Roslindale

Roslindale is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, with the ZIP Code 02131. It is bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury, Mattapan and Dorchester. It is served by one stop on the MBTA Needham Heights commuter rail line, as well as many bus lines which pass through Roslindale Square, where Washington Street meets Cummins Highway and Corinth Street.

Roslindale, a community 6 miles south of downtown Boston, was annexed to the city in 1874. At the time, it was an out-of-the-way part of the expansive town of West Roxbury.

In the 1880s, the area was called South Street Crossing because the railroad crossed South Street at the street level. However, when the community applied for a post office district of its own, it was told that "South Street Crossing" was unacceptable to the government. And so, the community renamed itself.

The name, "Roslindale", was suggested by a well-traveled member of the community who told the assembled citizens that the area reminded him of the beautiful historic town of Roslyn, Scotland, outside Edinburgh. He thought the area was like a dale because of the hills surrounding it. Thus the combination of "Roslyn" and "dale" were submitted to the Post Office and the name "Roslindale" was formally established.

Roslindale grew residentially as a classic streetcar suburb. The railway, which currently serves as the Needham line of the MBTA, was built after the Civil War, and spawned a new round of commercial development. Roslindale saw steady growth in its residential population, beginning in the 1880s, with the introduction of the horse-drawn street railway service between Forest Hills and Dedham.

By the 1920s Roslindale Village had assumed the configuration it has today. It is beautifully laid out with well-kept Adams Park at its center. The area is convenient and allows easy access to its rail and bus lines. Roslindale continues to grow and offer great opportunity as a commercial and residential district.

Roslindale Village (still called Roslindale Square by long-time residents) is home to several restaurants, a number of boutiques, a couple of discount stores, the largest independent pharmacy in Massachusetts, one of the largest model-train set-ups in New England and a large bust of Alexander the Great, dedicated by the mayor of Athens, Greece - as well as one Thai restaurant. Adams Park, the center of the square, is home to the annual neighborhood Easter Egg hunt and summertime concerts. South of the square, on the corner of Washington St. and Metropolitan Ave., is Roslindale's oldest (and only) hardware store, Roslindale Hardware, founded in 1888.

North of the square, closely packed triple deckers provide an urban feel. To the west of the square, Victorians border the Arnold Arboretum. South of the square, homes on Grew Hill and Metropolitan Hill feel almost more suburban than part of the largest city in New England.

In the early part of the 20th century, William Fox, for whom 20th Century Fox is named, built a summer mansion on Metropolitan Avenue; he would take the train up from New York. His house still stands, although one section was eventually carved off and moved a few dozen yards away. Nearby, a pedestrian bridge connects Roslindale to Hyde Park over the Amtrak and MBTA rail lines.

External links

• Information about Roslindale
• Roslindale photos