Editorial: Know the Nomenclature in Boston
At first, the streets in Back Bay might seem chaotic and random to first-time residents, but there is actually a system behind it.
In 1630 Boston was founded and had so few residents that the streets remained nameless until 1700. The first street with a name was Hull Street in South End. On Beacon Hill, many streets are named for founders and noteworthy figures in the Revolutionary War, for example, Hancock Street and Revere Street.
Since Beacon Hill originally consisted of three hills, it was referred to as Tri-mount or Tremont. During the Revolutionary War, a beacon (Lighthouse) was built on one of the hills. The name changed to Beaconhill, and the name Tremont stayed alive as a street, which stretches from Downtown to the South End and farther.
Many streets in Boston are named after English towns, regions, or royalty. For example, Charles Street is named after King Charles, and Cambridge Street is named after Cambridge, England.
Boston itself is named after a town in the English county of Lincolnshire. The word Boston is also a derivation of Botolph, the patron saint of travelers, which is what St. Botolph Street in the South End is named after.
The street names in Back Bay have a British influence. British Lord’s names can be found in the streets from North to South, starting with Arlington and ending with Hereford in alphabetical order. Fenway continues the pattern with Ipswich, Jersey, Kenmore, Lansdowne, and Miner . The goal behind naming the streets of Back Bay after British lords was to distinguish the newly constructed neighborhood as an exclusive locale, attracting wealthy residents. During the 19th century, English culture was considered more sophisticated than American culture at the peak of the British Empire.
In South End, the cross streets are named after Massachusetts towns and arranged based on Boston’s proximity to them.
During the establishment of Boston’s first neighborhoods, many other contemporary Boston locations such as the Back Bay and South Boston were still underwater. Due to this, the logic of Boston streets operates on a strictly neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.
