Explore Cities and Towns near Boston
Massachusetts boasts many interesting cities and towns near Boston – and Apartment Rental Experts knows all of them, because this area is our home. If you’re not sure which one is right for you, peruse seven of our favorites below and click to browse on available apartments for rent. We are the local expert, ready to advise you on these cities, towns and any others that interest you. Just call and ask. Take the easy way home.
Arlington
Arlington has the rare distinction of being urban and suburban, hip and homey, and appealing to both families and singles. Apartment buildings and double-deckers sit down the street from neighborhoods of single-family homes. The town center is a haven for foodies. The Minuteman bike path takes bikers and joggers into Cambridge in one direction and out to Lexington and points northwest in the other. The town has beautiful parks, two with ponds and another with a stunning view of downtown. There are regular buses into Cambridge, and the Alewife Red Line MBTA station is just across the border in North Cambridge.
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Belmont
Belmont is a beautiful, tree-lined community, right off Route 2, accessible by commuter rail, and just a few minutes from Harvard Square via bus or car. It’s a family-friendly town, “dry,” so there are no bars or liquor stores, though you are allowed to bring your own wine and beer into the excellent restaurants. There are three active commercial districts, which include sandwich shops, bakeries, candy stores, clothing and jewelry stores, a bike shop and a second-run theater. Two-family houses and small apartment buildings mix with single-family homes. Belmont is one of the area’s nicest “in-town” suburbs, with excellent public schools, and it shares some of Watertown’s convenient access to other areas, being just one suburb west.
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Cambridge
Cambridge is a happening place. Home to Harvard and MIT, it is noted for intellectual vitality and technological innovation as well as for great entertainment. There may be more restaurants per square mile here than anywhere outside of downtown, from affordable ethnic eateries to some of the finest dining experiences in the region. Pubs and music clubs abound, and there are movie and live theaters, interesting shops and many bookstores. Transportation couldn’t be easier. The Red Line runs from one end of Cambridge to the other – literally – and into downtown Boston as well. The verdant banks of the Charles River draw runners, bikers, dog walkers, sunbathers and strollers.
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Malden
Malden was ranked as the "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in Massachusetts by Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine in 2009.
Malden Apartments for Rent
Medford
Medford is a bargain-hunter’s dream, providing one of Boston’s best values for quality-of-life and convenient access. It’s a family-friendly town, but also has plenty of apartments for singles. Middlesex Fells Reservation is like a piece of the countryside in the middle of the city, with excellent terrain for hiking and mountain biking. The town’s restaurants are varied and unpretentious. Medford is directly adjacent to I-93, and offers good bus service, including a 15-minute express bus to downtown Boston.
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Somerville
One of the liveliest areas in the region, Somerville is a densely populated, blue collar, urban suburb of Boston that has morphed into a hotbed of great eating and clubbing—and has somehow managed to maintain the community feel that drew people to it initially. Students from Tufts and Harvard frequent the area, which is socially and ethnically mixed and offers both funky stores and fine shopping. Somerville is well-served by public transportation, having both Red Line and Orange Line stops. The town also borders I-93, for easy access to downtown.
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Watertown
Watertown residents like to say that it’s easy to get anywhere in the Metro area from their town. For those willing to bike or bus, it’s an affordable alternative. It’s a pleasant place to live, with quiet streets and well-maintained two-family homes and apartment buildings. Buses go express to Downtown and Back Bay and frequently to Harvard and Central Squares. Via car, Watertown is five minutes from the Mass Pike (I-90) and Storrow Drive and ten minutes from Route 128 (I-95), Route 2 and downtown. Watertown offers the Arsenal Center for the Arts, with its plays, concerts and art classes. The town also has a variety of restaurants, in-town outlet shopping and a river walk on the Charles.
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