Inside Medford | Lawrence Estates
By 4Squares Residential Group with Judi 411
Welcome to another quick tour of Medford's neighborhood favorites! We've got go-to information for all corners of town, including West Medford, Wellington, Hillside, Medford Square, South Medford, Haines Square, Salem Street & Fulton Heights, Glenwood and now, Lawrence Estates!
Parks & recreation, restaurants & entertainment, shopping and the day to day - we're sharing all our best local recommendations to help you love the way you live in Medford, MA.
One of our favorite things about Medford is that you can cross a few streets and find yourself in what feels like an entirely different neighborhood.
Lawrence Estates is a perfect example.
Tucked between Medford Square and the Middlesex Fells, it's a largely residential pocket of the city that manages to feel distinctly suburban while keeping you remarkably close to many of the places that make Medford, Medford.
And if you've driven through it a hundred times without knowing you were in Lawrence Estates? You're probably not alone.
First, Where Exactly Is Lawrence Estates?
Like many Medford neighborhoods, the boundaries of Lawrence Estates can shift a bit depending on whether you're looking at them through a historical lens or talking about the neighborhood as it's understood today.
For our purposes, Lawrence Estates runs roughly from Forest Street to Winthrop Street east to west, and north from High Street, encompassing both sides of Lawrence Road and continuing through the area locals know as the “Ws”—Whittier, Whitney, and Woodside—up toward the Middlesex Fells near Victory Park.
Even within those boundaries, the landscape changes. Some sections are hilly, with roads that curve and wind with the terrain. Move toward the Fells and the Ws, and the streets become more grid-like. The lots, elevations, and streetscapes vary as you go, giving different pockets of Lawrence Estates their own personality.
A Little Bit Suburban, Very Much Medford
This may be the method to the madness of Lawrence Estates: you can feel tucked away without actually being far away.
The neighborhood is residential, with the quieter feel you might associate with a more suburban community. Yet it sits between some of the places that are central to life in Medford.
Depending on where you live within Lawrence Estates, much of what you need—and quite a bit of what you might want to do—is within walking distance.
That's a pretty interesting combination for a neighborhood only a few miles from Boston.
Depending on where you live, you can walk into Medford Square to a host of restaurants and local businesses, mosey over to the Medford Public Library, catch a show at Chevalier, make your way to Medford High School, or head toward acres of trails in the Fells.
Lawrence Estates also abuts West Medford, putting the shops, restaurants, commuter rail, and other amenities of that neighborhood a short drive away.
You’re also a few blocks away from the Mystic River Greenway with its winding walking and bike paths and home to the Medford Farmers Market and the Condon Shell, where music abounds throughout the summer and early fall.
That's a pretty interesting combination for a neighborhood only a few miles from Boston.
Photos, from upper left: A bungalow in Lawrence Estates; the Condon Shell at the Mystic River, right near by; a backyard deck in Lawrence Estates; a view from the Fells.
The Homes Are Part of the Story
Because Lawrence Estates is so residential, you notice the houses, and there isn't one Lawrence Estates-style home.
The houses have personality, too. Victorian and Dutch Colonial styles sit alongside other older architectural styles, and there's relatively little new construction. Lot sizes, elevations, and streetscapes vary as you move through the neighborhood, but there's a sense that the houses belong to the history of the streets they're on.
There are deep generational roots here, too. It's not unusual to find extended families living within a few streets of one another, sometimes with connections to the neighborhood that stretch back decades.
In the hillier sections, homes follow roads that bend with the landscape. Closer to the Ws, the grid becomes more pronounced, and the neighborhood takes on a slightly different feel.
Which means that when you're looking at a home in Lawrence Estates, where you are within Lawrence Estates matters.
Maybe walkability is high on your list. Maybe you'd happily trade a shorter walk to the heart of Medford for being closer to the Fells. Perhaps Medford High School needs to be nearby, or there's simply a particular street that feels right when you turn onto it.
That's the thing about neighborhoods. You can draw boundaries on a map, but living in one happens at street level.
And Then There's the Other Direction
Travel north through Lawrence Estates and the neighborhood begins to transition again.
Victory Park offers a neighborhood recreation spot, while just beyond it sits one of Medford’s greatest natural assets: the Middlesex Fells Reservation.
The Fells gives you miles of trails for walking, hiking, running, biking, dog walking, or disappearing into the woods for a while when you’ve had enough of civilization.
Many of the homes in Lawrence Estates abut the Fells, which means residents are truly steps from acres of conservation land and the abundant wildlife that comes with it. Deer, owls, hawks, bats, and yes, the occasional coyote are all part of the neighborhood scenery.
This isn’t a destination Lawrence Estates residents necessarily have to plan an excursion to visit. For those living toward the northern end of the neighborhood, it’s simply part of where they live.
There’s something pretty remarkable about being able to head toward Medford Square in one direction and the Fells in the other.
I love what Nat gave us here because it makes proximity to the Fells tangible. It isn’t merely nearby; for some residents, nature quite literally comes to the doorstep.
So, What's It Like to Live Here?
Quietly connected might be the best way to describe it.
Lawrence Estates has a neighborhood marker on Winthrop Street, but unlike some other Medford neighborhoods, it isn't organized around a commercial district or a Square. Instead, its identity comes from its residential streets and its relationship to everything around them.
You can have the space and quieter feel that many people associate with the suburbs without separating yourself from Medford's community life. The Square, library, theater, schools, parks, and Fells are all part of the larger orbit.
And perhaps that's why Lawrence Estates can fly a little under the radar.
You don't necessarily have to go to Lawrence Estates. You live there—and go almost everywhere else from it.
Love the Way You Live
We've been exploring Medford neighborhood by neighborhood for years, and if there's one thing we've learned, it's that there is no single Medford experience.
Lawrence Estates adds another one to the mix.
It's residential and geographically close-knit, varied enough that one end doesn't necessarily look like the other, and positioned between some of Medford's best-known community and natural landmarks.
For someone looking for a more suburban feel without giving up their connection to the surrounding city, Lawrence Estates is a neighborhood worth knowing by name.
Already live here? Tell us what we missed. What's the street, walking route, neighborhood tradition, or little piece of Lawrence Estates that makes you love where you live?
And if you're thinking about buying or selling in Lawrence Estates—or anywhere else in Medford—connect with Jen Keenan and the 4Squares Residential Group. After all, loving where you live starts with knowing where you want to be.
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