Salem more walkable than Dorchester, Rowley not walkable at all

David Moisan of A Salem Blog responds to my post about Walk Score and Boston's subway stops:

I did a WalkScore last year for Salem; I live near the train station so it's close enough. It is 92, and likely to be amongst the best scores outside North Station... My original posting is here.

I found the walkability scores for all the stops on the Newburyport/Rockport line (see below), and Salem actually gets a 94 (out of 100), which is better than all of the Red Line stops in Dorchester and all of the Blue Line stops in East Boston. Salem gets a near-perfect score thanks to such nearby amenities as a movie theater, a "bookstore" (Harrison's Comics), and a "fitness" establishment (Body & Soul Massage).

The worst score I've come across so far is Rowley Station, which gets a single-digit 6. Chelsea and Lynn each get a 75, which says something about how underserved those areas are despite having very dense populations.

NEWBURYPORT/ROCKPORT LINE:
Chelsea: 75
River Works (used by GE employees only): 51
Lynn: 75
Swampscott: 57
Salem: 94
Beverly Depot: 86

Montesserat: 51
Prides Crossing: 37
Beverly Farms: 58
Manchester-by-the-Sea: 69
West Gloucester: 12
Gloucester: 80
Rockport: 66

North Beverly: 68
Hamilton/Wenham: 86
Ipswich: 66
Rowley: 6
Newburyport (not downtown): 54

Comments

[David Moisan]

In Salem, there is Derby Square Book Store and Cornerstone Books, the latter being a modern "full service" store with a cafe. I remember when Salem's bookstores counted in the tens, sadly.

Thanks for the kind words.

[Ari Herzog]

Is there a "bike-ability" scoring system?