A musical history: Stoneham was once home to J. Geils, frontman for the J. Geils Band. The three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee lived in Stoneham while he was busy attending college, and forming his now-famous band. They have been known to play a song or two about the town still, so keep your eyes and ears open.
Stoneham was a part of Charlestown, MA during its early years and was mostly a farming community
A musical history: Stoneham was once home to J. Geils, frontman for the J. Geils Band. The three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee lived in Stoneham while he was busy attending college, and forming his now-famous band. They have been known to play a song or two about the town still, so keep your eyes and ears open.
Stoneham was a part of Charlestown, MA during its early years and was mostly a farming community. In 1645, it declared its independence and became its own town. During the Industrial Revolution, Stoneham became a major shoe-manufacturing center in New England. Now, because of its location so near to Boston, as well as to the technology and business centers of the outlying areas, Stoneham is primarily a commuter community.
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Stoneham is a well-regarded community, so be prepared to impress your future landlord with a good credit report and bank statements. You'll want to look for a place to live by perusing local papers, online resources and using good old-fashioned footwork, checking out the neighborhoods.
Stoneham is basically split in half horizontally by Route 28, or Main Street. In sections, Route 28 can be a busy four-lane highway. Downtown Stoneham has a definite town-like feel, lined with small shops and restaurants. Like Italian food or Irish pubs? You'll find both here.
Many of the apartment complexes closer to Route 93 are geared towards commuters. You can find plenty of options for smaller studio and one-bedroom apartment rentals conveniently located here. At about six and a half square miles, Stoneham has a few distinct neighborhoods:
Franklin Street / Summer Street: This neighborhood is basically the east part of town from Main Street and the South part from Spring Street. This area includes Spot Pond and the Stone Zoo, so it's easy to get out and have some outdoor fun.
Green Street / Farm Hill: This is the northeastern portion of Stoneham bordering the town of Wakefield. This area is a bit more suburban and there are many options for rental homes here.
Lindenwood: This is the northwest part of town, right at the junction of I-93 and I-95. There are many options for apartment complexes in this heavily populated and easily accessible area, and getting anywhere is a breeze.
Downtown: Downtown runs south of Spring Street and Montvale Ave. However, the southernmost portion of this neighborhood falls into the Middlesex Fells Reservation land, and there is no housing there.
You can expect easy access to just about everything when you live in Stoneham. Famous resident J. Geils "Musta Got Lost" as his signature song goes, but you won't. The town sits at the intersection of major routes I-93 and Route 128. Boston is only 10 minutes away, less than nine miles. The shopping and restaurants on Route 1 are even closer. The mountains of New Hampshire and the beaches along the north shore of Massachusetts are all within easy reach thanks to this great location.
Public transportation is pretty easy, too. If you need to head into Boston for work or pleasure, the subway is less than four miles away in nearby Melrose. The commuter rail line that takes you directly into North Station also has several stations in neighboring towns.
Stoneham's Storied Past
Along with rocker J. Geils, Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan is another famous Stonehamite. Stoneham can also claim several other well-known professional athletes as its own, including Jonathan Goff of the New York Giants, John McKenzie of the Boston Bruins, Joe McLaughlin of the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants, and Joe Vitiello, who played for several major league baseball teams.
What to Do in Stoneham
The Stone Zoo is located right on Pond Street and is open year-round. This small zoo has been around since 1905. The zoo is very family friendly, but anyone who wants to make a monkey of themselves will enjoy a visit! The Stone Zoo is on the shores of Spot Pond, which is in the Middlesex Fells Reservation. The Fells is a popular place to get outdoors for hiking, biking and swimming. You'll love the green space. In the spring and summer, it's a fine spot for a picnic.
Golfers won't have to travel far to get in a round. There are plenty of public and private courses in the area, including three right in Stoneham: Stoneham Oaks Golf Course, Unicorn Golf Course and Bear Hill Golf Club.
The Stoneham Theater has become one of the hottest tickets around. In operation since 1917, the theater puts on high-quality professional productions. You might even catch a legendary J.Geils New Year's Eve performance at the theater, in case you can't get enough of the town's rocking heritage.
If you are looking for easy access to major Boston-area highways and a comfortable community with plenty of shops, restaurants and other amenities, be sure to look for places to live in Stoneham, MA.
