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Boston

A Historically Rich and Thoroughly Modern City

Boston's "revolutionary" reputation may have originated in colonial history but still holds true today.

In recent years, the Massachusetts capital has transformed itself into an urban success story, preserving its old-world charm while attracting new industries, reinvesting in its neighborhoods, and becoming a national model for crime prevention.

The city's revitalization has merited international recognition. Boston, of late, has made it onto the "Top 10" lists compiled by Fortune (Most Improved Cities for Business), Readers Digest (Best Places to Raise a Family), Entrepreneur (Best Cities for Small Business), Conde Nast Traveler UK (Best Cities in the World), and The Sporting News (Best Sports Cities in America).

Opportunities Abound

As many major U.S. cities lose jobs and residents to the suburbs, Boston has held its own. During the past five years, employment opportunities have expanded by nearly 64,000 new jobs. Today, Boston is one of only three cities in the nation with more jobs than people. Better still for job seekers is that citywide per capita income is higher than the national average, according to the latest census.

Boston's core industries are diversified among healthcare, knowledge creation, financial services, and technology, all of which are expected to be among the nation's fastest growing sectors over the next decade. Tourism is, of course, also a thriving industry in a city that prides itself on its history and hospitality.

Learning Potential

As you work toward your college degree, you are probably thinking more about completing your education than continuing it. This is perfectly understandable.

However, if you plan or someday decide to pursue an advanced degree, you can achieve your academic goals in and around Boston. There are more than 50 colleges and universities in the area including Boston College, Boston University, Emerson College, Emmanuel College, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Suffolk University, and the University of Massachusetts.

A Walk Through History

One of the best ways to experience everything Boston has to offer is on foot. (Driving is not recommended for the fainthearted; a practical alternative is the "T," the nation's oldest subway, for getting around town.) Most of the city's prominent sights, including The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, are confined to less than 5 square miles.

Narrow, winding streets lined with bookstores, bakeries, and restaurants distinguish the North End, Boston's oldest neighborhood. Also in the North End are the historic Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market featuring every kind of food imaginable and street performers to boot; the Paul Revere House, the oldest house in Boston; and the Old North Church where, more than 200 years ago, two lighted lanterns signaled the arrival of the British by sea and presaged the first battle of the Revolutionary War.

Dominated by elegant brownstones, Beacon Hill is Boston's most affluent neighborhood. Points of interest include the current and original Massachusetts State Houses; the Old Granary Burying Ground, the final resting place of Paul Revere, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams; and the Old South Meeting Hall, where colonial complaints about a new tax led to the Boston Tea Party.

The architectural appeal of Newbury Street extends to its many storefronts. With high-fashion boutiques at one end and funkier shops at the other, the street is an eight-block-long shopping mecca.

Just across the Charles River from Boston is Cambridge, home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Cafes and bookstores abound in this definitive college town.

A short walk from the North End across the Charlestown Bridge takes you into Charlestown. At the river's edge is the USS Constitution, aka "Old Ironsides," the oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy. Nearby are the Bunker Hill Monument and Monument Square where a Revolutionary War rebel commander once warned his men not to fire at British soldiers until "you see the whites of their eyes."

You can alternately enjoy history and nature on the 2.5 mile Freedom Trail that winds through downtown and the North End or along the "Emerald Necklace" of city parks that links the Charles River Esplanade and the Back Bay Fens. Or you can take in the view while bicycling on the esplanade or boating on the Charles River or Boston Harbor.

Arts and Entertainment

Art in its many forms can be enjoyed in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, Institute of Contemporary Art, university-based and independent galleries, and several unlikely locales. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a 19th century mansion willed to the city by its namesake, features the work of European artists such as Titian, Vermeer, and Giotto. The old wing of the Boston Public Library's main branch houses a statue garden and a number of murals.

Dance enthusiasts also have much to choose from in Boston. Classic, contemporary, folk, and experimental performances are presented by Boston companies and groups including the Boston and Commonwealth Civic Ballets, the Collage International Dance Ensemble, and the Mandala Folk Dance Ensemble.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra are the most prominent music-makers in the city. The orchestras perform at historic Symphony Hall and elsewhere throughout the year. If your taste in tunes runs more toward blues or ska, Boston's club scene is sure to offer music to your ears.

Activities and Events

Boston throws quite a party for Chinese New Year (February), St. Patrick's Day (March), and the Fourth of July. Harborbest, the Independence Day celebration, is actually a weeklong event featuring a free Boston Pops Concert on the Charles River Esplanade and fireworks over Boston Harbor.

The Boston Marathon (April) and Chowderfest (July) are other annual events that keep the city hopping. Numerous civic and ethnic celebrations also enliven Boston's neighborhoods.

Sports fans have a lot to cheer about in Boston, including home games for the Bruins and Celtics at the FleetCenter, the Red Sox at Fenway Park (at least until 2003 when a new, adjacent park opens) and the New England Patriots and New England Revolution at Foxborough Stadium.

With 215 parks and playgrounds, Boston also provides numerous opportunities for recreation and relaxation.

Just outside the city, there's more history to be revisited in nearby Concord and Lexington. And more fun to be had whether "witch hunting" in Salem or whale watching in Cape Cod (accessible by bus or ferry).

The Best of Boston

For such a compact city, Boston has much to recommend it-extensive employment and educational opportunities, a lively arts and entertainment scene, and year-round activities and events.

Boston is a city that believes in and invests in itself, a truth no more apparent than in the strength of its housing market. From 1992 to 1997, sales of single and multi-family houses increased by 63 percent. The following year, nearly 3,500 new affordable homes were under construction or in the planning stages.

Historically rich yet thoroughly modern, Boston is an ideal place to live and work, to "harbor" ambitions and fulfill them.