Boston Neighborhoods

Allston / Brighton

Located directly across the Charles River from Cambridge (to the north) and Downtown Boston (to the east), Allston and Brighton are home to Boston University, Harvard Business School, and Boston College – not to ... more

Back Bay

Actually underwater until a massive 19th-century land reclamation project filled in areas between Downtown and Kenmore, Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood has an endearing old-world charm and a population of young ... more

Beacon Hill

One of the city’s most prominent and expensive neighborhoods, Beacon Hill enjoys a prime location bordered by the picturesque Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden, and boasts a swanky population that has ... more

Brookline

With its stately suburban air and leafy residential streets, Brookline is decidedly more subdued than the neighboring student havens of Allston and Brighton. One of the wealthiest areas in Boston, ... more

Cambridge / Somerville

Separated from the rest of Boston by the Charles River, Cambridge and Somerville have a reputation for aloofness or even snobbery compared with the rest of the city’s blue-collar ethic, due in no small part to ... more

Chinatown / Leather District

Former site of 19th- and 20th-century garment and leather manufacturing plants, Chinatown/Leather District is a densely populated section of Downtown that has historically housed Chinese and Vietnamese ... more

Dorchester / Jamaica Plain

A vast multicultural area that has experienced some gentrification in recent years, Jamaica Plain, and to a lesser extent Dorchester, has become a desirable location for a young and hip population. ... more

Downtown / Financial District

As one might expect, Boston’s Financial District is a busy hub of economic activity, looming skyscrapers, and a steady stream of briefcase-carrying bankers, lawyers, and other professionals. The ... more

Fenway / Kenmore

A marshy backwater until the development project that introduced Back Bay gave the area new prominence, Fenway/Kenmore is best described as the buffer between Allston and Downtown and, as such, is a bit of a ... more

North End

Boston’s own Little Italy, the North End is actually the oldest inhabited section of the city and boasts a charming maze of narrow, winding cobblestone streets and a unique European flair. The ... more

South End

Despite, or perhaps because of, its history as a rough-around-the-edges area, the South End has emerged in recent decades as one of Boston’s trendiest neighborhoods. Since the 1970s, the area has ... more

Waterfront / Fort Point

The Waterfront/Fort Point area lies roughly between Downtown and South Boston – “Southie” to natives, not to be confused with the South End. Traditionally home to working-class Irish families, the ... more