Trick-or-Treat Housing Index: Top 5 Boston Neighborhoods

The Zillow Trick-or-Treat Housing Index expands to Boston. Drum roll please…

Top 5 Boston-area Cities and Neighborhoods to Trick-or-Treat

1.  Cambridge

2.  Somerville

3.  Brookline

4.  South End

5.  Charlestown

Methodology

There is a common belief that wealthy neighborhoods are the Holy Grail for harvesting the most Halloween candy. However, to provide a more holistic approach to Halloween trick-or-treating, the Zillow Trick-or-Treat Housing Index was calculated using four equally weighted data variables: Zillow Home Value Index, population density, Walk Score, and local crime data. Based on those variables, this Index represents neighborhoods that will provide the most candy, with the least walking, and minimal safety risks.

One quick note, we included Brookline, Cambridge, and Somerville which are all technically cities “outside” of Boston, not neighborhoods of.  But just about any Bostonian would tell you that these are as much a part of Boston in spirit as anywhere else in the city. And most Bostonians will know that each of these cities has more and less residential neighborhoods within it. The more residential, the better. Take Winter Hill in Somerville, for example. Kids galore and the prevalence of three-deckers means three candy bowls in every building.

Halloween Hot Spots

Home to Harvard and MIT, ”The People’s Republic of” Cambridge got high marks for density, walk score, and affluence (The Zillow Home Value Index is $441,400, up 8% year-over-year), meaning trick-or-treaters can score a lot of king-size candy quickly. Bonus: kids may be able to ring doorbells along some famous Hollywood offspring this year. There have been plenty of Suri sightings in Cambridge since Tom Cruise is currently filming the movie Wichita there. Ben Affleck (father to Violet and Seraphina) is also filming his new movie “The Town” in the area.

Somerville, which comes in at #2 on our list, ranks #1 in density and much like Cambridge is known for its many neighborhood squares. Due to its affordability and proximity to Boston, this area is home to young professionals and their families and students which means it’s bound to be a lively place to spend Halloween.

Brookline is another family-friendly, primarily residential neighborhood. Young families can be found going door to door from the beautiful and stately houses in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood. Further down Beacon St, Boston College students will be out in full force at the local watering holes.

The oh so trendy South End ranked number one on our Index for walkability (think rows and rows of Boston’s iconic bow-front houses) and affluence with a ZHVI of $500,900.  This is a family-friendly ‘hood with more public playgrounds per square foot than any other Boston neighborhood and low incidence of street crime.

There couldn’t be a more picturesque place in Boston to trick-or-treat than Charlestown. Kids can roam up and down the gas-lit streets to fill their bags. The 24th Annual Halloween Parade at Bunker Hill Monument is sure to delight kids young and old.

See the Zillow Trick-or-Treat Housing Index for:

• Top 5 Los Angeles Neighborhoods
• Top 5 Seattle Neighborhoods
• Top 5 Chicago Neighborhoods
• Top 5 San Francisco Neighborhoods