Everett, Massachusetts: Exploring the Fastest Changing Suburb of Boston

Why this overlooked city is becoming unavoidable in Greater Boston

Everett isn't overlooked by accident - it's overlooked because people haven't caught up to what's changing.

For decades, Everett was defined by industry, infrastructure, and function - not polish or image. But right now, one of the more significant waterfront redevelopment projects currently underway in the region is happening here, with the Kraft Group transforming an old industrial site along the Mystic River into a professional soccer stadium, public waterfront access, and major infrastructure upgrades.

This isn't a cosmetic project. It's environmental cleanup, transit investment, jobs, and long-term revenue flowing directly into Everett.

Because when places like this change, the people who understand what's happening early see options and the people who rely on old reputations get left behind.

If you're looking at Everett through a 20-year-old lens, you're missing why it's starting to matter in Greater Boston right now.

I've spent over ten years working in Greater Boston real estate, helping people decide where to live as neighborhoods like Everett change in real time. In this guide, I'm breaking down what Everett actually is today, what this stadium project changes, and who this suburb of Boston really works for - and who it doesn't.

Where Everett Fits in Greater Boston

If you're relocating to Greater Boston, Everett is probably not on your radar - and that's exactly the problem with how most people approach this market.

Everett sits directly north of Boston, bordering Charlestown, Chelsea, and Malden. It's close. But proximity alone doesn't explain why people have historically overlooked it.

Everett was shaped by industry, infrastructure, and the working waterfront. It wasn't built to be charming or pedestrian-friendly. It was built to work - power plants, ports, highways, industrial sites.

For a long time, that identity made Everett easy to dismiss, especially when compared to Somerville, Cambridge, or Medford - places that fit a cleaner narrative.

But here's what matters now: proximity, zoning, and land availability. Those three things have shifted the economics of Everett in ways most people still aren't tracking.

Everett was never designed to be charming - it was designed to work. And that's exactly why it has room to change in ways denser suburbs don't.

Everett's Old Reputation vs. What's Actually Changing

Let's talk about the reputation - because it's outdated, but it's also not completely wrong.

The old narrative: Everett is industrial. It's traffic-heavy. It lacks identity or any real destination value.

And for a long time, that was accurate. Everett didn't compete for attention. It wasn't trying to.

But what's changed - and what people are missing - is that the change happening now isn't cosmetic. It's structural.

The Real Changes Happening Now

Environmental remediation is replacing legacy industrial sites. That's not rebranding. That's literally cleaning up contaminated land and making it usable for the first time in decades.

You're seeing institutional investment - not just developers flipping properties, but major capital flowing into projects that require long-term approvals, environmental cleanup, and coordination between the city, the state, and private entities.

Public-private partnerships are reshaping land use in Everett. The casino. The stadium. The proposed Commuter Rail expansion. These aren't isolated projects. They're part of a larger shift in how the city is being positioned.

Here's the key transition: Everett isn't changing because it wants to look different. It's changing because the economics of land, transit, and proximity to Boston have shifted.

When you understand that, Everett stops being a surprise and starts being predictable.

The Casino District Expansion - Why It Matters

Let's start with the anchor development that's already here: Encore Boston Harbor.

Encore opened in 2019. It's one of three casinos in Massachusetts, and it's operated by Wynn Resorts. That's not new. What is new is what just got announced.

What's Included in the Expansion

Wynn Resorts reached an agreement with the city of Everett to expand its footprint:

• Up to two new hotels on property owned by Wynn along Lower Broadway. These will not have gambling - they're non-gaming hotels designed to expand capacity and attract visitors beyond the casino itself.
  
  
• Up to $25 million toward a potential new Commuter Rail stop in the area. This isn't finalized yet, but the funding commitment is real.
  
  
• Additional cleanup of contaminated land, returning more property to productive use.
  
  

The target completion for these hotels is as early as 2028, pending approvals.

Why This Matters

Hotels mean long-term tax revenue for Everett, not just a one-time development deal. That's recurring income for the city.

Transit investment - even at the proposal stage - changes how Everett connects to the region. A Commuter Rail stop near the casino district opens access in a way that didn't exist before.

Wynn is investing beyond gaming, which signals confidence in Everett as a destination, not just a place to house a casino.

The Political Reality

Everett just swore in a new mayor, Robert Van Campen, who unseated the 18-year incumbent Carlo DeMaria. Van Campen is reviewing the placement of the proposed Commuter Rail stop. His concern is whether the location maximizes benefit for the rest of Everett, particularly the Broadway corridor.

So there are still approvals required. This isn't finalized. But the framework is in place, and the capital commitment is real.

This isn't just about more rooms. It's about how people enter, move through, and experience Everett. And that matters when you're evaluating whether a city is changing or just talking about change.

The Mystic River Soccer Stadium - The Bigger Signal

Now let's talk about the project that's reshaping the entire conversation around Everett: the Mystic River soccer stadium.

The Kraft Group - the same ownership behind the New England Patriots - is developing a 25,000-seat soccer stadium in Everett. It will be the home of the New England Revolution, Robert Kraft's Major League Soccer team.

The site is along the Mystic River, on the former Mystic generating plant location - an old industrial power plant site.

What This Project Includes

• Approximately $100 million in environmental cleanup. That's remediation of a contaminated industrial site, which is a prerequisite for any development here.
  
  
• A four-acre public waterfront park with public access. This is land that hasn't been accessible to residents in decades.
  
  
• Nearly $48 million in community benefits paid to the city of Boston over the next 15 years. That's part of the agreement because Charlestown - which sits directly across the river - will be impacted by stadium traffic and activity.
  
  
• Major infrastructure upgrades tied to Sullivan Square in Charlestown. The Kraft Group is committing to "substantial infrastructure improvements" before the stadium opens.
  
  
• $10 million toward a housing stabilization fund in Everett, designed to address displacement concerns as the city changes.
  
  

Construction could take around four years, including demolition, remediation, permitting, and actual stadium construction.

Why This Is Bigger Than Just Sports

This project forces transit coordination between Everett, Boston, and the state. With extremely limited on-site parking, stadium-goers will rely heavily on public transit - particularly a proposed pedestrian bridge from the Sullivan Square MBTA station in Charlestown.

It unlocks waterfront access that didn't exist before. That park isn't just for soccer fans. It's permanent public infrastructure.

It creates a regional destination, not just a local venue. This is a 25,000-seat stadium hosting professional sports and potentially concerts and events. That changes how people move through and think about Everett.

The Political Agreements

This agreement required buy-in from Boston, Everett, and the state. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu had initially criticized earlier proposals, saying they didn't adequately address traffic, pollution, and noise concerns in Charlestown. The agreement struck in late December addresses those concerns through binding commitments.

Both Boston and Everett finalized community benefits agreements on December 31, 2025. These were legal requirements for the project to move forward.

The stadium still requires further approvals - detailed construction plans, environmental impact reviews, and public input processes. But the framework is in place.

When this much infrastructure gets negotiated, it's because the city is no longer optional. Everett is becoming unavoidable in the Greater Boston conversation.

What Daily Life in Everett Is Actually Like

Let's ground this. Because it's easy to talk about stadiums and infrastructure, but if you're considering living in Everett, you need to know what it actually feels like day-to-day.

The Current Reality

The residential neighborhoods in Everett still feel local and working-class. This isn't a polished, gentrified environment yet. It's a city with strong immigrant communities, small businesses, and multi-generational families who've been here for decades.

Everett has easy access to Route 1, Route 99, and the northern suburbs. If you're commuting north or west, Everett is convenient in ways that Somerville or Cambridge aren't.

You're getting proximity to Boston without the same premium seen in nearby markets - at least for now. That's one of the main reasons buyers are starting to look here.

The Honest Challenges

Traffic is real. Everett has always been a transportation corridor, and that hasn't changed. You're dealing with congestion, especially near the casino and along Broadway.

Urban grit hasn't disappeared. This isn't a finished product. There are still industrial sites, chain-link fences, and blocks that don't look like anything is happening.

Change is uneven and block-by-block. Some areas are seeing investment and activity. Others aren't. That's the reality of a transitional city.

The Key Framing

Everett today is transitional - and that's exactly why it's polarizing. If you need everything finished and predictable, this won't feel comfortable. If you can see where things are going and you're okay with the in-between, Everett starts to make sense.

Who Everett Works For - And Who It Doesn't

So who is Everett actually right for?

Everett Works For:

• Buyers looking ahead five to ten years. If you're making a decision based on what Everett is today, you might miss it. But if you're evaluating what it could be in 2030 or 2035, the pieces are aligning.
  
  
• People priced out of Somerville or Cambridge but still wanting to be Boston-adjacent. Everett gives you proximity without the premium - at least for now.
  
  
• Investors watching infrastructure and transit, not aesthetics. If your evaluation is based on walkable coffee shops and bike lanes, Everett doesn't deliver yet. But if you're tracking where capital, cleanup, and transit are going, Everett is undeniable.
  
  

Everett Doesn't Work For:

• Buyers wanting polished streetscapes today. If you need the neighborhood to feel finished, you're not going to be comfortable here.
  
  
• People sensitive to construction and transition zones. This is an active construction environment. Noise, dust, detours - that's part of the reality.
  
  
• Those expecting instant lifestyle transformation. Everett isn't Somerville in 2005. It's not going to flip overnight. The timeline is longer, and the process is messier.
  
  

Everett rewards patience and context. If you need everything finished, it's not the right place. But if you can read what's happening and act accordingly, Everett is one of the most interesting bets in Greater Boston right now.

Everett vs. the Boston Narrative

Let's zoom out for a second.

Everett isn't competing with Back Bay or the South End. It's not trying to. It's competing with old assumptions - the idea that proximity, infrastructure, and land availability don't matter when a place doesn't look finished yet.

This is a similar pattern to early Somerville - except with different economics and a different scale. Somerville had denser housing stock and better transit access from the start. Everett has larger sites, heavier industry to remediate, and a longer timeline.

But the core dynamic is the same: a working-class city adjacent to Boston, with land that becomes valuable as the region runs out of space.

The Real Question

The question isn't "Is Everett nice yet?" The question is "Is Everett becoming unavoidable?"

And based on what's happening right now - the stadium, the casino expansion, the transit conversations, the cleanup - the answer is yes.

Making Your Decision

If you're thinking about moving to Greater Boston, buying, or selling in an area that's actively changing, the key is making decisions that hold up over time - not just this year.

This isn't about hype. It's about understanding where the real shifts are happening and whether a place like Everett fits your goals and timeline.

The people who understand what's happening in Everett early will see options. Those who rely on old reputations will get left behind. The choice is understanding that this is a city in transition - and being honest about whether you're comfortable with that reality.