You want to take a good long look at Boston properties if you're looking for real estate in Massachusetts. They have a lot to offer. The city has a lot to offer. Occupying 48.4 square miles on Massachusetts Bay above Cape Cod and below Marblehead, Boston's rich colonial and maritime history and 21st century diversity is only the beginning.

Boston is home to an imposing number of colleges and universities. There are more than 35 in the immediate Boston-Cambridge limits, including Harvard, MIT, and the New England Conservatory of music. The city's early, middle, and high schools are no less numerous and no less solid. Among them are the well-known Boston Latin and the Renaissance Charter School.

Boston properties include residences in the city's 21 neighborhoods. These are rich in character, history, and diversity. They include Dorchester--which predates the city by several months (1622)--and the renowned Beacon Hill and the former brewery and farming stretch of Mission Hill. South Boston offers a good stretch of the old maritime area. West Roxbury, to the southwest, is perhaps the quietest and, with its tree-lined streets, most suburban.

Several Statistics Relating to Boston Properties

Because there are so many colleges and universities, certain numbers should come as no surprise. The percentage of rental Boston properties--about 163,000 tenant-occupied to 78,000 owner-occupied--is higher than the state average. Most--125,000 of 163,000--have from three to five rooms. Boston's commuter rail system has more than 100 stations and extends as far west as Worcester, as far north as Lowell and beyond, and as far south as Plymouth.