The South End is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. Architecturally, it is composed mostly of mid-nineteenth century brownstones -- aesthetically uniform rows of five-story, predominantly red-brick structures, of mixed residential and commercial uses. The neighborhood was constructed atop landfill, reclaimed during the filling of Boston's marshy Back Bay, from the 1830s to the 1870s. Today, the South End is listed on the United States' National Registry of Historic Places. It is the nation's largest Victorian architectural district.

Some of Boston's most venerable institutions trace their roots to the South End. Boston College was founded in the South End in 1863. The original college buildings on Harrison Avenue still stand, though BC moved from the South End to then-rural Chestnut Hill as a result of rapid growth and urbanization in the late nineteenth century. Today, the South End is home to the Boston Ballet and the Boston Center for the Arts.

Housing in the South End is very expensive by American and Boston standards - it is difficult to find a one bedroom apartment for less than $400,000. Large numbers of gays, blacks, and young urban professionals, especially those with bohemian leanings, live in the South End, though many have been forced out due to the increasing expense.

The South End is noted for it's extensive collection of excellent restaurants, and is in some sense the city of Boston's "dining district". It also has a number of expensive clothing boutiques.

The South End lies south of the Back Bay, and northwest of South Boston. It is served by the orange line of the MBTA at Back Bay Station and the Mass Ave. stop. The Silver Line (rapid Bus Transit) runs down Washington Street.

External link

• South End web site
• Boston Family History site on the South End