Boston Neighborhoods

Boston is a city of storied and historic neighborhoods, each with its own dynamic environment and personality, all within a small city footprint. Boston's compact size, minority-majority population and the draw of internationally renowned education and medical institutions all play a role in its culturally diverse makeup.     

 

  

   

Airport/East Boston

Originally a center of shipbuilding, East Boston has always been a neighborhood of immigrants. Today its population is made up largely of Italian-Americans and immigrants from Central and South America and Southeast Asia. That diversity is reflected in the neighborhood's myriad of ethnic restaurants. East Boston is best known as the home to Logan International Airport, serving as a gateway to people from around the world.

 

Back Bay

Home to the Hynes Convention Center as well as many of Boston's premiere hotel properties, Back Bay has something for everyone. Back Bay's brownstone architecture, wide avenues and beautiful parks distinguish this ever-evolving neighborhood, including the Boston Public Garden with its historic swan boats and the Boston Common, America's oldest urban park. The neighborhood is centered on Newbury Street, popular for its art galleries, sidewalk cafes and shops ranging from designer boutiques to popular chains.

 

Cambridge

Across the Charles River, Cambridge offers an exciting multicultural setting where visitors from around the world can experience the lively neighborhood that hosts two world premier educational institutions: Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

 

Charlestown

Home to significant landmarks as the U.S.S. Constitution, the Bunker Hill Monument and the Navy Yard, Charlestown is a historic destination. Charlestown's allure has enticed a new generation of immigrants and young professionals to join its traditionally Irish-American population. Residents, new and old, frequent the local restaurants and establishments along Main Street and in City Square.

 

Chinatown/Theater District

As the third largest Chinese neighborhood in the country, Boston's Chinatown attracts locals and tourists alike to experience their beloved cultural, from the area's large selection of Asian restaurants, markets and bakeries.

Adjacent to Chinatown is Boston's popular Theater District, host to an endless array of shows ranging from Broadway to opera and everything in between. The area is home to dozens of restaurants, perfect for pre- and post-theater dining, a large multiplex cinema, and many popular night clubs for late night entertainment.

 

Dorchester 

Dorchester, Boston's largest neighborhood, is also one of its most diverse. The nation's first Vietnamese Community Center is located in Fields Corner, the heart of the Vietnamese community in Boston. Dorchester is also home to Franklin Park, considered the "crown jewel" of Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace Park System, featuring 527 acres of green space and walking paths, a zoo, and an 18-hole municipal golf course. Bordered by the Neponset River and Boston Harbor, Dorchester residents enjoy the riverfront amenities of Pope John Paul II Park as well as harbor beaches and boating opportunities. 

Downtown/Financial District

Downtown and the Financial District serve as the center of Boston business and government. The neighborhood has a rich history as the home to many of Boston's most popular historic sites, such as Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, Granary Burying Ground and the original site of America's first public school, the Boston Latin School.

The waterfront section of Downtown is the location of the New England Aquarium and base for harbor cruises and other waterfront activities. If you are in search of lobster and chowder, restaurants in Downtown offer the freshest and most delicious selection of seafood available. The area is also a sanctuary for shoppers, offering everything from large department stores to cozy boutiques.

In addition to an abundance of attractions, a number of premiere convention hotels are located in the Downtown/Financial District, sitting nearly equal distance between the BCEC and the Hynes.

 

Fenway/Kenmore Square

Perhaps most recognized as the home of Fenway Park and the Boston Red Sox, the Fenway neighborhood and Kenmore Square also boast many of the City's top cultural institutions, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Symphony Hall

The neighborhood is home to the Longwood Medical Area with many of the areas top hospitals including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School.

Visitors to Kenmore Square and Lansdowne Street can enjoy bookstores, cafes, shops, restaurants, lively bars, music clubs, local brew pubs, a multiplex cinema, a bowling alley, pool halls, and more. The Fenway neighborhood is within walking distance of the Hynes Convention Center and is easily accessible via the Green Line on Boston's subway system, the "T."

 

North End

This is Boston's Little Italy, a neighborhood where food is the first order of business. Restaurants, shops, bakeries, and markets are everywhere along narrow, European-style streets. The North End is also home to the famous Old North Church and Paul Revere's home, both of which are on the Freedom Trail.

For sports enthusiasts, the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins play at the TD Banknorth Garden, also located on Commercial Street adjacent to the North End.

 

Roxbury

Once a farming community, Roxbury is home to the historic Shirley Eustis House, the only remaining country house in America built by a British Royal Colonial Governor. Today this neighborhood, which serves as the heart of Black culture in Boston, is undergoing a renaissance. The transformation of Blue Hill Avenue from a street lined with vacant lots to a dynamic business district is one of Mayor Menino's proudest achievements. The Roxbury Center for the Arts, Culture, and Trade, which opened in 2005, celebrates the cultural richness of the community through the visual and performance arts.

 

South Boston

The South Boston Waterfront District is emerging as a center for business activity. Already home to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Seaport World Trade Center and a growing inventory of hotels, offices, and residences, South Boston is the city's newest "hot spot."

Once a predominantly Irish Catholic community, in recent years South Boston has become increasingly desirable among Boston residents who are attracted to the neighborhood's strong sense of community and quick access to downtown. Visitors to South Boston can enjoy a stroll around Castle Island, a Revolutionary War-era fort and 22-acre park that is connected to the mainland, or catch a ferry to Boston's Harbor Islands. 
 

South End

Distinguished by its Victorian brownstone buildings and located just minutes from downtown and the Back Bay, the South End is one of Boston's most popular and progressive neighborhoods. Attracting a diverse blend of young professionals, families and a vibrant gay and lesbian population, this is the neighborhood where those "in the know" go to dine in some of Boston's most outstanding, home-grown restaurants.