Living in Newton

Newton, known as The Garden City, is made up of 13 distinct villages. Many of Newton’s villages boast small retail centers of their own with independent businesses and restaurants. Newton was developed as one of America's earliest commuter suburbs and has a superb array of trolley and rail options to downtown Boston. Its proximity to Boston, along with its strong public school system and quiet neighborhoods, makes it a very desirable community.

Newton is home to private and religious schools, and universities. The City offers lots of options for exploring art and culture and has two symphony orchestras, the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Massachusetts and the Newton Symphony Orchestra. Likewise there are many opportunities for recreation in the City’s numerous parks, ponds, playgrounds, reservoirs, golf courses and boat launch sites for canoeing or kayaking along the Charles River.

As one of Newton’s special charms, each April on Patriots' Day, the Boston Marathon is run through Newton where runners encounter the first of the four infamous Newton Hills, the last and most dreaded is Heartbreak Hill. Once at the summit the Prudential Tower of Boston comes into view, and the thought of the finish line in the Back Bay comes into focus. Residents and visitors line the race route along Washington Street and Commonwealth Avenue to cheer the runners.