One of the many beautiful homes in the South End

If you have visited this wonderful neighborhood before, then you know it is a great place to live and visit. Whether you are looking for one of Boston's best restaurants, a fun nightclub, or great shopping- you are guaranteed to find it in The South End. This place is full of chic restaurants like Stella, Aquitaine, and Sibling Rivalry. The neighborhood also offers many excuses to dine out-- "I just got my hair done at Cha Cha Cha" or "Let's get a bite to eat before a show at SpeakEasy Stage Company." Top the night off with a cappuccino at Franklin Cafe or opt for a beer at Clerys.

If you are looking to find a "patch of earth" in this busy city, stop by Dartmouth Park or Lester J. Rotch Playground. The South End boasts numerous parks as well as more playgrounds than any other part of Beantown, making it a great place to bring the kids or go for a jog. Architecturally, the South End is also known for it's elegant brownstones that line the streets. The South End of Boston has more brownstones than any other neighborhood in the country.

Winter in the South End.

Like many other parts of Boston, The South End used to be a body of water. In the early 1820s, developers who saw the great potential of Boston decided that the city needed more land, so they created a landfill. The South End is was actually built up and created prior to the Back Bay. During this time, Beacon Hill was becoming so overcrowded with people, that Boston needed to create a larger residential neighborhood. Among the first to reside in The South End were business owners, a mayor and middle-class families. For a very short period of time, the South End was a rather wealthy, up-and-coming neighborhood. After a while, many of the original inhabitants moved out of The South End to some of the newer Boston neighborhoods, and in moved a multitude of immigrants. Financial decline in the neighborhood continued to allow for poor, low class families moving in and an increase in the number of tenements. The South End slowly became a center for many African Americans as well as homosexual men. The South End became one of the poorest neighborhoods in all of Boston, as well as one of violence.

Today, there is little sign of past hardships as the 1990s forced a huge redevelopment movement. Today, the South End is home to many of Boston's upper-middle-class families and working singles. It also has Boston's largest gay population and has a sizable Latino, African-American, and Caribbean population. Many consider the South End to be Boston's most diverse neighborhood on many fronts: ethnically, racially, and socio-economically. This can evidenced in the phenomenon of luxury lofts located directly across the street from subsidized housing (yes, we mean "the projects"). Redevelopment in the 90s (which continues to this day) has brought wonderful changes to the South End, including the great bistros, art, ballet and parks, however, it still maintains a tinge of its rougher past. In any case, it is a definite must-see, especially for those wanting to venture outside of Boston's typical tourist destinations.

For public transportation, take Back Bay, Copley or Mass Ave stations.

The Silver Line (Boston's "Fifth Rapid Transit Line" -- essentially a glorified bus with its own dedicated street lane) also runs along Washington Street and makes frequent stops throughout the deeper part of the South End. It runs frequently (every 5 to 10 minutes) and runs between Temple Place in Downtown Boston and Dudley Square in Roxbury.

• Dartmouth Street

• Tremont Street

• Washington Street

A view of Tremont St., looking towards downtown.

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