Beach neighborhoods of Boston
While Boston grew up around its waterfront, most of this was either filled in for buildable land or developed into a working waterfront, like Charlestown, Seaport, and the Waterfront. However, there are still a handful of beaches – and by extension, beach neighborhoods – within Greater Boston.
Dorchester, South Boston, and East Boston. Within Boston itself, the
Savin Hill neighborhood in Dorchester has Malibu and Savin beaches,
Neponset/Port Norfolk has Tenean Beach,
South Boston has Carson Beach, and
East Boston has Constitution Beach in Lower Orient Heights. From Long Wharf on the Waterfront, there are ferries to Spectacle Island, one of Boston's Harbor Islands with a small swimming beach.
Quincy. Just south of Dorchester, the city of Quincy has over 27 miles of shoreline, and several beach neighborhoods, including
Adams Shore,
Germantown,
Houghs Neck,
Quincy Point,
Squantum, and
Wollaston.
Arlington, Newton, and Revere. North of the city, Arlington has
Kelwyn Manor on Spy Pond as well as the Arlington Reservoir, a section of which is open for swimming during the summer. Winchester has the freshwater Little Pond Beach/Shannon Beach/Sandy Beach. The coastal city of Revere has considerable sandy beachfront, especially Revere Beach, and is accessible by the subway. West of the city, Newton residents can swim at Crystal Lake in
Newton Centre, and
Auburndale is the only one of Newton's 13 villages that has a sand beach, with Auburndale Cove.
Water quality issues at some beaches. According to annual
report from Save the Harbor, two beaches in South Boston consistently top the list, with perfect scores of 100%, while five area beaches, in South Boston, Winthrop, and Revere receive grades of 95% or better. However, Tenean Beach in the Neponset/Port Norfolk neighborhood of Dorchester is consistently at the bottom of the list, according to the
Boston Globe, the
Charlestown Bridge, and the
Dorchester Reporter.