Greater Boston's 12 top spots to live

By Elizabeth Gehrman, the Globe Magazine

Many factors go into deciding where to live – schools, proximity to public transportation, green space – but the recession has moved one component to the top of the list for many people: stability of real estate values. That’s why this year’s Globe Magazine’s Top Spots to Live are all places that didn’t fare too badly or even gained value during the economic downturn.

The Warren Group, a Boston-based real estate tracking firm, provided us with the following median prices for 2005 and 2009 (2005 was considered the market peak in Massachusetts; since then, the median single-family home price has shrunk by 20 percent statewide). Here are our 12 picks.

(Photograph by Bruce T. Martin)
By Elizabeth Gehrman, the Globe Magazine Many factors go into deciding where to live – schools, proximity to public transportation, green space – but the recession has moved one component to the top of the list for many people: stability of real estate values. That’s why this year’s Globe Magazine’s Top Spots to Live are all places that didn’t fare too badly or even gained value during the economic downturn. The Warren Group, a Boston-based real estate tracking firm, provided us with the following median prices for 2005 and 2009 (2005 was considered the market peak in Massachusetts; since then, the median single-family home price has shrunk by 20 percent statewide). Here are our 12 picks.