Boston baked beans, seafood, and the Boston Red Sox – that’s what most people think of when you mention Boston (aka Beantown), Massachusetts.
Boston is not as overwhelming as larger cities like New York or Chicago, but it has all the things you’d expect in a big city – culture, museums, great restaurants, and more – while retaining a small town atmosphere.
I was born in Boston (Medford exactly), went to high school in nearby Somerville, and attended University of Massachusetts Amherst. Boston’s education opportunities attract smart citizens whose projects foster intense innovation. It was wonderful for me to meet so many people that are driven, ambitious, and filled with inspiring ideas. Boston inspires innovation and provides great resources to help make your ideas a reality. I also liked living in a city with a small-town feel. It’s a great place to visit and a better place to live and raise a family.
Low crime rates, a good public transport system, a new highway system, top hospitals, and some of the best schools around make Boston a great place to settle down. In fact, parenting Magazine voted Boston the No. 1 city in their 2012 Best Cities for Families List. The third annual report examined 36 sets of data and ranked 100 cities using nearly 4,000 pieces of data. According to parenting Magazine, “Offering urban life with a focus on education, Boston is a classically great town in which to raise a family.”
If you’re a four-season type of person, you’ll like Boston’s weather. Cold and snowy in the winter, it’s not far from major ski resorts. Those who like the warmer, summer months will enjoy the Boston Harbor Islands, a group of 34 narrow islands spread across the harbor where visitors can explore, hike or swim.
Leave the history books at home and take the kids to Boston’s Freedom trail, a 2 ½ mile trail where history comes alive — the trail passes 16 historic sites, including Revolutionary War landmarks like the Paul Revere House and the Bunker Hill Monument.
There’s lots more for kids to do in Beantown – from watching sea lions at the New England Aquarium, spending the day at the Boston Children’s Museum or Museum of Science (with over 400 interactive exhibits, an IMAX theater, and a planetarium) to taking in a baseball game at historic Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Soxs since 1912.
Adults will enjoy Boston as much as the kids. Fans of the television show Cheers should pay a visit to Cheers Boston, and beer-lovers will enjoy a tour of the Sam Adams Brewery, which is home to the Boston Beer Museum.
Make sure you stop at Faneuil Hall Marketplace (also known as Quincy Market), an indoor-outdoor market that will delight shoppers and diners. And for the outdoor enthusiast, Boston has many parks and the nation’s oldest botanical garden, Boston Public Garden, famous for its Swan Boats.
