ARLINGTON - Living here means you get a little bit of everything.
Arlington "has a unique blend of suburban and urban feel to it," said Town Manager Brian F. Sullivan. "It's got a kind of cosmopolitan feel and yet, at the same time, a small town feel."
Located just six miles from Boston, commuters have options, including using the Minuteman Bike Trail, which bisects the town, to connect with public transit at the Red Line's Alewife station just over the border in Cambridge. The MBTA provides bus service throughout town.
He said the town has held its value in today's turbulent real estate market, in part, because of what he called "good, strong school system." Arlington has upgraded most of its schools in recent years.
Sullivan said 94 percent of the town is residential, meaning significant tax relief won't be coming from an expanded commercial base, which is centered along Massachusetts Avenue. "The town has pretty much built out already," he said. That's the whole commercial sector, Mass. Ave."
Once known as the village of Menotomy, the town was incorporated in 1807. The town nurtures its past, which includes the bloodiest battle of the first day of the American Revolution in 1775. The most recent listing of historically significant properties tallied by the town historic commission runs 28 pages.
On a recent week, Realtor.com listed 32 single-family homes, ranging from $315,000 for a two-bed, one-bath, 948-square-foot home to $1.3 million for a four-bed, 2.5-bath, 4,170-square-foot home. Median price of a single-family home through November was $465,000, according to Warren Group, which publishes real estate information.
JOHN ELLEMENT
