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Coordinates: 42°20′10″N 71°02′45″W / 42.33611°N 71.04583°W / 42.33611; -71.04583
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{{For||South Boston, Virginia|South Boston, Indiana}}
{{about|the neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts}}
{{distinguish|South End, Boston}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = South Boston
|name = South Boston
|settlement_type = [[Neighborhoods in Boston|Neighborhood of Boston]]
|settlement_type = [[Neighborhoods in Boston|Neighborhood of Boston]]
|nickname = Southie, Sobo
|nickname = Southie
|motto =
|motto =
|image_skyline = South Boston landscape.jpg
|image_skyline = South Boston landscape cropped.jpg
|imagesize = 250px
|imagesize = 290px
|image_caption = South Boston from the air
|image_caption = South Boston from the air in 2010
|image_seal =
|image_seal =
|image_flag =
|image_flag = Flag of South Boston, Massachusetts.png
| image_map = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=280|frame-height=280|zoom= 13|frame-lat= 42.3361 |frame-long= -71.0458 |type=point|marker=town|id= Q1759693 |stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|title=South Boston}}
|image_map =
|mapsize = 100px
|mapsize =
|map_caption = Location in Boston, Massachusetts
|map_caption =
|image_map1 =
|image_map1 =
|mapsize1 =
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|map_caption1 =
|map_caption1 =
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = [[United States]]
|subdivision_name = United States
|subdivision_type1 = State
|subdivision_type1 = State
|subdivision_name1 = [[Massachusetts]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Massachusetts]]
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|established_title3 = Annexed by Boston
|established_title3 = Annexed by Boston
|established_date3 = 1804
|established_date3 = 1804
|coordinates = {{coord|42|20|10|N|71|02|45|W|type:city_scale:25000|display=inline,title}}
|government_type =
|government_type =
|leader_title =
|leader_title =
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|area_total_sq_mi =
|area_total_sq_mi =
|area_land_km2 =
|area_land_km2 =
|area_land_sq_mi =
|area_land_sq_mi = 3.1
|area_water_km2 =
|area_water_km2 =
|area_water_sq_mi =
|area_water_sq_mi =
|population_as_of = 2010
|population_as_of = 2010
|population = 33,688<ref name="2010data">{{cite web |author1=((Department of Neighborhood Development, Policy Development & Research Division)) |title=South Boston Data Profile |url=https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/document-file-07-2016/south_boston_planning_district_profile.pdf |publisher=City of Boston |access-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222021949/https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/document-file-07-2016/south_boston_planning_district_profile.pdf |archive-date=December 22, 2016 |date=n.d. |url-status=live}}</ref>
|population = 35,200
|population_density_km2 =
|population_density_km2 =
|population_density_sq_mi =
|population_density_sq_mi = 10,867
|elevation_m =
|elevation_m =
|elevation_ft =
|elevation_ft =
|timezone = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|timezone = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset = -5
|utc_offset = -5
|website =
|website =
|postal_code_type = Zip Code
|postal_code_type = Zip Code
|postal_code = 02127
|postal_code = 02127
|area_code = [[Area code 617|617]] / [[Area code 857|857]]
|area_code = [[Area codes 617 and 857|617 / 857]]
|blank_name =
|blank_name =
|blank_info =
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|footnotes =
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}}
}}
'''South Boston''' (colloquially '''Southie''') is a densely populated neighborhood of [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], United States, located south and east of the [[Fort Point Channel]] and abutting [[Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor)|Dorchester Bay]]. It has undergone several demographic transformations since being annexed to the city of Boston in 1804. The neighborhood, once primarily farmland,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Simonds|first=Thomas C.|title=History of South Boston :formerly Dorchester Neck, now ward XII of the city of Boston /|date=1857|publisher=Boston|hdl=2027/yale.39002009629487}}</ref> is popularly known by its twentieth century identity as a [[working class]] [[Irish Catholics|Irish Catholic]] community. Throughout the twenty-first century, the neighborhood has become increasingly popular with [[Millennials|millennial]] professionals.


South Boston contains [[Dorchester Heights]], where [[George Washington]] forced British troops to evacuate during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. South Boston has undergone [[gentrification]], and consequently, its real estate market has seen property values join the highest in the city. South Boston has also left its mark on history with [[Boston busing desegregation]]. South Boston is also home to the St. Patrick's Day Parade, a celebration of the Irish-American culture and the [[Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)|Evacuation Day]] observance.
[[Image:Southie Mural.JPG|thumb|right|250px|[[Mural]] in South Boston saying "Welcome to South Boston" in [[English language|English]] and "''[[Fáilte]] go mBoston dheas''" in [[Irish language|Irish]]. Also shown is a [[Celtic cross]], the [[coat of arms|coats of arms]] of the [[Provinces of Ireland]] and the words "[[Sinn Féin]]" "[[Irish Republican Army]]" and "[[NORAID]]." This Mural has been torn down along with the building to make for way for resident housing.]]
'''South Boston''' is a densely populous neighborhood of [[Boston, Massachusetts]], located south and east of the [[Fort Point Channel]] and abutting Dorchester Bay. One of [[United States|America]]'s oldest and most historic neighborhoods, South Boston is most popularly known as '''Southie''' and is today often called '''Sobo''' by the young urban professionals who now live in the neigborhood. Although most popularly known as a [[working class]] [[Irish American|Irish-American]] neighborhood, it is also home to the Boston area's small but vibrant [[Poles|Polish]] and [[Lithuanian people|Lithuanian]] communities and its demographics are rapidly changing. South Boston contains Dorchester Heights, where [[George Washington]] forced British troops to evacuate during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. In addition to being home to some of the oldest housing projects in the United States, South Boston has also more recently seen property values join the highest in the city.


==History==
:''See [[History of Boston]]''
[[Image:BostonNeck.jpg|thumb|right|Dorchester neck can be seen on this early map of Boston in the lower right.]]
Geographically, Dorchester Neck was an [[isthmus]], a narrow strip of land that connected the mainland of the colonial settlement of [[Dorchester, Massachusetts|Dorchester]] with [[Dorchester Heights]]. As the legend goes, [[George Washington]] landed here aboard the Mayflower and declared "I christen thee Sobo". Landfill has since greatly increased the amount of land on the eastern side of the historical neck, and widened the connection to the mainland to the point that South Boston is no longer considered separate from it. South Boston gained an identity separate from Dorchester, but the two were annexed by Boston in pieces, from 1804 to 1870.


== History ==
[[File:Situationsplan von Boston (Massachusetts).jpg|thumb|left|South Boston in 1888 ("Süd Boston" on this German map.)]]
{{See also|History of Boston}}
It was here on Dorchester Heights, during the [[American Revolutionary War]] that [[George Washington]] placed his cannon and forced the evacuation of the British troops from Boston on March 17, 1776. The British evacuated Boston and [[Fort William and Mary]] for [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]]. Fort William and Mary was replaced with a brick fortification known as [[Fort Independence (Massachusetts)|Fort Independence]]. That fort was replaced by a granite fortification (bearing the same name) prior to the [[American Civil War]], and still stands on [[Castle Island (Massachusetts)|Castle Island]] as a National Historic Landmark. [[Edgar Allan Poe]] was stationed at [[Castle Island (Massachusetts)|Castle Island]] for five months in 1827 and was inspired to write ''[[The Cask of Amontillado]]'' based on an early Castle Island legend.
[[File:BostonNeck.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Dorchester neck can be seen on this early map of Boston in the lower right.]]
[[Image:WestBroadway DorchesterSt.jpg|thumb|right|West Broadway and Dorchester Street]]
[[File:Situationsplan von Boston (Massachusetts).jpg|thumb|left|250px|South Boston in 1888 ("Süd Boston" on this German map.)]]

Geographically, Dorchester Neck was an [[isthmus]], a narrow strip of land that connected the mainland of the colonial settlement of [[Dorchester, Massachusetts|Dorchester]] with [[Dorchester Heights]]. Landfill has since greatly increased the amount of land on the eastern side of the historical neck, and widened the connection to the mainland to the point that South Boston is no longer considered separate from it. South Boston gained an identity separate from Dorchester, but the two were annexed by Boston in pieces, from 1804<ref>''[https://archive.org/details/topographicalhis00bost Topographical History of South Boston]''. 1970.</ref> to 1870.

During the [[American Revolutionary War]], [[George Washington]] placed a cannon on Dorchester Heights, thereby forcing the evacuation of British troops from Boston on March 17, 1776. The British evacuated Boston and Fort William and Mary for [[Halifax (former city)|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]]. Fort William and Mary was replaced with a brick fortification known as [[Fort Independence (Massachusetts)|Fort Independence]]. That fort was replaced by a granite fortification (bearing the same name) prior to the [[American Civil War]], and still stands on [[Castle Island (Massachusetts)|Castle Island]] as a National Historic Landmark. [[Edgar Allan Poe]] was stationed at [[Castle Island (Massachusetts)|Castle Island]] for five months in 1827 and was inspired to write ''[[The Cask of Amontillado]]'' based on an early Castle Island legend.

During the 1970s, South Boston received national attention for its opposition to court-mandated school ([[de facto]]) [[desegregation]] by [[Desegregation busing in the United States|busing]] students to different neighborhoods.
During the 1970s, South Boston received national attention for its opposition to court-mandated school ([[de facto]]) [[desegregation]] by [[Desegregation busing in the United States|busing]] students to different neighborhoods.


In the early 21st century, property values, especially in the [[City Point, Boston|City Point]] neighborhood near [[Castle Island (Massachusetts)|Castle Island]], rose to the level of some of the highest in the city. The City Point area of South Boston, labeled "East Side" by realtors, has seen a major increase in property values due to its close proximity to downtown Boston and [[gentrification]].{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} The "West Side" of South Boston, also known as the "lower end" by lifelong residents, though slower to begin the gentrification process also benefits from the proximity to not only downtown but also the popular South End. Additionally, the West Side is home to the first green residence (Gold [[Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design|LEED]] certified) in Boston — the Macallen Building which was featured in the movie ''The Greening of Southie''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greeningofsouthie.com/|title=The Greening of Southie|work=greeningofsouthie.com}}</ref> The City of Boston is investing in the West Side through developments like the ~{{convert|150000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} mixed use (residential and commercial) building being developed by the Boston Redevelopment Authority on West Broadway.
In the 1990s, South Boston became the focus for a [[Supreme Court]] case on the right of [[gay]] and [[lesbian]] groups to participate in the [[Saint Patrick's Day]] ([[Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)|Evacuation Day]]) parade. The case was decided in favor of the parade's sponsors when the [[United States Supreme Court]] supported the South Boston Allied War Veterans' right to determine who can participate in their annual St. Patrick's Day parade.<ref name="caselawU10260">{{cite news|url=http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=U10260|title=U.S. Supreme Court HURLEY v. IRISH-AMERICAN GAY GROUP OF BOSTON, ___ U.S. ___ (1995) |date=18 June 1995|publisher=FindLaw|accessdate=2009-02-02}}</ref> In 1996, local Dorchester author Paul Walkowski and Attorney William Connolly detailed the case in their book "From Trial Court to the United States Supreme Court".<ref name="Trial">{{cite book|last=Walkowski|first=Paul|coauthors=Connolly, William|title=From Trial Court to the United States Supreme Court Anatomy of a Free Speech Case: The Incredible Inside Story Behind the Theft of the St. Patrick's Parade |publisher=Branden Books|date=April 1996|isbn=0-8283-2012-8|accessdate=2 February 2009}}</ref>


=== Harrison Loring House ===
"Southie" is home to what is thought to be the first [[Vietnam veteran]]s memorial in the United States. It predated the [[Vietnam Veterans Memorial]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], by 13 months. It was dedicated on September 13, 1981 and is located at Independence Square, which is more commonly called M Street Park.<ref name="sbvm-history">{{cite news|url=http://www.sbvnm.com/history.html|title=History of the Memorial|publisher=South Boston Vietnam Memorial|accessdate=2009-02-02}}</ref>
The 1865 Harrison Loring House is a Second Empire brick mansion located in South Boston. It was used as a private residence until 1913. At that time it was purchased by the Roman Catholic Church to use the space as a convent. The house located at 789 East Broadway was designated a Boston Landmark in 1981. It is associated with Harrison Loring, who owned and operated one of the first South Boston shipyards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/%2353%20Harrison%20Loring%20Estate%20Study%20Report_tcm3-41249.pdf|title=Harrison Loring Estate|publisher=Boston Landmark Commission}}</ref>


=== St. Patrick's Day Parade ===
In recent years, the reality of South Boston has changed drastically as property values, especially in the [[City Point, Boston|City Point]] neighborhood near [[Castle Island (Massachusetts)|Castle Island]], have risen to the level of some of the highest in the city. The City Point area of South Boston, labeled "East Side" by realtors, has seen a major increase in property values due to its close proximity to downtown Boston and [[gentrification]]. The "West Side" of South Boston, also known as the "lower end" by lifelong residents, though slower to begin the gentrification process also benefits from the proximity to not only downtown but also the popular South End. Additionally, the West Side is home to the first green residence (Gold [[Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design|LEED]] certified) in Boston &mdash; the Macallen Building which was featured in the movie ''The Greening of Southie''.<ref>[http://www.greeningofsouthie.com/ ''The Greening of Southie'' (2008)]</ref> The City of Boston is investing in the West Side through developments like the ~{{convert|150000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} mixed use (residential and commercial) building being developed by the Boston Redevelopment Authority on West Broadway.


The history behind the South Boston [[Saint Patrick's Day in the United States|Saint Patrick's Day]] Parade is General [[Henry Knox]] brought 55 cannons captured at Fort Ticonderoga. In March, the troops positioned the cannons on Dorchester Heights. They had cut down trees to cannon size, hollowed them out and blackened them over fire to look like cannons. Surprise was just around the corner. On March 17, 1776, orders were given that if you wished to pass through the continental lines, the password was "St. Patrick". The British had seen all the cannons on the Heights and left Boston.
===Waterfront redevelopment===
{{See also|South Boston Waterfront}}
The section of South Boston north of First Street is targeted for massive redevelopment by the administration of [[List of mayors of Boston, Massachusetts|Mayor]] [[Thomas Menino]] and the [[Boston Redevelopment Authority]] (BRA).<ref name="bra3">{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.boston.ma.us/bra/Planning/PlanningInitsIndividual.asp?action=ViewInit&InitID=3|title=South Boston Waterfront Public Realm Plan|date=October 21, 2003|publisher=[[Boston Redevelopment Authority]]|accessdate=2009-02-01}}</ref> As of September 2010, the Seaport Square project was expected to cost $3 billion and replace parking lots between the federal courthouse and convention center with a {{convert|6300000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} mixed-use development. Construction was expected to begin in 2011.<ref>"Seaport makeover to begin next year". ''Boston Metro'', 23 September 2010, p 3.</ref>


[[Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)|Evacuation Day]] was declared a holiday in the City of Boston in 1901. In celebration, the city hosted a parade based in South Boston. The [[Dorchester Heights Monument]], a tribute to the historical event, was completed in Dorchester Heights in 1902. Major George F. H. Murray served as Chief Marshall for the parade in 1901. The state of Massachusetts recognized Evacuation Day as a holiday in Suffolk County (but not the rest of the state) in 1938. The Saint Patrick's Day Parade is both a celebration of the Irish-American culture in Boston and the Evacuation Day victory. The City of Boston sponsored the event until 1947, when Mayor James Michael Curley gave authority to the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council.
Initially referred to as the "Seaport District" by the BRA, this area was officially restyled the "South Boston Waterfront" after virulent protest from natives and local politicians, including City Council President [[James M. Kelly (Boston politician)|James M. Kelly]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} The [[Big Dig (Boston, Massachusetts)|Central Artery/Tunnel (CA/T) Project]], also known as the Big Dig, has created a completely new transportation network for this area and quite a few new hotel and office projects have come online in the past few years.<ref>James M. Kelly, long-time city councilor and South Boston icon, dies. ''Boston Globe'', January 9, 2007.</ref> The [[Boston Convention and Exhibition Center]] straddles D Street, the [[Seaport Hotel and Seaport World Trade Center]] is located on Commonwealth Pier, and a new home for the [[Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston|Institute of Contemporary Art]] hangs over [[Boston Harbor]] just north of Northern Avenue.


Politicians and local celebrities have participated in these annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade for years. In 1958, Senator [[John F. Kennedy]] rode with Jacqueline Kennedy in the parade. The Kennedy family were well known as participating in this parade. Robert F. Kennedy marched in 1968, Ted and Joan Kennedy also marched in 1970. The [[N.A.A.C.P]] entered a float in the Saint Patrick's Day Parade in 1964. In the mid-1960s Harvard's Irish Society joined the march. Irish nationalists unofficially marched in the Saint Patrick's Day Parade in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1972, Irish Republican Aid Committee members protested violence in Northern Ireland during [[the Troubles]] by carrying a coffin draped with the Irish tricolored flag. The Boston chapter of the Irish Northern Aid Commission marched with black armbands and a sign reading "England Get out of Ireland".
According to the Boston Waterfront Guide the [http://www.bostonwaterfrontguide.com South Boston Waterfront] now has 55 restaurants, 4 hotels, 9 major attractions and continues to grow. The latest restaurant to open in nearby is Ming Tsai's Blue Dragon Restaurant in the old A Street Deli Building.


The year 1976 marked the 200th anniversary of Evacuation Day and the 75th anniversary of the parade. A reenactment of the 1776 evacuation was incorporated into the parade, with fireworks and period costumes. President [[George H. W. Bush]] declared March Irish-American Heritage Month in 1991. The application of the Irish American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, or GLIB, to march in the Saint Patrick's Day Parade in 1992, the first of its kind in the history of the parade, was met with a rejection by the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council. In recent years, parade organizers have tried to make the event more kid-friendly, by incorporating "family zones" or sober places to watch the parade. The South Boston, St. Patrick's Parade is listed as the second-largest parade in the country, being viewed by nearly 600,000 to 1 million people every year, in addition to having the entire parade seen on live television.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.southbostonparade.org/history-st-patricks-day-parade.html |title=St. Patrick's Day Parade - South Boston &#124; Boston Central |access-date=2016-04-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405213018/http://www.southbostonparade.org/history-st-patricks-day-parade.html |archive-date=2016-04-05 }}</ref><ref>[http://archive.boston.com/yourtown/boston/south-boston/2013/01/17/history-the-saint-patrick-day-parade/VGLuD7oxShrFlHZCYtCLoM/story.html#slide-16] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514014113/http://archive.boston.com/yourtown/boston/south-boston/2013/01/17/history-the-saint-patrick-day-parade/VGLuD7oxShrFlHZCYtCLoM/story.html|date=2016-05-14}}</ref>
[[MassChallenge]] has its headquarters at One Marina Park.
Fish and Richardson is also presently at One Marina Park


In the 1990s, South Boston became the focus for a [[Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual Group of Boston|U.S. Supreme Court case]] on the right of [[gay]] and [[lesbian]] groups to participate in the [[Saint Patrick's Day]] ([[Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)|Evacuation Day]]) parade. The case was decided in favor of the parade's sponsors when the Supreme Court supported the South Boston Allied War Veterans' right to determine who can participate in their annual St. Patrick's Day parade.<ref name="caselawU10260">{{cite news|url=http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=U10260|title=U.S. Supreme Court HURLEY v. IRISH-AMERICAN GAY GROUP OF BOSTON, ___ U.S. ___ (1995) |date=18 June 1995|work=FindLaw|access-date=2009-02-02}}</ref> In 1996 local Dorchester author Paul Walkowski and Attorney William Connolly detailed the case in their book "From Trial Court to the United States Supreme Court".<ref name="Trial">{{cite book|last=Walkowski|first=Paul|author2=Connolly, William|title=From Trial Court to the United States Supreme Court Anatomy of a Free Speech Case: The Incredible Inside Story Behind the Theft of the St. Patrick's Parade|publisher=Branden Books|date=April 1996|isbn=0-8283-2012-8|url=https://archive.org/details/fromtrialcourtto00walk}}</ref>
==Schools==

Today, the St. Patrick's Day Parade marches from West Broadway to East Broadway, finishing at Farragut Road.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://rove.me/to/boston/st-patricks-day-parade | title=St. Patrick's Day Parade| date=December 5, 2022}}</ref> Every year, from 10,000 to 20,000 participants join the parade.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://southbostonparade.org/history/ | title= History}}</ref>

== Demographics ==

South Boston became known as an [[Irish people|Irish]] working-class neighborhood when large numbers of [[Irish people|Irish]] immigrants settled there in the mid-nineteenth century and continued to do so throughout the twentieth. Once a predominantly Irish Catholic community, in recent years South Boston has become increasingly desirable among young professionals and families who are attracted to the neighborhood's strong sense of community and quick access to downtown and public transportation. South Boston has a population of about 33,311.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/research-maps/research/overview|title=BRA}}</ref> The median age is about 32.<ref name="ACS">{{cite journal|title=At a Glance|website=South Boston|publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority}}</ref>

The most recent census estimates South Boston's total population at 33,688. The Caucasian population is about 26,700 (79.2%). A total amount of 2,789 (8.3%) Hispanic people is counted. African American population is about 1,926 (5.7%). The Asian population makes up 4.8% (1,603). 466 people are of non-Hispanic mixed race (1.4%) and 190 people (0.6%)
are identified as Others (i.e. American Indians and groups not otherwise categorized).<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/Massachusetts/Boston/South-Boston/Race-and-Ethnicity
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210224143217/https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/Massachusetts/Boston/South-Boston/Race-and-Ethnicity
|archive-date=February 24, 2021
|title=Race and Ethnicity in South Boston, Boston, Massachusetts (Neighborhood) - Statistical Atlas
|website= Statistical Atlas
}}</ref>

== Seaport District ==
{{main|Seaport District}}
[[File:MoakleyFederalCourthouseRear.JPG|thumb|right|250px|[[John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse]] on Fan Pier]]

Development in the Seaport has boomed during the early 21st century. It was considered "the hottest, fastest-growing real estate market in the country" in 2014.<ref name=acitelli>{{cite web|last1=Acitelli|first1=Tom|title=On Southie Becoming South Boston|url=http://boston.curbed.com/archives/2014/06/bates-south-boston.php|website=Curbed|date=June 11, 2014|access-date=18 June 2014}}</ref> {{As of |2017}}, it was the fastest growing part of [[Boston]] and has stimulated significant economic growth in the city. The restoration of the Seaport began with the completion of the [[Big Dig]].<ref name="brookings1">{{cite web|last1=Katz|first1=Bruce|last2=Wagner|first2=Julie|title=The Rise of Innovation Districts: A New Geography of Innovation in America|url=http://www.brookings.edu/about/programs/metro/innovation-districts|access-date=14 December 2014}}</ref> This $14.6 billion project buried the formerly elevated Central Artery I-93 Interstate which previously cut off the waterfront from the rest of the city.

In May 2010, [[Thomas Menino|Mayor Menino]] announced plans for the city to develop 1,000 acres on the South Boston Waterfront as an Innovation District.<ref name=innovation>{{cite web|url=http://www.innovationdistrict.org/2010/10/15/|title=Welcome innovationdistrict.org - BlueHost.com|website=www.innovationdistrict.org|access-date=4 July 2017}}</ref> Inspired by the success of the [[22@]] model, the mayor's vision was to redevelop the then-mostly abandoned Seaport District into a hub for [[Information Age]] jobs and a new frontier for cutting-edge industries such as clean tech, health care information technology and mobile media.<ref name="innovationdistrict1">{{cite web|url=http://www.innovationdistrict.org/2010/12/02/ciao-innovation-district-menino-shares-bostons-innovation-agenda-in-italy|title=Welcome innovationdistrict.org - BlueHost.com|website=www.innovationdistrict.org|access-date=4 July 2017|archive-date=May 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514172708/http://www.innovationdistrict.org/2010/12/02/ciao-innovation-district-menino-shares-bostons-innovation-agenda-in-italy|url-status=dead}}</ref> Between Menino's announcement in 2010 and 2017, 5,000 new jobs were created and over 200 new companies have formed. Forty percent of the companies located in the Innovation District share space in co-working spaces and incubators. Over 1,100 housing units were constructed, including 300 innovation micro-units.

== Economy ==

The [[headquarters]] of [[Reebok]] is in South Boston.

== Schools ==


Public schools are operated by [[Boston Public Schools]].
Public schools are operated by [[Boston Public Schools]].


===Public===
===Public===
* Excel High School
*[[South Boston High School]], which is now divided into two different high schools all within the same building, 1st floor is Excel High School which focuses on public safety studies, 2nd floor is also Excel High School, which focuses on computer technology, 3rd floor is Green Charter Academy, which focuses on science studies (9-12).
*James Condon Elementary School (K-5)
* James Condon Elementary
*Joseph P. Tynan School (K-5)
* Joseph P. Tynan Elementary
* Oliver Hazard Perry
*Michael J. Perkins School (K-5)
* UP Academy Boston
*Oliver Hazard Perry School (K-8)
*UP Academy Charter School of Boston (6-8)
* [[South Boston High School]] (Former)
* Michael J. Perkins School


===Private===
===Private===
* South Boston Catholic Academy<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbcatholicacademy.org/about-sbca/life-at-sbca/|title=Life at SBCA - South Boston Catholic Academy}}</ref>
* St. Peter Academy (K-8)
* Saint Peters Academy
*South Boston Catholic Academy (K-8) (formerly St. Brigid's School and Gate of Heaven which were combined)
*Julie's Family Learning Center (P,K,Montessori)

====Cultural and language schools====
*Szkola Jezyka Polskiego w Bostonie (John Paul II Polish School for Children and Teens)
*Wood's School of Irish Dance

==Places of worship==


== Places of worship ==
===Catholic Churches===
[[File:Southie Mural.JPG|thumb|right|250px|[[Mural]] in South Boston saying "Welcome to South Boston" in [[English language|English]] and "''Fáilte go mBoston dheas''" in [[Irish language|Irish]]. Also shown is a [[Celtic cross]], the [[coat of arms|coats of arms]] of the [[Provinces of Ireland]] and the words "[[Sinn Féin]]" "[[Irish Republican Army]]" and "[[NORAID]]." This Mural has been torn down along with the building to make way for resident housing.]]
*Gate of Heaven
'''Catholic Churches'''
*Gate of Heaven Parish – Established in 1863. The parish's large [[Gothic Revival architecture|Neo-gothic]] church, located on the corner of E. 4th Street and I Street is a prominent feature of the South Boston skyline.
*Saint Brigid Parish – Originally called St. Eulalia's, St. Brigid was originally a mission chapel of nearby Gate of Heaven parish. It was made a separate parish in 1908. The two parishes are now administered as a cooperative.
*[[Saint Augustine Chapel and Cemetery]] – The oldest Catholic Church in Massachusetts, completed in 1819. It is currently administered as part of the Gate of Heaven & Saint Brigid Parish collective. It was added to the National Register of Historic places in 1987 <ref>https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm#table (Ref.# 87001495)</ref>
*[[Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, Boston|Our Lady of Czestochowa]] (Polish)
*[[Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, Boston|Our Lady of Czestochowa]] (Polish)
*Saint Monica - Saint Augustine (currently closed)
*Saint Monica – Saint Augustine (currently merged)
*Saint Peter (Lithuanian)
*Saint Peter (Lithuanian)
*Saint Vincent de Paul<ref>[http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Parishes-And-People/Default.aspx?tab=parishes&keyword=south%20boston Bostoncatholic.org]</ref>
*Saint Vincent de Paul<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Parishes-And-People/Default.aspx?tab=parishes&keyword=south%20boston|title=Archdiocese of Boston Parishes, Schools and People|work=bostoncatholic.org}}</ref>
*[[Our Lady of Good Voyage (Boston)|Our Lady of Good Voyage]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bostonseaport.xyz/venue/chapel-of-our-lady-of-good-voyage/|title=Boston Seaport {{!}} Chapel of Our Lady of Good Voyage|work=Seaport|access-date=2017-10-04|language=en-US}}</ref>
*Our Lady of Good Voyage
*Saint Brigid

===Albanian Orthodox Churches===
*St George Cathedral: Located near the intersection of East and West Broadway, St George is the largest Orthodox Christian house of worship in Massachusetts. As the mother church of the [[Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania|Albanian]] diocese, the Cathedral serves as episcopal seat of His Grace, Bishop Nikon, Bishop of Boston, New England and the Albanian Archdiocese.
*[http://www.albanianholytrinity.org '''Albanian Holy Trinity Church, Kisha Shqiptare e Shen Trinise''']: Located at 245 D Street Boston, Massachusetts 02127.


'''Albanian Orthodox Churches'''
*St George Cathedral: Located near the intersection of East and West Broadway, St George is the largest Orthodox Christian house of worship in Massachusetts. As the mother church of the [[Albanian Orthodox Church|Albanian]] diocese, the Cathedral serves as episcopal seat of Archbishop Nikon, Archbishop of Boston, New England and the Albanian Archdiocese.
*Albanian Holy Trinity Church, Kisha Shqiptare e Shen Trinise: Located at 245 D Street Boston, Massachusetts 02127.
*St John the Baptist
*St John the Baptist


===Episcopal===
'''Episcopal'''
*St Matthew and the Redeemer (former)
*St Matthew and the Redeemer (former)


=== Baptist ===
'''Baptist'''
* South Baptist Church, at 80 L Street<ref>Cf. Sammarco (2006), [http://books.google.com/books?id=BTPd_F19VlkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Anthony+Mitchell+Sammarco%22&hl=en&ei=VLi4TKS3BsH-8Abbi83FDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CFAQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=south%20baptist&f=false p.25]</ref><ref>[http://www.archive.org/details/historyofsouthba00sout ''History of the South Baptist Church, Boston''], Boston : Alfred Mudge & Son, 1865.</ref>
* South Baptist Church, at 80 L Street<ref>Cf. Sammarco (2006), [https://books.google.com/books?id=BTPd_F19VlkC&q=south+baptist p.25]</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthba00sout ''History of the South Baptist Church, Boston''], Boston : Alfred Mudge & Son, 1865.</ref>
*Hub Church


'''Presbyterian'''
==Community resources==
*Fourth Presbyterian Church
*South Boston Neighborhood House<ref>[http://www.sbnh.org/ SBNH.org]</ref>
Fourth Church has been a part of South Boston since 1870. Situated between two housing projects.
*Boys and Girls Club of Boston<ref>[http://www.bgcb.org/locations_clubs_southboston.cfm BGXB.org]</ref>
*Labouré Center<ref>[http://www.ccab.org/cc_southboston.html]</ref>
*South Boston Branch Library<ref>[http://www.bpl.org/branches/sb_comm.htm BPL.org]</ref>
*South Boston Community Health Center<ref>[http://www.sbchc.org/ SBCHC.org]</ref>
*South Boston Action Center
*The Paraclete Center
*Tynan Community Center


==Parks==
== Parks ==
[[File:South Boston from the air.jpg|thumb|300px|right|The peninsula of South Boston, featuring [[Castle Island (Massachusetts)|Castle Island]] and [[Dorchester Heights]], as view from the air]]
[[Image:Carson Beach.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Carson Beach at sunrise]][[File:David Farragut Statue.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Marine Park at City Point]]
[[File:Carson Beach.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Carson Beach at sunrise]]
[[File:David Farragut Statue.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Marine Park at City Point]]


=== Shoreline of Dorchester Bay ===
===Castle Island, Pleasure Bay, M Street Beach and Carson Beach===
Fort Independence, a pentagonal five-bastioned, granite fort built between 1834 and 1851, is the dominating feature of Castle Island. This 22-acre urban park is connected to the mainland by both pedestrian and vehicular causeways. Pleasure Bay, the M Street Beach and Carson Beach form a three-mile segment of parkland and beach along the South Boston shoreline of Dorchester Bay. Carson Beach offers some beautiful views and great public amenities: a rehabilitated Mothers' Rest, public restrooms, exhibit space, first aid and lifeguard functions, while the outdoor courtyards allow space for passive recreation. Carson Beach also features a walkway which allows one to walk, bike, or run along the water's edge from Castle Island to the Kennedy Library.
Fort Independence, a pentagonal five-bastioned, granite fort built between 1834 and 1851, is the dominating feature of Castle Island. This 22-acre urban park is connected to the mainland by both pedestrian and vehicular causeways. Pleasure Bay, the M Street Beach and Carson Beach form a three-mile segment of parkland and beach along the South Boston shoreline of Dorchester Bay. Carson Beach offers some beautiful views and great public amenities: a rehabilitated Mothers' Rest, public restrooms, exhibit space, first aid and lifeguard functions, while the outdoor courtyards allow space for passive recreation. Carson Beach also features a walkway which allows one to walk, bike, or run along the water's edge from Castle Island to the Kennedy Library.


Fort Independence and Castle Island are on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, and the fort is a National Historic Landmark. Fort Independence is open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day, hours vary. Fort tours are conducted by the Castle Island Association in the summer months and there is interpretive signage for self-guided tours. The principal program theme, the History of Castle Island, stresses the role of the fort in harbor defense."<ref>[http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/castle.htm Mass.gov]</ref>
Fort Independence and Castle Island are on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, and the fort is a National Historic Landmark. Fort Independence is open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day, hours vary. Fort tours are conducted by the Castle Island Association in the summer months and there is interpretive signage for self-guided tours. The principal program theme, the History of Castle Island, stresses the role of the fort in harbor defense."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/castle.htm|title=Mass.gov|access-date=July 29, 2009|archive-date=October 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028052228/http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/castle.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>


===Dorchester Heights (Thomas Park)===
=== Thomas Park ===
Atop the Dorchester Heights hill sits a tall monument commemorating the Patriot battery that drove the British out of Boston. A popular site to view the Fourth of July fireworks, the Thomas Park (the oval drive around Dorchester Heights) area is one of the most attractive areas in South Boston.
Also known as Dorchester Heights. Atop the hill sits a tall monument commemorating the Patriot battle that drove the British out of Boston.


===Medal Of Honor Park (M Street Park)===
=== M Street Park ===
Between M and N streets and north of Broadway, the M Street Park was one of the most desirable addresses in Boston in the late 19th century, and the brownstone buildings overlooking the park on the south side of the park remain some of the best examples of this style of architecture in New England. M Street Park is also home to the 1st standing Vietnam memorial in the nation included in this memorial are all the names of the South Boston residents who gave their lives fighting for the freedom of the United States. Also a popular spot for, families, dog lovers, and for watching the St Patrick's Day Parade. In addition also, two softball fields, little league field, basketball court, and play ground all attribute to the beautiful neighborhood which is South Boston [http://www.sbsports.com/softball/default.asp The M Street Softball League].
Between M and N streets and north of Broadway, the M Street Park was one of the most desirable addresses in Boston in the late 19th century, and the brownstone buildings overlooking the park on the south side of the park remain some of the best examples of this style of architecture in New England. M Street Park is also home to the first standing Vietnam memorial in the nation. Included in this memorial are all the names of the South Boston residents who gave their lives fighting for the United States.


=== South Boston Maritime Park ===
==Public housing==
Located at D Street and Northern Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, the park is a rectangle of green lawn, gardens, trees, benches, and paved walkways. Artwork along the paths displays fish and sea motifs, paying tribute to the city's maritime background. The roofed seating area provides partial shade and tables and chairs, an ideal spot for lunch.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonwaterfrontguide.com/attraction/south-boston-maritime-park |title=South Boston Maritime Park &#124; Seaport District Attractions |access-date=2016-04-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513234013/http://www.bostonwaterfrontguide.com/attraction/south-boston-maritime-park |archive-date=2016-05-13 }}</ref>
South Boston is home to some of the oldest [[public housing]] projects in the United States.<ref>[http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/bostonez/about/southboston.asp Boston Connects. South Boston]</ref>{{Dead link|date=February 2009}} In the last 30 years they have changed from having a mostly Irish American population to a more ethnically mixed population.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} The housing facilities are under the control of the Boston Housing Authority (BHA)<ref name="bha-welcome">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/index.html|title=Welcome to the Boston Housing Authority |publisher=Boston Housing Authority|accessdate=2009-02-01}}</ref> and include West Broadway which was built in 1949 and occupies {{convert|20|acre|m2}},<ref name="bha-westbroadway60">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo60.html|title=West Broadway |publisher=Boston Housing Authority|accessdate=2009-02-01}}</ref> [[D street projects|West Ninth Street]]<ref name="bha-westninth63">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo63.html|title=West Ninth Street |publisher=Boston Housing Authority|accessdate=2009-02-01}}</ref> (these three facilities are next to each other and commonly called D street), [[Old Colony Housing Project|Old Colony]] which was built in 1941,<ref name="bha-oldcolony42">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo42.html|title=Old Colony |publisher=Boston Housing Authority|accessdate=2009-02-01}}</ref> and [[Old harbor housing project|Mary Ellen McCormack]], which is the BHA's oldest development, being constructed in the 1930s. It was originally called Old Harbor Village.<ref name="bha-mm37">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo37.html|title=Mary Ellen McCormack |publisher=Boston Housing Authority|accessdate=2009-02-01}}</ref> '''The West Broadway Ninth Street Projects were knocked down in 2005 and are now a retirement housing building.''{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}}


=== Joe Moakley Park ===
Other developments are Harbor Point (HP is in Dorchester), Foley<ref name="bha-foley19">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo19.html|title=Foley |publisher=Boston Housing Authority|accessdate=2009-02-01}}</ref> and Monsignor Powers.<ref name="bha-monsignor41">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo41.html|title=Monsignor Powers |publisher=Boston Housing Authority|accessdate=2009-02-01}}</ref>
This urban park features baseball and soccer fields, a [[traffic garden]], a spray area and a jogging track at 600 William J. Day Blvd., South Boston. Right by local transportation families have easy access in traveling to enjoy their day.


=== [[Castle Island (Massachusetts)|Castle Island Park]] ===
==Transportation==
Site of [[Fort Independence (Massachusetts)|Fort Independence]] (open in the summer) with beach, picnic and jogging area. Located at 2010 William J Day Blvd.
South Boston is served by two [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] [[Red Line (MBTA)|Red Line]] [[rapid transit]] stations: [[Broadway (MBTA station)|Broadway]] and [[Andrew (MBTA station)|Andrew]].


=== The Lawn on D ===
[[MBTA buses in South Boston|MBTA bus service]] connects these stations with the residential areas of South Boston, downtown Boston and the Back Bay. The [[Silver Line (MBTA)|MBTA Silver Line]], a [[Bus rapid transit]] service running partly in a tunnel from [[South Station]], also serves the north side of South Boston. South Boston is also served by five bus routes including the numbers 5, 7, 9, 10, 11.
A lawn on 420 D Street on the east side of the [[Boston Convention and Exhibition Center]].


=== Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park ===
==Notable residents==
Bay views, open lawn, athletic fields and a playground are features of this waterside park. Located on Farragut Road.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/about-us/raymond-l-flynn-marine-park|title=Artucle|website= bostonredevelopmentauthority.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028203552/http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/about-us/raymond-l-flynn-marine-park |archive-date=2016-10-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
South Boston has been the birthplace and home to a number of notable people, including:
{{MultiCol}}
*[[James J. Bulger|James "Whitey" Bulger]], brother of William M. Bulger and alleged [[organized crime]] head. Was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list until his arrest in Santa Monica, California on June 22, 2011. The film [[The Departed]] is partially based on his story as well as South Boston's criminal underworld.
*[[William M. Bulger]], former president of the [[Massachusetts Senate]], former president of the [[University of Massachusetts]] and brother of James "Whitey" Bulger.
*[[James Connolly (athlete born 1868)|James Connolly]], athlete and author who, in 1896, became the first modern [[Olympic games|Olympic]] champion.
*[[John Cunniff]], [[National Hockey League]] [[ice hockey|hockey]] coach and former professional player who appeared in 65 [[World Hockey Association]] regular season games between 1972 and 1976.
*[[Richard Cushing]], [[prelate]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] who served as [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston|Archbishop of Boston]] from 1944 to 1970, and was elevated to the [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinalate]] in 1958.
*[[John Ferruggio]], led the evacuation of [[Pan Am Flight 93]] in 1970<ref name=bg>{{cite news |first=Bryan|last=Marquard|title=John Ferruggio, at 84; hero of 1970 Pan Am hijacking |url=http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2010/06/22/john_ferruggio_of_milton_hero_of_1970_pan_am_hijacking_dies_at_84/|work=[[Boston Globe]]|publisher= |date=2010-06-22 |accessdate=2010-06-27}}</ref>
*[[Michael F. Flaherty]], an at-large member of Boston City Council. He is a member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] and was elected City Council President every year from 2002 to 2006.
*[[Raymond Flynn]], Mayor of Boston from 1984 to 1993, and United States ambassador to the [[Holy See]] from 1993 to 1997.
*[[Brian Goodman]], film and television director, writer, and actor.
*[[David Lindsay-Abaire]], [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning [[playwright]] and [[lyricist]].
{{ColBreak}}
*[[Edward Lawrence Logan]], National Guard General, politician, and namesake of [[Logan International Airport]]
*Barbara Lynch, Chef and owner of the Barbara Lynch Gruppo restaurant group.
*[[Stephen Lynch (politician)|Stephen Lynch]], politician, a [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] member of the [[United States House of Representatives]]. He was one of the lead investigators in the "[[Banned substances in baseball]]" investigation.
*[[Michael Patrick MacDonald]], activist against crime and violence and author.
*[[John William McCormack]], politician who served as a member of House of Representatives from 1928 until he retired from political life in 1971. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], he served as House Majority Leader three times, and as [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House of Representatives]] from 1962 until 1971.
*[[Will McDonough]], [[Sports journalism|sportswriter]] for [[The Boston Globe]] and television analyst.
*[[Joe Moakley]], Democratic Congressman, and the last chairman of the [[United States House Committee on Rules]].
*[[Patrick Nee]], former mobster, [[Vietnam war|Vietnam]] veteran, author. Former associate of James "Whitey" Bulger.
*[[Brian Noonan]], Hockey player who won the [[Stanley Cup]] in [[1994 Stanley Cup Finals|1994]] with [[New York Rangers]].
*[[Kevin Weeks]], former mobster, and former lieutenant to James Bulger in the Winter Hill Gang, Federal witness, and author.
*[[James M. Kelly (Boston politician)|James M. "Jim" Kelly]], Former Boston City Councilor, Council President and community activist.
*[[James Augustine Healy|James Healy]] America's first Catholic bishop of African descent.


=== Marine Industrial Park ===
{{EndMultiCol}}
This 191-acre waterfront area features businesses plus a brewery, a museum and a cruise terminal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/neighborhoods/southboston.asp|title=South Boston|date=July 11, 2016}}</ref>


== Public housing ==
==References in popular culture==
{{see also|D Street Projects}}
South Boston is home to some of the oldest [[public housing]] in the United States.<ref>[http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/bostonez/about/southboston.asp Boston Connects. South Boston] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928151050/http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/bostonez/about/southboston.asp |date=September 28, 2006 }}</ref> In the last 30 years, they have changed from having a mostly Irish-American population to a more ethnically mixed population.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} The housing facilities are under the control of the [[Boston Housing Authority]] (BHA)<ref name="bha-welcome">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/index.html|title=Welcome to the Boston Housing Authority|publisher=Boston Housing Authority|access-date=2009-02-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129091521/http://www.bostonhousing.org/index.html|archive-date=2009-01-29}}</ref> and include West Broadway which was built in 1949 and occupies {{convert|20|acre|m2}},<ref name="bha-westbroadway60">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo60.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010624065818/http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo60.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2001-06-24|title=West Broadway|publisher=Boston Housing Authority|access-date=2009-02-01}}</ref> [[D Street Projects|West Ninth Street]]<ref name="bha-westninth63">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo63.html|title=West Ninth Street|publisher=Boston Housing Authority|access-date=2009-02-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401044632/http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo63.html|archive-date=2009-04-01}}</ref> (these three facilities are next to each other and commonly called D street), [[Old Colony Housing Project|Old Colony]] which was built in 1941,<ref name="bha-oldcolony42">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo42.html|title=Old Colony|publisher=Boston Housing Authority|access-date=2009-02-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218135035/http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo42.html|archive-date=2009-02-18}}</ref> and [[Old harbor housing project|Mary Ellen McCormack]], which is the BHA's oldest development, being constructed in 1936. It was originally called Old Harbor Village.<ref name="bha-mm37">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo37.html|title=Mary Ellen McCormack|publisher=Boston Housing Authority|access-date=2009-02-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321174425/http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo37.html|archive-date=2009-03-21}}</ref>


Other developments are Harbor Point (in Dorchester), Foley<ref name="bha-foley19">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo19.html|title=Foley|publisher=Boston Housing Authority|access-date=2009-02-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205113449/http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo19.html|archive-date=2008-12-05}}</ref> and Monsignor Powers.<ref name="bha-monsignor41">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo41.html|title=Monsignor Powers|publisher=Boston Housing Authority|access-date=2009-02-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205113624/http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/devinfo41.html|archive-date=2008-12-05}}</ref>
===Film===
*The 2010 crime thriller ''[[The Town (2010 film)|The Town]]'' starring and directed by [[Ben Affleck]], was partly filmed in South Boston. Scenes taking place at the fictional Town Flowers were filmed at Thornton Flower Shop on Dorchester Street.
*''[[Gone Baby Gone]]'' (2007), the directorial debut of [[Ben Affleck]], was shot in South Boston.
*''[[Black Irish (film)|Black Irish]]'' (2007)
*''[[The Departed]]'' (2006), starring [[Leonardo DiCaprio]], [[Matt Damon]], [[Jack Nicholson]] and [[Mark Wahlberg]] was shot in South Boston and was loosely based on the life of famed Irish mob leader [[James "Whitey" Bulger]] and the events leading up to his hiatus and being an informant for the [[FBI]].
*In ''[[Good Will Hunting]]'', a [[1997 in film|1997]] [[drama film]] directed by [[Gus Van Sant]] and written by [[Ben Affleck]] and [[Matt Damon]], South Boston is the home of the fictional Irish American character Will Hunting, a troubled young prodigy played by Damon, who works as a [[janitor]] at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].
*''[[Mystic River (film)|Mystic River]]'' directed by [[Clint Eastwood]] and starring [[Tim Robbins]], [[Kevin Bacon]], and [[Sean Penn]] was partially filmed in South Boston. A local corner store, Miller's Market of 366 K Street, was used as one of the character's businesses.
*The movie ''[[The Boondock Saints]]'', about [[fraternal twins]], Connor and Murphy MacManus, who become [[vigilantes]] after killing two members of the [[Russian Mafia]] in self-defense, also takes place in South Boston.
*The 1999 movie ''[[Southie (film)|Southie]]'' centers around Danny Quinn, played by [[Donnie Wahlberg]], who returns home to South Boston from [[New York City]] and gets stuck between his friends, who are supported by one Irish gang, and his family, who are members of another. Wahlberg is a native of nearby Dorchester.
*''[[The Verdict]]'', a [[1982 in film|1982]] [[feature film]] which tells the story of a down-on-his-luck [[alcoholism|alcoholic]] [[lawyer]] who pushes a [[medical malpractice]] case in order to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is doing the right thing, takes place in, and was filmed in, South Boston. It starred [[Paul Newman]].
*In the [[1987 in film|1987]] [[romantic comedy film]], ''[[Broadcast News (film)|Broadcast News]]'', about a virtuoso [[television]] [[news]] [[television producer|producer]] ([[Holly Hunter]]), who has daily emotional breakdowns, a brilliant yet prickly reporter ([[Albert Brooks]]) and his charismatic but far less seasoned rival ([[William Hurt]]), a young Aaron Altman (played by Dwayne Markee) states, "You're never gonna leave South Boston and I'm gonna see the whole damn world."
*In the film ''[[The Friends of Eddie Coyle]]'', about a low level Boston gangster who was looking at a long prison sentence for repeat offenses, and so decided to snitch on his friends to avoid jail time.


As of the June 26, 2014, city officials and civilians officially celebrated the completion of the second phase of construction and redevelopment of the Old Colony housing project that took place in the neighborhood of South Boston that began construction back in 2009. The phase two completion included high-efficiency affordable housing in town-house style and four-story elevator buildings. Part of this project was funded by a [[HOPE VI]] grant which ensured $22-million for the project to build these new public houses for the citizens of South Boston, replacing 223 original apartments along Old Colony Avenue up to Dorchester Street and over to Reverend Burke Street which were demolished. These new, affordable housing units are some of the most environmentally-friendly public houses in the entire Commonwealth. In the future, the Boston Housing Authority and its partners are looking to redevelop the remaining 453 original housing units in South Boston.<ref>{{cite web|title=City and state officials celebrate completion of 129 new apartments at Old Colony|url=https://www.bostonhousing.org/en/News/City-and-state-officials-celebrate-completion-of-1.aspx|publisher=Boston Housing Authority|access-date=26 April 2015}}</ref>
===Television===
*In the TV series ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' the character of [[Faith Lehane]] ([[Eliza Dushku]]) is a Slayer who originally hails from South Boston. Dushku grew up in nearby [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]].
*Eliza Dushku's character refers to being a Southie native in the "Stage Fright" episode of the TV series ''[[Dollhouse (TV series)|Dollhouse]]''.
*The ''[[Leverage (TV series)|Leverage]]'' character of Nathan Ford is possibly from South Boston, as the episode "The Beantown Bailout Job" indicated he had grown up with a ranking member of the [[Irish Mob]].
*[[Julianne Moore]]'s character in a series of 2009 episodes of ''[[30 Rock]]'' mentioned that she was from South Boston.
*In an episode of ''[[Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)|Sabrina, the Teenage Witch]]'', [[Soleil Moon Frye]]'s character mentions that "it's better than living in a shack in Southie."
*In the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] drama ''[[Dexter (TV series)|Dexter]]'', the character Joseph Quinn (played by [[Desmond Harrington]]) is from South Boston.


== Transportation ==
===Books===
South Boston is served by two [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] [[Red Line (MBTA)|Red Line]] [[rapid transit]] stations: [[Broadway (MBTA station)|Broadway]] and [[Andrew (MBTA station)|Andrew]]. [[MBTA buses in South Boston|MBTA bus service]] links these stations to nearby residential areas via bus routes 7, 9, 10, 11.
There have been a number of books written about the South Boston culture ranging from the political, in ''The Boston Irish'', the personal in [[Michael_Patrick_MacDonald#All_Souls:_A_Family_Story_From_Southie|All Souls]], the gang-related ''Black Mass'', and the historical, political, social, and personal in ''That Old Gang of Mine''.
The story in the ''The Neighbor'', a book from Lisa Gardner, takes place in South Boston too.


The [[Silver Line (MBTA)|MBTA Silver Line]], a [[Bus rapid transit]] service, connects the South Boston Waterfront with [[South Station (MBTA)|South Station]] via a bus tunnel beneath Congress St. and [[Logan International Airport|Boston Logan International Airport]] in neighboring [[East Boston, MA|East Boston]] via the [[Massachusetts Turnpike]] and the [[Ted Williams Tunnel]].
===Music===
The [[Irish-American]] band [[Dropkick Murphys]] frequently reference South Boston's Irish heritage and sports loyalties in their songs, although they were formed in nearby [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]].


===Video games===
==Culture and events==
The Scout from online game [[Team Fortress 2]] hails from South Boston.


===Institute of Contemporary Art===
Voodoo, in [[Medal of Honor (2010)]], is from South Boston. He has a very distinct accent.
[[Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston]] was opened in 2006 in the South Boston Seaport District. It functions as a modern art museum and exhibition center featuring permanent and temporary exhibition, educational programs, performances, and film screenings.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.icaboston.org/ | title=Institute of Contemporary Art}}</ref>


===New Year's Day Plunge===
==References==
Every year, hundreds of people join the [[L Street Brownies]] for the New Year's Day Plunge in [[Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor)]]. The event is accompanied by spectators and reporters. This winter gathering has been taking place annually since 1904.
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
* Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell; Rosenberg, Charlie, [http://books.google.com/books?id=BTPd_F19VlkC&printsec=frontcover ''South Boston: Then & Now''], Arcadia Publishing Company, 2006


==Further reading==
===Boston Triathlon===
Participants of the Boston's only triathlon swim in the waters of Dorchester Bay, bike through the city streets of Boston, and run along the Southie shoreline.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bostontri.com/ | title=Boston Triathlon}}</ref>
* {{Citation |publisher = Inquirer Pub. Co. |publication-place = South Boston, Mass |author = Charles Bancroft Gillespie |url = http://openlibrary.org/books/OL7113212M/Illustrated_history_of_South_Boston |title = Illustrated history of South Boston |publication-date = 1900 }}
*{{cite book|last=Malloy|first=Ione|title=Southie Won't Go: A Teacher's Diary of the Desegregation of South Boston High School |publisher=University of Illinois Press |date=1 October 1986|isbn=0-252-01276-3}}
*{{cite book|last=O'Connor|first=Thomas|title=South Boston, My Home Town: The History of an Ethnic Neighborhood |publisher=Northeastern University Press|date=24 February 1994|isbn=1-55553-188-1 }}
*{{cite book|last=Alcorn|first=Frank|title=Southie Boy|publisher=Cork Hill Press|date=7 October 2005|isbn=1-59408-054-2}}
*{{cite book|last=Weeks|first=Kevin|coauthors=Karas, Phyllis|title=Brutal: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob|publisher=William Morrow|date=10 March 2006|isbn=0-06-112269-6}}
*{{cite book|last=MacDonald|first=Michael Patrick|title=All Souls: A Family Story from Southie |publisher=Beacon Press |date=4 October 2007|isbn=0-8070-7213-3 }}
* {{Citation
|publisher = City of Boston and Grub Street, Inc.
|publication-place = Boston, Massachusetts, USA
|title = Born before plastic: stories from Boston's most enduring neighborhoods; North End, Roxbury, and South Boston
|url = http://openlibrary.org/books/OL24643200M/Born_before_plastic_stories_from_Boston's_most_enduring_neighborhoods
|publication-date = 2007
}}


== Notable people ==
==External links==
South Boston has been the birthplace and home to a number of notable people, including:

{{div col|colwidth=30em|small=yes|rules=yes}}
*[[James "Whitey" Bulger]], local [[organized crime]] figure, [[Irish mob]] boss, and [[FBI]] informant.
*[[William M. Bulger]], former president of the [[Massachusetts Senate]], former president of the [[University of Massachusetts]] and younger brother of James "Whitey" Bulger.
*[[James Connolly (athlete born 1868)|James Connolly]], athlete and author who, in 1896, became the first modern [[Summer Olympic Games|Olympic]] champion.
*[[John Connolly (FBI)|John Connolly]], a former FBI agent and convict who formed a working relationship with organized crime figure Whitey Bulger.
*[[John Cunniff]], [[National Hockey League]] [[ice hockey|hockey]] coach and former professional player who appeared in 65 [[World Hockey Association]] regular season games between 1972 and 1976.
*[[Richard Cushing]], [[prelate]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] who served as [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston|Archbishop of Boston]] from 1944 to 1970, and was elevated to the [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinalate]] in 1958.
*[[John Ferruggio]], led the evacuation of [[Pan Am Flight 93]], in 1970.<ref name=bg>{{cite news |first=Bryan|last=Marquard|title=John Ferruggio, at 84; hero of 1970 Pan Am hijacking |url=http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2010/06/22/john_ferruggio_of_milton_hero_of_1970_pan_am_hijacking_dies_at_84/|work=[[Boston Globe]]|date=2010-06-22 |access-date=2010-06-27}}</ref>
*[[Michael F. Flaherty]], an at-large member of Boston City Council. He is a member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] and was elected city council president every year from 2002 to 2006.
*[[Raymond Flynn]], Boston's mayor from 1984 to 1993 and the U.S. ambassador to the [[Holy See]], from 1993 to 1997.
*[[Brian Goodman]], film and television director, writer and actor.
*[[James Augustine Healy|James Healy]], America's first Catholic bishop of African descent.
*[[William Henry Houghton]], fourth president of [[Moody Bible Institute]], in [[Chicago]].
*[[James M. Kelly (Boston politician)|James M. "Jim" Kelly]], former Boston city councilor, council president and community activist.
*[[George Kenneally]], former pro-football player with a number of teams – most notably the [[Philadelphia Eagles]].
*[[David Lindsay-Abaire]], [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning [[playwright]] and [[lyricist]].
*[[Edward Lawrence Logan]], [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] general, politician, judge at South Boston District Court and namesake of the [[Logan International Airport]]
*[[Stephen F. Lynch]], Congressman, a [[United States Democratic Party|Democrat]] serving in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. Former ironworker and President of Ironworkers Local 7, State Representative and State Senator, he won his primary election to Congress on September 11, 2001.
*[[John William McCormack]], politician who served as a member of [[U.S. House of Representatives]] from 1928 until he retired from political life in 1971. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], he served as the [[House Majority Leader]] three times and as the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House of Representatives]] from 1962 until 1971.
*[[Will McDonough]], [[Sports journalism|sportswriter]] for [[The Boston Globe]] and television analyst.
*[[Joe Moakley]], U.S. congressman serving as a [[United States Democratic Party|Democrat]] and the last chairman of the [[United States House Committee on Rules]].
*[[Leo Monahan (sportswriter)|Leo Monahan]] (1926–2013), sports journalist who covered the Boston Bruins<ref>{{cite news|title=D. Leo Monahan, 86; Boston sports reporter, columnist|last=Marquard|first=Bryan|date=April 2, 2013|newspaper=The Boston Globe|location=Boston, Massachusetts|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2013/04/01/leo-monahan-boston-sports-reporter-and-columnist-dies/IaRiDjeliLSeCPhM2JLEBN/story.html}}</ref>
*[[Patrick Nee|Pat Nee]], former [[Irish mob]] associate for Whitey Bulger, [[arms trafficking|arms trafficker]] to the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]], and memoirist.
*[[Brian Noonan]], hockey player who won the [[Stanley Cup]] in [[1994 Stanley Cup Finals|1994]] with [[New York Rangers]].
*[[John G. Ryan]], President of [[P.F. Collier]] and Son Corporation, publisher of [[Collier's Encyclopedia]], President of The Richards Company, reference book subsidiary of [[Grolier Incorporated]].
*Fr. [[Edmund A. Walsh]] (1885 - 1956), [[Jesuit]] priest and career [[diplomat]], founder of the [[Georgetown University]] [[Walsh School of Foreign Service|College of Foreign Services]], head of both the American and Vatican Relief Missions during the [[Russian Famine of 1921]], vocal [[anti-Communist]], and special assistant to Prosecutor [[Robert H. Jackson]] during the [[Nuremberg Trials]].
*[[Kevin Weeks]], former [[Irish mob]] boss, close associate of and witness against Whitey Bulger, and memoirist
*[[New Kids On The Block]] + [[Marky Mark]]


{{div col end}}

== References ==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist|30em}}

'''Sources'''
{{Refbegin}}
* Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell; Rosenberg, Charlie, [https://books.google.com/books?id=BTPd_F19VlkC ''South Boston: Then & Now''], Arcadia Publishing Company, 2006
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin|colwidth=30em}}
* {{Citation |publisher=Inquirer Pub. Co. |location=South Boston, Mass |author=Charles Bancroft Gillespie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V1pKAAAAYAAJ |title=Illustrated history of South Boston |date=1900}}
* {{cite book|last=Malloy|first=Ione|title=Southie Won't Go: A Teacher's Diary of the Desegregation of South Boston High School|publisher=University of Illinois Press|date=1 October 1986|isbn=0-252-01276-3|url=https://archive.org/details/southiewontgotea00mall}}
* {{cite book|last=O'Connor|first=Thomas|title=South Boston, My Home Town: The History of an Ethnic Neighborhood|publisher=Northeastern University Press|date=24 February 1994|isbn=1-55553-188-1|url=https://archive.org/details/southbostonmyhom00ocon}}
* {{Citation |publisher=Arcadia |location=Dover, N.H. |series= Images of America |title=South Boston |url=https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1657075W/South_Boston |author=Anthony Mitchell Sammarco |date=1996 |ol= 1657075W}}
* {{cite book|last=Alcorn|first=Frank|title=Southie Boy|publisher=Cork Hill Press|date=7 October 2005|isbn=1-59408-054-2|url=https://archive.org/details/southieboy00fran}}
* {{cite book|last=Weeks|first=Kevin|author2=Karas, Phyllis|title=Brutal: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob|publisher=William Morrow|date=10 March 2006|isbn=0-06-112269-6|url=https://archive.org/details/brutaluntoldstor00week}}
* {{cite book|last=MacDonald|first=Michael Patrick|title=All Souls: A Family Story from Southie|publisher=Beacon Press|date=4 October 2007|isbn=978-0-8070-7213-4|url=https://archive.org/details/allsouls00mich}}
* {{Citation |publisher=City of Boston and Grub Street, Inc. |location=Boston, Massachusetts, USA |title=Born before plastic: stories from Boston's most enduring neighborhoods; North End, Roxbury, and South Boston|date=2007|ol=24643200M }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|South Boston}}
{{Commons category|South Boston}}
{{Portal|Boston}}
{{Wikivoyage|Boston/South Boston|South Boston}}
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*[http://www.southbostononline.com South Boston Online]
* [http://www.southbostononline.com/ South Boston Online]
*[http://www.southbostoninfo.com South Boston Tribune]
* [http://www.southbostoninfo.com/ South Boston Tribune]
* [http://www.southbostonparade.org/ Southie's St Patrick's Day Parade]
*[http://www.cityofboston.gov/neighborhoods/general.asp?id=9 South Boston Neighborhood] at City of Boston.gov
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/sets/72157625793446993 Boston Public Library]. Boston Pictorial Archive. Images of South Boston
*[http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=42.33333&lon=-71.05&s=50&layer=DRG25&size=l&u=2 Topographic Map of South Boston]
* {{cite web |url=http://bostonlocaltv.org/catalog?f%5Blocation_facet_s%5D%5B%5D=South+Boston+%28Boston%2C+Mass.%29 |title=South Boston |work=Boston TV News Digital Library |year=1960–2000 |publisher=[[WGBH-TV|WBGH]]}}
*[http://www.southieparade.org Southies St Patrick's Day Parade]
*[http://www.southbostonlittleleague.com South Boston Little League]
*[http://www.boston.com/yourtown/boston/southboston South Boston on Boston.com]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/sets/72157625793446993 Boston Public Library]. Boston Pictorial Archive. Images of South Boston
*[http://www.bostonwaterfrontguide.com/boston-waterfront-photo-gallery South Boston Waterfront Photo Gallery]
{{Boston neighborhoods}}


{{BostonMA}}
{{coord missing|Massachusetts}}


{{authority control}}
[[Category:Neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts]]

[[Category:Albanian-American culture in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:South Boston| ]]
[[Category:Ethnic enclaves in the United States]]
[[Category:Irish-American culture]]
[[Category:Irish-American culture]]
[[Category:Irish-American culture in Boston]]
[[Category:Irish-American history]]
[[Category:Irish-American history]]
[[Category:Irish-American neighborhoods]]
[[Category:Irish-American neighborhoods]]
[[Category:Irish-American culture in Boston, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Neighborhoods in Boston]]
[[Category:Ethnic enclaves in the United States]]
[[Category:Polish communities in the United States]]
[[Category:South Boston, Boston| ]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Massachusetts]]

Latest revision as of 23:37, 26 November 2024

This article is about the neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. For other uses, see South Boston (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with South End, Boston.

South Boston
Neighborhood of Boston
South Boston from the air in 2010
South Boston from the air in 2010
Flag of South Boston
Flag
Nickname: 
Southie
Map
Coordinates: 42°20′10″N 71°02′45″W / 42.33611°N 71.04583°W / 42.33611; -71.04583
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountySuffolk
Neighborhood ofBoston
Annexed by Boston1804
Area
 • Land3.1 sq mi (8 km2)
Population
 (2010)
33,688[1]
 • Density10,867/sq mi (4,196/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
Zip Code
02127
Area code(s)617 / 857

South Boston (colloquially Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. It has undergone several demographic transformations since being annexed to the city of Boston in 1804. The neighborhood, once primarily farmland,[2] is popularly known by its twentieth century identity as a working class Irish Catholic community. Throughout the twenty-first century, the neighborhood has become increasingly popular with millennial professionals.

South Boston contains Dorchester Heights, where George Washington forced British troops to evacuate during the American Revolutionary War. South Boston has undergone gentrification, and consequently, its real estate market has seen property values join the highest in the city. South Boston has also left its mark on history with Boston busing desegregation. South Boston is also home to the St. Patrick's Day Parade, a celebration of the Irish-American culture and the Evacuation Day observance.


History

[edit]
See also: History of Boston
Dorchester neck can be seen on this early map of Boston in the lower right.
South Boston in 1888 ("Süd Boston" on this German map.)

Geographically, Dorchester Neck was an isthmus, a narrow strip of land that connected the mainland of the colonial settlement of Dorchester with Dorchester Heights. Landfill has since greatly increased the amount of land on the eastern side of the historical neck, and widened the connection to the mainland to the point that South Boston is no longer considered separate from it. South Boston gained an identity separate from Dorchester, but the two were annexed by Boston in pieces, from 1804[3] to 1870.

During the American Revolutionary War, George Washington placed a cannon on Dorchester Heights, thereby forcing the evacuation of British troops from Boston on March 17, 1776. The British evacuated Boston and Fort William and Mary for Halifax, Nova Scotia. Fort William and Mary was replaced with a brick fortification known as Fort Independence. That fort was replaced by a granite fortification (bearing the same name) prior to the American Civil War, and still stands on Castle Island as a National Historic Landmark. Edgar Allan Poe was stationed at Castle Island for five months in 1827 and was inspired to write The Cask of Amontillado based on an early Castle Island legend.

During the 1970s, South Boston received national attention for its opposition to court-mandated school (de facto) desegregation by busing students to different neighborhoods.

In the early 21st century, property values, especially in the City Point neighborhood near Castle Island, rose to the level of some of the highest in the city. The City Point area of South Boston, labeled "East Side" by realtors, has seen a major increase in property values due to its close proximity to downtown Boston and gentrification.[citation needed] The "West Side" of South Boston, also known as the "lower end" by lifelong residents, though slower to begin the gentrification process also benefits from the proximity to not only downtown but also the popular South End. Additionally, the West Side is home to the first green residence (Gold LEED certified) in Boston — the Macallen Building which was featured in the movie The Greening of Southie.[4] The City of Boston is investing in the West Side through developments like the ~150,000-square-foot (14,000 m2) mixed use (residential and commercial) building being developed by the Boston Redevelopment Authority on West Broadway.

Harrison Loring House

[edit]

The 1865 Harrison Loring House is a Second Empire brick mansion located in South Boston. It was used as a private residence until 1913. At that time it was purchased by the Roman Catholic Church to use the space as a convent. The house located at 789 East Broadway was designated a Boston Landmark in 1981. It is associated with Harrison Loring, who owned and operated one of the first South Boston shipyards.[5]

St. Patrick's Day Parade

[edit]

The history behind the South Boston Saint Patrick's Day Parade is General Henry Knox brought 55 cannons captured at Fort Ticonderoga. In March, the troops positioned the cannons on Dorchester Heights. They had cut down trees to cannon size, hollowed them out and blackened them over fire to look like cannons. Surprise was just around the corner. On March 17, 1776, orders were given that if you wished to pass through the continental lines, the password was "St. Patrick". The British had seen all the cannons on the Heights and left Boston.

Evacuation Day was declared a holiday in the City of Boston in 1901. In celebration, the city hosted a parade based in South Boston. The Dorchester Heights Monument, a tribute to the historical event, was completed in Dorchester Heights in 1902. Major George F. H. Murray served as Chief Marshall for the parade in 1901. The state of Massachusetts recognized Evacuation Day as a holiday in Suffolk County (but not the rest of the state) in 1938. The Saint Patrick's Day Parade is both a celebration of the Irish-American culture in Boston and the Evacuation Day victory. The City of Boston sponsored the event until 1947, when Mayor James Michael Curley gave authority to the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council.

Politicians and local celebrities have participated in these annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade for years. In 1958, Senator John F. Kennedy rode with Jacqueline Kennedy in the parade. The Kennedy family were well known as participating in this parade. Robert F. Kennedy marched in 1968, Ted and Joan Kennedy also marched in 1970. The N.A.A.C.P entered a float in the Saint Patrick's Day Parade in 1964. In the mid-1960s Harvard's Irish Society joined the march. Irish nationalists unofficially marched in the Saint Patrick's Day Parade in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1972, Irish Republican Aid Committee members protested violence in Northern Ireland during the Troubles by carrying a coffin draped with the Irish tricolored flag. The Boston chapter of the Irish Northern Aid Commission marched with black armbands and a sign reading "England Get out of Ireland".

The year 1976 marked the 200th anniversary of Evacuation Day and the 75th anniversary of the parade. A reenactment of the 1776 evacuation was incorporated into the parade, with fireworks and period costumes. President George H. W. Bush declared March Irish-American Heritage Month in 1991. The application of the Irish American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, or GLIB, to march in the Saint Patrick's Day Parade in 1992, the first of its kind in the history of the parade, was met with a rejection by the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council. In recent years, parade organizers have tried to make the event more kid-friendly, by incorporating "family zones" or sober places to watch the parade. The South Boston, St. Patrick's Parade is listed as the second-largest parade in the country, being viewed by nearly 600,000 to 1 million people every year, in addition to having the entire parade seen on live television.[6][7]

In the 1990s, South Boston became the focus for a U.S. Supreme Court case on the right of gay and lesbian groups to participate in the Saint Patrick's Day (Evacuation Day) parade. The case was decided in favor of the parade's sponsors when the Supreme Court supported the South Boston Allied War Veterans' right to determine who can participate in their annual St. Patrick's Day parade.[8] In 1996 local Dorchester author Paul Walkowski and Attorney William Connolly detailed the case in their book "From Trial Court to the United States Supreme Court".[9]

Today, the St. Patrick's Day Parade marches from West Broadway to East Broadway, finishing at Farragut Road.[10] Every year, from 10,000 to 20,000 participants join the parade.[11]

Demographics

[edit]

South Boston became known as an Irish working-class neighborhood when large numbers of Irish immigrants settled there in the mid-nineteenth century and continued to do so throughout the twentieth. Once a predominantly Irish Catholic community, in recent years South Boston has become increasingly desirable among young professionals and families who are attracted to the neighborhood's strong sense of community and quick access to downtown and public transportation. South Boston has a population of about 33,311.[12] The median age is about 32.[13]

The most recent census estimates South Boston's total population at 33,688. The Caucasian population is about 26,700 (79.2%). A total amount of 2,789 (8.3%) Hispanic people is counted. African American population is about 1,926 (5.7%). The Asian population makes up 4.8% (1,603). 466 people are of non-Hispanic mixed race (1.4%) and 190 people (0.6%) are identified as Others (i.e. American Indians and groups not otherwise categorized).[14]

Seaport District

[edit]
Main article: Seaport District
John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse on Fan Pier

Development in the Seaport has boomed during the early 21st century. It was considered "the hottest, fastest-growing real estate market in the country" in 2014.[15] As of 2017, it was the fastest growing part of Boston and has stimulated significant economic growth in the city. The restoration of the Seaport began with the completion of the Big Dig.[16] This $14.6 billion project buried the formerly elevated Central Artery I-93 Interstate which previously cut off the waterfront from the rest of the city.

In May 2010, Mayor Menino announced plans for the city to develop 1,000 acres on the South Boston Waterfront as an Innovation District.[17] Inspired by the success of the 22@ model, the mayor's vision was to redevelop the then-mostly abandoned Seaport District into a hub for Information Age jobs and a new frontier for cutting-edge industries such as clean tech, health care information technology and mobile media.[18] Between Menino's announcement in 2010 and 2017, 5,000 new jobs were created and over 200 new companies have formed. Forty percent of the companies located in the Innovation District share space in co-working spaces and incubators. Over 1,100 housing units were constructed, including 300 innovation micro-units.

Economy

[edit]

The headquarters of Reebok is in South Boston.

Schools

[edit]

Public schools are operated by Boston Public Schools.

Public

[edit]
  • Excel High School
  • James Condon Elementary
  • Joseph P. Tynan Elementary
  • Oliver Hazard Perry
  • UP Academy Boston
  • South Boston High School (Former)
  • Michael J. Perkins School

Private

[edit]
  • South Boston Catholic Academy[19]
  • Saint Peters Academy

Places of worship

[edit]
Mural in South Boston saying "Welcome to South Boston" in English and "Fáilte go mBoston dheas" in Irish. Also shown is a Celtic cross, the coats of arms of the Provinces of Ireland and the words "Sinn Féin" "Irish Republican Army" and "NORAID." This Mural has been torn down along with the building to make way for resident housing.

Catholic Churches

  • Gate of Heaven Parish – Established in 1863. The parish's large Neo-gothic church, located on the corner of E. 4th Street and I Street is a prominent feature of the South Boston skyline.
  • Saint Brigid Parish – Originally called St. Eulalia's, St. Brigid was originally a mission chapel of nearby Gate of Heaven parish. It was made a separate parish in 1908. The two parishes are now administered as a cooperative.
  • Saint Augustine Chapel and Cemetery – The oldest Catholic Church in Massachusetts, completed in 1819. It is currently administered as part of the Gate of Heaven & Saint Brigid Parish collective. It was added to the National Register of Historic places in 1987 [20]
  • Our Lady of Czestochowa (Polish)
  • Saint Monica – Saint Augustine (currently merged)
  • Saint Peter (Lithuanian)
  • Saint Vincent de Paul[21]
  • Our Lady of Good Voyage[22]

Albanian Orthodox Churches

  • St George Cathedral: Located near the intersection of East and West Broadway, St George is the largest Orthodox Christian house of worship in Massachusetts. As the mother church of the Albanian diocese, the Cathedral serves as episcopal seat of Archbishop Nikon, Archbishop of Boston, New England and the Albanian Archdiocese.
  • Albanian Holy Trinity Church, Kisha Shqiptare e Shen Trinise: Located at 245 D Street Boston, Massachusetts 02127.
  • St John the Baptist

Episcopal

  • St Matthew and the Redeemer (former)

Baptist

  • South Baptist Church, at 80 L Street[23][24]
  • Hub Church

Presbyterian

  • Fourth Presbyterian Church

Fourth Church has been a part of South Boston since 1870. Situated between two housing projects.

Parks

[edit]
The peninsula of South Boston, featuring Castle Island and Dorchester Heights, as view from the air
Carson Beach at sunrise
Marine Park at City Point

Shoreline of Dorchester Bay

[edit]

Fort Independence, a pentagonal five-bastioned, granite fort built between 1834 and 1851, is the dominating feature of Castle Island. This 22-acre urban park is connected to the mainland by both pedestrian and vehicular causeways. Pleasure Bay, the M Street Beach and Carson Beach form a three-mile segment of parkland and beach along the South Boston shoreline of Dorchester Bay. Carson Beach offers some beautiful views and great public amenities: a rehabilitated Mothers' Rest, public restrooms, exhibit space, first aid and lifeguard functions, while the outdoor courtyards allow space for passive recreation. Carson Beach also features a walkway which allows one to walk, bike, or run along the water's edge from Castle Island to the Kennedy Library.

Fort Independence and Castle Island are on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, and the fort is a National Historic Landmark. Fort Independence is open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day, hours vary. Fort tours are conducted by the Castle Island Association in the summer months and there is interpretive signage for self-guided tours. The principal program theme, the History of Castle Island, stresses the role of the fort in harbor defense."[25]

Thomas Park

[edit]

Also known as Dorchester Heights. Atop the hill sits a tall monument commemorating the Patriot battle that drove the British out of Boston.

M Street Park

[edit]

Between M and N streets and north of Broadway, the M Street Park was one of the most desirable addresses in Boston in the late 19th century, and the brownstone buildings overlooking the park on the south side of the park remain some of the best examples of this style of architecture in New England. M Street Park is also home to the first standing Vietnam memorial in the nation. Included in this memorial are all the names of the South Boston residents who gave their lives fighting for the United States.

South Boston Maritime Park

[edit]

Located at D Street and Northern Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, the park is a rectangle of green lawn, gardens, trees, benches, and paved walkways. Artwork along the paths displays fish and sea motifs, paying tribute to the city's maritime background. The roofed seating area provides partial shade and tables and chairs, an ideal spot for lunch.[26]

Joe Moakley Park

[edit]

This urban park features baseball and soccer fields, a traffic garden, a spray area and a jogging track at 600 William J. Day Blvd., South Boston. Right by local transportation families have easy access in traveling to enjoy their day.

Castle Island Park

[edit]

Site of Fort Independence (open in the summer) with beach, picnic and jogging area. Located at 2010 William J Day Blvd.

The Lawn on D

[edit]

A lawn on 420 D Street on the east side of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park

[edit]

Bay views, open lawn, athletic fields and a playground are features of this waterside park. Located on Farragut Road.[27]

Marine Industrial Park

[edit]

This 191-acre waterfront area features businesses plus a brewery, a museum and a cruise terminal.[28]

Public housing

[edit]
See also: D Street Projects

South Boston is home to some of the oldest public housing in the United States.[29] In the last 30 years, they have changed from having a mostly Irish-American population to a more ethnically mixed population.[citation needed] The housing facilities are under the control of the Boston Housing Authority (BHA)[30] and include West Broadway which was built in 1949 and occupies 20 acres (81,000 m2),[31] West Ninth Street[32] (these three facilities are next to each other and commonly called D street), Old Colony which was built in 1941,[33] and Mary Ellen McCormack, which is the BHA's oldest development, being constructed in 1936. It was originally called Old Harbor Village.[34]

Other developments are Harbor Point (in Dorchester), Foley[35] and Monsignor Powers.[36]

As of the June 26, 2014, city officials and civilians officially celebrated the completion of the second phase of construction and redevelopment of the Old Colony housing project that took place in the neighborhood of South Boston that began construction back in 2009. The phase two completion included high-efficiency affordable housing in town-house style and four-story elevator buildings. Part of this project was funded by a HOPE VI grant which ensured $22-million for the project to build these new public houses for the citizens of South Boston, replacing 223 original apartments along Old Colony Avenue up to Dorchester Street and over to Reverend Burke Street which were demolished. These new, affordable housing units are some of the most environmentally-friendly public houses in the entire Commonwealth. In the future, the Boston Housing Authority and its partners are looking to redevelop the remaining 453 original housing units in South Boston.[37]

Transportation

[edit]

South Boston is served by two Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Red Line rapid transit stations: Broadway and Andrew. MBTA bus service links these stations to nearby residential areas via bus routes 7, 9, 10, 11.

The MBTA Silver Line, a Bus rapid transit service, connects the South Boston Waterfront with South Station via a bus tunnel beneath Congress St. and Boston Logan International Airport in neighboring East Boston via the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Ted Williams Tunnel.

Culture and events

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Institute of Contemporary Art

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Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston was opened in 2006 in the South Boston Seaport District. It functions as a modern art museum and exhibition center featuring permanent and temporary exhibition, educational programs, performances, and film screenings.[38]

New Year's Day Plunge

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Every year, hundreds of people join the L Street Brownies for the New Year's Day Plunge in Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor). The event is accompanied by spectators and reporters. This winter gathering has been taking place annually since 1904.

Boston Triathlon

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Participants of the Boston's only triathlon swim in the waters of Dorchester Bay, bike through the city streets of Boston, and run along the Southie shoreline.[39]

Notable people

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South Boston has been the birthplace and home to a number of notable people, including:


References

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Notes

  1. ^ Department of Neighborhood Development, Policy Development & Research Division (n.d.). "South Boston Data Profile" (PDF). City of Boston. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  2. ^ Simonds, Thomas C. (1857). History of South Boston :formerly Dorchester Neck, now ward XII of the city of Boston /. Boston. hdl:2027/yale.39002009629487.
  3. ^ Topographical History of South Boston. 1970.
  4. ^ "The Greening of Southie". greeningofsouthie.com.
  5. ^ "Harrison Loring Estate" (PDF). Boston Landmark Commission.
  6. ^ "St. Patrick's Day Parade - South Boston | Boston Central". Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  7. ^ [1] Archived 2016-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "U.S. Supreme Court HURLEY v. IRISH-AMERICAN GAY GROUP OF BOSTON, ___ U.S. ___ (1995)". FindLaw. June 18, 1995. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
  9. ^ Walkowski, Paul; Connolly, William (April 1996). From Trial Court to the United States Supreme Court Anatomy of a Free Speech Case: The Incredible Inside Story Behind the Theft of the St. Patrick's Parade. Branden Books. ISBN 0-8283-2012-8.
  10. ^ "St. Patrick's Day Parade". December 5, 2022.
  11. ^ "History".
  12. ^ "BRA".
  13. ^ "At a Glance". South Boston. Boston Redevelopment Authority.
  14. ^ "Race and Ethnicity in South Boston, Boston, Massachusetts (Neighborhood) - Statistical Atlas". Statistical Atlas. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021.
  15. ^ Acitelli, Tom (June 11, 2014). "On Southie Becoming South Boston". Curbed. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  16. ^ Katz, Bruce; Wagner, Julie. "The Rise of Innovation Districts: A New Geography of Innovation in America". Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  17. ^ "Welcome innovationdistrict.org - BlueHost.com". www.innovationdistrict.org. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  18. ^ "Welcome innovationdistrict.org - BlueHost.com". www.innovationdistrict.org. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  19. ^ "Life at SBCA - South Boston Catholic Academy".
  20. ^ https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm#table (Ref.# 87001495)
  21. ^ "Archdiocese of Boston Parishes, Schools and People". bostoncatholic.org.
  22. ^ "Boston Seaport | Chapel of Our Lady of Good Voyage". Seaport. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  23. ^ Cf. Sammarco (2006), p.25
  24. ^ History of the South Baptist Church, Boston, Boston : Alfred Mudge & Son, 1865.
  25. ^ "Mass.gov". Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2009.
  26. ^ "South Boston Maritime Park | Seaport District Attractions". Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  27. ^ "Artucle". bostonredevelopmentauthority.org. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016.
  28. ^ "South Boston". July 11, 2016.
  29. ^ Boston Connects. South Boston Archived September 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ "Welcome to the Boston Housing Authority". Boston Housing Authority. Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  31. ^ "West Broadway". Boston Housing Authority. Archived from the original on June 24, 2001. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  32. ^ "West Ninth Street". Boston Housing Authority. Archived from the original on April 1, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  33. ^ "Old Colony". Boston Housing Authority. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  34. ^ "Mary Ellen McCormack". Boston Housing Authority. Archived from the original on March 21, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  35. ^ "Foley". Boston Housing Authority. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  36. ^ "Monsignor Powers". Boston Housing Authority. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  37. ^ "City and state officials celebrate completion of 129 new apartments at Old Colony". Boston Housing Authority. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  38. ^ "Institute of Contemporary Art".
  39. ^ "Boston Triathlon".
  40. ^ Marquard, Bryan (June 22, 2010). "John Ferruggio, at 84; hero of 1970 Pan Am hijacking". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  41. ^ Marquard, Bryan (April 2, 2013). "D. Leo Monahan, 86; Boston sports reporter, columnist". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts.

Sources

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to South Boston.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for South Boston.
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