Charlestown, Boston

Charlestown is the oldest neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is called Mishawum by the Massachusett people and is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River. It also touches the Mystic River and Boston Harbor.

The area was laid out in 1629 by engineer Thomas Graves, one of its first settlers, during the time of Charles I of England. At first, it was a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Charlestown became a city in 1848 and was later joined with Boston on January 5, 1874. Since the 1840s, many Irish people have lived there, especially during the Great Irish Famine. In recent years, the neighborhood has changed a lot because it is close to downtown Boston and has many old buildings. Today, Charlestown is mostly a place where people live, with many homes near the water that look out over the Boston skyline. You can get there using the Orange Line at the Sullivan Square or Community College stops, or by car on the I-93 expressway.

History

Charlestown is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts. It was first called Mishawum by the local Massachusett people. The area was settled in 1629 by engineer Thomas Graves and others. Originally a Puritan settlement, Charlestown was an important early community before Boston was founded across the Charles River.

The neighborhood played a key role in American history. In 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill took place there during the American Revolutionary War. Over time, Charlestown grew and changed, with many people from different backgrounds moving in. Today, it is known for historic sites like the Bunker Hill Monument and the old Navy Yard, and it remains a residential area with many important institutions nearby.

Geography

Charlestown is found north of downtown Boston on a peninsula between the Charles River and the Mystic River.

City Square in the south of Charlestown was once where the city hall stood before it joined Boston. It is where the Charlestown Bridge ends and where the old Warren Bridge used to be. The Central Artery was built there between 1951 and 1954, but later projects moved it underground to create a park.

Thompson Square is a small area where several streets meet. Thompson Square station used to be a stop on the Charlestown Elevated.

A tiny part of Charlestown is north of the Mystic River, near the Malden Bridge and the entrance to Encore Boston Harbor. This area used to be a peninsula but is now connected to the mainland.

The neighborhood has two small hills covered mostly by homes: Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill. Bunker Hill was named after George Bunker, who owned the land long ago.

Arts and culture

Charlestown has many important historical places, some of which are on Boston’s Freedom Trail. The trail ends at the Bunker Hill Monument, which marks the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill, a major early battle of the American Revolutionary War. The USS Constitution, launched in 1797, is the oldest ship still in service in the US Navy and can be seen today in the Charlestown Navy Yard, now part of the National Park Service.

Paul Revere started his famous midnight ride from Charlestown before the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Warren Tavern, which opened in 1780, is one of the oldest restaurants in the United States and was a favorite spot of Paul Revere’s. The tavern is named after Joseph Warren, a key figure in the American Revolution. After closing in 1813, the building was saved and reopened as a restaurant in 1972.

Demographics

Charlestown has a population of 16,685 people, with slightly more females than males. The largest age groups are people aged 25 to 29, followed by those aged 30 to 34 and 35 to 39.

Most people in Charlestown are white, making up 75.4% of the population. Other groups include Black or African, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, and people of two or more races. In recent years, the number of minority groups has grown from 4.9% in 1990 to 23.5% in 2010. About 15.9% of the population was born outside the country.

The median household income is $89,017, and the median family income is $100,725. However, 17% of the population and 37% of children live below the Federal Poverty Line.

According to recent surveys, the largest ancestry groups in ZIP Code 02129 are:

Government and infrastructure

Main articles: Boston City Council and List of mayors of Boston

The Boston Navy Yard was located in Charlestown from 1801 until it closed in 1974. The United States Postal Service operates the Charlestown Post Office.

Education

Main article: Boston § Education

Boston's Charlestown neighborhood is served by the Boston Public Schools system. There are also private schools in the area.

Primary and secondary schools

• Harvard-Kent Elementary School
• Warren-Prescott K–8 School
• Charlestown High School
• Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Colleges and universities

• Bunker Hill Community College's main campus
• MGH Institute of Health Professions, a graduate school founded by Massachusetts General Hospital
• Cambridge College

Public libraries

Boston Public Library operates the Charlestown Branch.

Housing policy

Further information: Boston Housing Authority

The Bunker Hill Public Housing has divided Bunker Hill Street into two parts. The housing development company Corcoran-SunCal plans to make changes and replace the 1,100 affordable units. This company will allow all current residents to move back into the housing complex.

Healthcare

Charlestown has several healthcare centers that help the community. The MGH Charlestown Healthcare Center is part of Massachusetts General Hospital and has served the area since 1968. It works with schools and groups to offer helpful programs for the diverse people of Charlestown. There is also an outpatient facility at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and a place called NEW Health Charlestown that helps with substance abuse, offering support from counselors and doctors.

Transportation

The Interstate 93 runs through the area near Sullivan Square and helps connect different parts of Charlestown. Two main roads, Cambridge Street and Austin Street/Gilmore Bridge, lead west from here. US 1 splits from Interstate 93 at the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge and becomes a toll road that goes under Paul Revere Park and City Square before reaching the Tobin Bridge toward the city of Chelsea across the Mystic River. Other state roads go to Somerville and Everett. North Washington Street links Charlestown to downtown Boston.

Many people in Charlestown use public transportation to get around. The MBTA Orange Line has two stops here: Community College station near Bunker Hill Community College and Sullivan Square station by the old Charlestown Neck. Two bus lines start at Sullivan Square and go to Boston’s Financial District. Ferries also run from the Charlestown Navy Yard to Long Wharf near the New England Aquarium, which is handy for both commuters and visitors. The Boston Harborwalk and the Freedom Trail both pass through this neighborhood.

In popular culture

Films

Some famous movies were filmed in Charlestown. For example, parts of the 1994 film Blown Away were shot there, as were scenes from Celtic Pride in 1996. In the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, a character named Dr. Sean Maguire teaches psychology at a college in Charlestown. Other movies like Monument Ave. (1998), Mystic River (2003), and The Departed (2006) also used Charlestown for filming. The 2010 film The Town tells a story about bank robbers from Charlestown.

The independent film Oxy Morons from 2010 was also filmed in Charlestown.

Television

The television series City on a Hill, which began in 2019, is set in Charlestown.

Music

An old song called The Boston Burglar from the 1880s mentions Charlestown in its lyrics. The Bunker Hill housing area appears on the cover of the 2004 album Serenity by the band Blood for Blood.

Notable people

Charlestown, Boston, has been home to many famous people throughout history. Some well-known individuals from Charlestown include Charles R. Adams, an opera singer, and Charles B. Atwood, an architect who designed the Reliance Building. Other notable figures are William Austin, a state legislator and author, and Richard Austin, who moved to Charlestown from England.

The neighborhood also saw the birth of Loammi Baldwin, a civil engineer, and Albert Gallatin Blanchard, a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Famous sports figures from Charlestown include Shano Collins, who played baseball for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox, and Matt Grzelcyk, an NHL hockey player for the Boston Bruins. Additionally, Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor of the telegraph and Morse code, was born in Charlestown.