Weston Among Boston Magazine's Best Places to Live

The verdict is in: Weston is a pretty great place to live.

And it isn't just Weston residents who think so.

Weston has been named in the "Going Huge" category of the "Best Places to Live 2013" in the March issue of Boston magazine.

Weston Board of Selectmen Chairman Michael Harrity said it was nice that Weston was recognized, but contended that most residents probably wouldn't be surprised by the honor.

"Among the many attractive features of our town are the quality of our schools, hundreds of acres of dedicated open space and the convenience of our location for commuting to jobs throughout the metro Boston region," Harrity said. "What the surveys miss is the commitment of Weston’s residents to maintaining and improving the quality of life in our town, and that spirit is particularly evident this year as Weston celebrates its tercentennial."

According to the magazine, the "Going Huge" category features locations for "the all-cash buyer intent on a prestige address."

When it comes to Weston, Boston magazine reported:

Weston has a new suitor. Once the ZIP code of choice for the investment-banking crowd, this MetroWest suburb is now pulling in young families with tech fortunes to burn. They come for the privacy, open space, tight-knit community, and excellent schools—Mandarin classes start in middle school, and the high school’s brand-new science wing, including state-of-the-art labs and an indoor/outdoor greenhouse, opened last September. Since many of the newcomers are two-earner households, they have no interest in overseeing huge renovation projects. (Estate spec-home construction, on the other hand, is all the rage.) The most desirable addresses are situated within the Weston Roads Trust, a series of private ways that snakes around Weston Golf Club but has quick access to the Pike.

Local real estate agent (and Weston Patch blogger) Lisa Curlett said that rankings such as this don't do much for Weston's actual home values, but that doesn't mean the rankings don't have value.

"Is there a cachet to Weston, which is further enhanced by articles like these? Of course," Curlett said. "And keep these kinds of articles coming because they definitely help spread the good word about Weston and make it more desirable conceptually.

"The town has to individually and personally appeal to buyers to ultimately make them choose to live here," Curlett continued.

Other communities named in the "Going Huge" category include Manchester-By-The-Sea, Beacon Hill and Hingham.