A fitting terminus to continent-spanning US Route 20, Comm. Ave., as it's affectionately known by locals, got the most votes in our survey by far. Between the Public Garden and Kenmore Square, the street's shaded mall and classical revival, Art Nouveau, and French Renaissance row houses make it the grand centerpiece of tony Back Bay. 'People who live on Comm. Ave.,' says Diane Keliher of Keliher Real Estate on Newbury Street, 'won't put their place on the market until they find another place on Comm. Ave. to buy.' Why would they, with shopping, parks, restaurants, night life, and schools ' from Kingsley Montessori to Boston University ' right at their doorstep? Prices start around $800 per square foot for a small studio and go to more than $1,200 per square foot for an elevator penthouse.

EAST BROADWAY, South Boston

South Boston is no longer the rough-and-tumble place depicted in movies like Good Will Hunting, and part of the reason is the treasure trove of housing stock ' mostly semi-attached three-deckers and brick row houses that are both wider and deeper than in many parts of town ' that was 'discovered' in the early 2000s on East Broadway. The area is close to the Financial District and the airport but still feels small-town: If you walk west, you'll find dry cleaners, banks, gas stations, restaurants, and other necessities, while going east takes you to Pleasure Bay and the Harbor Islands beyond. In between is Medal of Honor Park, a magnet for dog owners. At an average of $360 per square foot, says Marcella Sliney of RE/Max Realty Plus, 'People are buying now before the [renovated] buildings are completed.'

ELIOT STREET, Jamaica Plain