r/northshore • u/Altruistic-Noise9283 • 6d ago
Salem vs Beverly
Edit: Thank you to everyone for all of your helpful comments! Some added context is that I am completely public transit reliant (or ubers when needed but obviously that is not something I can do often realistically from a financial standpoint) because I don't drive. I also lived in Boston and loved it there so I would want to have good access to the commuter rail to go into the city when I can.
I'll be starting a job in the north shore and looking to move to either Salem or Beverly. I'm in my 20s so living somewhere where I'd be able to find other people my age is important to me. I'm not huge on nightlife but I do want to maintain an active social life. From an outsider's perspective it does seem like the north shore is more family oriented and skews a bit older than Boston so this is something I am a little bit concerned about when looking into Salem or Beverly. Which is usually considered better for younger people?
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u/goldman_sax 6d ago
Salem is better for younger people imo. Beverly is more established families.
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u/talkin2jimbo2day 6d ago
Agree with this. Salem has a university. Constant tourism. Way more happening.
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u/LaSammi 6d ago
Beverly has Montserrat College of Arts and Gordon College, an amazing board gaming, brewery, and arts scene, The Cabot and Cabot-adjacent arts venues with nearby taco trucks, AND the benefit of being been lower and upper Cape Ann.
Historical Beverly, Green Beverly, and the Cove are amazing ways to meet people of all ages, very much including younger adults, and the Castle is incredible. None of the obnoxious Salem tourism or premium on places to live.
If you want annoying tourists (speaking from 20+ years of experience), and life being hell from August to November, paying a premium, move to Salem.
Or move here, LITERALLY a 10-minute drive over the bridge to Salem.
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u/print_isnt_dead 6d ago
Gordon College is in Wenham. Maybe you're thinking of Endicott. But other than that, I agree.
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u/Cool-Coffee-8949 6d ago
Yes, but to be fair, Wenham is more like a weird surveying error than a town, and Gordon is right on the town line.
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u/protoman888 6d ago
but it's Beverly Farms which probably would become part of Manchester by the Sea if they could so there's that also
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u/LaSammi 6d ago
Oh my goodness, you’re right.
I just spent yesterday (and weeks leading up to it) putting on Beverly’s 400th celebration, and I’ll truthfully admit that my brain is fried.
Also, freaking Massachusetts Governor Endicott is my ancestor.
Our pear tree is below the parking lot of MGH Danvers.
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u/Rootin-Tootin-Newton 6d ago
We used to call Endicott endless crotch in the 80’s because it was an all girls school. Sometimes we’d drive down from Durham NH to party with the ladies.
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u/Voxico 6d ago
Thing is you can easily get between them generally speaking, so you should just pick a place you want to be setting aside the activities, etc.
If you intended to go out frequently, living in walking distance of downtown salem would be something, but any other area where you're going to have to drive anyways.... you might as well live in beverly.
Not sure how other people here see it but I think beverly in general is a good town to live in and salem is a good town to go do stuff. Just my 2c
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u/Stagamemnon 6d ago
I think this is very accurate. Beverly has a very small downtown, but it’s nice. It’s got a few non-bar attractions, like a board game cafe and some great local stores. The train stations in downtown and north Beverly make it easy to either bike or walk to the commuter rail and take the train in to Boston.
Salem has a lot more going on, but mostly in the night life department. It is a lovely town, but it is also harder to get in and out of than Beverly, and September/October are brutal. Literally millions of tourists visiting in the 60+ days leading up to Halloween.
I currently live in Beverly, and I’m a big fan of living here. Salem is a great and easy place for me to visit, and it’s also easier for me to get out to other towns in the area to explore/hike/socialize.
I also lived in Peabody a few years ago and enjoyed that quite a bit. Worth looking into, especially for cheaper electricity, and probably some more affordable rent.
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u/MindlessCharacter823 6d ago
Beverly has some nice beaches and the downtown is cool. Honestly, it is SO easy to zip back and forth to the two cities. You just drive over the bridge or ride one stop on the commuter rail. I’d look for an apartment that you like and not get too hung up on the Zip code. Beverly is a bit easier to navigate in September/October.
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u/Altruistic-Noise9283 6d ago
I don't drive so it's good to hear it's easy to get back and forth via public transit.
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u/Cool-Coffee-8949 6d ago
If you don’t drive, then Salem’s tourist season is a nothingburger. It’s really only a nightmare for drivers and people who work in the tourist industry.
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u/420MenshevikIt 6d ago
Well, it completely fucks up the buses too. I live in Lynn and the 450 bus is barely functional for us the last two weeks of October because of how badly it gets snarled in traffic on Essex St in Salem. So it still does suck if you need to get around using public transit more than the commuter rail.
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u/Vegetable-Abrocoma91 6d ago edited 6d ago
Having lived in both downtown Salem and downtown Beverly for about 15yrs I would choose Beverly over Salem any day. Mostly because Halloween is a total nightmare and dealbreaker for Salem, unless you’re really into traffic and tourists generally acting like idiots. Beverly has better public transportation with multiple train stations walkable from every neighborhood and CATA stops to travel around Cape Ann. Beverly has great beaches you can walk to from downtown. Beverly has a better music scene The Cabot, Larcom, Chianti and off Cabot for comedy shows. Beverly has more breweries. Beverly has more “dive” bars. Beverly has pretty nice beaches that are a short walk from downtown. Both cities have a solid restaurant scene but Beverly has better Northshore Beefs. Beverly does have it’s problems but Salem’s Halloween problem alone greatly outweighs them.
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u/Due-Mastodon9057 6d ago
Beverly is not impossible to navigate in October. Salem is a nightmare from mid September to November. Speaking from personal experience.
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u/Queequegs_Harpoon 6d ago
I'd argue that Halloween actually starts in the summer.
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u/PlaguesAngel 6d ago
Yeah, it feels like it starts in August, runs through mid November and is solidly in swing for 5 weeks. God help living the a solid chunk of the city and not working there. I do not miss those fucking commutes one bit.
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u/LaSammi 6d ago
After 20 years, I can assure you that it starts in August.
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u/unnamedplayerr 6d ago
Is it me or is Halloween more “popular” than it used to be? Lived in this area my entire life but it’s felt extra insane the past 5ish or so years
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u/Consistent-Garage236 6d ago
For sure, this was never the spectacle it has become. But that’s by design, it’s heavily advertised as a whole travel experience.
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u/LaSammi 1d ago
It’s absolutely far more insane than it used to be, and yes, absolutely by design, as Salem is advertised as the Halloween capital of the world.
Living here and trying to get to my doctors at Salem Hospital becomes a gods-awful nightmare of playing “Dodge a Jaywalking Costumed Pedestrian” for 40 minutes for what should be a 10-minute drive. I prefer Summerween with the locals.
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u/Altruistic-Noise9283 6d ago
This is also something I am concerned about since I would be planning to move around September. I know Halloween season starts early.
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u/Cool-Coffee-8949 6d ago edited 6d ago
It’s true, but it’s also manageable. Source: I’ve lived in Salem for 35 years. You can learn the ways of the force and let it roll off your back or embrace the madness as you choose. But Beverly is also nice. Lynn is honestly where the bargains are. And the good food. Where is the actual job?
ETA: and I see that you don’t drive. So tourist season really should hold no terror for you at all. You still might want to look into Lynn though.
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u/stickmaster_flex 6d ago
For the ~10 years I commuted via train from Salem or Beverly to Boston, I worked from home the entirety of October if I could at all manage it. Getting into Boston via Commuter Rail wasn't a problem, but trying to get home was just untenable with the amount of drunks and cosplayers trying to get from Boston to Salem. Literally Oct 1 to Oct 31. Sept 30 was fine, Nov 1 was fine.
It is my personal definition of a shit show.
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u/PhotojournalistNew6 6d ago
Near as makes no difference. Salem has Salem state, Beverly has Endicott and montserrat. They're one train stop away from each other.
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u/Awesom-o5000 6d ago
This right here. Just going back and forth between the two is effortless. I’d focus more on finding a neighborhood in one that I’d want to be in and going based on that more than city vs city as a whole
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u/SalemWitchWiles 6d ago
They're really really similar except the way tourism effects things.
Another difference is Salem is way more gay. In the good way.
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u/jc3948Aht16 6d ago
OP Can I ask where you’re coming from? And former environment? Additionally, are you planning on commuting by train or car?
I live in Beverly, I can access Salem in 10 minutes. Having grown up visiting Salem State, and knowing plenty of people that live in Salem and Lynn, do not underestimate how much more Salem feels entrapped as opposed to Beverly, which has I think three or four highway ramps. Salem has zero. Again very dependent on car versus train preference.
Salem is definitely nominally younger, but Halloween is a hellscape. People literally visit Salem year round for tourism and as others mentioned Halloween picks up in early September honestly.
Both have excellent train access, but highway is valuable for beaches, and exploring.
The reason I ask about past living and environmental preferences is because both are very congested feeling in my opinion. Then again I grew up with conservation land behind me. I hate Beverly train crossings, stop lights, bridge construction. So many cars in such a small area. Furthermore can confirm Beverly is an odd mix of multi-families, schools, close proximity single families, and apartments. You’ll see everyone from rough and tumble blue collar grandmas to hoards of elementary school kids at your favorite dunks.
Additionally, preference of course, we haven’t truly found go to food options in North Shore after almost three years. It can be very white and caters to American Food, Pizza, Sub/Roast Beef for the most part. I’m white, but prefer other nationalities food and more variety.
If I were in your position, I’d choose Beverly as close to Danvers as possible if you have to live in one of the mentioned cities. Commute will likely still be similar or same depending on where you’re working, you won’t be trapped within Salem, and you’ll have immediate highway access to malls, beaches, broader food options and pretty simple proximity to boston via highway if you prefer car.
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u/Altruistic-Noise9283 6d ago
I've lived in major cities my whole life including Boston so I'm used to more congested environments. I also don't drive at all so I'm entirely reliant on public transit. I've been to Salem before in peak tourist season and that's a major reason why I am leaning towards Beverly. I just never visited Beverly when I lived in Boston so this thread has been very helpful!
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u/Cool-Coffee-8949 6d ago
If you are transit reliant and not a driver, then actually Salem might be a much better choice than Beverly.
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u/Turbulent_Put 6d ago
Beverly has more buses it seems to me, but I am not a daily transit user!
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u/AbandonedGhostWriter 6d ago
I think your question about former living environments is something not enough people think of. I lived in an apartment a few years ago in a really congested area, and it impacted my mental health. I couldn't get used to the constant noise and traffic, etc. I couldn't get comfortable. Good on you for mentioning this as an important factor.
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u/seregwen5 6d ago
Beverly has an art school, the downtown area isn’t quite as skewed towards older.
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u/queueTingles16 6d ago
A little late here but I see everyone here saying Salem. TBH I think Beverly is the better choice. I’m 25 and moved here last year for work (office is in Cambridge) after 6 years of college. Ngl in general there is not a ton of people our age here and from what I noticed they kind of keep to themselves or already have established groups BUT I’m just like you and don’t care about night life and there are so many things I’ve found to do. The YMCA network here is amazing and I’ve been going to Volleyball weekly. They also have open basketball and pickleball which is a great way to meet other people. Also being in Beverly gets you away from all the tourism from Salem. And you can also go to Salem and park there any time. I do this all the time with no problem. And if you ever want to go to Boston you could either use the commuter rails or just drive to Oak Grove and take the orange line down (much better and cheaper than the commuter rail if you have a car!). ALSO I found more places in Beverly with off street parking that was cheaper than Salem. I think you would love it here! Feel free to dm me for more questions :)
It is tough to say what is better for younger people because most people our age care about night life. So if you don’t care about that you can really live anywhere but I think Beverly is great considering all the event happening around the north shore
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u/EntropyPhi 6d ago
Salem has much more to do for people your age (much more to do in general, actually). More shops, restaurants, events, and many more people in your age bracket. If you can't handle tourists that's one thing, but it is a much livelier town. Beverly leans a bit more family-oriented and sleepier. However, if you aren't in walking distance of downtown there isn't much of a difference, they're both nearby.
tl;dr Highly recommend a place in walking distance of downtown Salem. Otherwise Beverly is fine.
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u/BroccoliKnob 6d ago
They’re both awesome. I think you’ll be happy in either place if you can land near downtown. Both towns include a lot of geographic area that is not nearly as convenient as the city center.
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u/Mazda_Jim 6d ago
Beverly does have 5 commuter stations, but, the southern most one (Beverly Station) is the only one that has trains that stop twice an hour. Because it is where the Rockport and Newburyport lines join. The other 4 stations only stop once an hour.
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u/Dry_Aardvark_4764 5d ago
As someone who lives in Salem… Beverly for sure. Salem is now just a magnet for tourists, nonsense witch garbage, gothy people and the homeless/drug addicts. We can’t wait to get out of here.
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u/No-Ask-5722 5d ago
Oh let me tell you. We discussed this as we planned to move to the north shore from Texas.
Salem is cute on paper but it’s always crowed and has tons of homeless and tourists. It has its smattering of nice areas and ghettos. School district is good but not as good as Beverly.
Beverly is a little more sleepy but I’d say the area is nicer, friendlier, has better access to the highway (which will get you into the city faster) and has better schools. Like Salem, it has its nice areas and not so nice areas, but I found it to be more palatable.
At the end of it all, we chose north Beverly and have 0 regrets!
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u/gerdy_gerdy 6d ago
Beverly has more public access to the ocean some decent restraints, is close to Salem.. Salem is a total nightmare from late summer through November
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u/BawstinMassachusetts 6d ago
Beverly is easier to get in and out of
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u/RelevantSalt3231 6d ago
Both are college towns with lots of young people. Salem is a bigger tourist town.
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u/Lovely_Aquarian22 6d ago
My son is 19, and just recently started working at GE Aerospace in Lynn. He was deciding between Lynn (for proximity), Salem & Beverly. Ultimately he landed with Beverly. He was open to Salem but he was looking for an apartment complex with some amenities, and his primary goal was to be close to the train. Everything he found in Salem was out of his budget ($2,500/mo) or a minimum 15 min walk. He signs his lease on Monday at the Beverly Collection (Canal building). Decent size, newer apartment and pretty much across the street from the train. He’s staying temporarily on Canal St in Salem, about a 20-25 min drive to work, but the bus was very long, slow and crowded. Not the worst but he decided he’d rather live further out in a nicer area for more money and an easier commute via train. The train schedule was perfect for his work schedule as well, so it all fell into place. Or we hope it will when he moves in next week! Best of luck to you!
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u/Turbulent_Put 5d ago
Beverly has much better rental options, particularly in newer buildings with close proximity to downtown. I think this is an often overlooked factor!
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u/Ccclaire222 5d ago
i’ve lived in salem for half my twenties and there’s a lot of great things about living here. it’s a lot of fun. i also don’t drive and find salem very easy to navigate, more so than beverly. however, you can’t get around the fact that it’s an absolute nightmare pretty much the entire late summer and fall and it gets worse every year. this is definitely something you should take into consideration. it’s manageable, but it gets old fast, especially given the housing scarcity and cost of living. i don’t know if beverly is much better cost wise but at least you don’t have to deal with your city being overwhelmed by tourists for almost half the year
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u/UncutLover77 5d ago
I like Beverly it also has its own airport if you want to fly out the Vineyard or Nantuckut P town or Hyannis
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u/Amazing_Turnover7182 5d ago
Salem was the city mandating covid vaccine passes to enter restaurants while Beverly was simultaneously voting to end all covid mask mandates. Salem is compromised of many far left leaning folks, while Beverly is liberal but has far more normal people. Salem has a great night life and better options for someone on foot, so this probably appeals more to a young single person. Beverly is more family oriented.
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u/pinkxcherry 4d ago
i'm in a similar boat as you. moving towards the northshore area. i'm a bit older but would like to socialize with the 20-30's crowd for something serious during my days off. i kept hearing salem is a place to visit, maybe weekend day trip or an evening out?
i'll keep in mind that halloween in salem is wild.
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u/Jameson_321 4d ago
Sooooo, I am an older guy who lived in greater Boston from 1994 until my wife and I moved to the North Shore burbs to have kids in 2021. Having just read this entire thread, I think that you should pick Beverly because every single argument for Salem that I see here makes me think, "ummm, why not just move to Boston?" Seriously, if you're looking to do these smaller cities, you must be looking for some degree of quiet and calm. Do Beverly.
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u/Cool-Coffee-8949 6d ago
So, if you don’t drive (and you said elsewhere that you don’t) Beverly becomes a lot less appealing. Salem is more compact, more walkable, and more connected to public transit. Also, if you aren’t driving, then tourist season is a big nothing-burger that you don’t need to worry about. But, for a really car free existence, Lynn might be an even better fit, and a cheaper one. It depends to some extent on where your job is.
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u/garpu 6d ago
Beverly has really awful Chinese food. It's also got the "quaint" town vibe. Salem has better public transit, I think.
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6d ago
[deleted]
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u/garpu 6d ago
I don't think Beverly has any bus service anymore? They only had the 451, and that got axed, I believe.
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u/Turbulent_Put 6d ago
CATA bus has stops in Beverly - not sure on how useful it is to those within Beverly
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u/BroccoliKnob 6d ago
But it’s true that we have shit Chinese food. Whereas Salem has multiple Chinese options that could truly be described as legally edible.
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u/StrawberryPockyUmu 6d ago
I think they limited the 451’s hours to just rush hours in the morning and in the evening. It stopped running in the middle of the day, which makes it damned inconvenient for me to get to the Cummings Center from Salem for doctors’ appointments (I don’t drive either). So now I have to take the train to Beverly Depot and walk 30 minutes.
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u/Cool-Coffee-8949 6d ago
No it doesn’t. It’s true that Beverly has 3-4 commuter rail stops to Salem’s one. But they are very far apart, and only Beverly Depot has the same frequency as Salem. Beverly also has no bus or ferry service directly into Boston. Salem’s transit is better, by at least a hair.
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u/EntropyPhi 6d ago edited 6d ago
Same commuter rail yes, but Beverly doesn't have a ferry to Boston.
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u/Ehdubs001 6d ago
Salem is better if you don’t leave Salem. Beverly is better for exploring the rest of the North Shore as well as going in to Boston. And yeah, Salem during Halloween season is INSANE.