Arlington Real Estate

Before it was Arlington, this was Menotomy, a farming village settled in 1635 that became the town of West Cambridge in 1807 and took its present name in 1867. On April 19, 1775, British troops retreating from Concord fought their way through Menotomy, and about half of the Americans killed that day died here. The Jason Russell House, where twelve Americans died, still stands just off Massachusetts Avenue with bullet holes in its walls.

Massachusetts Avenue climbs through town from the Cambridge line, passing three business districts. East Arlington has the Capitol Theatre, Arlington Center has the Regent Theatre and the Robbins Library, and Arlington Heights sits higher up toward Lexington. The Minuteman Bikeway runs parallel on the old rail bed, so many trips to Alewife or the town center happen by bike or on foot. Spy Pond, the Mystic Lakes and Menotomy Rocks Park, with Hill's Pond and its glacial ledges, give the town plenty of water and woods.

There is no subway station inside Arlington, so transit depends on location. East Arlington is close to Alewife on the Red Line, while the 77 bus covers Mass Ave all the way to Harvard Square. Homes near Mass Ave or the Bikeway generally make car-free commuting simplest.