Allston

The young and young at heart feel right at home living in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. Cut off from the main Harvard University campus by the Charles River, Allston is home to the Harvard Business School and Soldiers Field Athletic Area. Allston bustles with student activity, as well as a large segment of immigrants and young professionals that have taken a more active role in the neighborhood since the turn of the 21st century. The diverse mix of students, immigrants, and young professionals makes Allston one of the highest energy neighborhoods found in Boston. Interstate 90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) represents the primary artery that traverses east to downtown Boston. Public transit offers the green line for Allston residents to make a convenient commute throughout the metro area.

Since 2000, the Harvard University endowment has funded several construction projects in the neighborhood that have created commercial growth that complements newly designed university buildings. Although the crash of 2008 forced Harvard to cease construction of the biology and science buildings, the university plans to continue buttressing the neighborhood that comprises mostly single-family and multi-family Victorian homes. Commonwealth Avenue is replete with brick apartment buildings that house the Harvard student population. Brighton Avenue, which divides Allston and Brighton, consists mostly of wooden triple-decker abodes. 

The influx of immigrants has created a thriving ethnic restaurant scene along Harvard Avenue. Small businesses include thrift shops and furniture stores that cater to younger clientele. Boston business promotion of Allston encompasses several initiatives aimed at fostering small business growth in the neighborhood. Locals refer to the music scene in Allston as "Allston Rock City," with many bands paying homage to Boston spawned national acts such as Aerosmith and The Cars. Allston's annual DIY Fest showcases the neighborhood's up and coming musical acts.

With Harvard to the north and Boston University flanking the east side of Allston, several public and university libraries provide world class resources for performing research. Considered one of the best research libraries in greater Boston, the Honan-Allston public library branch attracts students that want a more casual ambiance to enrich their academic careers.

View open houses in Allston.