If you're considering a home in Back Bay Boston, you no doubt realize that this is Boston's most affluent neighborhood. With a median income of $89,879 and average household net worth of $780,722, it's no surprise that 86% of residents have completed their Bachelor's or graduate degree. From Charlesgate East in the west to the Charles River in the north, the Massachusetts Turnpike to the south, and Arlington Street in the east, this upscale neighborhood is home to over 27,000 Bostonians. A more perfect combination of history, architecture, shopping, and access to just about anything a person or family could wish for cannot be found.
Literally. Development of Boston's Back Bay was strongly influenced by 19th-century designs for the renovation of Paris, including broad, parallel streets lined with trees. The walkability score for Back Bay Boston is an 81, and it has been named both the #1 livable neighborhood in Boston and #4 in the entire state. The area is known for its beautifully renovated brownstones that are some of the finest examples of this type of architecture in the country, most having been built before 1939. Some streets feature row houses with beautifully landscaped brick walks running between. The glorious centerpiece of the neighborhood is the 2.4 acre Copley Square, which includes a beautiful green space and fountain and is always the center of any day. Activities include live concerts and street musicians, ethnic festivals, and a weekly Farmer's Market during the summer. Back Bay Boston is not the most racially diverse neighborhood; approximately 73% of residents are white, 8% are black, and 15% are Asian/Pacific Islander with only 16.9% of residents being foreign born. However, with so much activity and easy access for students, it can sometimes seem like all the world meets in Copley Square. Interested in a bit more walking? Try the 32-acre mall that is Commonwealth Avenue, just two blocks north of the square. A summer day will provide you shaded benches and marble or granite statues. Winter may lure students out for a snowball fight. Spring blooms flowering trees, and fall brings the color of autumn in New England. Regardless of the season, you'll find the streets filled with students, office workers, and people from out of town enjoying the spirit of Back Bay Boston. Somehow the order of the streets combined with the varied activity and beautiful buildings to create an atmosphere that is both peaceful and energized. Walking a bit further brings you to the Charles River Esplanade, home of the Hatch Shell and the Boston Pops in summer, and walking/biking trails that are used year round. All of this within a mile at most makes this neighborhood a truly walkable and engaged place to live. And when you're tired of walking, you'll find public transportation available via bus, commuter rail, taxi, and subway. It's no wonder that more than 60% of residents in this neighborhood walk, bike, or use public transportation to get to work. In fact, 88% of residents in Back Bay are married, and of those, 95% of married couples both work outside of the home.
Newbury Street is now considered an upscale shopping area, but, as with anything that's been around as long as this high-end shopping mecca has, it has its share of history. Home of the original Newbury Comics, Newbury Street was known as Yuppieville in the 80s, morphed into "the destination" for French EuroTrash style and fashion in the 90s, and combines kitsch, class, and fashion today that brings people from around the world to shop. If you lived here, you could explore every inch at your leisure. You'd also discover that in and among the high-end stores, there are over a dozen exclusive art galleries, an equal number of salons and spas, ice cream shops, coffee and tea shops, and dozens of restaurants serving foods for any craving. A sunny afternoon brings families with children out to enjoy a walk (88% of residents here are married, with close to 20% having children), formally dressed men and women out to dinner before a concert, or students out to grab an inexpensive but excellent cup of coffee and a sandwich before rushing off to their next class. If you love shopping or even window shopping, Newbury Street and the shops of Copley Place and the Prudential Center (the Pru for locals) provide the full range of experiences you're seeking. You'd quickly understand why people consider Back Bay Boston the place where it's impossible not to spend money!
Every city has its landmarks, but how many feature landmarks and history from their head to their toes? Back Bay Boston is known for so many sights, buildings, parks, and statues that its famous "duck boats" spend a good hour or so just ambling around the narrow streets pointing out block after block of history. Locals quack back at the boats when they're stopped at a light. The 24-acre Boston Public Garden is one landmark not to be missed. From Swan Boats paddling children, families, and lovers slowly around a picturesque pond to the "Make Way for Ducklings" statues and the Frog Pond, frozen in winter for skating, the Boston Public Garden is the park everyone wishes for right in the heart of a city. Copley Square also has additional treasures, including Trinity Church, and the Boston Public Library's hidden courtyard and fountain are jewels in their own rights. Famous arts-related landmarks include the area's Berklee College of Music, the New England Conservatory, and Symphony Hall. Living in a neighborhood like Back Bay Boston provides opportunities for everyone. In spite of being in the heart of the city, families enjoy a rare closeness, and friends can gather at a corner coffee shop or stop in for drinks after work at a neighborhood bar and know that they're never far from home. The median age of residents in the area is a relatively young 37, with most working in the business and finance industries. Their children enjoy gated playgrounds for safe play with friends. Streets are tree lined and peaceful in spite of their proximity to the bustle of Boylston Street and Commonwealth Avenue. If you're a runner, a boater, or like to throw a Frisbee with your dog, head to the Charles River Esplanade, part of Boston's "Emerald Necklace" park plan, with over 6 miles of walking and biking paths. Back Bay Boston combines the closeness of a small town with the bustle of a major city and brings it all to your doorstep. Who wouldn't want to call a neighborhood like that home?
