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Photo courtesy of the Greater Boston Convention
& Visitors Bureau
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Once named “The Hub of the Universe,” Boston has long been the center of all
things American. A walk along the Freedom Trail, one of this compact and walk
able city’s attractions, highlight Boston’s prominent role in the
American Revolution. Today, a new revolution has become apparent. Modern Boston is Boston
is an ever-changing blend of compact neighborhoods, dramatically distinct
communities and world-class cultural attractions, all surrounded by acres of
urban parkland. From afar, the city's two most notable landmarks are 20th
century structures—the retro 1950s-styled, 52-story Prudential Center
and the shimmering mirrored, 60-story, John Hancock Tower.
But up close, Boston's history, dating back
to the 1600s, is showcased by the cobblestone streets of Beacon Hill , the OldNorth
Church in the North End, and the now-decommissioned
Navy Yard on the Charlestown
waterfront.
The diversity and vitality of its different enclaves gives Boston the reputation as
"a city of neighborhoods." While you can get an authentic old world
Italian meal in the North End, enjoy soul food in Roxbury and visit a real
Irish pub in South Boston, it's still a walking city where no neighborhood is
very far from another.
The neighborhoods contrast dramatically in housing prices. The median
housing price for Boston is $440,000 for a
modest single-family home, but a multi-level townhouse on
Louisburg Square in Beacon
Hill, the most expensive street in the city can set you back
several million dollars. More down to earth, but still upscale, are the South
End, Back Bay and Fenway neighborhoods. And
the less expensive "streetcar suburbs," that are still part of the
city, include Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park and
Allston.
In all of the city's neighborhoods apartments can be found, but again,
location plays a heavy role in determining price. In the city's
core—neighborhoods such as the South End and Back
Bay—apartments start at $1,800 a month and go up (sometimes,
way up) from there. Cheaper apartments can be found in other neighborhoods,
such as Roxbury, East Boston, or Mission
Hill, but monthly rents lower than $1,000 are few and far between.
Bostonians are eminently proud of their city and a brief tour of the funky
South End, the family-friendly Dorchester
neighborhoods, hip suburban Somerville and archetypically New England Sharon,
show why.
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