Living in Boston's Fenway Neighborhood
The Fenway neighborhood in Boston is one of the liveliest areas of the city.
What kind of people enjoy living in the Fenway area?
The Fenway area is perfect for the person who wants to be in the center of things - nightlife, dining, shopping, and more - all within minutes of downtown Boston, Allston, the South End, Brookline, and Cambridge. Or maybe you’re a Red Sox superfan who wants to walk to the games.
History of the Fenway neighborhood
Originally a mostly uninhabited Brookline swamp, the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood became part of Boston when the extensive Back Bay landfill project in the late 19th century led to redrawn borders. Rapid development in the early 20th century included a number of educational institutions such as Boston University, as well as Fenway Park, which is currently the oldest active ballpark in Major League Baseball. Today it is one of Boston’s liveliest cultural and commercial areas filled with restaurants, museums, arts venues, and shopping centers.
What is the average cost to rent or buy a home in Fenway
An average 1-bedroom apartment is currently around $2500/month to rent or $500,000 to buy. Fenway is a dense urban area filled largely with multi-story apartments and condos.
Best commutes to and from Fenway
Fenway is highly accessible, being served by all four Green Line MBTA subway branches running from Newton to East Cambridge and a commuter rail stop (Lansdowne) that goes all the way to Worcester. It’s also a convergence of Routes 90 (Mass Turnpike) and 9, Commonwealth Ave, and Massachusetts Ave. Commuters to Fenway will find it easy to come from Allston, Brighton, Brookline, Newton, and Mission Hill, and those living in Fenway will have convenient commutes to BU, Northeastern, the Longwood Medical Area, Back Bay, and Downtown.
Best places to shop in the Fenway neighborhood
The best area for shopping in Fenway is around the Landmark Center at the intersection of Boylston St and Brookline Ave which includes:
Bed Bath & Beyond
Best Buy
REI
Star Market
Target
Best places to eat in the Fenway neighborhood
The best bets for food in Fenway are along Boylston Ave:
Pros and Cons of living in Fenway
Pros of living in Fenway
The Fens
This park in the middle of the neighborhood features community gardens, river walks, and athletic fields.
Museums
Two of the best art museums in Boston are neighbors in Fenway - The Museum of Fine Art and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Music
Between Symphony Hall, The House of Blues, and Berklee College of Music it would be difficult to find a performance you wouldn’t like.
Fenway Park
Fenway reaches a whole new level of energy when it’s a Red Sox home game, but even when they’re on the road it’s cool to tour the famous Green Monster or have a beer in the outfield.
Cons of living in Fenway
Crowded
Fenway is the highest density neighborhood in the Boston area, so it’s not great if you need plenty of space and quiet.
Pricey
It’s also got higher-than-average rental rates than areas further out of the city.
Rush Hour
Boston has the worst traffic in the country, and Fenway is surrounded by several of its major commuting routes, which can make coming and going during rush hour a drag.
Fenway Park
The Red Sox are New England’s only Major League Baseball team, which means 38,000 people from six different states descend on the Fenway Park area at least 81 times between April and September. And if they make a run in the playoffs things can get a little rowdy.
