Roxbury neighborhood of Boston

[JBoston]

Fabulous thread! I rarely ever make it to Roxbury when I am in Boston but I certainly know what I'm doing next time I'm in town.

[sterlippo1]

Originally Posted by Expat

I had the same impression from everything I was hearing. In fact, city-data type forums will tell you not too set foot in Roxbury. But, I found it very comfortable. Of course, I am not easily intimidated by city neighborhoods. This was my first visit & it is likely I missed sections.

so true and sadly for me, a native, I know NOTHING about Roxbury and i am certain it is because of what you read, it wasn't a place you would want to go or so we were led to believe. I do know it had it's problems way back when but from Expat's brilliant pics obviously it no longer does. I am actually embarrassed to have admitted what i just did but that's just the way it was growing up in my generation in suburban Boston. Thank God it's all changed. And Expat, it's because of my ignorance of this neighborhood that i had not commented earlier, super job as usual my friend

[Expat]

Thanks Sterlippo, I always look forward to your comments.

By the way, I am not trying to mislead people. I am not saying Roxbury is problem free or not. I don't know if Roxbury is on the way up or down. Just saying I liked what I saw. It certainly is filled with history, scenery, beautiful buildings, plentiful transit connections, etc. My first visit & impression was favorable.

I am still becoming familiar with Boston & New England, one street & one thread at a time!

Many thanks to everyone for their wonderful comments. It really means a lot!

[blade_bltz]

To provide some more context, I would note that Fort Hill and neighboring Dudley Square are only a tiny tiny portion of "Roxbury". Dudley has a rep as a pretty downtrodden place - symbolized by the abandoned Ferdinand building (did you see it Expat?) - but Fort Hill has seen quite a bit of gentrification the last few years.

Blue Hill Ave, which is to the south and east of these photos, has long been the most infamous street in Boston for crime, stretching into Dorchester and Mattapan.

But either way, can't thank Expat enough for his hard work!!

[Austinlee]

I enjoyed this thread with a nice bowl of puddingstone. Thanks.

[fflint]

Great thread. It's amazing how much better Roxbury looks now than when I was young.

Someone asked--yes, that's the old elevated railroad station at Dudley Square.

Roxbury was a dangerous ghetto in my childhood, one invoked by my older family members with dread. I remember seeing many blocks of buildings with burned-out attics and broken windows in the early 1980s--it was very obviously a distressed area. The kids opened the fire hydrants on hot days there, which I thought was cool but which was frowned upon by my elders.

[Expat]

Thanks for the additional perspective. Much appreciated. I think I said before that this thread represents only what I saw and not meant to be comprehensive.

Blade Blitz, unfortunately, I didn't see the Ferdinand Building. Unfortunately, I was really worn out by the time I got to Dudley Square and passed through it quickly. As a transportion fan, I was impressed by the multitude of bus lines.

When I first moved to DC, I lived in the District, therefore, learned the city from the inside out. I am learning Boston from the outside in since I live in a suburb --- this puts me at a disadvantage & has slowed my learning curve.

[Shasta]

Roxbury looks to be gentrifying quickly. It wasn't long ago that Fort Hill was dubbed Fort Kill and shootings were not all that uncommon at Dudley Square. The only bad part about Roxbury today is that so much was destroyed in the name of progress. There are some really awful (architectural-wise) housing projects throughout that break up the fabric of the overall hood... similar to Villa Victoria in the heart of the South End (which is technically a part of Lower Roxbury).

[Expat]

Originally Posted by Shasta

Roxbury looks to be gentrifying quickly. It wasn't long ago that Fort Hill was dubbed Fort Kill and shootings were not all that uncommon at Dudley Square. The only bad part about Roxbury today is that so much was destroyed in the name of progress. There are some really awful (architectural-wise) housing projects throughout that break up the fabric of the overall hood... similar to Villa Victoria in the heart of the South End (which is technically a part of Lower Roxbury).

Shasta, I saw some some plain looking 70s or 80s townhouses that I thought might be public housing. Then I noticed they had nice new decks and one had a for sale sign in the front yard. When I think of 'projects', I think of scary high-rises like Cabrini Green (Chicago) or Pruitt Igoe (St. Louis). (Yes, I know those places are gone). I will get back over there one of these days.

Fort Kill! That is funny. Apparently they called Savin Hill, Stab 'n Kill. When you are from a place, you know those kind of things. When you are from out of town, you only see what is in front of you.