Woburn

Woburn's public library was designed by the same architect who designed Trinity Church in Boston. (TRAVIS DOVE FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/File 2008)

Median home price: Singlefamily, $338,750; condominiums, $279,000
Residential tax rate: $9.18
Average tax bill :$3,401
Choice location: The 1790 House, also known as the Joseph Bartlett House or the Bartlett-Wheeler House, served as a private boys school in the 19th century operated by Hall Jackson Kelley, who became an advocate for US expansion into the Pacific Northwest after reading the newly published "Journals of Lewis and Clark" with his students in 1815.
Cocktail party nugget: The city's library is the first public library designed by noted architect Henry Hobson Richardson.
Sources: Warren Group, Massachusetts Department of Revenue, City of Woburn

THE GOODS Woburn is undoubtedly best known for a high-profile pollution case involving contaminated drinking water, profiled in the book and movie "A Civil Action." Woburn has tried to overcome this legacy with a series of redevelopments of industrial sites into retail or mixed-use destinations, and decent schools, many of which are due to be rebuilt. A bustling downtown area boasts ethnic offerings, including Thai, sushi, and Brazilian restaurants, while a commercial district around Interstate 95 is anchored by a shopping mall, chain restaurants, hotels, and the Anderson Regional Transportation Center. Commuter rail service and easy access to both I-95 and I-93 limit commute times to Boston. And it's even more convenient for workers on the high-tech belt. Office parks on the city's outskirts, as well as light manufacturing, help anchor Woburn's tax base. Much of the housing is younger.

PROS The city offers a mix of affordably priced homes, ranging from the stately to larger houses that have been converted into condominiums. There is also a fair amount of new construction with the roomy space sought by growing families, but at prices lower than those found in neighboring suburbs. Apartments are plentiful for a suburban locale.

CONS Some of the housing stock, particularly in central areas, looks rundown or worn at the edges, and the older multifamily apartments show signs of absentee landlords.

DAVE COPELAND