B-town

From Wikipedia:

Boston is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States[3] and the largest city in New England. Considered the unofficial capital of the New England region,[4] Boston had an estimated city-proper population of 596,638 in 2005. The city lies at the center of America's eleventh-largest metropolitan area known as Greater Boston, which is home to 4.4 million people. Residents of the city are called Bostonians.

The city was founded in 1630 on the Shawmut peninsula by Puritan colonists from England.[5] During the late 1700s, Boston was the location of several major events during the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. Several early battles of the American Revolution, such as the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston, occurred within the city and surrounding areas. After the revolution, Boston became a major shipping port and manufacturing center.[5] The city was the site of several firsts, including America's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635),[6] and college, Harvard College (1636) in neighboring Cambridge, as well as the first subway system in the U.S.[7]

Through land reclamation and the municipal annexation, Boston has expanded throughout the peninsula and has become one of the most culturally significant cities in the United States. It is recognized as a global city.[8] With many colleges and universities within the city and surrounding area, Boston is a center of higher education[9] and a center for health care. The city's economy is also based on research, finance, and technology — principally biotechnology. Boston is also struggling with gentrification issues, and has one of the highest costs of living in the United States.[10]




Here's where our apartment is located:


Allston is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, located in the western part of the city. It is, for the most part, administered collectively with the adjacent neighborhood of Brighton. The two are often referred to together as "Allston-Brighton." The population of Allston is approximately 50% students, mostly from Boston University, Boston College, and Harvard University.[citation needed]

Housing stock varies but largely consists of brick apartment buildings, especially on Commonwealth Avenue and the streets directly off of it; while areas further down Brighton Avenue are largely dotted with wooden triple-deckers. Lower Allston, across the Massachusetts Turnpike from the rest of Allston, consists of mostly 1890-1920s single-family and multi-family Victorian homes. Allston is generally viewed as a very safe middle class neighborhood with a young population and a large number of bars and cheap eateries.




The Charles River, viewed at night in winter from the Weeks footbridge, with Allston to the right and Cambridge, Massachusetts to the left.



[edit] Demographics

Allston, while primarily a neighborhood shared by students and bohemians of all ages, is also home to Boston natives, Asian, Russian, and numerous other immigrants. In the 1990s, census figures indicated that 52.6% of its population was aged 20-34 (as compared to 33% for the city of Boston as a whole), an indication of the strong student and "twentysomething" presence. That presence has created tension between some long-time residents and the student population, which constantly cycles in and out as students matriculate and graduate from Boston's many colleges and universities. In addition to nightly dancing and live music at area bars, house parties abound on surrounding streets, particularly during the school year. This has long been a sore point among other Allston residents. [1]

[edit] Geography

The ZIP code 02134 is famously identified with Allston, due to a recurring musical piece on the PBS children's series ZOOM -- whose originating station, WGBH, is located in the neighborhood. Residents and mapmakers refer to the eastern part of the former town of Brighton as "Allston," but there is no clear boundary between the two.

The neighborhood of Allston is almost completely cut off from the main body of the city of Boston by the Charles River and the town of Brookline, which borders Allston on the south and east. Allston is bordered by the Charles River and the city of Cambridge to the north, and is split in two by the Massachusetts Turnpike. The area north of the turnpike near the river is often referred to as "Lower Allston" or "North Allston." The western edge of Allston is more roughly defined, but is primarily east of the western most point of Cambridge.

The busiest section of the neighborhood lies immediately south of the turnpike and centers on the stretch of Harvard Avenue between Commonwealth Avenue and Cambridge Street, which houses many shops, bars and restaurants. Recent business promotion initiatives have dubbed this area "Allston Village," though the prevalence of musicians and music venues such as Great Scott and O'Brien's Pub has given rise to the popular nickname "Allston Rock City." The center of the neighborhood, sometimes referred to as the "Beer Mile," is a popular hookup spot for college students.