Bill Rodgers: Why I Love Boxborough


Photo by Scott M. Lacey

As part of our annual cover story Best Places to Live 2012, we invited prominent Boston residents to tell us what they love about their ‘hood. Here, Bill Rodgers, a four-time Boston Marathon winner and the co-owner of Bill Rodgers Running Center, shares the reasons why he loves Boxborough. As told to Courtney Hollands.

When I moved to Boxborough, I wasn’t much of a trail runner. I was a marathoner, a road racer. I still am, but when you get older, you tend to look for trails a little more, to get away from the cars and look for shade from the sun, especially in the hot summers. In my neighborhood, we have a lot of wooded areas and trails for the runners, walkers, and dog walkers. There’s one at the bottom of my street, called Steele Farm. I run on the trails and take my dog, Kiwi, out there. Living here is like a getaway. I’m on about three acres, and my backyard is all woods, with deer and foxes. It’s pretty wild, and it’s a retreat. I go to 25 races a year, all over the United States, and meet hundreds of runners. It’s intense. So when I come back, I want to recover and lie low. At the same time, Boxborough is close enough to the airport and the city, the quality of life is good, and the schools are good. It’s the kind of place where you buy your Halloween pumpkin from a neighbor. I love that. — Courtney Hollands

This post originally appeared in “Best Places to Live 2012” Check out the story to find out how much your house is worth and see our top Boston real estate picks.