Longwood
Adjacent to the Longwood Medical Area — popular with healthcare professionals and researchers.
About Longwood
Longwood is Brookline's most urban neighborhood — compact, transit-connected, and dominated by its proximity to the Longwood Medical and Academic Area (LMA), which houses Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess, Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber, and Brigham and Women's. The housing stock is primarily condos and apartments in prewar buildings along Longwood Avenue and the surrounding streets. It's the Brookline neighborhood that functions most like a Boston neighborhood — walkable, dense, and with a transient population of medical professionals, researchers, and graduate students alongside longer-term residents. What it lacks in village charm it makes up for in pure convenience: you can walk to work at a world-class hospital and still live in Brookline.
Property Character
Condo-dominated. Prewar apartment buildings and brownstone conversions are the primary housing stock. Smaller units predominate — studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms. Very few single-family homes. Some newer condo developments have added modern inventory. The trade-off is square footage for location — units tend to be compact but competitively priced for Brookline.
Typical Home Styles
Best For
Local Highlights
- •Longwood Medical Area — walking distance to world-class hospitals and research institutions
- •Wheelock College campus area — green space and institutional architecture
- •Proximity to the Emerald Necklace — Olmsted Park and the Riverway are minutes away
- •BU and Northeastern campuses nearby — cultural events and energy
- •Tatte Bakery on Brookline Ave — Israeli-inspired pastries and coffee
Getting Around
Longwood station on the Green Line D branch, plus the E line (Longwood Medical Area stop) is adjacent. Multiple bus routes connect to the area. The 66 bus to Harvard Square runs nearby. This is one of the most transit-rich locations in Brookline — you genuinely do not need a car here. Parking is limited and expensive.
Schools
Served by Devotion School (K-8) or Lawrence School (K-8) depending on the address. Both feed into Brookline High School. The school-age population in Longwood is smaller than in the more family-oriented southern neighborhoods, but the schools are fully accessible and excellent. Some families in Longwood also consider nearby private options given the institutional proximity.
Explore more of Brookline
Longwood is just one part of what makes Brookline special.