Is Winthrop Part of the North Shore?

Recently, I was working with another agent on the sale of one of my listings in Winthrop.

During the transaction, she mentioned that she worked the North Shore and, if I ever had North Shore business that I didn't want to handle, she'd be happy to help.

I immediately laughed.

Not because I didn't appreciate the offer. I did.

But because I consider myself a Boston and North Shore agent — and I was standing there in Winthrop, working on a Winthrop listing.

Which got me thinking…

Is Winthrop part of the North Shore?

Apparently, the answer depends on who you ask.

Some people consider Revere the beginning of the North Shore. Others start farther north. And Winthrop sometimes seems to get left in a geographic gray area somewhere between Boston and the North Shore.

Interestingly, the Town of Winthrop describes itself as the “gateway to the North Shore.” The state, however, places Winthrop in the Boston Harbor coastal region, while Revere is included in the North Shore region.

So, technically, there is an answer.

But having spent years working in Boston and along the North Shore, I think the real answer is a little more interesting.

Winthrop is the best of both worlds.

We're minutes from Boston, with the city skyline right across the harbor. We have beaches, marinas and that unmistakable coastal New England character. And head north, and you're quickly connected to the communities we all recognize as the North Shore.

Maybe Winthrop doesn't need to fit neatly into one box.

Maybe that's part of its charm.

It's close to Boston without feeling like the city. It's coastal without being quite like the traditional North Shore towns farther north.

And maybe that's exactly why I like working here.

So I'll put the question to you:

Is Winthrop part of the North Shore?

Or are we simply Winthrop — a little bit Boston, a little bit North Shore, and completely our own?

I'd love to hear what you think.