Beacon Hill is a neighborhood of Boston covering approximately one square mile and home to about 10,000 people. It is a neighborhood of federal-style rowhouses, with some of the highest property values in the United States. The Beacon Hill area is located just north of the Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden. The block bounded by Beacon, Tremont and Park Streets is included as well, as is the Boston Common itself. The level section of the neighborhood west of Charles Street, on landfill, is known locally as the "Flat of the Hill."
Beacon Hill is known for its narrow gas-lit streets and brick sidewalks. It is also one of Boston's oldest communities, which gets its name from a beacon that once stood atop its hill to warn locals about foreign invasion. This beacon was located just behind the current site of the Massachusetts State House. The hill was substantially reduced in height to allow the development of housing in the area and to create land by filling part of the Back Bay at the foot of the hill. Approximately one square mile in size, Beacon Hill is bound by Beacon Street, Bowdoin Street, Cambridge Street and Storrow Drive along the riverfront of the Charles River Esplanade to the west. Its architecture and layout consists of brick row houses with beautiful doors, decorative ironwork, brick sidewalks, narrow streets, and gas lamps. Beacon Hill is also home to the Massachusetts State House. Charles Street, the neighborhood's main thoroughfare, is lined with antique shops and restaurants. Beacon Hill has been home to many notable Americans, including Louisa May Alcott, Oliver Wendell Homes, Daniel Webster, Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, and Senator John Kerry.
| • Boston Commons |
• Bull & Finch Pub (Cheers) |
• Charles Street |
| • State House |
• Mass General Hospital |
• Cobblestone Streets |
| • Close to Govt. Center/Downtown |
• Esplanade/Hatch Shell |
• Gas Lamps |
| • Suffolk University |
• Emerson College |
• New England College of Optometry |
| • African Historical Society |
• Berklee School of Music |
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Beacon Hill is conveniently located on both the MBTA Red Line and Blue Line. Stops closest to Beacon Hill are: Charles/MGH Station and Park Street on the red line, and Bowdoin on the blue line.
For more information on public transportation in the Back Bay, please contact the MBTA.
Keep in mind, parking is tough in Beacon Hill. You may want to consider parking at the Boston Common Garage located underneath Boston Common from Charles St.
