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Welcome to Beacon Hill
One of the oldest and most picturesque neighborhoods in the United States, Beacon Hill is a thriving residential community and a popular tourist destination, directly abutting the Boston Common and Massachusetts Statehouse. This charming historic neighborhood, with its Federal, Greek Revival, and Victorian architecture is known for its historical landmarks, famous residents (past and present) and romantic cobblestone streets lit by gas lamps.
Originally named for the Beacon that sat atop the hill to warn of incoming invaders, Beacon Hill hasn’t always been known as the affluent neighborhood it is today. During the American Revolution, the hill was frequented by British sailors and soldiers, and was generally known as an undesirable part of town to colonial Boston residents. It wasn’t until the building of the State House in 1795 that the transformation of Beacon Hill began. In that same year, Charles Bullfinch (the famous architect who designed the Statehouse and many of Boston’s other historic landmarks) and several other wealthy Bostonians formed the Mount Vernon Proprietors, with intent to develop the area. In the next fifty years, the three distinct peaks of the hill were shorn off to allow for residential housing to be built on flatter land, and the resulting development of the area culminated in three distinct regions: the South Slope, the North Slope and the Flat of the Hill, all of which is now called Beacon Hill.
By the Numbers
* sales data based on sold Q1+Q2 2022 condo listings
** North End only, please see Waterfront for Waterfront specific data
The Slopes of Beacon Hill
The South Slope has been, and likely will in some way remain, the home of Boston’s wealthiest residents. Known for the stately mansions on Beacon and Mt Vernon streets built by Bullfinch himself, the South Slope of Beacon Hill holds some of Boston’s finest architecture and highest home values. The South Slope is also home to the Massachusetts State House and directly abuts Boston Common.
While expensive in its own right today, the North Slope of Beacon Hill has more humble upbringings as the home of one of Boston’s early African American communities and then later as a home to many of Boston’s European immigrants of the late 19th century. In the post-Civil War period, most of the wooden framed buildings of the South Slope were replaced with the brick townhouses we see today. You will find most of Beacon Hill’s rental properties on the North Slope of the Hill.
The Flat of the Hill is located between Charles Street, which separates it from the North and South Slopes, and the Charles River. Charles Street is home to an eclectic mix of galleries, antique shops, small boutiques and clothing stores, restaurants and cafes. But don’t envision a second Newbury Street just yet, most of these shops are independently owned and the street is lined with gas lamps giving you a glimpse into Boston’s past!
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