Once part of Roxbury and annexed by Boston in 1874, West Roxbury is now a Boston suburb. Post-war ranch houses line the streets along with high-end grocery stores and Italian steakhouses. This neighborhood has recently become a top choice for families precisely because of the beautiful homes in a comfortable, friendly community with easy commutes into Boston for work. With a lower cost of living than in downtown areas, West Roxbury has created a rare combination of affordability within a city-suburb.
Like other Boston suburbs, the West Roxbury community is a blend of young families and long-term residents with deep ties to the area. Young residents are drawn here for its proximity to the city and its room for potential family-expansion. Older residents came before the Boston real estate boom and appreciate the single-family homes with small yards and friendly neighbors.
Only a 30-minute commute from all the city’s action, West Roxbury’s real estate does not yet reflect its proximity and convenience of city life. The oversight is well-taken by long-term residents that have snagged great deals on condos of similar quality to the more expensive ones you can find downtown. On top of the prices, residents also appreciate West Roxbury for its quality neighborhood hangout spots. A major one being Centre Street, West Roxbury’s main thoroughfare, which includes bakeries, major grocery stores, a burrito joint or two, and numerous coffee shops – what more could you need?
Unique Aspect
Brook Farm and Millennium Park are two West Roxbury attractions that give it a unique appeal, holding years of histories and stories. Brook Farm was once home to an experimental Utopian community where Transcendentalists such as Nathanial Hawthorne tried to create communal, self-supporting farms free of “wage slavery.” The 179-acre space is a National Historic Site with a lone farmhouse left standing known as the “print shop.” This building was owned by the Lutheran Church, which operated Martin Luther Orphan’s Home on the property until the mid-1900s. The other greenery, Millennium Park, sits on a former landfill site, excavated from the Big Dig. Used to cover West Roxbury’s Gardner Street Landfill, the area is now open to all as a public park containing walking trails, playgrounds, and a canoe launch along the Charles River. The two parks give residents access to seemingly endless acres of green space for walking, playing games, or picnicking. This expansive open green space, connected to the city, differentiates West Roxbury from any other Boston Suburb.