In the last few years this suburban town in the MetroWest region has been rated as one of most livable and family friendly communities in Massachusetts. One of many good things going for Wayland is the amount of natural space all around...
At the mouth of the Jones River and right next to Plymouth, Kingston is a seaside town known historically for its shipbuilding industry. Those shipyards were based along the riverbanks and flourished from the late 18th century to the...
Facing Nantucket Sound on the Lower Cape, Harwich has all the ingredients of a dream Cape Cod getaway. The town has immaculate public beaches, rail trails, bucolic countryside, and Harwich Port, where much of the nightlife, culture...
In Norfolk County, about halfway between Boston and Providence, Medway is a peaceful commuter town of just over 13,000. Medway’s southern boundary is formed by the Charles River, which was a source of water power for textile and...
First settled by Huguenots at the end of the 17th century, Oxford is a town of just over 13,000 on the French River. Something unusual about Oxford’s landscape is that much of the town’s area belongs to the United States Army Corps...
A wealthy suburb on the North Shore, Lynnfield is 14 miles north of Boston, and is known for an upscale outdoor shopping center. MarketStreet Lynnfield has upwards of 80 stores, restaurants for all palates, and in the winter has a...
First settled by Europeans in the 1730s, Charlton is a small town near the transition between Central and Western Massachusetts. This land was originally part of neighboring Oxford, and has a couple of wonderfully preserved historic...
In the MetroWest region, the town of Medfield is roughly equidistant to Boston, Providence and Worcester, which can all be reached in about 45 minutes. The town was first settled by Europeans in the 1640s, and on Main Street there’s...
One of the oldest towns in Massachusetts, Rehoboth was founded in 1643 as part of the Plymouth Colony. The defining events in the final days of King Philip’s War played out in Rehoboth in the 1670s, and at Anwan Rock you can see...
In the Hoosic River valley, surrounded by mountains, the smallest city in Massachusetts grew up as a manufacturing base for the region in the 18th and 19th century. Over time North Adams has reinvented itself as a crackling furnace...
This rural city of 12,500 is on the eastern edge of the Pioneer Valley, where the Quaboag and Ware rivers meet to form the Chicopee River. In its past, Palmer was known as the Town of Seven Railroads, and although active lines run...
On both banks of the Merrimack River, Tyngsborough is a town by the MA/NH border and is recognized by its green-painted through-arch bridge. Dating back to the 1930s and set next to the old center of town, this is the only crossing...
In Norfolk County, Wrentham is a town of 12,200 near the halfway point between Boston and Providence. Wrentham is an easy drive from both cities, but is also crossed by I-495 for convenient access to Cape Cod, while Gillette Stadium...
Sitting about 30 minutes south of Worcester, Dudley is a quiet town on the boundary with Connecticut. In the early 19th century this place was at the epicenter of the American Industrial Revolution as a hub for textile manufacturing. It’s...
This town a few miles west of Worcester in Central Massachusetts was permanently settled some 300 years ago, but rose to prominence as a mill town in the 19th century driven by the wire and boot-making industries. Spencer’s rolling...
The joint-oldest settlement on Cape Cod, Yarmouth was incorporated in 1640, and is steeped in maritime history. In the Golden Age of Sail, Yarmouth was the home of a long roll call of sea captains, commanding the clipper ships that...
Part of neighboring Chelmsford until in 1729, Westford is a town of 25,000 not far southwest of Lowell. Westford Academy (1794), one of the oldest public schools in the United States, was where Paul Revere sent his son, and the original...
In southeastern Massachusetts, the town of Middleborough is wrapped in lovely rural landscapes of mill brooks, cranberry bogs and the largest lakes in the state. The old center of town hasn’t changed much in more than a century,...
Incorporated as long ago as 1636, Dedham is the seat of Norfolk County, with an historic center commanded by a courthouse from 1820. In Dedham you can visit a residence known to have been built around the time the town was founded....
Incorporated in 1735, Acton is a town made up of five loosely scattered village centers. The oldest of these is Acton Centre, where the local militia company assembled before marching to the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. Responding...
Just past the halfway point between Boston and Providence, Mansfield is an affluent town of 24,000 people in Bristol County. For a community of modest size, Mansfield has a lively downtown area, with restaurants and locally-owned stores...