Boston University is a city within a city.

The Charles River Campus, which stretches from Packard’s Corner to Kenmore Square, is almost two miles long. But beyond the University’s borders, you’ll find a diverse collection of neighborhoods, from student enclaves to quiet historic districts to vibrant cultural centers, each with its own flavor to sample and explore.

Close to Charles River & Fenway Campuses

(in alphabetical order)

Allston

Brighton

Brookline Village

Coolidge Corner

Kenmore Square and Fenway

Lower Allston

Close to BU Medical Campus

(in alphabetical order)

Roxbury

Once home to Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, then Irish and German immigrants, Roxbury is now the heart of Boston’s African American community and boasts a large international population. Due to this rich cultural history (it’s one of the city’s oldest communities), the neighborhood hosts a variety of historic institutions and restaurants serving an array of cuisines. Roxbury comprises several districts, including the areas around Nubian Square, Fort Hill, Crosstown, Grove Hall, Egleston Square, and Blue Hill Avenue. Roxbury is also home to Franklin Park, the largest park in Boston, with 527 acres of public land. Designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Franklin Park is the crown jewel in the Emerald Necklace, the seven-mile stretch that begins at Boston Common.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Roxbury saw a major resettlement of southern Blacks migrating north. They were joined by immigrants from the Caribbean, especially Jamaica and Barbados. In the 1960s and 1970s, Roxbury underwent a decline, due to systemic exclusions, which resulted in severe unemployment and poverty. A wave of arsons didn’t help matters. But city, state, and local grassroots efforts since have done much to transform the neighborhood. Several projects are currently underway, including a major overhaul of the Boston Public Library Roxbury Branch and development of the 1.2-million-square-foot Tremont Crossing, a multibuilding development that will include more than 700 apartments, office and retail space, and a new Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists.

As of 2016, Roxbury had a total population of 59,626 people, with the racial makeup comprising 56.9% Black or African American, 27.6% Latinx, 8.1% white, 2.9% Asian, and 2.3% identifying as multiple races.

Proximity to BUMC: 30-minute walk, 20 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to Fenway Campus: 26-minute walk, 23 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to CRC: 40 minutes via MBTA
Walkability (groceries, etc.): Walkable
Public transportation: Orange Line MBTA and buses

South End

One of Boston’s most beautiful neighborhoods, and one of its most culturally diverse, the South End has a rich history. In the mid-19th century, architect Charles Bulfinch designed the tree-lined streets, brick townhouses, and pocket parks that helped land the South End on the National Register of Historic Places as “the largest urban Victorian neighborhood in the country.” Equal parts tony and gritty, it’s now known as the city’s brunch destination, home of the SOWA Open Market craft fair, and the site of seven-figure flats as well as several subsidized housing projects.

By the 1880s, many of its wealthy founding families had been replaced by waves of immigrants from Ireland, Lebanon, and Greece, and tenements and settlement houses were built to accommodate them. During the 1940s, the South End became home to a vibrant African American middle class. At the same time, it began to attract gay men and women drawn by the many single-sex rooming houses that provided them with social cover.

Up until the 1950s, the South End, and some of bordering Roxbury, was a jazz mecca featuring clubs such as the Royal Palms, Handy’s Grille, Tic-Toc, the Hi-Hat, The Savoy, and Wally’s Paradise, among others. Wally’s (now called Wally’s Cafe) is the only venue to have survived. From 1915 to 1970, the offices of the Federation of Musicians Local 535 were located above Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe, a restaurant that was known for serving African American jazz musicians during the era of segregated hotels. Local 535 was the top Black musicians’ union in the country, representing musicians such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Chick Webb.

By the early 1960s, the South End had become synonymous with crime and poverty, but it underwent another gentrification beginning in the late 1970s, led primarily by gay men, and is still home to a sizable gay community, as well as a considerable Hispanic population, and has become a popular place to work for artists.

In 2015, about 25% of South End’s population was foreign-born, almost the same as Boston as a whole (27%), according to the Boston Planning & Development Agency Research Division. That same year, the Asian/Pacific Islander population was 16.4%, compared to 9% in the city in general. The racial breakdown of the South End in 2015 was 55% white, 16% Asian/Pacific Islander, 14% Latinx, 12% Black, and 3% other.

Proximity to BUMC: 5- to 10-minute walk
Proximity to Fenway Campus: 40-minute walk, 35 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to CRC: 20 minutes via MBTA
Walkability (groceries, etc.): Walkable
Public transportation: Orange Line MBTA and buses

Other Neighborhoods of Boston

(in alphabetical order)

Back Bay

Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill sits just above Boston Common and is perhaps the city’s most iconic neighborhood—you’ll recognize its Federal-style row houses from picture postcards and B-roll from any movie set in the Hub. Its more resplendent residences once housed the elite Boston Brahmin, and are now home to their modern-day counterparts. A stroll down any of the narrow gaslit streets will recall the eras when architect Charles Bulfinch, author Louisa May Alcott, and Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., lived here. More recent residents have included poets Robert Frost (Hon.’61) and Sylvia Plath, former US Senator and Secretary of State John Kerry (Hon.’05), and actor Uma Thurman.

During the 19th century, Beacon Hill was home to both the richest and the poorest Boston residents. The less prosperous north slope was home to many African Americans, a center for Black and white abolitionists, and an important station on the Underground Railroad, while on the south side lived some of the Hub’s patrician families.

The Boston African American National Historic Site is located just north of Boston Common. The buildings along today’s Black Heritage Trail were the homes, businesses, schools, and churches of the Black community. The Museum of African American History, New England’s largest museum dedicated to African American history, is located at the African Meeting House, the oldest surviving Black church built by African Americans. The Robert Gould Shaw Memorial and the 54th Massachusetts Regiment Memorial are located at Beacon and Park Streets, opposite the Massachusetts State House.

Today, the population of the neighborhood is only 2% Black or African American, according to the 2010 census. The majority, 86.8%, is white. The remaining racial makeup is 5.3% Asian, 4.1% Latinx, and 1.8% other or multiple races.

Proximity to CRC: 27 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to BUMC: 25 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to Fenway Campus: 30 minutes via MBTA
Walkability (groceries, etc.): Very walkable
Public transportation: Red Line MBTA and buses

Dorchester

At six square miles, Dorchester is Boston’s largest neighborhood and extends all the way down to the Neponset River Reservation. Due to its sheer size—it’s home to nearly a quarter of the city’s population—it’s hard to characterize “Dot” as one thing or another. A few pockets of the neighborhood have been hit by rising crime rates over the past few decades, but it is also home to some of the city’s most beautiful, historic homes. And thanks to its large international population, with communities of residents from Vietnam, Poland, Ireland, Cape Verde, and the Caribbean—the area also boasts an impressive array of international restaurants.

Dorchester officially became part of Boston in 1870, and by the early 20th century, immigrants from Ireland, Poland, Canada, and Italy began arriving, followed by a large influx of African Americans migrating from the Jim Crow South. Martin Luther King Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59) called the neighborhood home during much of the time he was a student at BU.

The neighborhood is home to a collection of museums, historical sites, outdoor trails, and beaches and parks, as well as UMass Boston, a public university that has educated countless city residents. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, dedicated to the nation’s 35th president, opened in 1979 on Columbia Point and offers sweeping views of Dorchester Bay. JFK’s parents, Joe and Rose, were one-time Dorchester residents.

In 2015, about 34% of Dorchester’s population was foreign-born, compared with 27% for Boston as a whole, according to the Boston Planning & Development Agency Research Division. That same year, the Black and African-American population was 44%, compared to 23% in the city in general. The racial breakdown of the neighborhood in 2015 was 44% Black, 22% white, 16% Latinx, 11% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 7% other.

Today, Dorchester also has a significant LGBTQIA+ population, with active political groups and the largest concentration of same-sex couples in Boston after the South End and Jamaica Plain. In recent years, Dorchester has seen a good deal of gentrification, including an influx of young residents and working artists. Dorchester today is a vibrant community that retains its melting-pot reputation.

Proximity to CRC: 50 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to BUMC: 40 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to Fenway Campus: 50 minutes via MBTA
Walkability (groceries, etc.): Varies
Public transportation: Red Line MBTA and buses

Jamaica Plain

Just 15 minutes from BU’s Charles River Campus by bike, bus, or T, Jamaica Plain is one of Boston’s most diverse neighborhoods, comprising a sizable gay and lesbian population, as well as a robust Latinx community. “JP” is often described as artsy, hip, and politically far-left-of-center.

Once called the “Eden of America,” JP evolved after the Civil War from a series of large farms to one of the country’s first streetcar suburbs. The neighborhood includes a key part of the city’s famed Emerald Necklace Conservancy as well as the Arnold Arboretum.

By the turn of the 21st century, the neighborhood had attracted college-educated professionals, political activists, and artists, and the community spirit was infused with environmental consciousness and an embrace of fair-trade commerce. Big-box stores and chain restaurants are few and far between. “Shop local” is a way of life in JP. The neighborhood is chock full of food co-ops, coffee shops, galleries, bookstores, arts centers, and other locally run businesses.

Hyde, Jackson, and Egleston Squares within JP have significant Spanish-speaking populations mainly from the Dominican Republic but also from Puerto Rico and Cuba. The area also has a large number of Latinx-owned businesses and is the center of local festivals, churches, and activist groups, such as La Piñata, the ¡Viva! el Latin Quarter project of the Hyde Square Task Force, and nearby Vida Urbana. The newspaper El Mundo Boston is based in Hyde Square. In 2016, the neighborhood between Jackson Square and Hyde Square was officially designated the “Latin Quarter” by the City of Boston, after years of informal recognition by residents, Latin activists, and local politicians.

As of 2010, the ethnic makeup of Jamaica Plain was 38% white, 33% Latinx, 20% Black or African American, 6% Asian, and 3% other.

Proximity to CRC: 50 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to BUMC: 40 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to Fenway Campus: 40 minutes via MBTA
Walkability (groceries, etc.): Walkable
Public transportation: Orange and Green Line MBTA and buses

North End

West Roxbury

Located seven miles south of the Charles River Campus, this historic Boston neighborhood, once a draw for Transcendentalists in the mid 1800s, is considered more affordable than other nearby communities, though that may be changing.

First settled by Europeans in 1630, West Roxbury was originally part of Roxbury. It later seceded to become its own independent municipality but was annexed by Boston in 1874. Bordered by Newton, Brookline, and Dedham, West Roxbury today has a population of more than 30,000.

The neighborhood has historically been heavily Irish Catholic, though recent decades have seen an increase in ethnic diversity. After World War II, Syrian and Lebanese families bought homes in West Roxbury and the area saw an influx of Colombian families who left Lowell after the decline of the textile industry in the 1980s. Overall though, the neighborhood is less diverse when compared to Boston as a whole.

According to the 2010 US Census, the racial breakdown of West Roxbury is white: 73.3%; Black or African American: 9.7%; Hispanic or Latino: 8.5%; Asian: 6.5%; American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.1%; Other Race: 0.4%; Two or More Races: 1.6%. West Roxbury also has the highest percentage of residents 65 years or older among Boston neighborhoods.

While less pricey than nearby communities like Brookline or Cambridge, reduced housing inventory and high demand has been pushing home prices up. West Roxbury also had the highest owner-occupancy rate of any Boston neighborhood as of 2010, meaning rentals are harder to come by, too.

West Roxbury is home to Brook Farm Historic Site, one of the first sites in Massachusetts to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The experimental society of Transcendentalists lived on the farm in the 1840s. Members and visitors included renowned authors and philosophers Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Margaret Fuller, among others. Later, the farm served as a Civil War training camp and a Lutheran orphanage. Today, it features almost 180 acres of fields, woodland, and wetlands.

Millennium Park is another draw for outdoor enthusiasts. A huge park on what used to be a city dump, it offers miles of paved walkways, backwoods trails, and an annual kite festival.

For lovers of Greek food, West Roxbury is home base for the Greek International Food Market, stocked with everything from oils and specialty marinated olives to imported cheeses, honey, spices, and herbs, as well as freshly prepared foods, desserts, and treats.

Local history buffs will be pleased to live near the City of Boston Archives, which houses and manages historic city records and documents that are no longer in active use, including photographs, plans, deeds, and maps.

Transportation
From the Charles River Campus, take the Green Line to Downtown Crossing and switch to the Orange Line toward Forest Hills. At Forest Hills, transfer to commuter rail outbound on the Needham Line. Hop off in West Roxbury. (About 1 hour, 15 minutes.)

Other Towns and Cities

(in alphabetical order)

Cambridge

Nestled across the Charles River from Boston, Cambridge is known as an intellectual and biotech hub, a mix of the historic and the cutting edge. The city is home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with other colleges and universities, as well as a high concentration of successful tech start-ups. With a population of more than 105,000, Cambridge is the state’s fifth-most populous city. The vibe is decidedly progressive. In fact, Cambridge has been ranked as one of the most liberal cities in America, often jokingly referred to as “the People’s Republic of Cambridge.”

It’s also known as the “City of Squares.” They include:

Kendall Square plays host to MIT and is known as “the most innovative square mile on the planet,” thanks to an abundance of tech companies, big and small, including Moderna, BioGen, and Genzyme, as well as offices for Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft.

Central Square sits between Harvard and MIT and represents an authentic urban center with a plethora of restaurants and bars, and a rich history of racial and ethnic diversity, though gentrification is a pressing concern.

Harvard Square is a major tourist draw because of its namesake university, along with tasty eateries, eclectic shopping, performance venues, and historic sites. The square also draws a number of people who are homeless. The discrepancy between the haves and have-nots can be pronounced.

Porter Square is home to Lesley University, a commuter rail and a Red Line stop, and is a center to the city’s Japanese community.

As for housing, by the end of the 20th century, Cambridge had one of the costliest markets in the northeastern United States. While class and race diversity remained a defining city characteristic, the end of rent control in the mid-‘90s prompted a number of Cambridge renters, including many who had grown up in the city, to seek more affordable housing in neighboring cities or towns.

The racial makeup of Cambridge, according to census.gov, was 60.8% white, 16.0% Asian, 11.0% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 4.1% from two or more races. The population for Hispanic or Latino people of any race was 9.2%.

Mass transit

Cambridge is served by the MBTA, including the Porter Square Station on the regional Commuter Rail and the Red Line; the Lechmere Station on the Green Line, which is currently undergoing a significant expansion and relocation and will connect to Union Square in Somerville and College Avenue in Medford; and the Red Line at Alewife, Porter Square, Harvard Square, Central Square, and Kendall Square/MIT Stations. Alewife Station, the terminus of the Red Line, has a large multistory parking garage.

The Harvard bus tunnel, under Harvard Square, connects to the Red Line underground, providing many convenient options to access BU’s campuses and virtually every other area of the city.

Cambridge is also one of the area’s most walkable cities and bike-friendly, with plenty of bike-share options, dedicated bike lanes, and paths along the river and rail beds, easily connecting the city to Boston and neighborhoods beyond.

Cambridge: Central Square

Cambridge: Harvard Square

Beyond iconic, Harvard Square is a must-see for any Boston-area visitor as well as a popular hangout for locals seeking a tasty brunch or eclectic shopping. The neighborhood’s charming tree-lined streets wind through the wrought-iron gates to Harvard’s stately campus and into some of Cambridge’s most posh neighborhoods. By way of contrast, the square also attracts many of the city’s people experiencing homelessness.

According to historian Charles Sullivan, the area that includes present-day Harvard Square was founded in 1630 and would become Cambridge a few years later. Many of the original streets still exist, including parts of Church, Story, Eliot, Arrow, and Mount Auburn Streets. And a few early 18th-century wood-frame houses on Winthrop, Dunster, and South Streets remain as well.

One notable landmark is the home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of America’s most renowned 19th-century poets. Prior to that, the house was George Washington’s headquarters during the Revolutionary War Siege of Boston. Today, the home serves as a museum, administered by the National Park Service.

Further along Brattle Street, you can find the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), which has garnered many of the nation’s most distinguished awards, including a Tony for best regional theater. Founded in 1980, the A.R.T. has seen a number of productions transfer to Broadway. Its theatrical club space OBERON serves as an incubator for local artists and hosts storytelling events like the Moth and Mortified.

Harvard Square also offers what may be the area’s best people watching. For example, a sunken region next to the MBTA subway entrance (“the pit”) is a prime venue for political activists, panhandlers, skateboarders, and street performers. Tracy Chapman, Martin Sexton, and Amanda Palmer all performed as Harvard Square buskers.

Proximity to CRC: 30 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to BUMC: 30 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to Fenway Campus: 45 minutes via MBTA
Walkability (groceries, etc.): Very walkable
Public transportation: Red Line MBTA and buses

Cambridge: Inman Square

Cambridge: Kendall Square

Kendall Square has been called “the most innovative square mile on the planet.” Home to MIT and inspired by the institute’s penchant for innovation, the area has become a hub for tech start-ups to share coworking space with giants like Amazon and Google. The influx of biotech, pharmaceutical, and technology firms has also ushered in a boom of cafés, restaurants, and plenty of new construction. About 50,000 people work in the area on a daily basis.

Originally a Charles River salt marsh, by the middle of the 19th century it was a bustling industrial center that housed distilleries, factories, and the expansive Kendall Boiler and Tank Company, which gave the area its name. After World War II, most businesses had shut down or moved, leaving much of the area deserted, except for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which had moved to Cambridge in 1916.

Kendall Square languished until Biogen arrived in the 1980s, beginning the area’s transformation to what it is today: a thriving center for life sciences, biotech, pharmaceutical, and information technology firms. The Cambridge Innovation Center, launched in the late 1990s, is home to more start-ups than any other building in the world. Industry giants like Amazon, Biogen Idec, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, and Novartis also have a presence there. The Broad Institute, Draper Laboratory, Forsyth Institute, Koch Institute, and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council have made the area a premier research hub.

The square also has some of the highest commercial and residential rents in the Boston area, with luxury condos sprouting up along the square’s perimeter as old mill buildings are converted into trendy loft spaces, but, for now, more affordable housing can be found deeper into East Cambridge.

The racial breakdown of Kendall Square, according to the City of Cambridge’s 2019 “Neighborhood Statistical Profile” is 56.3.% white, 28.4.% Asian/Pacific Islander, 5.1% Black, and 10.2% mixed/other. As for residents of Latinx origin, 5% are nonwhite Hispanic and 5.2% white Hispanic.

Proximity to CRC: 20 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to BUMC: 30 minutes via MBTA
Proximity to Fenway Campus: 25 minutes via MBTA
Walkability (groceries, etc.): Very walkable
Public transportation: Red Line MBTA and buses

Chelsea

Bordered on three sides by water, Chelsea sits across the Mystic River from Boston. Two decades ago, the city was majority white, but today Chelsea boasts one of the region’s most diverse communities, with the second-highest Latinx population in the state. At just 1.8 square miles with an estimated population of 39,690, Chelsea is the 26th most densely populated municipality in the country.

During the early to mid -1900s, Chelsea was a point of entry for Eastern European immigrants, and served as a Jewish enclave. In the 1950s and ’60s, the city saw a growing Latinx community, comprising mostly Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Cubans. A wave of immigrants from Central America came in the 1980s seeking refuge from civil war, and another arrived in 1998, in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch.

According to census.gov, the racial makeup of Chelsea is 21.5% white, 6.9% Black or African American, 3.2% Asian, .1% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 31% from two or more races. In addition, 66.9% of residents identified as Hispanic or Latinx. As of 2010, 38% of Chelsea residents had been born outside of the United States.

That international identity is reflected in the robust business and cultural investments of the Latinx community that helped revitalize Chelsea, including an abundance of Central American restaurants, bakeries, and markets, as well as lively arts and theater programs. While Chelsea is not yet on the tourist path, development is pushing up home values and property taxes, especially since the Encore Boston Harbor casino opened in nearby Everett. The City Council is trying to keep Chelsea affordable through initiatives such as first-time homebuyer programs.

But Chelsea has a history of adapting and rebuilding, proven by its resilience after two devastating fires consumed significant portions of the city in the last century. The more recent one, in 1973, razed 18 blocks in the neighborhood’s Rag District. Numerous homes burned and some streets were a total loss, but miraculously, nobody died. While the cause was never identified, the destruction ushered in a new era of fire prevention, including heightened enforcement of building codes and sprinkler installations.

Boston University also has a longstanding partnership with the city. In 1988, at the request of the Chelsea School Board, BU helped administer the struggling school district for two decades. In 2008, the partnership ended and administration was successfully returned to local officials, where the district has since remained on solid footing.

Transportation

To get to Chelsea from the Charles River Campus, take the Green Line to the Red Line and, at South Station, transfer to the Silver Line.

Dedham

Located on Boston’s southwest border, Dedham sits about 10 miles from the Charles River Campus. And while the town of 25,000 is more affordable than other near-Boston communities like Cambridge or Wellesley, it is not particularly walkable or public-transit friendly. Anyone considering Dedham as a home will likely need a car.

That said, the area is rich in history, from Puritan and Revolutionary eras to an eclectic manufacturing period that produced everything from silk, brooms, and shovels to vehicles, saddles, and marbled papers. Dedham broke ground on a national scale several times, boasting the first man-made canal and the first exclusively taxpayer-funded public school in the United States. The town is also home to the oldest surviving timber-frame house in the country, the Fairbanks House, and the Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves, the oldest continuously existing horse thief apprehending organization in the United States (it continues to meet “just in case”). In 1921, the historic Sacco and Vanzetti trial was held in the Norfolk County Courthouse in Dedham.

According to census.gov, Dedham’s racial makeup was 83.6% white, 8.8% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 2.4% from two or more races. 9.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The Dedham Junior Women’s Club puts on cultural events throughout the year including summer concert series at the renowned Endicott Estate (a popular setting for Hollywood cinematographers) and the Annual Craft Fair, which features more than 80 local artisans. (Fun fact: Dedham has a pottery style named after it; Dedham Pottery is characterized by “a distinctive crackle glaze, blue and white color, and common motifs of animals, particularly rabbits.”) Dedham Community Theatre, an independent 100-year-old cinema in Dedham Square, is considered a historic gem, and offers discounted shows. Plenty of restaurants, shops, and farmers’ markets can be found in Dedham Square and at Legacy Place .

For those who like to get outdoors, Dedham offers Wilson Mountain Reservation, a state-owned, public recreation area and protected woodland park. While not an actual mountain, the reservation features hiking trails, open space, and a summit view of the Boston skyline. With more than 200 acres, it is the largest remaining open space in Dedham and an important wildlife preserve.

Transportation

Getting back and forth to Dedham from BU will require patience and time. Take the Green Line to Park Street, transfer to the Orange Line toward Forest Hills, and get out at Back Bay. Transfer to Commuter Rail, take the Franklin Line outbound, and get off at Dedham Corp Center.

East Boston

Affectionately known as “Eastie,” this vibrant Boston neighborhood has long been a haven for refugees and asylum-seekers, at one time serving as a regional immigration hub for the city and surrounding areas. Today, East Boston is home to 45,000 people and boasts a sizable Latinx population, as well as the highest percentage of foreign-born residents in the city.

A ship-building center in the 1800s, the area attracted a robust Canadian population, followed by Russian Jews and Irish, including John F. Kennedy’s great grandfather. After World War I, Italians and Italian-Americans became the dominant ethnic group. From 1920 to 1954, the neighborhood was the site of the East Boston Immigration Station and has been home to Logan International Airport since 1923.

In the 1980s, East Boston began resettling Latin American families fleeing civil war, drug-related violence, and economic turmoil. At the same time, refugees from southeast Asia arrivied, driven out by the Cambodian genocide and the aftermath of the Vietnam War. The 1990s and early 2000s saw groups from Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and Morocco relocate to East Boston.

Today, Latinx residents speaking Spanish or Portuguese make up 52.9% of the local population, followed by non-Hispanic whites (37.2%). Other races include Asian (3.5%), Black or African American (3.2%), biracial or multiracial individuals (1.5%), and other races (1.6%).

Not surprisingly, Eastie is known for its eclectic cuisine, from Colombian and Mexican to Salvadoran and Vietnamese. And, of course, Italian. Santarpio’s Pizza, owned and operated by the Santarpio family for more than 100 years, is considered a local landmark and claims to have the best pizza in Boston. Every year, the Taste of Eastie food festival celebrates the neighborhood’s array of local flavors and dishes.

Mostly surrounded by water, East Boston offers plenty of fresh air and distractions. Enjoy the waves at Constitution Beach while watching planes take off and land at Logan Airport. Or pick up the Harborwalk that meanders along the coastline of Boston, with an especially scenic chunk through East Boston, featuring historical exhibits and an outdoor sculpture park. Belle Isle Marsh Reservation, Boston’s last remaining salt marsh, offers unique views of plants and wildlife as you follow paths to the observation tower. ICA Boston’s Watershed is a popular summer attraction with a single artist creating a site-specific work or installation there, in the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina in East Boston. And be sure to check out the Madonna Shrine, New England’s tallest statue at 40 feet, and dedicated to our Lady of Fatima. The complex boasts a collection of relics from recent saints, and the chapel hosts daily masses in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

With its proximity to Boston, Eastie has also seen an influx of young professionals, along with the gentrification of historically immigrant neighborhoods. Rents remain stable, but there are (pre-COVID) predictions of a spike. Housing prices, however, are already climbing, spurred by luxury developments.

Transportation
From the Charles River Campus, take the Green Line to Government Center. Change to the Blue Line outbound and get out at Maverick Square. (About 41 minutes)

Lynn

Nestled along the Atlantic Ocean, about four miles north of Boston, Lynn has sported a number of different personalities over the years, from a national shoe manufacturing center to the purported “City of Sin” (at least, according to a famous taunting rhyme) to fashionable resort area to one of the most diverse cities in Massachusetts.

Today, Lynn is known for contemporary public art, its immigrant population, a growing LGBTQIA+ community, historic architecture, downtown cultural district, and open spaces, most notably the oceanfront Lynn Shore & Nahant Beach Reservation, the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Lynn Woods Reservation, and High Rock Reservation.

Russian and Polish Jewish families immigrated to the area in the 18th and 19th centuries, followed in the mid-to-late 20th century by Latinx residents, and, later, Cambodians. From 1990 to 2000, according to a Boston Globe report, the Vietnamese and Indian populations in the city swelled by 192% and 264%, respectively.

According to census.gov, 94,299 people call Lynn home. The racial makeup of the city was: 36.5% white, 13.5% Black or African American, 7.5% Asian, .4% American Indian or Alaska Native American, and 6.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 41.5% of the population.

Despite its salt-of-the-earth vibe, Lynn is no stranger to gentrification, with many long-vacant industrial buildings turned into lofts, the restoration of historic homes, and the sprouting of luxury developments. A group called Lynn United for Change is fighting to “keep Lynn affordable, diverse, and working class.”

The arts scene in Lynn is vibrant, anchored by the Downtown Lynn Cultural District. The city is also known for Arts After Hours, Lynn’s community theater, Raw Art Works, a youth organization rooted in art therapy, and LynnArts, which runs private studio space for contemporary artists, two galleries, and the Neal Rantoul Black Box Theater.

Lynn is also the final resting place of illustrious BU quarterback and legendary Red Sox first baseman Harry Agganis—after whom the Agganis Arena on the Charles River Campus is named. “The Golden Greek” is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, which also happens to boast the second-longest contiguous stone wall in the world, surpassed only by the Great Wall of China, according to Lynn Museum.

Transportation

To reach Lynn from the Charles River Campus, take the Green Line to North Station, switch to the Newburyport/Rockport Line commuter train and get off at the Lynn train station. The trip takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Milton

Considered one of Boston’s more affluent suburbs, Milton has regularly made Money magazine’s top-ten list for best places to live in the United States. Home to more than 27,000 people, the town is the birthplace of former US President George H. W. Bush (Hon.’89) and architect Buckminster Fuller.

Heavily settled by Irish immigrants, Milton was considered part of the Irish Riviera. Today, some 44% of Milton residents claim Irish ancestry. Other ancestries include Italian (11.3%), English (8.6%), West Indian (4.8%), and German (4.7%).

According to census.gov, the racial makeup of Milton is 74.1% white, 15.0% Black or African American, 6.5% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population.

Located less than 15 miles from Boston University’s Charles River Campus, Milton is bordered by Boston’s Dorchester and Mattapan neighborhoods to the north and its Hyde Park neighborhood to the west. Rents are comparable with Boston, but 84% of lodging is owner-occupied housing, so the rental stock is limited. Milton’s public schools are considered to be top-notch, but there is also the prestigious Milton Academy, which counts T. S. Eliot among its former students, you prefer private education.

For the outdoor enthusiast, the nearby Blue Hills offer abundant hiking, biking, and cross-country and downhill ski trails, with plenty of scenic views. Wildlife abounds, from coyote, deer, and even the elusive timber rattlesnakes to lady’s slipper orchids. The area also features the historic Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center, founded in 1885 as a private scientific center for studying and measuring the atmosphere and which led to a number of pioneering weather experiments and discoveries.

For those with tender knees, the Neponset River Greenway offers a paved bike and walking path that follows the railbed of the former Granite Railroad along the shore of the Neponset River and Neponset River Marshes.

And to nourish the imagination and the soul, the Milton Art Center showcases local musicians, artists, artisans, comedians, and storytellers, and employs working artists to teach their craft to members of the community.

Transportation

From the Charles River Campus, take the Green Line inbound to Park Street and switch to the Red Line heading toward Ashmont. (The Red Line splits at JFK/UMass, with one side heading toward Braintree and the other toward Ashmont.) At Ashmont, connect to the Mattapan Trolley outbound (also part of the Red Line) and get off at Milton. (About an hour)

Newton

Known for quiet neighborhoods, open spaces, quality public education, and for inspiring the name of the Fig Newton cookie, Newton sits some seven miles from the Charles River Campus. The city is the eleventh largest in Massachusetts, with origins dating back to the 1690s, and with its reputation as one of the safest cities in the entire country, it is considered a desirable place to live.

Rather than having a single city center, Newton is a patchwork of 13 villages and comprises 18.3 square miles. With a population of more than 88,000 residents, Newton is known for its considerable Jewish and Asian populations.

The racial makeup of the city, according to census.gov, is 73.8% white, 14.5% Asian, 3.3% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 3.3% from two or more races. The population of Hispanic or Latino people of any race was 5.1%. A 2014–2018 sample indicates that 22.3% of Newton residents were born outside of the United States.

Newton is home to Boston College, UMass Amherst at Mt. Ida Campus, and Lasell University, as well as Newton-Wellesley Hospital. The Newton Free Library is one of the largest, most well equipped in the Commonwealth. The Newton History Museum at the Jackson Homestead is renowned as a stop on the

The city also boasts two symphony orchestras and many venerable old golf courses, including Brae Burn Country Club, which hosted the United States Open in 1919. Several miles of the historic Boston Marathon course cut through Newton, including Heartbreak Hill, the notorious crusher of quads and spirits.

Transportation
Newton is served by three modes of mass transit run by the MBTA: light rail, commuter rail, and bus service. The Green Line’s “B” branch runs to, and through, the Charles River Campus while the “D” branch has stops at Fenway and Kenmore Station for easy access to campus.

Newton also has east–west and north–south highway infrastructure with access to I-90 (aka the Massachusetts Turnpike) and I-95 (aka Route 128).

Quincy

One of Boston’s southern suburbs, Quincy is known as the “City of Presidents” as well as the birthplace of Dunkin’ Donuts (now called “Dunkin’”), a nearly sacred institution for legions of New England caffeine enthusiasts. The city also claims the greatest number of Asian residents per capita in Massachusetts.

History runs deep in Quincy. Both John Adams, the second US President, and his eldest son John Quincy Adams, the sixth, were born in the city, as was John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence and first (and third) governor of Massachusetts.

The area was settled heavily by Irish immigrants in the 1800s, followed by groups from Scotland, Sweden, and Finland. Immigrants from southern and eastern Europe began arriving in the early 1900s, a period also marked by significant migration from Lebanon and Syria. In the late 20th century and early 21st, East Asia produced the largest number of immigrants to Quincy.

According to census.gov, some 92,271 people call Quincy home, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The racial makeup was 60.4% white, 31.2% Asian, 5.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population.

Until a few decades ago, Quincy was a center of manufacturing and heavy industry, once home to a thriving granite industry. Today, financial services, insurance, and healthcare are the primary fields of employment. Like many communities surrounding Boston, especially those on the MBTA’s Red Line, the city has become a popular place to live and housing prices and rents are on the rise.

The city holds several festivals throughout the year, including Quincy Food Truck & Music Festival, August Moon Festival—Quincy’s version of the Mid-Autumn Festival—and the Lunar New Year Festival. Not surprisingly, the Chinese restaurant scene in Quincy is vibrant and a number of Asian grocery stores draw home chefs from as far as Boston’s northern suburbs.

Marina Bay is a popular destination. Located on the Squantum Peninsula, it features shopping, dining, and entertainment, along with residential living. The 685-slip marina includes a seaside boardwalk with views of Boston.

For outdoor enthusiasts, Quincy Quarries Reservation is a big draw. Considered the birthplace of America’s large-scale granite quarrying industry, the area sourced the stone for the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. Since converted into a state park, it’s popular for rock climbing, picnicking, hiking, and scenic views.

Quincy Shores Reservation, a 2.3-mile shoreline park, is known for its jogging and biking trail. Additionally, Caddy Memorial Park on the beach’s southern end has more than 15 acres of fields and marsh, as well as a play area, lookout tower, and picnic tables.

Transportation

From the Charles River Campus, take the Green Line to Park Street, change to the Red Line toward Braintree, and hop off at Quincy Center.

Somerville

With a population of almost 82,000 in a four-square-mile footprint, Somerville is the most densely populated municipality in New England. Located north of Cambridge, this vibrant city is an eclectic mix of blue-collar families, young professionals, and recent arrivals from countries as diverse as El Salvador, Haiti, and Brazil. In fact, more than 50 languages are spoken in Somerville schools, and the city celebrates a number of diverse cultural traditions, ceremonies, and holidays throughout the year.

Somerville sits close to a number of colleges and universities and sees a constant influx of college students and young professionals. Tufts University straddles the Somerville-Medford line, and Harvard University, Lesley University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are located in neighboring Cambridge.

Gentrification has been a significant challenge since the extension of the MBTA’s Red Line subway service in 1985, especially in the area between Harvard and Tufts. The repeal of rent control in the 1990s, along with the dot-com bubble, exacerbated the issue, leading to increased property values and decreased housing stock.

Aside from an array of restaurants, and a robust live music and arts scene (the city boasts that only New York City has more artists per capita), Somerville is known for its historic sites. The Powder House, for example, stored gunpowder for Revolutionary War soldiers and is considered one of the most distinct ancient ruins in Massachusetts. Paul Revere rode through Somerville (then a part of Charlestown) during his famous midnight ride, and Prospect Hill in Union Square was the site of the raising of the first Grand Union Flag, under the orders of General George Washington, on January 1, 1776.

The racial makeup of the city, according to census.gov, was 69.6% white, 9.7% Asian, 6.8% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 3.9% from two or more races. The population of Hispanic or Latino people of any race was 10.8%.
Mass Transit
Somerville is served by two rapid transit stations, a Red Line station at Davis Square in the northwestern part of the city and an Orange Line station at Assembly Square in the eastern part of the city. As part of a significant subway expansion currently underway, the MBTA’s Green Line is being extended from Cambridge to Somerville and Medford. When the project is complete, up to 80% of Somerville residents will be within a quarter mile of a T stop, compared with 20% before it began, according to state policymakers.

Somerville also has among the highest bus ridership in the Boston metro area. Nearly 40,000 passengers board the buses that pass through Somerville each day, and 15 MBTA bus routes operate in Somerville.

Bikers will find the city accommodating, too, with plenty of bike-share options, dedicated bike lanes, and paths that easily connect the city to Cambridge, Boston, and neighborhoods beyond.

Somerville: Davis Square

Waltham

With a population of around 60,000, the city of Waltham sits nine miles from the BU Charles River Campus. The former mill buildings that line the Charles River testify to the city’s role as a major player in the American Industrial Revolution and a former center of manufacturing, including operating one of the first mills in America to employ a majority-women workforce.

Because of its former association with the watch-manufacturing industry, Waltham is sometimes called Watch City. More recently, however, Waltham has been referred to as “Little Kampala,” as the city is home to a number of residents of Ugandan heritage, and once hosted the headquarters of the Ugandan North American Association. Waltham is also home to Brandeis and Bentley universities.

The racial makeup of the city, according to census.gov, was 65.3% white, 11.4% Asian, 7.7% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 13.5% of the population. Some 28% of Waltham residents were born outside of the United States.

In 2016, Thrillist ranked Waltham as one of America’s 10 best small cities with world-class food scenes. Moody Street—aka Waltham’s Restaurant Row—offers everything from tapas, Indian and Thai to Cuban, Vietnamese, and BBQ, plus a variety of bars and music clubs.

The city features a robust arts scene, including: Annual Latinos en Acción Festival, celebrating the food, culture, and music of the city’s many Latinx citizens; Waltham Mills Open Studios, an annual event where artists working in a wide range of media open their studios to visitors; and Watch City Steampunk Festival, a large annual outdoor steampunk festival that’s been around since 2010. And for more than 25 years, the Waltham Arts Council has sponsored “Concerts On Waltham Common,” free weekly performances during the summer.

Transportation

Waltham is about a 50-minute bus ride from BU. Grab the 57 bus toward Allston from along Comm Ave, then switch to the 553 bus in Newton.

Or, you can take the Green Line from campus to North Station and switch to the commuter rail, which takes about an hour and 20 minutes.

OR, if you want to bike, cross over to the Cambridge side of the BU Bridge and pick up the Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path to the Charles River Greenway, which goes all the way to Moody Street, a safe and nearly car-traffic-free way to get to Waltham in about an hour.

Watertown

Once the seat of government for Revolution-era Massachusetts, Watertown is now known for its large Armenian community and is sometimes called “Little Armenia.” The town is located eight miles from BU’s Charles River Campus. For newly arrived immigrants, Watertown has long been a more affordable destination than some of its neighbors like Cambridge and Belmont, though gentrification has been pushing out longtime residents.

With a population of almost 36,000, according to census.gov, Watertown is home to the Perkins School for the Blind (Helen Keller was its most famous alum), the Armenian Library and Museum of America, the Watertown Arsenal, which produced military armaments from 1816 through World War II, and the historic and sprawling Mount Auburn Cemetery, the final resting place of many a renowned figure.

Original European settlers to the area were from England and Ireland, later joined by Germans. In the early 1900s, Armenian immigrants began landing in Massachusetts to escape Ottoman oppression and later the Armenian Genocide. Many ended up in Boston and Watertown, including Stephen Mugar and his parents, after whom the Mugar Memorial Library at BU is named. With the third-largest diaspora in the country, some of the best Armenian food can be found in Watertown.

According to census.gov, the racial makeup of the town was 77.4% white, 8.5% Asian, 2% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 9.7% of the population.

Cultural attractions include: the Dorothy and Charles Mosesian Center for the Arts, a multidisciplinary community arts venue that includes performance spaces, galleries, arts classes, and resident artist studios; the award-winning Watertown Children’s Theatre as well as the New Repertory Theatre, an award-winning professional theater that focuses on diversity and community; and the quirky Plumbing Museum, which occupies a renovated ice house and showcases the history of plumbing (the museum is currently closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic). For recreation enthusiasts, the Charles River Greenway, also known as the Charles River Bike Path, offers a paved, 22+ mile route from Boston through Watertown, Newton, and Waltham.

Transportation

It’s about a 20-minute ride on the 57 bus from stops along Comm Ave to the Watertown Yard. Or, take the Charles River Bike Path (pick up on the other side of the BU Bridge) for a stress-free half-hour ride to town.

A city of neighborhoods. A neighborhood of cities.

Neighborhood Guide

Boston University is a city within a city.

Close to Charles River & Fenway Campuses

Allston

Brighton

Brookline Village

Coolidge Corner

Kenmore Square and Fenway

Lower Allston

Close to BU Medical Campus

Roxbury

South End

Other Neighborhoods of Boston

Back Bay

Beacon Hill

Dorchester

Jamaica Plain

North End

West Roxbury

Other Towns and Cities

Cambridge

Cambridge: Central Square

Cambridge: Harvard Square

Cambridge: Inman Square

Cambridge: Kendall Square

Chelsea

Dedham

East Boston

Lynn

Milton

Newton

Quincy

Somerville

Somerville: Davis Square

Waltham

Watertown