COGnitions

24 February
2020
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Ever wonder where you might fit best in Boston’s 23 sub-neighborhoods? | By Jeff Hamilton

We know that honing in on a new home is a lot of work, particularly for those who are not as familiar with the varying and evolving characteristics of core Boston neighborhood. As we’ve worked with buyer clients over the years, we’ve searched for ways to break the city down into bite-sized chunks. The result is a discernibly dissected version of the core of the city that breaks into 23 much more digestible sub-neighborhoods. Once we had the boundaries of these 23 areas, we took the time to assign unique characteristics to each one. From there, we built a Boston neighborhood “personality” quiz that solicits each buyers’ preferences while letting a behind the scenes algorithm spit out a customized result for every homebuyer. No matter what set of traits are important to you, we suspect you’ll find one (or more) of our 23 sub-neighborhoods could work for you.

From pure luxury locales to the more emergent corners of the city; from concentrated skyscrapers to rows of walk-up brownstones; and from waterfront wonders to boutique and quieter side streets, this fun quiz will help you frame your desires and then give you an actionable area to start perusing.

So, give it a shot! Answer the questions that follow and be sure to let us know your results. We can chat with you about each of these locations in much more depth to help you zero in on your own dream home!

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The Sub-neighborhood Break Down:

Back Bay

Prudential, Copley, Lower Back Bay, Upper Back Bay, St. Botolph

Beacon Hill

Front Slope, Flat of the Hill, Louisburg Square, North Slope

Midtown

Downtown Crossing, Theater District, Financial District

South End

Pilot Block, Eight Streets, Golden Triangle, Claremont, South End South, Ink Block, Bay Village, SoWa, Chester Square, Franklin/Blackstone Sq, Southwest Corridor Annex,
Worcester Square Area

Seaport

 

2018 Sub-neighborhood Data Overview

Last year in the $2M+ market, Back Bay continued its stranglehold on the top spot in Boston’s luxury living. For decades, even generations, Back Bay has been the undisputed prize in luxury living in Boston. However, the “field” is gaining on Back Bay. Among newer contenders, the Seaport ended 2018 as the priciest larger neighborhood to call home in Boston with an average price per foot of over $1,800. The Prudential area, part of  Back Bay, was the highest priced sub-neighborhood in per square foot pricing with a $2000.99 average. 

Though not on the level of Back Bay or the Seaport, the South End performed well too. Average pricing in this neighborhood topped $1,200 per square foot for the first time in 2018. With 105 transactions over $2M, there is a rapidly growing attraction for luxury shoppers in the South End that will not fade soon. Similarly, Beacon Hill had a good year adding 42 sales over $2M and an average price per square foot of $1,427 in 2018. 

Finally, Midtown, which includes the Downtown Crossing area, had an inevitable abatement in 2018 following two years of surging activity after the opening of Boston’s largest luxury building, Millennium Tower. There were 38 sales in this area over $2M with an average price per foot of $1,590.