Greater Boston's 12 top spots to live

By Elizabeth Gehrman, the Globe Magazine

6. Lynnfield

“Lynnfield is a very picturesque New England town,” says Richard Tisei, a broker and owner of Northrup Associates Realtors in Lynnfield (as well as a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor). “But location is what makes it stand out.” With great MCAS scores and access to main roads and numbered highways - 1, 93, 95, 114, and 128 - Lynnfield is typically the next rung on the ladder of homeownership for buyers from Revere, Everett, Malden, and other communities closer to Boston.

Though there is a town common with a 1700s meetinghouse, and antique homes and farmhouses are scattered about, most of the properties are newer, thanks in part to a building boom that started in the late 1950s and continued through the '70s. A lot of subdivisions were created and filled with Capes, Colonials, and ranches. In recent years, higher-priced housing has been built, so single-family prices now start in the $300,000 range and go up to about $2 million.

(Photograph by Bruce T. Martin)
By Elizabeth Gehrman, the Globe Magazine 6. Lynnfield Search Find homes in Lynnfield More community info “Lynnfield is a very picturesque New England town,” says Richard Tisei, a broker and owner of Northrup Associates Realtors in Lynnfield (as well as a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor). “But location is what makes it stand out.” With great MCAS scores and access to main roads and numbered highways - 1, 93, 95, 114, and 128 - Lynnfield is typically the next rung on the ladder of homeownership for buyers from Revere, Everett, Malden, and other communities closer to Boston. Though there is a town common with a 1700s meetinghouse, and antique homes and farmhouses are scattered about, most of the properties are newer, thanks in part to a building boom that started in the late 1950s and continued through the '70s. A lot of subdivisions were created and filled with Capes, Colonials, and ranches. In recent years, higher-priced housing has been built, so single-family prices now start in the $300,000 range and go up to about $2 million.