Known as the Garden City for its many parks and greenspaces, Newton is approximately 7 miles west of downtown Boston. A population of 89,000 makes Newton the eleventh largest city in the state. But because Newton is comprised of 13 “villages”, each with its own distinct character and downtown areas, it feels more like a group of smaller towns.
To do a deep dive on the individual villages, click the link below:
Newton Villages
You’ll notice that there are 14 villages listed. That is because some do not consider Thompsonville its own village since it has no center and is in the Newton Center zip code. But more likely because others lump Oak Hill and Oak Hill Park together. In my opinion, they came to be about 100 years apart and are not similar in feel and amenities, so I treat them separately.
We do have a passion for the history of Newton, but rather than go on about that here, we direct you to our website dedicated to that topic.
Newton MA History
Newton is a vibrant city of 89,000 that feels more like a suburb of Boston because of it’s being comprised of 13 villages. Also, because it came to transition from farmland to a residential community slowly over the 18th and 19th century which resulted in more larger, single-family homes on larger lots being built. The train routes maturing in the late 1800s enabled wealthy Boston business men to build their homes in Newton.
The exceptions are Lower Falls, Upper Falls, Nonantum, and Oak Hill Park.
Lower Falls, Upper Falls and Nonantum came to be populated earlier than other villages as their proximity to water led them to be developed very early on as, in essence, small mill towns. As a result, much of the housing was built for mill workers. So these villages have more multi-family homes that were built closer together and inhabited by immigrant families. The upside of this is that these villages have more of a tight knit community of decedents of those immigrants who have fond memories of growing up in their village of Newton.
The story of Oak Hill Park is similar but, at the same time, different. This village was built in the model of a Levittown – built from scratch in 1948 for veterans returning from WWII. So not and early mill town, but still a tight-knit community of families that grew up there. All the original owners have passed, but their children still stay connected via a Facebook group and have fond memories of their childhood there. Some of those second generation still live there. But the fact that those original homes were built to be small, cheap starter homes means that now, for the most part, the land they sit on is more valuable than the home itself. So those homes are being scooped up by builders who are knocking them down and replacing them with large luxury homes. A best guess would be that about half the homes are now new construction. It is just a matter of time before the rest of the dominos fall.
Why live in Newton? It is a beautiful city of grand homes and great village centers, good schools and great commuter access in all directions. It is also routinely ranked one of the safest cities in the U.S.
Links to More Information on Newton
Newton History on the City’s Website
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