Swampscott One of Greater Boston’s 13 'Top Spots to Live,' According to Globe Magazine

The Boston Globe Magazine identifies Swampscott as a community on the "upswing."

Seaside Swampscott was one of 13 Eastern Massachusetts communities the Boston Globe spotlighted in its 2013 "Top Places to Live" feature. 

Citing the importance of home buyers wanting to "feel confident that they’re making a good investment" when purchasing a home, the Globe identified 13 communities "all on the upswing, with the biggest single-family home price increases in Greater Boston from 2011 to 2012."

Swampscott also has the highest tax rate of those 13 towns and cities.

Lauded for its promimity to Boston and for its Olmsted section and ocean views, Swampscott finds itself on this list because of its rising home values. 

Swampscott's median single-family home price in 2012 was $388,000, up 11.49 percent from 2011, according to the Globe. 

"A lot of its housing stock was built before World War II, but there’s a smattering of newer Colonials, Capes, and raised ranches and some chic loft condos available, too," the Globe reports. 

The town's population is 13,896 and its tax rate is $18.84.

Joining Swampsoctt on this list: Beverly, Cambridge, Freetown, Groveland, Medfield, Newbury, Revere, Rockland, Shirley, South Boston, Stoughton, and Topsfield. 

The Globe named 19 "honorable mention" communities, including nearby towns Easton, Bridgewater, and East Bridgewater. 

Only communities with 50 or more sales in 2012 were included in this feature, according to the Globe. 

To read the full report, click on the following link:

Greater Boston's Top Spots to Live