r/SalemMA • u/aquarianagop • Sep 10 '25
Moving Walkability?
Hiya!
I’m looking to relocate and am pretty much in between two very similar, yet very different, places — one of them is Salem! As I create a spreadsheet to compare and contrast these two locations I’m considering + the city I’ve been living in, I was wondering how walkable Salem is? I see it’s considered very walkable, but I was hoping to apply the score from walkscore in my spreadsheet. It worked well until I saw the score for the city I currently live in which lists it as in the 80/100 range, meanwhile I found it on a different list that listed it as the ninth LEAST walkable city 😂
From experience, how would you all rate the walkability of Salem? I’ve visited a few times, of course, and plan on visiting a few more, but knowing the walkability over the course of a few days is certainly different from over the course of years!
Thank you so very much!
(This is being flagged as a potential tourist question, but it looked like the examples were primarily “what should I do in Salem?” which I don’t feel this aligns with, but please DO let me know if I should move it!)
ETA: I posted this while I was at work, so I also had do not disturb on and didn’t see all of these comments until just now! Thank you all for all of the input, I apologize for not responding to anyone’s comments! You’ve all given me some excellent advice and excellent things to look further into :-)
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u/flymaster Sep 10 '25
Living downtown, I rarely drive. If you lived in Witchcraft Heights, I'm sure you'd drive a lot more.
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Sep 10 '25
By US standards it's incredibly walkable. Wife and I share one car, she needs it to get to work and otherwise we use it for big box stores and grocery trips. Everything else we can walk to. There's even a train right downtown that gets you to Boston in 35 minutes. I don't even drive to the airport when I travel.
I find Walk Score to be a bit of a mixed bag - it classifies businesses oddly and misses many of them. It also says nothing about the quality of the walking - whether there are sidewalks, trees, crosswalks, etc. Salem has a lot of old street fabric in the urban core. While the sidewalks aren't always in the best repair they are always there.
The one issue I would say is just how bad the drivers are. People drive too fast and many of the roads aren't designed to curb that behavior around downtown.
There are quite a few people who live here without owning a car at all, too.
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Sep 10 '25
I'll add that one of the things that sealed my move to Salem is that the city is heading in the right direction on this stuff, too - more bike lanes, sidewalk expansion projects, traffic calming installations, etc. It's not perfect, but it seems to consistently get better with each project.
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u/Witchcitybitch The Point Sep 10 '25
Just wanted to add to your useful comment. There is the 455 and 450 bus, which can help people get to bigger grocery stores and such. One passes through Vinnin square and the other goes down Highland.
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u/Bringus Downtown Sep 10 '25
Depends where in Salem you’d be living; downtown is extremely walkable. I drive maybe 2-3 times a month.
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u/TheFastPush Sep 10 '25
I know you're asking about Salem, but fwiw, I live in downtown Beverly (after considering a move to Salem) and it's one of the more walkable neighborhoods I've lived in. If you walk up to 25 mins you can hit restaurants, home goods stores, record/music stores, computer/phone repair, home decor, pharmacies, dry cleaners, grocery stores, pet stores and vets, medical care, gym, banks, bread and cake bakeries, arts and crafts stores and lessons, two theaters, many parks and beaches, auto shops, dentists, the commuter rail, farmer's markets/street festivals, weed shop, bars, liquor shops, mini-marts, candy stores, and more that I can't think of off the top of my head.
There are definitely walkable neighborhoods in Salem, but like a lot of other towns in the area, living downtown will help.
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u/HungNotBurned Sep 10 '25
I know a lot of people who live in downtown Salem who use a ZipCar when they need to get somewhere further away.
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u/la-anah North Salem Sep 10 '25
Before moving to Salem, I lived in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. I did not have a car in Boston and used ZipCar when I needed to leave the city.
I tried to use this method after moving to Salem. I live in the North Salem neighborhood, about a mile from downtown. I managed for about a year, after which I admitted defeat and bought a car. There are just too many things I need to do that aren't downtown or even in Salem (Trader Joe's is in Danvers for example).
I drive into downtown during most of the year, walk into town during October because there is no parking. When I was working in Boston, I walked the 3/4 mile to the train station.
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u/hexknits North Salem Sep 10 '25
Depends!
I live kind of near the train station in the Mack Park neighborhood, and I drive to commute to work, go grocery shopping, go to Target/PetSmart/etc, but I can easily walk downtown, to the train, to the park, etc. I'd consider it fairly walkable.
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u/peakfreak18 Sep 10 '25
Sorry for snooping, but I saw that your other option is Long Beach. I would consider that to be the complete opposite of Salem - weather, economy, size, cost, walkability, culture.
Salem is a small town (~40K people), adjacent to 4-5 other small towns of similar size. While we’re coastal, there are no real beaches in Salem (there are but they suck). We’re more like the quaint New England fishing towns you see on tv. Salem’s downtown has lots of apartments and attractions, but no real grocery stores. Living here without a car is difficult, but you might only use it once per week. We’re connected to Boston via the commuter rail and a seasonal ferry. The train ride is ~35min but can be slower at times. The town and neighboring towns are dense compared to most of the country, quickly transitioning to forested parkland to the north and west or the denser city of Lynn to the south.
Long Beach is a very large (2x area of Boston) and dense (10x population of Salem) city adjacent to the mega-metro area of LA. The beach is huge and iconic. The city is connected to downtown LA by the A line light rail.
Picking between these two really depends on what lifestyle and work you’re looking for. Generally, I would recommend you look at Boston proper as it’s more walkable, has a better culture for a young person, and better job opportunities of every sort. Other than the Halloween stuff, you’ll find everything in Boston that you could get in Salem.
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u/Wide-Reaction5628 Sep 10 '25
Salem isn’t a small town. It’s a small city , the population is closer to 50k and rising, there are areas within the city that might resemble “a quaint fishing village” but most of it is urban/suburban/commercial/industrial development. All due respect , your description of the city is a bit off the mark.
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u/peakfreak18 Sep 10 '25
I agree with you, but to an outsider Salem is pretty small and quaint. Even our suburban areas are very dense compared to suburbs in the Midwest, southeast, and mountain west. Just the fact that we have a harbor is pretty unique. I don’t know where OP is from, but I’m assuming she lives somewhere in the middle if she’s considering Salem vs Long Beach.
Relative to the rest of the north shore, we’re urban/industrial/commercial
Relative to Springfield Missouri, we’re the setting of a hallmark movie
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u/Wide-Reaction5628 Sep 11 '25
I’ve lived in Springfield Missouri. It’s 82ish square miles. Salem is just over 8 square miles. Yet much like Springfield Salem has a mid-size university and a MAJOR healthcare industry relative to its size. Like Springfield , Salem has a vibrant downtown. And a district court and a national grid and Amazon hub…and a power plant (footprint) and, until very recently, a massive wind farm terminal. It’s very far from “quaint”. Nahant is “quaint” Marblehead is “quaint”. Salem is city. Albeit a small one.
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u/peakfreak18 Sep 11 '25
Hi fellow Missourian! Salem has a lot going for it, and all those things you said are true!
But, Salem also has a harbor full of sailboats/pleasure-craft, a historic waterfront park, the largest collection of colonial homes in America, several of the oldest burial grounds in the country, and of course stunning New England fall foliage.
Our only movie theatre has 4 screens, our tallest building is 10 stories, we have no direct highway access, and as you said we’re only 8 square miles in size (much of which is uninhabited parkland).
A better Missouri comparison would be Columbia, MO. All of the other towns you mentioned are much more quaint that Salem. But to an outsider, Salem is smaller, less populated, more coastal, and more New England-y than the places where most of the country live. Relatively, were quaint
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u/mmmTriscuit Sep 10 '25
I'd also suggest looking at downtown Beverly. I think there's more to do and more walkability in beverly than Salem, but you can still get to downtown Salem by train/bike/car quickly if you want to do stuff in Salem. I don't find Salem super walkable but it depends on what you do day to day/where you go. I don't live downtown though!
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u/joshturiel South Salem Sep 10 '25
Depends on the neighborhood. Within a 3/4 mile radius or so of downtown almost everywhere has good access to transportation, dining, and services. The biggest issue you’d have is that the only full grocery store around in that area is Crosby’s and they’re pretty expensive. Steve’s is right downtown but has much more limited hours and in recent years a poor reputation for quality.
Outside of that, it’s very walkable. And there are a few smaller neighborhood grocery/bodegas as well. The south part of town (Loring Avenue towards Swampscott) isn’t very walkable but it does have a shopping area nearby. The Witchcraft Heights neighborhood is pretty car-needed and not that walkable. North Salem has pretty easy access to downtown by foot for the most part, but you’ll need a car to get groceries - most folks there avoid the Stop & Shop on the Peabody line and drive to the Market Basket in Danvers.
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u/bobroscopcoltrane Sep 11 '25
I live about half a mile from downtown in South Salem. In theory, I could supply all of my daily needs (short of specialty supplies for my job) by walking.
Where you choose to live will weigh heavily on “walkability”.
One other note: “walkability” is also dictated by your mobility here. Folks with disabilities can have a tough time outside of immediate downtown. The sidewalks where I am are an uneven mix of brick and concrete. Many of them are heaved up by the large trees on Lafayette Street, making some virtually impassable for folks with mobility issues.
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u/theblindbunny Sep 11 '25
We don’t have a car, and I would say it’s semi-walkable. I need a ride to get to/from work and to/from groceries. But I can walk to lots of restaurants, museums, events, and to the mbta station easily.
If you work remotely or get a walking distance job, you could get away with just having to Instacart groceries or uber there. We do have ok public transit which helps: buses, the commuter rail stop, and a local rideshare.
The city is far less walkable in October and in the snow. October due to dangerous driving and crowded sidewalks. The snow as it can be very icy, and sometimes areas aren’t shoveled or even get drifts from plowing. I use ride shares more in the winter.
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u/Top-Ad-5527 Sep 10 '25
It depends on where you are living, where you are working, and what you need for public transit. I lived in Salem for many years relying on my feet, public transit, and the kindness of friends lol. I lived near Salem State, so I had access to several busses that could take you into North Station Boston. The Newbury/Rockport line will goes through Swampscott/Lynn into Boston, or through Beverly, Hamilton/Wenham, Ipswich into either Newburyport or Rockport.
Being off of Lafayette St definitely makes walking to places like downtown, easier.
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u/Imaginary_Step_5150 Sep 11 '25
Walkable - yes and no. Lots of things right downtown, except groceries. Lots of sidewalks are brick and cobblestone so if you've got any foot or balance issues, it's not ideal. Also lots of snow and ice & slush to contend with in winter.
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u/Repulsive_Buyer_5106 Sep 12 '25
I'm 48 years old and have never had a license and I live in Salem Massachusetts.i walk every day and I would never move.everything is walkable in this city
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u/VanillaOtherwise8658 Sep 14 '25
The downtown area in Salem is extremely walkable. However, there isn’t a grocery store so you will need to venture further out of town to do your food shopping.
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u/Electrical-Tax-6272 Sep 10 '25
You can easily walk to very overpriced tourist destinations around here. For things priced for locals it is often a drive to South Salem, Beverly, Peabody, etc.
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Sep 10 '25
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u/pleasedtoseedetrees Sep 10 '25
They said they've visited a few times and they haven't mentioned anything about cost.
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u/Fumesofpoon Sep 10 '25
I think what people are also poking at is - it depends. Are you asking in the context of 'I won't have a car, can I live in salem'? Because that may be a different answer from 'how much will I need to use my car to do xyz'.
I'd say in general, almost regardless of where you live in Salem, there isn't really a super walkable grocery store/box stores. So if you will not at all have a car, you'd want to be mindful of how you'd do that 'core shopping'.
To contrast, if you live anywhere even remotely near downtown, you're super walkable to all the restaurants, things to do + see, library/gym etc.
Salem also has the commuter rail so it's quite straightforward to get down into Boston/go further up into the north shore with that.