"Neighborhood cities'" best neighborhoods. (live, areas, firm)
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Boston has 2 upper class neighborhoods: Beacon Hill and, to a lesser extent, Back Bay. It also has its share of Italian and Irish Neighborhoods, which are probably more famous and larger in South and North Boston.
Seattle is a great neighborhoody city with scattered urban nodes each with their own little character and little downtown like business districts. Some of the best examples are......
Queen Anne
Capital Hill
Wallingford
U District
Ballard
Fremont
West Seattle (Alaska Junction/Alki)
Agreed. Seattle truly is a city of distinct neighborhoods - more than most in my opinion. Some others to add to the list that have the mini downtown-like business districts:
Greenwood/Phinney
Madrona
Columbia City
Admiral
Eastlake
Upper Queen Anne (I'm assuming the reference above was to Lower Queen Anne - they are definitely distinct)
Georgetown
SLU/Cascade
Madison Park/Valley
Roosevelt
Greenlake
And many more...
Yeah...merely listing names of neighborhoods doesn't make much of a case for a city. What are the most distinct neighborhoods and why?
There are also a lot of city-data type urbanophiles who will list "official" city-designated neighborhoods as though they are real, actual distinctive entities, when often they are normally considered (if they are even widely known) subdivisions of larger neighborhood clusters or groupings by most normal citizens.
Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle definitely come to mind.
Chicago is definitely NOT on my list of Neighborhood Cities. It's the same situation as Milwaukee. There are some clearly defined neighborhoods, but large swaths of the city are written off as "West Side" and "South Side." In real neighborhood cities every single neighborhood is well defined and has clear borders that are known by everyone.
While every city will have an interesting district, neighborhood or two that is lively or attractive, some cities are defined by their neighborhoods, or they have neighborhoods that have a particular appeal or personality. These neighborhoods are incredibly distinct, vibrant, and serve as a defining feature of a city's culture and vibe, either to locals, tourists, or both. In my experience, the big "neighborhood cities" are places like San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, DC, St. Louis, New Orleans, Boston, and a few others.
Which neighborhoods stand out to you in your city and why?
I'll share some faves for Boston (though I doubt my descriptions will be as well written).
While I have heard some refer to this neighborhood as "the student ghetto", Allston is (or at least was) one of the last neighborhoods in Boston to experience gentrification, and is (or was) one of the last places in the city where you could see some old school Bostonian grit. The area is home to a number of Korean and Brazilian shops, bakeries, and restaurants; I've always found it to be one of Boston's more culturally diverse neighborhoods.
This is arguably Boston's most Bohemian neighborhood. I've heard this neighborhood alternatively refered to as either "Gay-P" or "Jamaica Spain". Every Spring it holds a celebration called "Wake Up the Earth", which is on my Boston bucket list. Center Street is its main thoroughfare, and it is a neighborhood that, while currently attracting tons for young professionals and families, still maintains its telltale quirkiness.
Like Allston, this neighborhood is one of the least gentrified areas of Boston despite the fact that it is well served by public transportation. Located across the harbor from Boston, it used to be one of the most Italian neighborhoods in Boston. Today it's mostly Hispanic with a good mix of other ethnicities as well. It is a very densely populated area, especially the part closest to Boston. This is also the neighborhood where Logan Airport is located (though the neighborhood was there before the airport).
Long-time residents of this neighborhood are referred to as "townies". And furthermore, this neighborhood has a ton of self-identity and pride. "Bunker Hill Day", which celebrates the Battle of Bunker Hill, is considered a public holiday in the city of Boston, and a big parade is held on Bunker Hill Street in Charlestown. The neighborhood itself is dominated by both wood and brick rowhomes (really one of the only places in the city with large amounts of wooden rowhomes). It's skyline is dominated by the Bunker Hill Monument.
While I have heard some refer to this neighborhood as "the student ghetto", Allston is (or at least was) one of the last neighborhoods in Boston to experience gentrification, and is (or was) one of the last places in the city where you could see some old school Bostonian grit. The area is home to a number of Korean and Brazilian shops, bakeries, and restaurants; I've always found it to be one of Boston's more culturally diverse neighborhoods.
This is arguably Boston's most Bohemian neighborhood. I've heard this neighborhood alternatively refered to as either "Gay-P" or "Jamaica Spain". Every Spring it holds a celebration called "Wake Up the Earth", which is on my Boston bucket list. Center Street is its main thoroughfare, and it is a neighborhood that, while currently attracting tons for young professionals and families, still maintains its telltale quirkiness.
Like Allston, this neighborhood is one of the least gentrified areas of Boston despite the fact that it is well served by public transportation. Located across the harbor from Boston, it used to be one of the most Italian neighborhoods in Boston. Today it's mostly Hispanic with a good mix of other ethnicities as well. It is a very densely populated area, especially the part closest to Boston. This is also the neighborhood where Logan Airport is located (though the neighborhood was there before the airport).
Long-time residents of this neighborhood are referred to as "townies". And furthermore, this neighborhood has a ton of self-identity and pride. "Bunker Hill Day", which celebrates the Battle of Bunker Hill, is considered a public holiday in the city of Boston, and a big parade is held on Bunker Hill Street in Charlestown. The neighborhood itself is dominated by both wood and brick rowhomes (really one of the only places in the city with large amounts of wooden rowhomes). It's skyline is dominated by the Bunker Hill Monument.
Nice. I know those neighborhoods, except East Boston. Good descriptions.
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