So You Want to Live in Jamaica Plain
City Feed and Supply on Boylston Street / Photo by Yu-Jen Shih on Flickr/Creative Commons
Jamaica Plain established itself as one of America’s first streetcar suburbs in the early 19th century. But today, instead of streets filled with trollies ferrying Bostonians to and fro, the roads are traversed by bicycles and Subarus.
JP is home to a diverse group, ranging from young families and professionals to artists and activists. Most folks congregate around Centre Street, the neighborhood’s main thoroughfare and hub of activity. It counts an eclectic mix of independently owned shops and restaurants, from the dairy delicacies at J.P. Licks to the thrifted treasures waiting to be discovered at Boomerangs.
If plentiful public parks, hipster haunts, and colorful old Victorians sound up your alley, then JP might be your next move.
Prices at a Glance
Median sale price of all homes: $632,000
Median condo sale price: $583,000
Average rent price: $2,890
What You Can Buy
Photo via Margie Kern, Unlimited Sotheby’s International Realty
A Scenic Penthouse by Jamaica Pond
241 Perkins St. #C601, Jamaica Plain
Price: $735,000
Size: 1,905 square feet
Bedrooms: 2
Baths: 2.5
Photo via Compass
A Top Floor Condo Close to the Orange Line
298 Lamartine St. #3, Jamaica Plain
Price: $469,000
Size: 867 square feet
Bedrooms: 2
Baths: 1
Public Transit Options
The Jackson Square, Stony Brook, Green Street, and Forest Hills stops on the Orange Line
The Heath Street stop on the Green Line
The Forest Hills Commuter Rail station
What a Real Estate Agent Says
Buyers continue to be incredibly excited about living in Jamaica Plain. The spring market is just getting underway, and at this point many new listings are going under contract after the first open house. It used to be that when a family was ready for something with more space, they would look elsewhere. Now, more and more families feel rooted in this community and are compelled to find more space within JP rather than moving to another neighborhood.
JP is also experiencing a real boom right now as new businesses open and new development gets underway. From Turtle Swamp Brewing to Chilacates to Exodus Bagels, new business are opening all over JP that compliment the already rich and vibrant culture of restaurants and independent shops.
Currently, homes in Jamaica Plain have great appreciation potential as more Bostonians visit and fall in love with Jamaica Plain. Numerous housing and commercial projects have been completed, have broken ground, or are in the permitting process, so new units are on the market or in the works and going fast.
—Josh Muncey, Ellen, Janis, and Josh Team, Re/Max Destiny
Grocery Stores
Stop and Shop
310 Centre St., Boston
Whole Foods Market
413 Centre St., Boston
City Feed and Supply
672 Centre St., Boston
66 A Boylston St., Boston
Perks
The Arnold Arboretum / Photo by Steve on Flickr/Creative Commons
Greenery abounds in Jamaica Plain thanks to Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture. Olmsted designed Boston’s Emerald Necklace, and several of its jewels (or parks) are situated in JP. There’s the Arnold Arboretum—the oldest public arboretum in North America—as well as Franklin Park, Jamaica Pond, and Olmsted Park.
The neighborhood’s allure of rural beauty within city limits has long been a draw for Bostonians. Beginning in the 1700s, the city’s well-to-do built country estates near Jamaica Pond.
In addition to parks and natural vistas, JP offers abundant biking and walking paths. Those who relish the outdoors but crave city living strike a balance in Jamaica Plain, as it’s only a 15-minute drive to Back Bay.
Did You Know?
Jamaica Plain boasts an impressive list of notable past residents, including poet Sylvia Plath, former mayor James Michael Curley, and New Kids on the Block’s Joey McIntyre.
Home prices by Zillow and rent prices by RentCafe. Icons via GETTY IMAGES.
