One of the best places to live in New England is right here in Massachusetts, and it has the honor of being the best coastal town in the region.

Marblehead, Massachusetts was named the best coastal town in NewEngland.com’s 2024 Best Places to Live in New England list. 

NewEngland.com polled its editors and writers to find out what their best town would be, ranging from a love of the outdoors to the ocean, city living, centuries-old communities or living in a more rural area. 

And while median home prices throughout the region are still at historic highs, the website sought to “shed light on some places that may surprise you with what ‘affordable’ can offer.” 

Marblehead, with its population of 20,441 has a median home price of $962,375 and was noted for breezes across its harbor and colorful homes and those with historic markers dating back to the 1600s. 

“With so many vintage structures — 300 or so — packed together so tightly, you can glimpse a cross-section of centuries at every turn. The town sits comfortably in its deep drifts of coastal history,” the report said.

The town boasts six yacht clubs and is known as America’s yachting capital and the birthplace of the U.S. Navy, all just 17 miles north of Boston.