Living in Nahant
Nahant sits about 14 miles northeast of Boston by road, at the end of a narrow strip of sand that reaches out from Lynn into the ocean. The town is made up of two near-islands, Little Nahant and Big Nahant, joined to the mainland by a natural sandbar that Nahant Road follows. It is the smallest municipality by area in Massachusetts, and water surrounds it on almost every side: Nahant Bay, Nahant Harbor, Lynn Harbor and Broad Sound.
English colonists settled here in 1630, and Nahant was part of Lynn until it became its own town in 1853. In the 1800s it was a well-known summer retreat; poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow summered here and naturalist Louis Agassiz lived here. The Henry Cabot Lodge House on Cliff Street is a National Historic Landmark.
Homes you will find
- Single-family homes on compact lots, many close to the water
- Older homes in a range of styles, from cottages to larger historic houses
- A smaller number of condos and multi-unit homes
Getting around
MBTA bus route 439 runs from Bass Point in Nahant across the causeway to Central Square in Lynn, with some trips continuing to Wonderland station on the Blue Line. From Lynn, the Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line goes to North Station. Drivers head through Lynn to Route 1A, Route 129, U.S. Route 1 and Route 128/I-95. Logan Airport is the closest airport.
Beaches, parks and everyday life
The causeway is lined by the Nahant Beach Reservation, a 67-acre state reservation run by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Its Long Beach runs about 7,000 feet on the ocean side, and the reservation has a bathhouse, athletic fields and a boat ramp to Lynn Harbor. In town, residents use smaller beaches such as Short Beach, Tudor Beach, Canoe Beach, 40 Steps Beach and Black Rock Beach, where dogs are allowed year-round. Most town beach lots need a Nahant resident parking sticker.
East Point is a town park with wide ocean views and the home of Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center. The town also has Kelly Greens Golf Course, a historical society museum in the community center, and traditions like Fourth of July fireworks and a Christmas parade. Nahant runs its own public elementary school, and older students attend middle and high school in Swampscott; families can contact Nahant Public Schools directly for details.
Who Nahant suits
Nahant suits buyers who want to live close to the ocean with beaches, coves and walking paths outside the door, while staying within reach of Boston. It works well for people who drive or can ride the bus to the Blue Line or commuter rail, and for anyone who likes a quiet, small-town setting.
Thinking about Nahant? Ask Suad about recent sales and what is on the market now, in English, Spanish (with Diana) or Bosnian.
