What's the scoop with Hull? Scituate?

[missionhill]

Irish Catholics started out in Boston in Fort Hill (which doesn't exist any more) and in the North End. By the mid-twentieth century, most had moved south to South Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, etc. Since World War II, most of this population has continued moving south into various towns on the south shore, also to towns southwest of Boston, like Norwood and Dedham. Also, Weymouth, Hull, Scituate, and maybe other shore towns were and still are popular places for summer houses among the so-called lace-curtain Irish (or "two-toilet" Irish) who could afford them. Probably many families started out summering on the South Shore and later became permanent residents. Meanwhile, the Brahmin elite preferred the North Shore--Hamilton, Wenham, Beverly Farms, Prides Crossing, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Magnolia... If those names don't have the ring of privilege, I don't know what does!

[wealthtrader]

Originally Posted by Valerie C

I can remember my Mom referring to the entire South Shore as the Irish Riviera, no so much anymore...
..

What do you mean? The South Shore is the MOST IRISH concentrated region in America. Proof? Go to ancestry maps, look under Irish. See how many South Shore towns pop up on the top of the list.

[hullwillgetbetter]

I recently purchased a home in Hull and love it. There are several organizations starting up to clean up the area from individuals who do not care about home owners properties. Some of the homeowners rent out to people who could care less about respecting people's property and acting civil but I truly believe it's going to get better. Hull residents need to get more involved and clean up some of these areas to get our beautiful properties up to the value it deserves!!I say, increase the parking fees at the beach and Hull will be well on it's away!

[clevedark]

I know Hull and Scituate very well. I always kinda thought of them both as expensive, especially Hull considering the quality of the schools. But then again I was looking a few years ago when things were really crazy.

Hull has a number of section 8 residents (public assistance) and some drug areas. However there are lots of lovely areas with water views. Hingham isn't too far away. It's very common for empty nesters from Hingham to sell their homes and move to Hull for the water views they've always dreamed of.

And it's also very common for young families to move from Hull to Hingham for better schools once their children get to be a certain age.

There are alot of artistic, intelligent, confident, sophisticated, well educated people in Hull, too, who love the water and want to be on the ocean and can't afford it anywhere else. They make a good life for themselves and their children, if they have them.

Scituate is more suburban than Hull, the people who send their kids to the schools are very pleased with them in general. It's a nice laid back beachy lifestyle. A lot of people move from Cohasset to Scituate if they feel miserable in Cohasset's constrictive social vise.

Irish Riviera's aren't unique to Massachusetts--there is a stretch on the Jersey shore called the Irish Riviera--Spring Lake, Sea Girt, etc. And come to think of it, I know a lot of people of Irish extraction who own homes there....