Allston, Boston, Massachusetts
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Allston is a section of the city of Boston, Massachusetts.
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Demographics
Allston is a diverse neighborhood of Boston. The population includes Boston natives, students from neighboring Boston University, Boston College, MIT and Harvard and various ethnic groups such as Chinese, Vietnamese, Brazilian, and Irish. In the 1990s, census figures indicated that 52.6% of its population was aged 20-34 (as compared to 33% for the city of Boston as a whole), an indication of the strong student and twentysomething presence. That presence has created tension between some long-time residents and the student population, which constantly cycles in and out as students matriculate and graduate from Boston's many colleges and universities.
Geography
An adjoining neighborhood is named Brighton but the boundaries between the two are fuzzy at best, which explains why the two neighborhoods are together known as Allston-Brighton. While the United States Postal Service makes no claims on the issue, ZIP code 02134 roughly expresses its borders. Allston is bordered by the Charles River and Cambridge, Massachusetts to the north, Brookline to the south, and is split by the Massachusetts Turnpike in the middle. The area north of the turnpike near the river is often referred to as "Lower Allston" or "North Allston".
Colleges and Universities
A substantial part of the campus of Harvard University is in Lower Allston, including Harvard Business School and Harvard Stadium. Boston University is down Commonwealth Avenue to the east. Boston College in Brighton is between Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street, at the end of the "B Branch" of the Boston MBTA subway Green Line, which follows Commonwealth Avenue.
Miscellaneous
It is the only locale in the United States named for an artist, Washington Allston. The prevalence of musicians and music venues has given rise to the popular nicknames "Allston Rock City" and "Rock and Roll Allston." The busiest section of the neighborhood is the stretch of Harvard Avenue between Commonwealth Avenue and Cambridge Street, which houses many shops, bars and restaurants.
In the center of the neighborhood, this area is sometimes refered to as the "Beer Mile." A popular pickup spot for single co-eds, it is routinely grounds for drunken debauchery, Mardi Gras-esque celebrations and promiscuous behavior.
Allston is also the home of WGBH, one of the flagship stations of the Public Broadcasting Service.
In 2003, the community, along with neighboring Brighton, saw an outbreak of bedbugs in hundreds of apartments. A $200 subsidy was offered to tenants with infested mattresses [1], and bedbug extermination workshops were held by the Boston Inspectional Services Housing Division.
Allston is often overtaken in September with the new college students that have entered the city looking to go out and party. In addition to many of the local bars, which host dancing and live music every night of the week, there are many house parties on the weekend in the surrounding area.
Transportation
The "B Branch" of the Boston MBTA subway Green Line runs directly to the neighborhood along Commonwealth and ends at Boston College, while several bus lines run to and through. The "C Branch" of the Green Line ends at Cleveland Circle after passing through Brookline.
