The Best Places to Live in the Northeast

In our first blog post, we ranked the best places to live in the entire country by TownGlance Score. For our next series of we take a closer look at the best places in each region of the US. First up…the best places to live in the Northeast, specifically for millennials.

The Northeast is the most urbanized and culturally diverse region of the US. It is also home to the nation’s oldest cities and towns. There are a number of varying definitions for this densely-populated region. For our purposes, we include the states (and District) most commonly included in the Northeastern US, and break it up in two sub-regions: New England and the Mid-Atlantic.

Cambridge is the best place to live in the Northeast. Best known as the United States’ premier academic and intellectual center, the Boston suburb is home to institutions including Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Interestingly, the city was an industrial center up until the Great Depression. Today, Cambridge is one of the most ethnically diverse places in New England.

New York City is quite possibly the most famous place in the United States. Aside from being the most populated place in America, it is also the most densely-populated. The city is widely considered to be the media and financial capital of the world. Although cost-of-living is high, the city has the nation’s most comprehensive and accessible transportation system, an unbeatable selection of cultural amenities, and a robust economy.

Malden is a small city located northwest of Boston in Middlesex County. The city has great regional connectivity, with both heavy rail and commuter rail access to Boston. Malden is also home to a wide array of parks and recreational facilities.

Boston is one of the oldest cities in the country, and pre-dates the nation by over 150 years. The city is the core of New England’s primary economic center. An excellent (if somewhat antiquated) transportation system, strong diversity, and rich history and culture make Boston one of the very best places to live in the Northeast and United States.

Harrison is a small town located immediately north of Newark. Despite its size it is somewhat of a transportation nexus, with direct or nearby access to an interstate (I-280) and a PATH rapid-transit station. Newark Penn Station with NJ Transit commuter rail service and Amtrak intercity rail service is located immediately across the Passaic River from Harrison. The mostly industrial town is in the midst of a revitalization, with multiple new affordable housing options within easy reach of Newark, Jersey City, and New York City.

Chelsea is another suburb of Boston. Like Harrison, Chelsea is undergoing a rebirth as an affordable place to live with a very appealing quality-of-life, especially for millennials

Jersey City sits along the Hudson River west of Manhattan. The city is one of the most racially diverse places of its size in the nation and the world. Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians each account for a roughly equal share of the population. Revitalization efforts over the last few decades have made the city increasingly costly for residents, but Jersey City’s cost-of-living remains much lower than its larger neighbor to the east.

Everett is yet another Boston suburb and directly borders Malden to the north. Like its neighbor, Everett is an affordable alternative to more expensive communities at the core of the metro area, such as Cambridge.

Revere is named after famous Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere. The city is located in Suffolk County, five miles northeast of Boston. The heavy-rail MBTA Blue Line terminates in the city, providing a direct link to jobs and destinations in Boston and beyond.

Ossining is a village in suburban Westchester County. Although the population of Ossining just 3.1 square miles in area, it is relatively densley-populated with just over 25,000 residents. The village also has an historic downtown area. The town has a commuter rail station of Metro-North’s Hudson line, which provides direct access to New York City.

Note that this list excludes the boroughs of New York city, which we include in TownGlance database. If boroughs were included, Manhattan would place 9th in the region. A second segment of this post will list the best places in each state in the Northeast…