Brief Description
Welcome to Beacon Hill! Beacon Hill is famous for, you guessed it, the sloped hills containing luxury brownstones and quaint shops. Tucked away from the masses, Beacon Hill is a city onto itself. A wide range of restaurants, like Ristorante Toscano and Beacon Hill Bistro, line Charles Street, along with boutique fashion shops such as, The Red Wagon, Crush Boutique, and Antiques at 80 Charles. Beacon Hill has an old-world charm with its wrought iron, dimly lit street lights and cobblestone streets that makes you feel like you are traveling back in time. Expect high prices that are worth every penny.
Approximately one-half mile square, Beacon Hill is bounded by Beacon Street, Bowdoin Street, Cambridge Street and Storrow Drive. Beacon Hill contains a South Slope, a North Slope and a Flat of the Hill. About 10,000 people call Beacon Hill "home". Still, for such a densely populated area, it has a cozy feel. Although periodicals such as Forbes consistently names Beacon Hill one of the most expensive places to live in the country, this neighborhood is much more than just tony real estate and a posh address. You will find a true community here, filled with caring neighbors and a small village feel.
History
Before the Revolution, Beacon Hill was pasture/farm land with a few notable exceptions, including John Hancock's country estate, which was demolished to make room for the western addition to the Massachusetts State House.
Charles Bulfinch is a famous Bostonian/proprietor noted for designing some of the Beacon Hill homes. For a time, he was immortalized at 84 Beacon Street in the Bull and Finch Pub, which was the prototype for the television show, Cheers. The bar is now just called Cheers. You can still find a famous patron, Gentleman Jack, sitting at the corner and sipping a coke. Don't worry, he won't bite. Pull up a chair, everyone knows your name!
The South Slope was developed in the 1790's by the Mt. Vernon Proprietors for Boston's richest families, who by the late 1800's were being called Brahmins. South Slope streets were spacious and carefully laid out. You can still see an example of this kind of living at the Otis House Museum. Or for even more inspiring history on the Hill, do not miss the Museum of Afro American History right on Joy Street!
The North Slope developed more organically than the South Slope did. It grew up and down alleys and into nooks and crannies. Its residents were former slaves, sailors, poets -- people who were, as one wag put it, the morally emancipated. In the late 19th century, the North Slope became home to immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe and many of the homes were remade into tenements.
The Flat of the Hill originally was part of the Charles River. After it was filled, it became home to blacksmiths, shoemakers, stables and later, garages of the homes on the South Slope. Now almost all these buildings have been renovated into living quarters. Did we mention it is some of the most expensive real estate in Boston? There are many organizations in the neighborhood, like Beacon Hill Civic Association that strive to preserve the history and culture of this beautiful and quaint neighborhood.
Neighborhoods Within Beacon Hill
