Here Are The 7 Most Beautiful, Charming Neighborhoods In Boston

With cobblestone streets and Federal-style homes adorned with shutters and flower boxes that cascade greenery, Beacon Hill is beautiful. Even when you look beyond Acorn Street, a strong contender for the title of "Cutest Street In the Country," these tree-shaded streets drip with history. Beacon Street has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a cow path leading to Boston Common - although you’ll still find gas streetlights here.

It’s hard to imagine that the South End was constructed on tidal marshes in the middle of the 19th century. The brick row houses here showcase a variety of architectural styles, including the biggest intact Victorian row house district in the U.S. Neighborhood attractions include alluring little eateries, SoWa Open Market, and enchanting parks.

This neighborhood is packed with attractions, shopping, and gorgeous architecture - from picturesque Newbury Street to the impressive edifices surrounding Copley Square. In terms of green spaces, residents here enjoy the beauty of the Esplanade, Back Bay Fens, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. For an urban area filled with landmarks, Back Bay has a surprisingly lush feel.

JP is a neighborhood with such an abundance of natural beauty that it’s easy to forget that residents also benefit from all the amenities of an urban setting. Explore the glorious Arnold Arboretum or Jamaica Pond before heading down Centre Street for yummy food. JP brims with funky charm, and if you like to shop local, support indie businesses, and vibrant, converted Victorian homes, this may be the spot for you.

Follow your nose through the North End’s narrow streets – it’ll lead you from restaurant to bakery to coffee shop, each one tastier than the last. While moseying along, you can’t help but notice that some scenes in Boston’s Little Italy look like they belong on a postcard. Several stops on the Freedom Trail are in the North End, which is the oldest residential area in the city. Fabulous food, history, and architecture – that’s a win, win, win!

The city of Cambridge is a Boston suburb that can be subdivided into 13 different neighborhoods. East Cambridge, MIT, Cambridgeport, Riverside, and West Cambridge abut portions of the Charles River, lending them plenty of visual appeal. West Cambridge also contains Tory Row/Brattle Street, which is lined with historic homes. With the Harvard and MIT campuses, numerous squares, and appealing green spaces such as Cambridge Common and Fresh Pond Reservation, there’s plenty to recommend in this city and its neighborhoods.

West Roxbury offers the feel of a small town with tree-lined streets, historic homes, and acres of trails. Still, it has all the conveniences you’d expect of life in a major city. West Roxbury was once the base for an attempted utopian society of Transcendentalists called Brook Farm. The experiment didn’t pan out, but West Roxbury remains an appealing – if not utopian – spot to call home.