Arlington and Belmont share a border along Arlington’s southern edge, roughly following Route 2, and part of Belmont was itself once West Cambridge, the town renamed Arlington in 1867. Today they are fully separate towns. Their housing stock overlaps a good deal, with older single-families and plenty of two-families in both, but the way you get into Boston from each is quite different. For the full picture, see the Arlington and Belmont area guides.
Separate towns, separate bills
Both towns set rates annually, so look up the current numbers on our property tax rates page. To read official school data for either district, use the state’s profiles at profiles.doe.mass.edu.
The commute is the biggest structural difference
Arlington
Arlington has no rail station inside its borders. East Arlington sits close to Alewife, the Red Line terminal, and the 350 bus runs there. The 77 bus covers Massachusetts Avenue the whole way to Harvard Square.
The Minuteman Bikeway, built on the old rail bed, parallels Mass Ave from Alewife through East Arlington, Arlington Center and the Heights, which makes bike or foot trips to the Red Line a daily option from many streets.
Belmont
Belmont is one of the closest-in towns with its own commuter rail. Fitchburg Line trains stop at Belmont Center and Waverley and run to North Station, stopping at Porter, where riders can change to the Red Line. The 73 bus from Waverley Square and the 75 from Belmont Center also reach Harvard.
Housing on each side of the line
Arlington
East Arlington, next to Cambridge, is lined with two-family houses, many built as stacked up-down units in the early 20th century, plus smaller single-families. Moving uphill toward Arlington Center, Jason Heights and the Heights, there are more Colonial, Victorian and Colonial Revival single-families, some on larger, hillier lots. Mass Ave adds apartment buildings and condos, and many two-families have become two-unit condos, which usually means a self-managed association with no management company.
Belmont
Belmont’s streets on Belmont Hill wind past large Colonial Revival, Tudor-style and shingle houses. Around Belmont Center, Payson Park and the Winn Brook area there are Victorians and early 20th century Colonials. The southern and eastern edges, near Trapelo Road, Belmont Street and the Cambridge and Watertown lines, hold many two-families, a lot of them now side-by-side or up-down condos. Apartment and condo buildings are few and mostly near the squares.
Two-families in both towns
In both towns, a two-family can be sold as a whole building, as a pair of condos, or as an owner unit with a rental, and each setup comes with different paperwork. Our guide to buying a multi-family walks through the whole-building case, and the condo guide covers association documents.
Water, woods and history
Arlington
Arlington’s open space centers on water: Spy Pond beside the town center, the Mystic Lakes, and Hill’s Pond in Menotomy Rocks Park. Its history is tied to April 19, 1775, when British troops retreating from Concord fought through Menotomy, preserved at the Jason Russell House.
Belmont
Belmont’s largest open spaces sit on its western side, including Beaver Brook Reservation, Mass Audubon’s Habitat sanctuary and Rock Meadow.
Ask about a specific street
What a home sells for in either town depends on lot, layout, the two-family setup and distance to transit. To see recent sales near a particular address, get in touch with us or start your search.