Living in Malden
Malden is a city in Middlesex County bordered by Melrose, Medford, Everett, Revere and Saugus. Puritans settled here in 1640, on land that was then part of Charlestown and known as the “Mistick Side.” It became a separate town in 1649 and took its name from Maldon, England. Elisha S. Converse, Malden’s first mayor, ran a rubber company in the Edgeworth section that was the original home of the Converse “All-Star” sneaker, and he funded the Converse Memorial Library, designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and built in 1885.
Malden Center is the city’s downtown and transit hub, with shops, restaurants and attractions such as Boda Borg. Neighborhoods include Edgeworth, Maplewood, Linden, Faulkner, Belmont Hill, Forestdale, Ferryway, Bellrock, the West End and Oak Grove.
Homes you will find
- Queen Anne, Shingle Style and Colonial Revival homes, especially on the slopes toward Oak Grove and along streets such as Glenwood and Highland Avenues
- Italianate houses from the mid-1800s, many north of Pleasant Street and around Main and Ferry Streets
- Two-family homes and three-deckers east of the center, in Faulkner and Maplewood and along Salem Street
- 1920s two-families in Edgeworth and Craftsman-style single- and two-family houses across older neighborhoods
- Condos and apartments, including options within walking distance of the Orange Line
Getting around
Malden has two Orange Line stations, Malden Center and Oak Grove, the last two stops at the north end of the line, with trains through downtown Boston. Malden Center is also a stop on the Haverhill Line commuter rail and a hub for a dozen MBTA bus routes. U.S. Route 1 and Routes 28, 60 and 99 run through the city, and Route 16 and I-93 are just outside its borders. The Northern Strand Community Trail, built on a former rail line, crosses Malden on its way from Everett toward Lynn.
Parks and everyday life
Fellsmere Pond, about 25 acres, is one of the city’s best-known green spaces. Pine Banks Park is run jointly by Malden and Melrose, and about 56 acres of the Middlesex Fells Reservation lie within Malden, including Boojum Rock, the city’s highest point. Waitt’s Mountain is the tallest hill in the city, Bell Rock Memorial Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and Malden has about 30 park sites with courts, playgrounds and ballfields. The Northern Strand trail includes the “ArtLine” of murals and sculptures. Malden runs its own public school system, and families can contact Malden Public Schools directly for school details.
Who Malden suits
Malden is a good fit for commuters who want the Orange Line or commuter rail close to home, buyers who like Victorian-era houses with character, and investors looking at two-family homes and three-deckers a short ride from Boston.
Thinking about Malden? Ask Suad about recent sales and what is on the market now, in English, Spanish (with Diana) or Bosnian.
