The Back Bay is well-known for its upscale housing, luxury shopping, high-rise office buildings and hotels and is also home to cultural institutions such as the Boston Public Library and the Berklee College of Music. The neighborhood also recently ranked as one of the top neighborhoods in Boston for walkability. Before Back Bay became the neighborhood we know it as today, it was literally a tidal bay. In the 19^th century, with the assistance from the railroad, tons of gravel were transported and the area became fully filled in 1882.

Neighboring Back Bay is the Beacon Hill area, where the Massachusetts State House prominently sits at the top of the hill. Originally this neighborhood was named for the location of a former beacon atop the highest point in central Boston, which was located just behind the current site of the State House. In the 19th century, there were considered two Beacon Hills: White residents, mostly wealthy, lived on the south slope and Black residents lived on the north, though they were deeply united when it came to the subject of slavery. Beacon Hill was considered the intellectual center of America’s Abolition movement, mostly led by its Black residents but also supported by Whites. Currently, of their 27,000 or so residents, 85% of Beacon Hill residents are White.

Sources:

Boston Public Health Commission 2010 HOB Report
My Neighborhood: Boston