Newton, Massachusetts
13 Villages a Few Miles from Boston

Newton, Massachusetts is an extremely desirable place to live - excellent schools, beautiful houses, tree-lined streets, dog-friendly parks, public tennis courts, country clubs, easy access to Boston, Cambridge, Brookline and the surrounding areas, plenty of shopping in and around Chestnut Hill, fine dining, diners, ice cream shops, sports bars, and much more.

Approximately seven miles west of Boston, Newton consists of 13 villages or neighborhoods. It borders Waltham and Watertown to the north, Needham and West Roxbury (part of Boston) to the south, Wellesley and Weston to the west, and Brookline and Brighton (also part of Boston) to the east.

An affluent community, Newton is a sprawling city divided into two parts for its two high schools, Newton North and Newton South. Based on Newton’s high school zoning map, Commonwealth Avenue serves as the city’s unofficial dividing line. Comm Ave as it is commonly called, is a long, main street that runs from Arlington Street in Boston at the foot of The Boston Public Garden all the way through Allston, Brighton, Chestnut Hill, and Newton. Comm Ave becomes Route 30 in Newton before it ends at the River Road and South Avenue merge at Route 95. A portion of Commonwealth Avenue which is steep and located at the 20 mile mark of the Boston Marathon, is called Heartbreak Hill, a point in the race where many runners succumb to the rigor of the oldest marathon in existence. There is a carriage lane on Comm Ave at Chestnut Hill and Boston College right by the first stop of the MBTA B-Line that extends for approximately four miles through Newton. The carriage lane is an excellent place to run, walk or bike. Cars are allowed in the carriage lane, but in general the carriage lane is friendly to pedestrians.

The Charles River, Route 9, Massachusetts Turnpike (route 90), and Beacon Street all run through Newton, which operates 15 elementary schools, four middle schools, the two high schools mentioned above, and has seven private schools and three universities in the area as well. Students in elementary school go from Kindergarten-5th grade; middle school is 6th-8th grade; and high school is 9th-12th grade. As of October, 2019, 12,611 students were enrolled in Newton Public Schools.

Neighborhoods in Newton vary quite a bit. The hub of the city is Newton Centre where Beacon Street and Centre Street intersect. There are plenty of places to eat and shop in Newton Centre including mainstays like Johnny’s Luncheonette, Rosenfeld’s Bagels, Union Street, and Bill’s Pizzeria to name a few. Newcomers like Salt Patisserie are worth mentioning too. In addition, the MBTA’s Green-Line D Subway stops at Newton Centre, making it a very desirable part of Newton for anyone who wants a more urban-suburban feel and to be able to take public transportation into Boston. The D-Line stop at Longwood is particularly convenient for people who work in the Longwood Medical Area. If that’s not enough, Newton Centre is also where Crystal Lake is located. Crystal Lake is a popular place for families to swim during the summer.

The first D-Line stop in Newton outbound from Boston is Chestnut Hill, a short walk to The Street and Chestnut Hill Mall. Chestnut Hill is a village partly located in Newton. The real estate off of Hammond Street between Middlesex Road and Beacon Street consists of some of the area’s most prestigious homes. These single family houses are close to Boston College, Brimmer & May, The Chestnut Hill School, and Beaver Country Day School.

Newton Highlands and Waban are two of the other seven stops in Newton along the D-Line, and each neighborhood has its own area of restaurants and shopping for residents to enjoy. These areas have a number of beautiful side streets, with lovely single family homes, and are close to Whole Foods and Wallgreens on the corners of Beacon and Walnut Street. Newton Highlands is the closer of the two neighborhoods to Newton Centre. It is situated right off of Route 9 and the robust commercial activity that exists on Needham Street. Homeowners can find everything they need between the center of Newton Highlands and the stores on Needham Street, which is also less than a 5 minute ride from most of Oak Hill.

To the south in the Oak Hill neighborhood is Newton South High School. Some 1,850 students attend Newton South High School which also has students from Newton Highlands, Newton Lower Falls, Newton Upper Falls, Thompsonville and parts of Waban. By contrast Newton North High School is a bit larger with just over 2,000 students. It’s also worth noting that Newton contains a few buffer zones, meaning a residence that may be assigned to multiple schools. This allows the district flexibility in balancing class and school sizes.

Oak Hill is a pretty neighborhood off of Route 9 that borders Brookline and West Roxbury. It has a number of beautiful homes with a good amount of land and has a more suburban feel to it. The very popular Jewish Community Center (JCC) is in Oak Hill on Nahanton Street, not far from Needham.

The Thompsonville neighborhood is located on both sides of Route 9. The North side is walking distance to Newton Centre, while the South is closer to Newton South High School and Wegmans in Chestnut Hill. There is a crosswalk on Route 9 at Langley Street for people that walk and want to get from one side to the other.

Newton Upper Falls is partially located along the south side of Route 9 and offers fast access to Route 128 and an abundance of shopping on Needham Street by neighboring Needham. And just across Route 9 is the center of Newton Highlands where there’s ample commercial activity within 5 minutes by car. Parts of Newton Upper Falls are also quite close to the D-Line’s Eliot Street station, which is one stop away from Newton Centre.

Going inbound to Boston, the second stop on the D-Line is Woodland, a roughly 5 minute walk to Newton-Wellesley Hospital, which is located in Newton Lower Falls, close to Waban, and right off of Route 128 (a.k.a. Route 95). The Charles River runs along three sides of Newton Lower Falls which borders Wellesley and Weston. Newton Lower Falls is a small neighborhood with a rich history. Most of the commercial activity in Newton Lower Falls occurs in Wellesley.

West Newton is where Brae Burn Country Club (golf course) is located. The neighborhood borders Waltham to the North. It’s perhaps most well known for its historic movie theatre, West Newton Cinema. Roughly one mile from the Woodland T-Stop, West Newton is home to a number of restaurants and shops. With a population of roughly 14,000, it’s one of Newton’s larger neighborhoods, and offers residents on-ramp access to the Mass Pike for a quick commute to Boston and Cambridge. Incidentally, residents of Newton Corner also enjoy easy access on and off the Mass Pike.

The first D-Line starts at the Riverside stop in the Auburndale neighborhood. Auburndale is home to Lasell University and the Woodland Golf Club, and is also close to Newton Wellesley Hospital. Comm Ave. runs through the middle of Auburndale, which borders West Newton. It's one of the three stops (the first or last depending on the direction you’re going) that the Framingham/Worcester Line Commuter Rail makes in Newton en route to Boston or Worcester. The other two stops are in West Newton and Newtonville.

Newtonville, the site of Newton North High School, is a primarily residential neighborhood featuring some of the area’s most architecturally beautiful homes. The Mass Pike cuts through a portion of Newtonville, which also runs along a section of Washington Street, host to a number of local businesses. Newtonville is also where Cabot Elementary School is. Cabot is one of the largest elementary schools in Newton.

At the upper end of Newton’s north are Nonatum and Newton Corner. The Charles River runs along parts of Nonantum, which borders Watertown and West Newton, and is a densely populated part of the city. Some residents in Nonantum and Newton Corner enjoy easy access to Nonantum Road, a nice place to walk, run or bike along the Charles River.

Perhaps no neighborhood in Newton is more centrally located than Newton Corner. It’s a quick drive to the many businesses on Washington Street, close to Brighton Center and the Oak Street Y, the Mass Pike, Chestnut Hill, Newton Centre, more businesses on Walnut Street, the Cabot School, and Newton North High School. Many of the homes on Waverly Avenue and the side streets off of it are of the showpiece variety.

People tend to love Newton because it offers a vast amount of commercial activity, suburban feel, and proximity to Boston and Cambridge.