Information AboutSouth Boston |
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South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood in are the next largest ethnic group with just under four percent, and African-Americans are just under three percent of the population. HISTORY It was here, on Dorchester Heights , during the American Revolutionary War that George Washington placed his cannon and forced the evacuation of the British troops from Boston on March 17 , 1776 . The British evacuated Boston for Halifax , Nova Scotia and the fortification, today known as Castle Island , fell to the American forces. During the 1970s South Boston received national attention for its opposition to court mandated school Desegregation by Busing students to different neighborhoods. In the 1990s , South Boston became the focus for a Supreme Court case on the right of Gay and Lesbian groups to participate in the Saint Patrick's Day parade. The case was decided in favor of the parade's sponsors when the United States Supreme Court supported the South Boston Allied War Veterans right to determine who can participate in their annual St. Patrick's Day parade. "Southie" is home to the first memorial for Vietnam Veterans in the United States. It was dedicated on September 13 , 1981 and is located at Independence Square, which is more commonly called "M Street Park." The City Point area of South Boston, labeled "East Side" by realtors, has seen a major increase in property values due to its close proximity to downtown Boston and Gentrification . Poorer areas around Andrew Square and the Lower End, referred to as the "West Side" by real estate brokers, face a lot of the same problems found in many city neighborhoods including drug addiction and street crime. The section of South Boston north of First Street is targeted for massive redevelopment by the administration of Mayor " has created a completely new transportation network for this area and quite a few new hotel and office projects have come online in the past few years. The recently opened Boston Convention And Exhibition Center straddles D Street and a new home for the Institute of Contemporary Art hangs over Boston Harbor just north of Northern Avenue. PUBLIC HOUSING South Boston is home to some of the oldest Public Housing projects in the United States. In the last twenty years they have changed from completely white to a more racially mixed population due to court-ordered desegregation although it is still prodomenently Irish-American. These are under the control of the Boston Housing Authority and include West Broadway , West Ninth Street (these two facilities are next to each other and commonly called the "D Street Projects"), Old Colony , and Mary Ellen McCormack (also known as the Old Harbor). Other developments are the Foley , and Monsignor Powers . PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION South Boston is served by three and JFK/Umass (formerly Columbia). MBTA Bus Service connects these stations with the residential areas of South Boston, downtown Boston and the Back Bay. The MBTA Silver Line , a Bus Rapid Transit service running partly in a tunnel from South Station , also serves the north side of South Boston and City Point. FAMOUS RESIDENTS South Boston has produced its share of both notable and notorious citizens. Among them are:
POP CULTURE REFERENCES South Boston is the home of the fictional Irish-American character Will Hunting, a troubled young prodigy played by Matt Damon , who works as a Janitor at the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology in '' Good Will Hunting '', a 1997 Film directed by Gus Van Sant . Another notable motion picture which was filmed partially in South Boston is '' Mystic River (film) '' directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tim Robbins , Kevin Bacon , and Sean Penn . A local corner store, Miller's Market of 366 K Street, was used as one of the character's business. The movie The Boondock Saints also takes place in South Boston, paying homage to the area's loyalty to Catholicism, St. Patrick’s Day, and Irish heritage. The Movie Southie,film is as you would guess a movie set in South Boston, about a the boston mob, which is suppose to resemble James Whitey Bulger There have been many books written about the South Boston culture rangling from the Politic, in the book The Boston Irish , the personal in All Souls or the gang related Street Soldier . The Dropkick Murphys are a hardcore/punk band; they frequently reference South Boston's Irish heritage and sports loyalties in their songs - despite forming in nearby Quincy. The Chicago improv comedy show Dirty Water takes place in a fictional bar by the same name in Southie. The bar is loosely based on Kiley's Tavern on Old Colony Ave. EXTERNAL LINKS
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