=Boston= (_bôs´ton_), =Mass.= [Called the “Hub” and “Athens of America”;
name is derived from Boston, a seaport in England, originally called
Botalf, or Botolph’s town.]
The capital of Massachusetts, the chief town of New England, Boston is
one of the oldest and most interesting cities of the United States.
Whether considered from the point of view of its educational and
charitable institutions, its trade, manufactures and public buildings,
its influence upon the intellectual life and literary culture of the
nation, or its historic part as an inspirational center of political
liberty and social reform, its record and position command attention.
In no other American city are the civic and other public buildings more
closely associated with events of national importance.
[Illustration: CUSTOM HOUSE]
Boston is situated at the head of Massachusetts Bay, about two hundred
miles northeast of New York, and occupies a peninsula between the
Charles River and the arm of the bay known as Boston Harbor. Originally
the town was founded on three hills, Beacon, Copp’s and Fort, which,
however, have been materially cut down. The metropolitan area now
includes also East Boston, on Noddle’s or Maverick Island, on the other
side of the harbor; South Boston, separated from the old city by an arm
of the harbor; Charlestown, on the other side of the river; and the
suburban districts of Brighton, Roxbury (or Boston Highlands), West
Roxbury (including Jamaica Plain), and Dorchester. Boston is connected
with the city of Cambridge by several bridges across the Charles. The
old town is cramped and irregular, and its streets are narrow and
crooked; but the new parts, especially the so-called Back Bay, formed by
filling in the tide-water flats on the Charles, are laid out on a very
spacious scale.
The chief retail business streets of Boston are Washington Street and
Tremont Street. Among the finest residence streets are Commonwealth
Avenue, Beacon Street, Marlborough Street, Mt. Vernon Street, and Bay
State Road.
[Illustration: TRINITY CHURCH