South Boston

Like many of Boston’s inner-city neighborhoods, South Boston (not to be confused with the South End) has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last 20 years. It is bounded partially on the south and west by Ft. Point Channel, the South End, and Dorchester Bay and on the north by new The Seaport District, which has traditionally been considered South Boston’s Waterfront.

Traditionally a working-class Irish neighborhood, South Boston’s wood-frame homes housed long-shoremen, police, and firemen while it’s upper-crust east-side brick rowhouses were the home to local merchants, bankers, and some of the city’s most colorful politicians.

At its highest point overlooking Boston Harbor, South Boston’s Dorchester Heights played a key role in the American Revolution as George Washington commanded a regiment of men and cannons that caught the British by surprise leading them to evacuation Boston on March 17, 1776. Evacuation day is celebrated to this day as a local holiday. The fact that it also happens to be St. Patrick’s Day just adds to the festivities.

Because of its close proximity to downtown, the airport, and subway, South Boston has seen a surge of new residents and residential construction in recent years making it one of the fastest growing and priciest of Boston’s neighborhoods.