A neighborhood isn’t just a block of streets. It’s also a box of zucchini left on a neighbor’s porch. It’s always having a treat for the dog across the road. It’s knowing the people who sell your morning coffee and newspaper. It’s belonging. It’s community. It’s home. Here are eight North Shore neighborhoods that feel like home.
Pigeon Cove, Rockport
Pigeon Cove is filled with remnants of Rockport’s granite industry, from the historic Granite Keystone Bridge to old quarries like Babson Farm Quarry at Halibut Point State Park. But for lifelong resident Claire Franklin, Pigeon Cove is much more than that.
“It’s a community that says hello and helps people,” says Franklin, who is hall manager for Pigeon Cove Circle, a benevolent organization that runs community events and does charitable work. She loves Pigeon Cove for the people (you can find her sipping coffee from her front porch swing in the morning and greeting her neighbors as they pass), as well as for the place itself.
Elise Sinagra
“It’s close enough to Rockport so you have all the tourist attractions, but you’re two miles out, so it’s more country. It has a lot of woods still,” she says.
Explore: Take in a Live Musical Performance at Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport
Ballardvale, Andover
Ballardvale developed as a mill district around the Shawsheen River in the 1800s, making it distinct from the rest of Andover.
“Because it was a pretty active neighborhood, it developed its own sense of place,” says Ballardvale resident Chris Huntress, former commissioner for the Ballardvale Historic District, former Andover select board member, and president of landscape architecture firm Huntress Associates.
That distinct community still exists today, from its post office, elementary school, train station, and Ballardvale Green, to its extensive trail networks, canoeing and kayaking on the Shawsheen River, and community events like the Ballardvale Christmas tree lighting, not to mention the friendly neighbors.
“You meet a lot of people just when you’re working in the front of your yard,” Huntress says. “You really can’t help but have people stop and chat.”
Explore: Paddle the Shawsheen River, Andover
McIntire Historic District, Salem
Visiting Salem’s McIntire Historic District is like traveling through time within a matter of blocks.
“Just walking around the neighborhood gives a great microcosm of Salem’s architecture from its inception in the 17th century all the way into the 20th century,” says Patti Kelleher, Salem’s preservation planner.
One of four historic districts in the city, the multiblock McIntire Historic District includes the beautiful Federal-era townhouses along Chestnut Street, as well as other homes, churches, cemeteries, and municipal buildings on nearby blocks. They include several by the renowned architect Samuel McIntire, for whom the district is named, such as the 1782 Peirce-Nichols House and 1805 Hamilton Hall. Kelleher also recommends exploring beyond the more well-trod areas to places like Orne Square and Botts Court, a little alley between Chestnut and Essex streets.
Despite its history, the district is far from a museum. Instead, it’s a vibrant neighborhood where people live.
“I think the district really demonstrates how buildings can be preserved and still be livable and vibrant,” Kelleher says.
Explore: Take a Charter on the Schooner Fame, Salem
Bear Hill, Stoneham
With its quiet, tree-lined streets and proximity to the attractions like the Stone Zoo and Middlesex Fells Reservation, Bear Hill is a quintessential family neighborhood.
It’s a place that Erin J. Anderson, broker and owner at Anderson Realty Partners in Stoneham, calls “picturesque” and “walkable.”
“That’s part of the charm, that community feel,” she says. “It’s a beautiful spot in Stoneham and also accessible to a lot.”
One favorite is the Bear Hill Golf Club, a 9-hole golf club that was established in 1900 and also offers tennis, pickleball, a pool, and an event space. And for those looking to put down roots in Bear Hill, Anderson Realty Partners is marketing a brand-new development called Stoneham Heights, featuring 13 single-family, new construction homes.
Explore: Stand Like a Flamingo at the Stone Zoo, Stoneham
Bradford Common Historic District, Haverhill
Bradford Common Historic District exudes New England charm, with its steepled 1884 white church, antique homes, and stately brick 1891 Cogswell School, which Creative Haverhill is transforming into the Cogswell ArtSpace. When the project is finished, it will house multipurpose classrooms, artist studio rental spaces, and a workers space with ceramics labs, a printmaking studio, and a wood shop.
“We have so many neighbors of Cogswell that love this project,” said Erin Padilla, director of Creative Haverhill. “It’s really fun to be in the neighborhood where we get to interact with people living in the area.”
Among their neighbors is the district’s centerpiece and namesake, Bradford Common, a lovely greenspace that’s home to the Haverhill Farmers Market; the free, summertime music series Thursday Nights Live; and two annual art shows, the Haverhill Art Festival in September and The Big Dog Show, from Haverhill-based artist Dale Rogers, in October.
Explore: Hike the Winnekenni Castle, Haverhill
Sherwood Forest, Lynnfield
Lynnfield residents might have noticed a new sign on Archer Lane that was erected in November that reads, “Entering Sherwood Forest.” The sign not only marks the neighborhood, with its Robin Hood–inspired names like Robin Road and Nottingham Lane, but tells a bit of its history as Lynnfield’s first planned, post-WWII neighborhood.
While many original homes are no longer there, the neighborhood itself remains and holds lots of memories for people like longtime Lynnfield resident Helen Breen, who says its “development epitomizes the post WWII suburban real estate boom in Massachusetts.
“Growing up in Lynn in the 1950s, I often heard about this new Sherwood Forest, popular particularly with GE engineers and the more affluent city dwellers who yearned for more space and gracious living,” Breen says.
Explore: Shop at MarketStreet, Lynnfield
Beachmont, Revere
Located on a peninsula apart from the city, Beachmont feels like a distinct place from the rest of Revere.
“Because we’re kind of off on our own in the city, there’s always been that sense of community in Beachmont,” says Nicole Deveau, longtime resident and president of Beachmont Improvement Committee.
Visitors and residents will find plenty to do in Beachmont, from enjoying the sun and surf at Short Beach, walking along the two-mile Beachmont Urban Trail, and having a bite at places like Toretta’s Bakery & Ice Cream, Luigi’s Pizzeria, or L’Equina del Sabor.
But for people who call Beachmont home, it’s the community that’s extra special, as evidenced by ongoing festivals, improvement projects, events, and families who’ve lived there for decades.
“I love that there’s people that have been there all those generations,” says Deveau.
Explore: Swim and Sunbathe at Revere Beach, Revere
Prides Crossing, Beverly
Prides Crossing packs a lot into its tiny footprint, from the palatial homes along Beverly’s beautiful coast to the postcard-perfect railroad station connecting the enclave to Boston.
Bordered by Beverly Farms, Prides Crossing was known for summer “cottages” belonging to business magnates and other members of the upper crust, including industrialist Frederick Ayer, steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, and the writer, socialite, and daughter of President Teddy Roosevelt, Alice Roosevelt Longworth.
“The North Shore was called the Gold Coast because wealthy people from Manhattan and Pennsylvania built these grand summer houses,” says 30-year resident Marybeth McBride, who owns the gift boutique Sweetwater and Co., in Beverly Farms and Marblehead.
Elise Sinagra
Locals love spots like the chocolate shop, Prides Crossing Confections, Prides Deli and Pizzeria, and the nearby Yarns in the Farms yarn shop.