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Somerville Squares
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Cambridge Squares
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Neighborhoods of Boston:
- Back Bay -
Whether it's spring and the magnolia and dogwood blossoms are in full bloom (a striking contrast against the brownstones and wrought iron gates), or winter, with a light blanket of snow dusting the bare branches of the stately trees, the Back Bay enchants.
The entire eight-by-five block area sits on what was once a mud basin of the Charles River. One hundred years ago, in need of more residential space, the city filled the area with dirt hauled from the suburbs and formed the Back Bay--an address that quickly became, and continues to be, one of Boston's most prestigious.
The neighborhood boasts more architectural styles within any single block than does any other city in the country. With styles ranging from Greek to Classical Revival this architectural panorama houses students and Brahmins alike, as well as schools and businesses.
Many of the apartments in this largely residential neighborhood have been converted to condominiums in recent years, and the trend is continuing. Rentals do exist, and finding a characteristic one, with 10-foot high ceilings, bay windows, and working fireplaces, makes a search worthwhile. Most of the buildings were first built as single-family homes, complete with servants' quarters, for Boston's wealthier families. The changing times have forced most to be sold and converted into condominiums.
The unofficial entrance to the Back Bay is the Boston Public Garden, one of the city's most beautiful parks. In the spring and summer colorful plantings edge the walkways, and the enchanting swan boats float in the duck pond, retracing the path of the ducklings in the children's classic, "Make Way for Ducklings." One of the best views of the Public Garden is from the nearby Ritz-Carlton Hotel at the corner of Newbury and Arlington streets.
Meandering down Newbury Street , you'll find a selection of shops, galleries, and restaurants as varied as the area's architecture. Avant-garde and traditional art, haute couture and collegiate fashion, beauty salons and hardware stores--they're all within steps of one another along Boston's most fashionable street.
One block over on Boylston Street is Copley Square with the grand Copley Plaza Hotel, the Boston Public Library (an architectural and literary wonder), and the Richardson-designed Trinity Church. Towering above them all is a beacon for the Back Bay: the shimmering John Hancock Tower, whose panes of glass change color with the weather.
- BEACON HILL -
Beacon Hill evokes the essence of picturesque Boston: cobble-stone streets, brick sidewalks, purple-tinted 18 th century windowpanes, gas street lamps, brass door knockers, and wrought iron grillwork. Despite its historic facade, Beacon Hill is a stunning example of the contemporary urban planning that offers a reasonable alternative to suburban living.
Perched in the shadow of the shining golden dome of Boston's State House, Beacon Hill has been home to many famous people throughout its long history, including Daniel Webster and the son of president John Quincy Adams. The Hill is also home to many lesser-known folks--students, young professionals, and families, who enjoy the sense of community and historic atmosphere.
Many of Boston's architectural gems are here, some divided into apartments or condominiums, others still maintained in their entirety by families or organizations. Housing is tight on the Hill, but rental and buying opportunities do exist. The lack of expendable space here has contributed to the creation of a unique enterprise: condominium parking garage spaces.
Much of this neighborhood's appeal lies in its sections, like the stately Louisburg Square, a privately-owned park surrounded by gorgeous mansions. Only residents here hold keys to the statue-studded park. And Mt. Vernon, Pickney, and Chestnut streets boast stunning Federal-era homes. In an effort to preserve Beacon Hill's unique character, local laws govern what alterations residents can make on the street-side walls of their homes.
- Charlestown -
Charlestown is older than Boston itself, settled in 1629 by 10 Puritan families. Boston was founded later when a group of Charlestonians, suffering from Native American attacks and a lack of fresh water, crossed the bay to what was then called Shawmut.
This is a history buff's heaven. The 220-foot granite tower of the Bunker Hill Monument at Breed's Hill houses a museum featuring a diorama of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Navy Yard, a busy place until the last decade, has been preserved and developed as an historic waterfront park where the U.S.S. Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship in the U.S. Navy, is docked and open for tours.
The area is a mix of neighborhoods with old brownstones and apartment buildings, many of which have been renovated, including the navy yard and waterfront area. This, combined with Charlestown's being so close to Boston (with a lovely view of downtown and the harbor), has made it a popular place to live.
Housing prices vary as much as styles. In the area of Monument Square at Bunker Hill , there are expensive townhouses and condominiums. Thompson Square, between historic Bunker Hill and Interstate 93, recently underwent renovations and is now offering somewhat more moderately priced housing. Bunker Hill Community College is in this area, and the Orange Line subway provides public transportation to and from Boston. A shopping mall, also in the Thompson Square section, caters to residents.
Charlestown is a proud community and the many professional families who have moved in recently share the common concern of preserving older structures and historic sites, repaving the streets, and installing amenities such as gas street lamps.
- North End -
The North End, Boston's "Little Italy," is a charming world unto itself, located just steps away from the hustle and bustle of Boston's downtown and the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The city's oldest residential neighborhood and home to generations of immigrants, the North End was once predominantly Italian. The sights, smells, and spirit here make the North End one of Boston 's most vital neighborhoods.
Bordering the waterfront on one side and the central artery on the other, the small, densely packed North End probably boasts more restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, and pizza shops per square foot than any other neighborhood in the city. Here you can find delectables like homemade pasta, fresh breads, imported olive oil, rum-laden pastries, spices and coffees from around the world, and countless other treats.
This is a close-knit community where everyone keeps an eye on each other's property. Such consistency has given the North End a reputation for being a very safe place to live.
The North End streets are alive with people in the warmer weather. It's not an uncommon sight to find the sidewalks lined with neighbors chatting on kitchen chairs, conversations held from apartment window to sidewalk, or old men playing "bocce." In the summer months there are festivals that draw thousands of visitors.
Not only is the North End a rich repository of Italian heritage, it is also a living museum for American history. Here stands the 17th-century home of Paul Revere (the oldest frame building in Boston ), St. Stephen's Church ( Boston's only standing church by architect Charles Bulfinch), the famed Old North Church (where lanterns were hung signaling the British attack), and Copps Hill Cemetery (the second one in the colony). Winding your way through the narrow, cobble-stone streets, you will also see a majestic statue honoring Revere .
Condominiums are the only types of housing available in the North End. Higher priced units stand next to subsidized housing for senior citizens and stylishly renovated apartments are found tucked in back alleys behind charming gardens. Still, no amount of redevelopment can threaten the spirit of the place, that which makes the North End unique and endearing.
- South End -
The South End is another city neighborhood where you will find the townhouses being revamped and attracting new residents taking part in the back-to-the-city flight. Newer residents are also often former suburbanites who no longer need their large homes and wish to be close to work and entertainment. Located just over the line from the Prudential Center in Back Bay/Copley Square, the South End is has enjoyed a renewal which to makes it one of the city's most desirable locations.
Built as a fashionable new residential neighborhood in the mid-1800's, the South End's brick bow-front townhouses are often smaller than those on Beacon Hill and in the Back Bay. The homes have exposed brick walls, beamed ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and massive archways inside and out that mark entrances and stairways. Jutting walls, overhanging rooms, balconies, and hidden backyards abound here.
Years ago a shell of a house needing major interior and exterior renovation could be found for a moderate price. Today that same address in good condition will fetch many times the old price. Restored townhouses and condominiums carry high price tags.
Newer street lighting serving the dual purpose of safety and beauty, newly paved streets and sidewalks, nine pockets of parks set off by handsome iron fences, and an exciting array of newly-planted trees combine to contribute to this area's charm. The Holy Ghost Cathedral and Boston City and Boston University hospitals are neighbors to about 50 restaurants, jazz clubs, and eateries, making the South End a much-visited section of Boston.
- Davis Square -
"Davis Square" is often used to refer to the neighborhood surrounding the square, encompassing parts of Somerville and Cambridge. Today, Davis Square is a mix of the old and the new. Restaurants, coffee shops, and stores catering to students and young urban professionals coexist with working class diners and tailors that predate Davis Square's trendy period. The brick-paved square contains a rich mixture of shops, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and the Somerville Theatre, which hosts live stage productions in addition to movies. In 1997, Davis Square was listed by the Utne Reader as one of the fifteen "hippest places to live" in the United States. Houses and yards tend to be more ample here, and gardens and funky Victorian paint jobs are more common here than elsewhere in Somerville. Davis Square is well situated between Harvard Square, Cambridge and Tufts: a stop on the Red Line subway, Davis Square is served by several MBTA bus lines and threaded by the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway.
- Ball Square -
Ball Square is a neighborhood primarily in Somerville, Massachusetts, but also extending into Medford, at the intersection of Boston Avenue and Broadway, located between Powder House Square and Magoun Square. It is primarily a residential area with a handful of shops and restaurants along Broadway. Located on the edge of the neighborhood surrounding Tufts University, Ball Square contains a mix of businesses serving the student and academic populations as well as those reflecting the more blue-collar neighborhoods to the east. These establishments include Kelly's Diner, Sound Bites, and Ball Square Cafe, all popular for breakfast; True Grounds, a coffee shop; Lyndell's Bakery; The Yak & Yeti, a Himalayan restaurant; and Somerville mainstay Victor's Deli. The Brown School, opened in 1900, is located on Willow Avenue and serves the neighborhood's children from kindergarten to sixth grade. Ball Square was formerly the site of the storied Willow Jazz Club. In the 1990s, a fire destroyed several commercial businesses on Broadway, and as those businesses were replaced, an economic transformation began that continues today, with long-time businesses such as Lyndell's Bakery, which dates to the 19th century, along the same stretch as Ball Square Fine Wines and Liquor, a high-end wine shop, Eat at Jumbo's, and Blue Cloud Gallery, a gift shop specializing in the wares of local artists. Ball Square is a planned stop on the Green Line as part of the MBTA's anticipated extension of the surface rail line.
- Magoun Square -
Magoun Square is a neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts located at the intersection of two major streets, Broadway and Medford Street, with the smaller Dexter Street. Medford Street crosses into Medford just north of this intersection and becomes Main Street. Magoun Square serves the large residential neighborhood of West Somerville as well as the neighborhood known as Winter Hill on lower Broadway. It is close to Tufts University in neighboring Medford, Massachusetts. Magoun Square was named after the family of John Calvin Magoun of the Adams-Magoun House. Built in 1784, the house exemplifies Federal period architecture and is located at 483 Broadway.
- Powder House Square -
Powder House Square is a neighborhood and landmark rotary in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. It is also known locally as Powder House Circle. It is the 6-way intersection of College Avenue, Broadway, Warner Street, and Powder House Boulevard. Powder House Square guards the southern tip of Tufts University's main Somerville/Medford campus, and borders the northern edge of Nathan Tufts Park. The square takes its name from the 18th century Powder House which overlooks the rotary from Nathan Tufts Park. It was originally used as a windmill, but the owning family sold it to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1747, and it was used as a powder magazine thereafter.
- Sullivan Square -
Sullivan Square is the Northeast tip of the city of Boston. It borders Somerville and serves as a transportation hub in and out of the city. Sullivan Square is an Orange Line stop on the MBTA and there is a large bus terminal nearby. Like many of the old warehouses in the area, the Schrafts Candy building, a city landmark, has been converted into commercial office space. I-93 runs through the southeastern corner of the area.
Teele Square, with several popular nightspots, seems almost an extension of thriving Davis Square, which is just a short walk down Holland Street. Teele Square is at the intersection of Broadway, Holland Street, and Curtis Street in Somerville, Massachusetts, a half-mile from Davis Square and the Davis Square stop on the MBTA Red Line, as well as a half-mile from Alewife Brook Parkway (Route 16) and Powder House Square. The square sits on Clarendon Hill, one of the seven hills of Somerville. The square is within a short walking distance of Tufts University. It is not far from the town lines of Cambridge, Arlington, and Medford.
- Union Square -
Union Square is a neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, located around the intersection of Washington Street and Somerville Avenue, about half a mile from Inman Square in neighboring Cambridge. Like Porter and Davis Squares, the commercial area of Union Square has become a popular destination for visitors beyond the immediate area. Union Square boasts many excellent restaurants and specialty stores, plenty of parking and convenient access to Interstate 93. The affordability of office space attracts a variety of entrepreneurs. Union Square borders Cambridge and is a short distance one from of that city's popular visitor destinations, Inman Square. The name "Union Square" comes from the square having been used as a recruitment and mustering site for the Union Army in the American Civil War. A plaque commemorating the mustering site sits at the southwest corner of the square between Somerville Avenue and Washington Street. Union Square is now the commercial center of a primarily residential neighborhood with many restaurants, bars and neighborhood stores. As the oldest and largest commercial area in the city, Union Square is home to a number of community institutions, including the headquarters of the Somerville police. Marshmallow Fluff was invented in Union Square in 1917. Every September, Union Square Main Streets holds the "What the Fluff?" festival to honor this invention and Union Square's part in marshmallow history.
Neighborhoods of Cambridge
- Central Square -
Central Square is one of the most densely populated residential areas in Cambridge. The area includes numerous restaurants and retail establishments along Massachusetts Avenue between Prospect St. to the north and MIT to the south. Residences consist mostly of two- and three-family houses, and large apartment buildings. The Central Square Red Line MBTA Station offers convenient access to Boston. Central Square is also the original home of actor Ben Affleck and, since 1927, the Necco factory, which recently relocated to Revere, Massachusetts. Several Cambridge neighborhoods meet at Central Square. To the east, Area 4 lies on the north side of Massachusetts Avenue (aka "Mass Ave.") and Cambridgeport on the south side between Massachusetts Avenue and the Charles River. Both of these neighborhoods were once known as The Port or Old Port region of Cambridge. The area to the west and northwest of Central Square is known as Mid-Cambridge. The intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Brookline in front of The Middle East in Central Square is named in honor of the late indie rock musician Mark Sandman, who often played there. Central Square serves as the commercial center for the surrounding neighborhoods of Cambridgeport, Riverside, Mid-Cambridge, Area 4 and MIT.
- Harvard Square -
Harvard Square is a large triangular area in the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street, and John F. Kennedy Street. It is the historic center of Cambridge. Adjacent to Harvard Yard, the historic heart of Harvard University, the Square (as it is called locally) functions as a commercial center for Harvard students, as well as residents of western Cambridge and the inner western and northern suburbs of Boston. These residents use the Harvard station, a major MBTA Red Line subway and bus transportation hub. In an extended sense, the name "Harvard Square" can also refer to the entire neighborhood surrounding this intersection for several blocks in each direction. The high pedestrian traffic makes it a gathering place for street musicians and buskers; singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, who attended nearby Tufts University, is known to have played here during her college years. The nearby Cambridge Common has become a park area with a playground, baseball field, and a number of monuments, several relating to the Revolutionary War.
- Inman Square -
Inman Square is a neighborhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Situated a short walk east of Harvard Square, north of Central Square, south of Union Square, and west of Lechmere (also known as East Cambridge), Inman Square is fairly centralized within the Mid-Cambridge/Somerville area. Hampshire Street connects it with Porter Square to the northwest and Kendall Square to the southeast. Inman Square is a culturally diverse neighborhood, home to professionals, working people, and students and professors from neighboring MIT and Harvard. Inman Square also has strong Brazilian and Portuguese influences, as can be seen in the storefronts lining Cambridge Street, especially to the east of Prospect Street.
- Kendall Square -
Kendall Square is a neighborhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the "square" itself at the intersection of Main Street, Broadway, Wadsworth Street, and Third Street (immediately to the east of the secondary entrance of the Kendall/MIT subway station). It may also refer to the broad business district that is east of Portland Street, northwest of the Charles River, north of MIT and south of Binney Street. The One Kendall Square complex is actually located half a mile to the west of the traditional location of Kendall Square, between Broadway and Binney Street (on the other side of which is the Kendall Square Theatre). Originally a salt marsh on the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge, Kendall Square has been an important transportation hub since the construction of the West Boston Bridge in 1793, which provided the first direct wagon route from Boston to Cambridge.
- Porter Square -
Porter Square is a neighborhood in Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts in the USA, located around the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Somerville Avenue, between Harvard and Davis Squares. The Porter Square station serves both the MBTA Red Line and the Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line. Though located in Cambridge, it is a central destination for the thousands of Somerville residents living close by. The large influx of students, artists and professionals, who have moved into Somerville in recent years find the area around Porter Square especially desirable. It is within walking distance of Harvard Square in Cambridge, and Davis Square in Somerville. Porter Square was named for the now-vanished Porter's Hotel, operated by Zachariah B. Porter, who also left his name to the hotel's specialty, the cut of steak known as porterhouse rotary in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. It is also known locally as Powder House Circle. It is the 6-way intersection of College Avenue, Broadway, Warner Street, and Powder House Boulevard. Powder House Square guards the southern tip of Tufts University's main Somerville/Medford campus, and borders the northern edge of Nathan Tufts Park. The square takes its name from the 18th century Powder House which overlooks the rotary from Nathan Tufts Park. It was originally used as a windmill, but the owning family sold it to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1747, and it was used as a powder magazine thereafter.
