Greater Boston is home to about 4.8 million people, with the City of Boston housing approximately 690,000 and Cambridge housing about 120,000.  Boston has 35 colleges and universities, making it a young and vibrant place to live!  It offers much to explore -- parks, restaurants, historic sites, museums, theater, music, and festivals.  Day trips from Boston include visits to the beach, the White Mountains, the Berkshires, and the Maine Coast. 

Beacon Hill and West End in Boston - close, convenient, historic, pricey, great views, easy access to T and highway.

Back Bay and South End - delicious restaurants, arts, trendy, classic, Boston brownstone buildings

North End and Charlestown - on the waterfront, walkable, Italian food and pastries, scenic

Central and Harvard Square, Cambridge - on the Red Line, great music, lively, river access

Porter and Davis Squares, Cambridge/Somerville - on the Red Line, arts, new restaurants, affordable

Allston and Brighton - on the Green Line, undergraduates, diverse, inexpensive housing, bars, thrift stores

Fenway and Brookline - Go Sox!, undergraduates, sports bars, great restaurants, Longwood Medical Area, Museum of Fine Arts

Jamaica Plain and Dorchester (southwest) - diversity, great dining, arboretum, gardens, Red and Orange Line T access

Suburbs (Newton, Waltham, Belmont, Arlington, Quincy etc.) - great schools, open space, more affordable to buy