Yes I think they have their own personalities and I also think some are a lot more residential and less walkable (or vice versa). Like Chestnut Hill has an entire highway running through and a whole mall and other villages might have like one or two restaurants.

Architecturally, absolutely. Culturally and demographically…yes, but it has less to do with the “village” than it does the neighborhood’s proximity to Waltham/Watertown or Brighton, based on my experience (grew up in West Newton).

The neighborhoods North of I-90 (Nonantum, for example) tend to be more socioecomically diverse. In the early 2000/10s there was a mix of many newer families of various socioeconomic/educational status, often with 1+ immigrant parent, who moved to Newton for the public schools, and older “townie” families—the type that still visit family in Sicily and played hockey year-round. Also home to lots of Russian- and Hebrew-speaking Jewish folks and innumerable synagogues. The northern neighbs also border larger immigrant enclaves (e.g. southside of Waltham is home to one of the largest Guatemalan communities in the US). When I started visiting friends in other parts of Newton in HS I was surprised by how much whiter it was than in the north.

It’s not like it’s radically different—all of Newton tends to be more progressive than similarly wealthy suburbs (Weston, Wellesley, etc.) yet NIMBYism—especially around zoning and housing developments—is also endemic throughout.

The slow progress on zoning reform in Newton may actually erase what distinctivess exists in the North side. With the broader regional supply crisis in the housing market and inflexible single-family zoning, prices are comically inflated. From ~2010 on there have been constant tear-downs throughout the north of Newton. Small house gets replaced—not with multiple units, but a modern style house that has double the sq footage, and 3x the price. Sweet deal for the developer but has made Newton extra unattainable for almost all young families. My parents bought the upstairs unit in a condo in Newton in ‘99 for a little more than $130k, last year it was worth $550k+. Even adjusting for inflation, that’s absurd. Most of the people my parents see moving in these days are straight up loaded.

Tl;dr

Yes, there is variation in “character” and demographics, especially between the north and south with the former being much less homogeneous. Sadly that uniqueness may not survive the symptoms of foot-dragging on zoning and development reform. :(

Oh and for the record, I feel unbelievably fortunate to have grown up in Newton. My parents sacrificed a lot to keep us in that community and I’m eternally grateful that they did. Peace.