecture, have three to six bedrooms and sit on half-acre lots. Other features include massive picture windows, plaster walls and open floor plans. Prices often fall between $1 million and $3 million, though newer constructions can surpass $4 million. “Houses here rarely hit the market, but when they do, it’s extremely competitive,” says DeStefano. “They almost always go for over the asking price.” Properties are private and secluded, shaded by trees and lined by narrow streets without sidewalks. Niche names Lexington the No. 1 best suburb for public education in the state and No. 11 in America. Maria Hastings Elementary, Jonas Clarke Middle and Lexington High are nearby options in the district that all score A-plus grades on Niche, as well. Jonas Clarke Middle offers many extracurriculars, such as the drama program and debate team. Lexington High also has various programs, including classes that range from video game design to small-business economics. There are plenty of private options within 5 miles, including the A-rated Waldorf School of Lexington for prekindergarten through Grade 8. Lexington Christian Academy earns an A-plus and has boarding and day-school options for students in Grades 6 through 12. The 28-acre Juniper Hill nature preserve features a popular 1-mile walking trail along a red maple swamp, whimsical juniper trees and mossy upland oakwood. Five Fields also has an 8-acre area in the center of the neighborhood for community barbecues, enjoying the frog pond and swimming in the seasonal pool. This space also features a playground that echoes the neighborhood’s midcentury modern architecture. The minimalistic wooden structure features a 20-foot climbing wall, a rope bridge and a zipline. Although Swammin Land and Concord Avenue Conservation Area have some walking paths right next door to Five Fields, they are not as frequently used as other parks nearby. The Waltham Plaza Shopping Center next door provides a Star Market for groceries and national chains, like Chipotle and Panera. Locally owned spots, like Bonfire Indian Grill and Banh Mi Oi sit on the eastern side of Lexington/Waltham Street. A 7-mile drive north on Interstate 95 leads to the Burlington Mall and its 185 storefronts, such as Macy’s and Apple. Other facilities, including diverse houses of worship and health care, are accessible within 2 miles. The Belmont station is about 4 miles away, where the Fitchburg Line commuter rail offers 30-minute rides into Boston’s North Station. Plenty of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus stops are available as an alternative public transit option. Interstate 95 and Massachusetts Route 2 flow close to the neighborhood for commuters who prefer to drive. For air travel, Boston Logan International Airport is within 20 miles.

Follen Hill is a community in Lexington acclaimed for its collection of elegant homes and its convenient location along Massachusetts Route 2, a main thoroughfare leading into Cambridge and Boston. The neighborhood values nature and the environment, with numerous eco-friendly stores and intricate maintenance of landscaping and parks. Follen Hill also has an overall CAP Index crime score of 1 out of 10, significantly lower than the national average of 4. Niche names Lexington the best suburb for public education in the state and No. 11 in America. The multimillion-dollar homes in Follen Hill tend to grab people, and the advantageous location by a major highway, top-notch schools and quality nature expanses keep them here. Follen Hill’s housing market is populated by many well-maintained homes built over the course of the 20th century. Local broker Stephen Stratford of William Raveis Real Estate says there is a fair amount of new construction in the neighborhood, though. There is a preponderance of colonial-style homes in Follen Hill, but also some Cape Cods and ranch styles. Most of these homes sit on spacious lots with ample lawn space. Serene residential blocks are lined with vegetation and the occasional sidewalk. Driveways and garages are customary here, so street parking, when needed, is not a hassle. Houses typically sell between $1.3 million and $2.8 million, though outliers can be found on either end of the range. “People love Follen and will pay dearly for it,” Stratford says. Lexington Public Schools earn an overall district grade of A-plus by Niche. “That’s been Lexington’s draw card since I started in real estate 30 years ago,” Stratford says. Children may begin their education at Bowman Elementary, where one-third of students also speak a foreign language at home. Jonas Clarke Middle is close by as well, whose students well outperform Massachusetts averages on state tests. Lexington High holds the No. 2 spot on Niche's list of the best public high schools in the state. All three schools earn A-plus grades and collectively have dozens of unique sports programs, including alpine skiing and ultimate frisbee. There are plenty of private options in the area, as well, including the A-rated Waldorf School of Lexington for preschool through Grade 8. Lexington Christian Academy earns an A-plus and has boarding and day-school options for students from Grades 6 through 12. Follen Hill not only has many outdoor options nearby, but the city also helps keep these spaces clean and well-kept. “Lexington does a pretty good job of aggressively protecting conservation land and trying to add to it whenever they can,” Stratford says. Just within Follen Hill are numerous preserves, including Liberty Heights, Daisy Wilson Meadow, West Farm and Sutherland Woods. Trails carve through each expanse, where people take walks with their dogs and kids. Sutherland Woods also has a playground, Little League field and basketball court. Residents can head right outside of the neighborhood to Beaver Brook North Reservation or Arlington Great Meadows, which are both vast areas with trails, meadows, waterways and plenty of wildlife. Follen Hill is primarily residential and open outdoor space, so residents often head downtown to Lexington or Arlington for dining out. However, one of the city’s oldest and most popular destinations for food sits by Follen Hill: Wilson Farm. Founded in 1884 and stretching over 30 acres, the farm offers fresh produce, meats, cheeses, a bakery and seafood that attract traffic to the neighborhood. Wilson Farm also has a plant nursery and plenty of special events. Other grocery stores, such as Star Market and Trader Joes, are within 2 or 3 miles for big-box options. Burlington Crossroads has a Target and Burlington Mall features major retailers, including Nordstrom and Macy’s, and both sit about 5 miles north. Follen Hill residents can choose a private lifestyle, though facilities, such as Wilson Farm, can bring the community together. Farm events include tulip picking, tour sessions for children and the Herb Weekend, which offers samples and demos on how to successfully grow an herb garden. Other events include the Grilled Cheese Weekend, the Tomato, Corn and Strawberry Festivals, and For the Birds Weekend, where residents flock to learn more about feeders and create art at the craft tables. Massachusetts Route 2 acts as a southern border of Follen Hill and an artery connecting the neighborhood to Cambridge, about 8 miles away, and Boston, about 5 miles farther. Thus, Stratford says Follen Hill has been known to attract a lot of academics and medical professionals who work in these two busier areas. The closest commuter rail stations are about 4 miles away for those looking for public transportation into bigger cities. For air travel, Boston Logan International Airport is about 14 miles away via Interstate 93 or Route 2.

As one of Lexington’s original suburbs, Munroe Hill has been a feather in its cap, a jewel in its crown, and at the center of everything the town has to offer. The neighborhood consists of a handful of rolling 40 to 60-foot-high hills between Massachusetts Avenue and Marrett Street, which are home to a number of housing options, historic landmarks and acres of nature reservations. Just a short distance to the west lies Lexington’s town center, which is home to many shopping and dining options as well as nationally ranked schools. “It is one of the more desirable areas in Lexington,” says Robert Cohen, a sales associate with Coldwell Banker who has lived in Lexington for his whole life and has been working in real estate since 1986. “There is a sense of exclusivity in the area with larger old homes and the town center right there.” Munroe Hill initially attracted wealthy Bostonians who built five, six, and even seven-bedroom Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, and Shingle-style houses that served as their families' summer retreats. “There are lots of very old and very big homes in Munroe Hill, not a whole lot of new ones,” Cohen says. Today, these houses, and a handful of Cape Cods from the 1930s and mid-century modern homes from the 1960s and 1970s, sit atop sprawling lots with plenty of space for sizable driveways and garages. Prices in the neighborhood match its storied history, as “not one house in Lexington costing less than $1 million,” Cohen says. Homes commonly range from around $1 million to $4 million. Students on the east side of Beacon Street attend Bowman Elementary School, while those on the west side attend Bridge Elementary School. Both schools receive an A-plus rating from Niche.com, as do Jonas Clarke Middle School and Lexington High School – where they will finish their academic careers. The entire district gets high marks, and Niche has named it the No. 9 public school district in Massachusetts out of 220 systems. The high school alone is nationally ranked in public schools for college prep. “That is even competing against private schools,” Cohen says. Munroe Hill's narrow, winding, sidewalk-lined streets follow the neighborhood's terrain towards several parks, like the 51-acre Upper Vine Brook-Cotton Farm Conservation Area's wetlands. This park also features a quarter-mile trail that crosses Marrett Road before it leads into the 170-acre Dunback Meadow Conservation Area. Here, a community garden and a wet meadow make up one of the region's most popular birding sites. Cohen says that around 14% of Lexington consists of conservation areas owned by the town. Olympic-sized amenities can be found at the J.W. Hayden Recreation Centre, a privately owned facility only available to Lexington residents with a pool, ice skating rink, track, playset and so much more. “It is all a well-maintained state-of-the-art facility,” Cohen says. “And it has very reasonable fees.” “There are no chains allowed in Lexington; all the restaurants are locally owned,” Cohen says. While the neighborhood is primarily residential, options are only a short walk or drive away and include Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and Indian cuisine. One popular spot in the town center is Mario's Italian Restaurant, known for its lasagna with sausage. Residents can also stop by Via Lago, which starts the day as a café and deli and switches to linen tablecloths and candlelit dinners after 5 p.m. Grocery shopping options include the Stop & Shop, less than 2 miles away. Munroe Hill offers several ways for residents to get around town. With the town center so close, many opt to walk to dining and shopping options or take the small bus system known as Lexpress to get to other neighborhoods. When it comes to commuting, “the area is a true suburb; you need a car to get to Boston,” Cohen says. With major roads like State Route 2 and Interstate 95 nearby, the 13-mile trip to Boston takes about 30 minutes. Boston Logan International Airport is 14.5 miles to the east, and Beth Israel Lahey Health Primary Care is less than 2 miles away. The town of Lexington has many events throughout the year, and one of the most significant is Patriot’s Day. Each April, families and history buffs can watch the redcoats flee the Colonial Militia in a reenactment of the Battle of Tower Park. There is also a parade through the town center and a rousing speech and musical performance at dawn to honor those who fought in 1775. The patriotism continues with the two-day 4th of July Celebration, from the Carnival bursting with color and sound on the third to the dramatic presentation and fireworks show on the fourth. Residents can also head to Depot Square Chamber of Commerce Summer Concerts every Friday night in July and August.

With its big, shady trees and rustic houses that could easily be classified as New England architectural marvels, Woodhaven is a suburban neighborhood masquerading as a woodsy getaway. In this community of contemporary colonials and gambrel Cape Cods, it’s the trees that create the feeling of a forest. Red oaks, pine trees and maples separate the houses from one another and keep the sun at bay, creating a relaxed, shaded neighborhood that feels like it’s under a cloak of protection. Woodhaven offers privacy, beautiful homes, tons of outdoor recreation, a great community, and access to Lexington’s well-regarded public school system. The neighborhood is right next to I-95 and Route 2, two major thoroughfares that are important to commuters. It’s rare to find all of that in one place, and potential buyers know it – which explains the high home prices you can find across the city. "It's a perfect storm of millennials coming into their peak homebuying years, and an equal number of boomers not moving out of their larger homes,” says Jane Neilson, licensed real estate salesperson with Douglas Elliman Real Estate and a native of Lexington. “There's not enough new housing stock for people old enough to buy now and interested in having a yard for their dog and/or their kids." It’s hard to find something for under $1 million in Woodhaven. Cape Cod-style houses with cathedral master bedrooms can sell for $1.5 million here, colonials with colorful doors on less than half an acre go for about $1.6 million and big, 5,000-square-foot contemporary colonials built less than a decade ago are priced around $2.7 million. Even 1,600-square-foot Cape Cods built in the 1930s sell for $985,000 here. As its name suggests, Woodhaven is a nature lover’s paradise. Residents enjoy exploring Idylwilde, a 9.5-acre conservation area that was a farm for 300 years, and swimming or skating at The Old Reservoir, depending on the season. A hike along one of the trails at Hayden Woods, passing by an old field center, an abandoned rifle range and stone walls, is another popular local activity. Hayden Woods also features one of the town’s oldest streets, Old Shade Street, which was laid out in 1660 and used to be part of a Native American path. Area youngsters attend Lexington Public Schools, a district of about 6,700 students that Niche rates an A-plus. Woodhaven students attend Bridge Elementary, Clarke Middle, and Lexington High School, all earning a top A-plus rating, with Lexington High considered by Niche to be the No. 2 best public high school in Massachusetts. For a bite to eat, Woodhaven residents can enjoy an Indian pizza or classic dish like tikka masala at nearby Spirit of India, or head over to Massachusetts Avenue for some tasty New England-inspired fare, like lamb Yankee pot roast, at the Inn at Hastings Park's Town Meeting Bistro. Plus, weekly grocery runs are easy with a Shop & Stop and the year-round Lexington Farmers Market located only a couple of miles from Woodhaven. Woodhaven’s proximity to I-95 and Route 2 makes it a great spot for commuters. Lexington residents can take the bus to Cambridge’s Alewife station and hop on the Red Line to Boston, or they can get in the car to commute 20 miles into the city. Even if their daytime life is busy and urban, neighbors will be cloaked in security once they return home at day’s end to this shaded enclave.