GREATER BOSTON · THE SMALLER POCKETS
BOSTON'S
SMALLER NEIGHBORHOODS
Some of the city's most distinct pockets are also its smallest. They don't each get a full guide, but if one of these is calling you, I know them, and I'll walk you through it block by block.
Bay Village
One of the city's smallest pockets, all brick row houses and quiet, hidden-feeling lanes near the Theater District.
Downtown
The city's historic core, where the Freedom Trail threads between high-rises, Downtown Crossing, and Government Center.
Longwood
The medical and academic heart of the city, dense with institutions and the residential streets that serve them.
Mission Hill
A steep, layered neighborhood beside the Longwood institutions, with triple-deckers and pocket parks.
West End
A compact, modern-residential pocket beside the river and Mass General, reconnecting to its older edges.
Chinatown / Leather District
Dense and intensely urban, where loft blocks meet one of the oldest Chinatowns in the country.
