Welcome to Malden

Malden is a city just north of Boston, set between the Malden River and the rocky hills of the Middlesex Fells. Two Orange Line stations, Malden Center and Oak Grove, connect it directly to downtown Boston, and its neighborhoods mix 19th-century Victorian houses, early 20th-century two-family homes and three-deckers, and newer condominium buildings near the stations.

About Malden

Puritan settlers arrived in 1640 on land purchased from the Native people of the area. The settlement was first known as Mistick Side and belonged to Charlestown, and in 1649 it was incorporated as a separate town, named by early landholder Joseph Hills after Maldon in England. Neighboring Everett was once part of Malden, known as South Malden, and Malden became a city in the early 1880s.

The railroad reached the town center in 1845, and industry followed. The Boston Rubber Shoe Company, founded by Elisha Converse, grew into one of the largest rubber footwear makers in the world, and new streetcar lines in the early 1900s spread houses across the Maplewood highlands. The city still takes its shape from its squares and village centers, including Malden Square downtown, Maplewood, Linden, Edgeworth, Faulkner, and Oak Grove. Malden borders Medford to the west, along with Melrose, Saugus, Revere, and Everett.

Getting Around

The Orange Line stops at Malden Center and at Oak Grove, the northern end of the line, and runs through Sullivan Square in Charlestown to Downtown Boston. Haverhill Line commuter rail trains also stop at both stations on their way to North Station. Route 60 crosses the city, and Route 1 and Interstate 93 run close by.

Malden Real Estate

Malden's housing reflects its growth as a railroad and streetcar suburb. Greek Revival and Italianate houses from the mid-1800s stand near the older centers, and Queen Anne, Shingle Style, and Colonial Revival homes from the late 1800s line many of the hillside streets. Early 20th-century two-family houses and three-deckers fill much of the city, some of them divided into condominiums, and multi-unit buildings are common throughout.

Around Malden Square and the Orange Line stations, newer mid-rise condominium and apartment buildings add another option, with the train a short walk away. The quieter residential blocks near the Fells and Fellsmere Park are known for larger single-family houses on winding streets.

Living in Malden

The northwest corner of the city reaches into the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a state park of rocky woodland, ponds, and trails. Fellsmere Park, designed by the Olmsted firm, circles a pond in a residential neighborhood, and Pine Banks Park adds more wooded acreage on the Melrose line. Downtown, the Converse Memorial Building of the Malden Public Library was designed by H. H. Richardson and completed in 1885. Given by Elisha and Mary Converse in memory of their son, it is a National Historic Landmark and one of the best-known buildings in the city.

Malden Square remains the commercial center, with restaurants, cafes, and everyday shopping close to Malden Center station, and smaller neighborhood business districts serve Maplewood, Linden, and Edgeworth. From Malden, the shops and restaurants of Medford's Station Landing, the trails of the Fells, and downtown Boston are all within easy reach.

Questions About Malden

What kinds of homes are in Malden?

Malden mixes mid-1800s Greek Revival and Italianate houses, late 1800s Queen Anne, Shingle Style and Colonial Revival homes, and early 20th-century two-family houses and three-deckers, some divided into condominiums. Newer mid-rise condominium and apartment buildings stand around Malden Square and the Orange Line stations.

How do you get to Boston from Malden?

The Orange Line stops at Malden Center and Oak Grove and runs through Sullivan Square in Charlestown to Downtown Boston. Haverhill Line commuter rail trains also stop at both stations on the way to North Station.

What parks and open space are in Malden?

The northwest corner of the city reaches into the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a state park of rocky woodland, ponds and trails. Fellsmere Park, designed by the Olmsted firm, circles a pond, and Pine Banks Park adds wooded acreage on the Melrose line.

To see homes for sale in Malden, browse the listings below. Thinking of buying or selling in Malden? Call (617) 848-9616 or get a free home valuation. Malden is part of our North of Boston guide.