Lynn is one of the oldest cities in the United States. It was first settled in 1629 and over the years blossomed into an industrial center. It is now gentrified and home to many renovated living and commercial spaces made from the old warehouses. This beautiful area of Massachusetts is located about 16 miles north of downtown Boston and five miles southwest of Salem, which also makes it a very convenient place to live. It currently has a population of 90,329.
Even though it is an older town quite a bit of the architecture here is also brand new as the city suffered from several large fires in the seventies and eighties. The population has actually dropped about thirty thousand people since the eighties, but there are still some big older factories here including General Electric Aviation, Sterling Machine Co. and Old Neighborhood Foods. If you like the post-modern mix of the old and the new then you will love the feel of Lynn. Many first-time home buyers, that can’t afford the high prices of homes in Boston, are relocating here and it is also has a sizeable artist community. The waterfront has also been given a total makeover with new signage, lighting, refaced brickwork and the addition of a huge football stadium.
If you have a boat, Lynn is the ideal spot to moor your vessel. It is right on Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and is near the Saugus River (just to the south.) It also has several brooks and ponds including Walden Pond and Breed’s Pond. The city has two beaches on Nahant Bay: Lynn Beach and King’s Beach.
The city feels like a quiet place because no full highways run through it, however several highways diminish into the downtown and then become full again outside the city. There is a commuter ferry that runs directly from Lynn to Boston.
This is a very picturesque place to live, despite it’s industrial history, as most of it is located on the Lynn Woods Reservations that is the largest municipal park in New England and that is home to the Stone Tower, Steel Tower, Wolf Pits and Dungeon Rock. It is also home to one of the largest stone walls in the world – the one that circles the ancient Pine Grove Cemetery.
There is one very well known gay bar in downtown Lynn called 47 Central, but most of the bars here are gay-friendly. Residents have a very short commute into downtown Boston to enjoy the gay nightlife and special LGBT events held there. However, for the most accurate information about purchasing property it is best to consult with a Lynn gay realtor.
The average price per square foot for a place in Lynn this fall was $168, which is an increase of 29,9% compared to the same period last year. The average listing price for a home for sale is $235,324 for the week ending November 6, 2013. Also, as of November 6, 2013, there are 328 homes in some stage of foreclosure.
For more information about the many attractions and local economy go to the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce website at www.lynareachamber.com.
