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These are Boston’s most walkable neighborhoods
Want to reduce your carbon footprint? Boston’s Walk Score ranked No. 3 in the country in 2021.
Boston residents are ringing in Earth Day by cleaning up the Charles, attending sustainability festivals, and going on bike rides.
Some may even take an urban hike, weaving between the Hub’s towering buildings. This may be easier in some neighborhoods than others.
The Walk Score, which real estate marketplace Redfin includes on its listings, ranks the walkability of cities and neighborhoods by measuring their distance to amenities and pedestrian friendliness, gauging block length and density.
“Walkable neighborhoods are one of the simplest and best solutions for the environment, our health, and our economy,” reads a Walk Score’s webpage.
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Boston’s Walk Score ranked No. 3 in the country for 2021, beating cities such as Chicago and Washington, D.C., but losing to New York and San Francisco. Boston’s score, 83/100, makes the city “Very Walkable,” meaning “Most errands can be accomplished on foot.”
So, how walkable are Boston’s various neighborhoods? Here are the city’s top spots for pedestrians:
No. 1 (Tie): Beacon Hill
This neighborhood boasts some of Massachusetts’ most sought-after and expensive real estate, and is home to the State House, Public Garden, and — until the animal’s capture last month — at least one coyote.
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It scored the city’s top Walk Score of 99/100. Daily errands here, the score report reads, don’t require access to a car.
Aside from a picnic in this urban oasis, pedestrians can flock to Charles Street, and its restaurants, hotels, and shops, such as the four-story Beacon Hill Books & Cafe (where a squirrel ‘lives’).
No. 1 (Tie): Chinatown-Leather District
Debbie Ho, executive director of Chinatown Main Street, told Boston.com in February that the densely-populated neighborhood that serves as a hub for Asian culture in New England often seems like a “little mall within four or five streets.” The 24/7 South Street Diner sits in the adjacent nine-block neighborhood, the Leather District.
This corner of Boston also scored a 99/100, meaning its residents can leave the keys at home.
Pedestrians here can head to Empire Garden for dim sum, a plethora of shops for bubble (also called boba) tea, or take in the Summer Festival on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway just outside the neighborhood’s iconic gate.
No. 1 (Tie): North End
Giving dining recommendations in this Italian district famous for its feasts, shops, and historic buildings feels like playing a contact sport. The most passionate Bostonians seem ready to fight for their top pick of Modern, Mike’s, or Bova’s as the place to patron for the neighborhood’s famous cannoli.
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The neighborhood also ranks as a top spot for prospective residents looking to cut their carbon footprint. It got a Walk Score of 99/100.
Pedestrians can burn off the ricotta by heading to the neighborhood’s scenic wharfs or moseying along the Greenway.
No. 2 (Tie): Bay Village
This small residential neighborhood lining the eastern edge of Back Bay offers prospective renters and homeowners refuge from the loud buzz of the surrounding areas.
Residents in Bay Village also don’t need a car, according to Walk Score. The neighborhood scored a 98/100.
This neighborhood is more than just tree-lined streets with red-brick sidewalks, though: Boston magazine recognized Mike & Patty’s, which has a location here, as the city’s best breakfast spot in 2022.
No. 2 (Tie): Downtown
The city of Boston considers this large swath of the city, including corporate headquarters and top attractions such as Faneuil Fall, a neighborhood.
Downtown boasts a Walk Score of 98/100, rounding out the city’s five most walkable neighborhoods. It also has a perfect transit score.
The list of pedestrian activities here are myriad —from hiking the Freedom Trail to chowing down on lobster and chowder at Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
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