What it's like to live in Boston

Boston is mostly an owner-occupied town: 58.9% of homes in the council area are owned, with 20.3% privately rented and 19.5% social rented. That social share is slightly above the England figure of 17.1%, split between 12.8% housing association and 6.7% council homes, so most social tenants here have a housing association landlord.

The biggest social landlord by a long way is Lincolnshire Housing Partnership, with around 4,609 homes in the area, followed by Platform Housing with 839 and Amplius Living with 806. Housing 21 and Advance Housing and Support run smaller numbers, often specialist. Average weekly social rents for 2024/25 are about £83 for a one bed, £96 for two beds and £109 for three beds, which is low compared with much of England.

The age profile is close to the national picture but slightly older: 20.4% are 65 or over against 18.4% for England, with 26.5% aged 45 to 64. At 31 March 2025 there were 1,177 households on the council's housing register and 361 social homes were let through the council in 2024-25, which is why a mutual exchange is often the quicker route.

Families are well served for choice close to home. Primary options within a short walk or drive include Boston Pioneers Free School Academy, Staniland Academy, Carlton Road Academy, Park Academy and Tower Road Academy, all within three quarters of a mile of the centre. That clustering means most central addresses have more than one realistic option.

For older children there is The Boston Grammar School, Haven High Academy and its Tollfield Campus, Boston Endeavour Academy and the independent Bridge House School, again all within a mile. As ever, check catchment and current places directly with the schools before you agree a swap, as places in popular years can be tight.

Outside school hours, Central Park is the main green space for younger children and is a short walk from the town centre. Lincolnshire Sure Start, Carlton Road Youth Centre and Fenside Community Centre run services for families and teenagers, and Blenkin Memorial Hall hosts community activity. Around 18.2% of people in the Boston council area are under 16, close to the England figure, so there is a decent spread of families around.

The centre is the big advantage here. Boston railway station is about a quarter of a mile from the middle of town, and Boston Bus Station is even closer, so both are realistic on foot for many people living centrally. That combination is unusual for a town this size and makes car-free life workable if you are near the middle.

Buses from the station link the town with its surrounding villages and neighbourhoods, which matters if you end up in a swap slightly out from the centre. Services in rural Lincolnshire are thinner in the evenings and on Sundays than in a city, so check the timetable for your specific street before you commit.

Walking is easy in Boston: the land is flat, distances are short and almost everything listed here, from schools and pharmacies to the library and cinema, sits within a mile of the centre. Cycling is popular for the same reason. If you drive, the town is the natural hub for this part of Lincolnshire, though the centre can be slow at peak times and parking needs planning.

For a town of this size, Boston keeps you going. The Savoy cinema is right in the centre, Boston Library is two minutes away, and Central Park gives you proper green space within half a mile. The Exercise is another open space nearby, and the flat fen lanes and riverside make for easy walking and cycling.

Food and drink are concentrated in the centre, which is handy. The Moon Under Water, The Stump and Candle, The Britannia Inn, the Golden Lion and the Sports Lounge Bar are all clustered within a few minutes of each other, so a night out does not need a taxi if you live close. For later nights there is Inferno, the Assembly Rooms and Pirana Nightclub.

Shopping splits between Pescod Square in the centre and Boston Shopping Park a little further out, with Aldi and Asda for the weekly big shop and a good run of smaller international grocers. Keeping fit is covered by C-4 Gym near the centre and PureGym just over a mile away. It is a town that rewards getting involved locally.

Across the Boston council area, 58.4% of adults are in work, a touch above the England figure of 57.4%, and unemployment at the 2021 Census was 2.8%, below the England average of 3.5%. On the face of it, that is a working town where jobs do exist.

The fuller picture is mixed. By September 2026, 4.8% of 16 to 64 year olds in the area were claiming unemployment-related benefits, above the England figure of 4%. Pay and hours in this part of Lincolnshire often reflect seasonal and shift-based work, so it is worth understanding what is actually on offer before you move for a job.

Pilgrim Hospital, just over a mile from the centre, is one of the most visible local employers, and the town centre, shopping park and supermarkets add retail and service work. Boston also acts as the service hub for a wide rural area, which spreads jobs across health, retail, logistics and food. If you commute, the railway station and bus station are both central, which widens your options.