Beacon Hill Neighborhood

Beacon Hill Overview: One of Boston’s oldest and most beautiful neighborhoods, Beacon Hill’s distinctive look is marked by gas street lamps, brick row houses, narrow streets, and decorative ironwork. Its most notable landmark is the gold domed Massachusetts State House.

Beacon Hill is bound by Beacon Street on the South, Bowdoin Street on the East, Cambridge Street on the North, and Storrow Drive on the West. Some also consider it to include Boston Common and the Public Garden.

Beacon Hill Apartments and Real Estate: Beacon Hill is a national historic district and all visible changes to architecture on the hill are protected by strict regulations. The architectural style is primarily 19th century row houses from the Federal, Greek Revival, and Victorian periods as well as some early 20th century colonial revival homes and tenements.

To Rent:

• Studio/1-Bedroom: $600-$2,400+
• 2-Bedroom: $1,500-$4,000+
• 3+ Bedrooms: $3,000-$6,000+

To Buy:

• Condo: $200,000-$1 million+
• Single family: $1 million-$12 million+

Beacon Hill Schools: Boston's student assignment plan for elementary and middle schools divides the city into three zones. Beacon Hill falls in the North zone. Parents can apply for schools within their zone. All high schools are citywide.

Private Schools:

• Beacon Hill Nursery School: 74 Joy Street, (617) 227-0822
• Bright Horizons Children’s Schools: 131 Cambridge Street, (617) 227-6482
• The Advent School (elementary): 15 Brimmer Street, (617) 742-0520

Universities:

• Suffolk University: 8 Ashburton Place (617) 573-8000

Beacon Hill Restaurants: There’s no shortage of places to eat on Beacon Hill. Popular spots for a nice meal include Figs, Lala Rokh, The Hungry i, Ma Soba, No 9 Park, Beacon Hill Bistro, and 75 Chestnut. For slightly less expensive meals enjoy The Upper Crust, The King and I, The Paramount, The Sevens, The 21st Amendment, the Creperie, and more.

Shopping: Charles Street is Beacon Hill’s primary shopping street. Known for its antique stores, it also has many boutiques, galleries, and gift shops. There's also a hardware store, a pharmacist, a veterinarian, and several nail salons, wine shops, and realtors. Cambridge Street has fewer shopping options but it does have a florist, convenience stores, liquor stores, realtors, and a hair salon.

Video Stores:

• Mike’s Movies: 250 Cambridge Street (617) 742-7771
• Fred’s Video: 63 Charles Street #A (617) 367-8699

Beacon Hill Nightlife: Most Beacon Hill residents look to other areas of Boston, such as the Theater District or nearby Cambridge, for nightlife. But there are several bars and pubs around the hill. Harvard Gardens is a popular spot on Cambridge Street; Cheers, made famous by the television series, attracts mostly tourists on Beacon Street; The Red Hat has a loyal following over on Bowdoin; and on Charles Street there’s always a crowd in the Sevens Ale House and at the Beacon Hill Pub.

Beacon Hill Parks and Recreation:
Boston Common & Public Garden: The Common has tennis courts, a baseball field, open areas for playing games or exercising dogs, a playground, and the Frog Pond, a wading pool in the summer and an ice skating rink in the winter. The Public Garden has the famous swan boats.

Charles River Esplanade: The Esplanade has boat rentals, a YMCA with a pool, baseball fields, and a path along the river for biking or jogging. It’s also the home of the Hatch Shell where people gather to watch free concerts.

Beacon Hill Landmarks and History: Beacon Hill was reduced from its original size to allow for housing development and to create landfill for the Back Bay. The posh southern slope was settled around 1700; the northern slope was the seedier side. The initial dichotomy explains why only two streets, Joy and West Cedar, connect the two sides.

Notable Beacon Hill landmarks are the Massachusetts State House, Museum of Afro-American History, Cheers, Otis House Museum, Nichols House Museum, African Meeting House, and Louisburg Square.

Art Scene:
Beacon Hill Art Walk: Beacon Hill residents open their gardens, alleys, and courtyards so artists can display and sell their work to the public.

Shakespeare on the Common: Since 1996 the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company has performed free Shakespeare each summer.

Hatch Shell Events: Various groups present free musical concerts or family movie showings at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade, particularly in the summer months. The most famous is the annual Fourth of July concert.

Beacon Hill Essentials:

Beacon Hill Transportation: The best way to get to Beacon Hill is by subway. There are no bus stops on Beacon Hill.

• Red line: Park Street, Charles/MGH
• Green line: Park Street, Government Center, Boylston
• Blue line: Government Center, Bowdoin (weekdays from 5:15am - 6:30pm)
• MBTA subway map

Post Offices:

• 136 Charles Street (617) 723-7434 Hours: M-F 8-5:30PM Sat 8-12
• State House, 24 Beacon Street Room 2 (617) 742-0012 Hours: M-F 9-5

Public Library: West End Branch Library, 151 Cambridge Street (617) 523-3957

Police Station: District A-1, 40 Sudbury Street (617) 343-4240

Fire Station: Engine 4/Ladder 24, 200 Cambridge Street

Voting: Register to vote and find your polling station.

Sanitation:
Trash: Find out when your street’s trash pickup days are.
Recycling: Find out what you can recycle and which days to put your recyclables out.

24-Hour ATMs:

• Bank of America: address Charles Street and 161 Cambridge Street
• Cambridge Trust Company: 65 Beacon Street
• Sovereign: 67 Beacon Street
• Triton independent on-street cash machine: 138 Cambridge Street

Pharmacies:

• Brooks: 100 Cambridge Street Suite 102 (617) 367-4704
• CVS: 155 Charles Street (617) 523-1028
  191 Cambridge Street, Charles River Plaza (617) 367-0441
• Gary Drug: 59 Charles Street (617) 227-0023

Grocery Stores:

• DeLuca’s: Small grocery store with a deli, and a wide selection of cheeses, produce, and gourmet items. 11 Charles Street (617) 523-4343
• Savenor's: Gourmet grocery store specializing in exotic meats, baked goods, cheese, and organic produce 160 Charles Street 617-723-6328
• Whole Foods Market: Large grocery chain specializing in natural and organic foods. 181 Cambridge Street (617) 723-0004

Beacon Hill by the Numbers:

• Zip Codes: 02108, 02114
• Population: nearly 10,000
• Median Age: 40.5
• Median Household Income: $71,199 (highest in Boston)
  As reported in the 2000 Census