Boston University Medical Campus
Housing Resources

Neighborhood Overview

Once home to stockyards and meat-packing industries, Allston/Brighton today, the large western section of Boston that wraps above and to the west of Brookline, is a haven for students of all sorts. Annexed as part of Boston in 1873, Allston/Brighton is now home to a large segment of BU and Boston College’s undergraduate population. Despite the number of students in Allston/Brighton, it is one of the city’s most integrated and racially diverse neighborhoods with large number of Korean, Vietnamese, and Brazilian families.

For the purposes of city representation and economic development, Allston and the adjacent area of Brighton are considered one neighborhood. The overall neighborhood is often referred to as Allston/Brighton, although the two areas have a distinctly different atmosphere – Brighton offers more suburban space compared to the inner-city look and feel of Allston. The population of Allston, in particular, is heavily students from BU, BC, and Harvard. While a firm dividing line between the two areas is tricky to identify, the zip codes do change – 02134 is strongly associated with Allston, while 02135 covers much of Brighton. The invisible line from Everett Street, down to Allston Street divides the neighborhood, although a true boundary does not exist. The eastern edge of the neighborhood is attached to Boston only by the thin sliver of Commonwealth Avenue that runs north of Brookline, which borders it to the south and east. Together, Allston/Brighton is the second-largest neighborhood in Boston in terms of population, behind Dorchester. The entirety of the neighborhood is popular with students because of the low rent, presence of an active nightlife, and proximity to campuses.

The combined area is made up of a number of smaller sub-neighborhoods. North Allston is located to the north of the Massachusetts Turnpike, and hosts Harvard’s Business School and field. Allston Village, located at the eastern section of Allston/Brighton, is a popular party spot for students and musicians and probably the most popular section of the neighborhood for BU undergraduates. Brighton Center is the economic hub of the western side of the neighborhood, accessible by the #57 bus line.

With so many colleges nearby, Allston’s population is one of the youngest in Boston. Boston College is very close to the south-western edge of Brighton, BU’s Charles River Campus is only minutes away from Allston Village, and Berklee School of Music has a practice and rehearsal space on Fordham street, a few blocks east of Allston Village. About 50% of the population is between the ages of 20-35, compared to Boston’s overall average of around 30%. The presence of so many students and young people, most of whom do not live in the neighborhood for very long, has been a source of tension between long-term residents and the transient population for a number of years. The long-term residents feel the students don’t take care of their property or invest in the neighborhood, and are disruptive on a regular basis. Noise is probably the most common problem – aside from the bars and music venues in the neighborhood, many students have their own house parties, which can sometimes get out of hand. A police presence on Allston Village streets is a common sight during the weekends while BU and BC are in session.

Housing is varied in the area, but the section of Allston along Commonwealth Avenue offers a number of small brick apartment buildings. Farther away from Commonwealth, off of Brighton Avenue and closer to Brighton are more wooden triple-decker houses. In the Allston zip code of 02134, 13% of the housing is owner-occupied, compared to the national rate of 66%. Most of Allston is rented, whether to students, or other tenants.

North Allston is less urban than the Allston Village area, offering a number of single-family homes (one of the few areas in the neighborhood that does.) Rowhouses or brownstones are relatively rare in this area. The quality of housing in Allston is mixed, varying from well maintained to worn down. Landlords and property owners who do not rent to undergraduate students (a fairly common business practice in Boston) tend to have slightly better maintained buildings than those who do. Most of the people living in North Allston are either long-term residents, or Harvard students and staff. Because the turnpike cuts Allston in half, North Allston shares little in common with Allston Village, except for a branch of the Boston Public Library. The #66 bus does connect the two sections of the neighborhood.

Allston Village, located in the triangular matrix of Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton Avenue, and Harvard Avenue, is the main commercial sector of Allston/Brighton. Due to its proximity to BU’s Charles River Campus, Allston Village has a very high proportion of BU student residents. This section of the neighborhood has a rich assortment of ethnic restaurants, inexpensive retail stores, and bars and pubs. This area in particular is sometimes referred to as “Allston Rock City” due to the large number of local musicians living here and the assortment of music venues like Great Scott’s, Common Ground, Harper’s Ferry, O’Brien’s, The Model and Our House, as well as the number of student-thrown house parties. This section of Allston/Brighton offers the most nightlife in the area, and is a busy dancing and drinking destination for party-goers across the city. This area, particularly the section close to BU, is sometimes known as the “Allston Shuffle” because of its popularity as a hookup spot for BU undergraduates.

The invisible border between Allston and Brighton shifts depending on the individual, but the Everett Street/Allston Street divide is the most commonly accepted. Farther west in the neighborhood, away from Harvard Avenue and out of proximity to BU, Brighton is much quieter than Allston Village. Brighton is much more likely to have wooden triple-decker houses, and more families residing in them, than small apartment buildings and students.

The intersection of Cambridge Street and Washington Street begins the largest commercial sector in the area, Brighton Center. Though not quite as dense as Allston Village, over 50 businesses, retail stores, and restaurants line the street. The strip ends on the western end by Oak Square, a small circle bordered by the Brighton YMCA. This side of the neighborhood forms the western gateway of Boston, and is closer to the Newton Center exit on the Massachusetts Turnpike than the Allston/Brighton exit farther east.

Farther south from Oak Square is Brighton’s other main commercial center, Cleveland Circle, which is technically in Brighton, not Brookline. Cleveland Circle is one of the largest commercial areas in Brighton, denser than Brighton Center but also much smaller. The area boasts a small movie theater, a number of BC-centric bars, and the end of the C line of the green train. This area is within short walking distance of the Chestnut Hill reservoir and BC’s campus. Because BC only guarantees students three years of on-campus housing, a large number of juniors or seniors will live off-campus is this neighborhood. Also, a number of BC’s fraternities and sororities are located in this area. While most observers would never be able to confuse Cleveland Circle for Allston Village, it is a lively area with a higher student presence than most of the rest of Brighton.

Click here to read the Wikipedia entry on Allston.

Click here to read the Wikipedia entry on Brighton.

Click here to read a more specific Wiki about the subsections of Allston.

Pictures

Here are a few different sources for pictures of the Allston/Brighton neighborhood:

Photographer Bill T. Miller’s photo tour of Allston Village

Flickr photos of the neighborhood

Safety and Crime

Allston/Brighton is one of the safest areas of the city. The mix of students, long-term residents, and musicians can make the neighborhood loud and boisterous, but not particularly dangerous. The major concerns in the Allston/Brighton area are usually “quality of life” issues, basic misdemeanors like vandalism and petty theft, tire slashing and public disturbances. Noise is a persistent issue for the long-term residents, and the upkeep of individual apartments can be difficult for landlords because of the short rental cycle for most undergraduate students. The streets behind BU’s track and tennis center, some of which straddle the border between Kenmore and Allston (focused around Ashford Street) are often colloquially referred to as the “BU Ghetto” by undergraduate students, and tend to be particularly disruptive. While BU does not have a large Greek population, much of what it does have live in dilapidated houses in this area. Few graduate students live in this section of Allston/Brighton.

Because Boston University’s Charles River Campus is so close to Allston on its eastern border, and Boston College is close to Brighton at its western border, the two institutions’ police have worked cooperatively with the city to help educate the student population in the neighborhood about alcohol, loud parties, and being obnoxious.

Despite the noise and general disruptive behavior, according to the city of Boston’s most recent crime statistics, Allston/Brighton has some of the lowest rates of violent crime (assault, homicide) in the city.

There are a few precincts in the neighborhood:

City of Boston Police Allston/Brighton Headquarters
301 Washington Street Brighton, MA 02135-3357
Telephone: 617-343-4260
Commander: Captain Genevieve King
Map

Boston University Police Headquarters
32 Harry Agganis Way, Boston MA 02215
Telephone: 617-353-2110 (office) 617-353-2121 (emergency)
Commander: Captain Robert Molloy
Map

To get more specific information about incidences of crime in Allston/Brighton, and a description of BPD efforts in the area, go to The Boston Police Department’s website and click on district D-14.

You can find the actual crime statistics for the neighborhood here. Remember that Allston/Brighton is district D-14.

Neighborhood Links/Areas of Interest

Local Complexes

The following is a list of apartment buildings or complexes located in the Allston/Brighton area. Some of these complexes have relationships with local realtors, and you may find listings for these facilities through Craig’s List or another online source. Any time you are able to find an apartment directly through a landlord or management company there will be no additional finder’s fee involved.

Note: The Office of Housing Resources cannot vouche for the specific conditions in any of these facilities. This list is provided for convenience, not as an express recommendation of any specific facility. Always make sure you have the opportunity to evaluate any apartment you might want to rent before you sign a lease for it.

All commute times are based on public transportation unless otherwise noted. Rental rates are subject to change.

Current Rates:

Estimated Commute Time: 45-60 minutes

Estimated Commute Time: 30-35 minutes

Estimated Commute Time: 45-60 minutes

Estimated Commute Time: 45-60 minutes

Estimated Commute Time: 45-60 minutes

Estimated Commute Time: 45-60 minutes

Realtors in the Neighborhood

Waiting for student/staff feedback. Please let us know what your experiences have been with realty agencies in the Allston/Brighton area.

Commuting Options

The B line of the green train runs along Commonwealth Avenue and forms the main transportation method for students in the area. Many years ago, the A line of the train ran along Brighton Avenue, now replaced with the #57 bus. A number of bus lines connect Allston/Brighton to Cambridge (66 to Harvard, 64 to Central Square) and to Watertown (57, 70, 70A). Union Square, at the intersection of Brighton Avenue and Cambridge Street, and Brighton Center are major bus transfer points in the area. Trains headed to Allston at night, especially weekend nights, tend to get very crowded with students and young professionals heading to music shows or parties.

The C line of the green train travels on Beacon Street, and terminates at Cleveland Circle, in southern Brighton. Brighton is connected with Allston and downtown via the #57 bus (which travels from Kenmore Square through Allston to Brighton Center and Newton), to Cambridge via the #86 bus, to the Longwood Medical Center with the #65 bus, and to downtown Boston on the express 501 (to the financial district) and 503 (Copley Square) buses.

In May 2006, Harvard officials said that they would like to establish a commuter rail stop in Allston on the Framingham/Worcester line.

Average Commuting Time: between 40-60 minutes one way.

The most common commute from Allston/Brighton will be the green line train (either the B or C, depending on starting location) to Hynes Convention Center, or the #57 bus to Kenmore with a short walk to Hynes. From Hynes, most people will transfer to the #1 bus or the CT1 bus and head south to the Harrison Avenue/Massachusetts Avenue stop (right at the corner of our medical campus). If traffic isn’t too bad, the trip down Massachusetts Avenue is not time consuming. The ride into Hynes, on either the B or C lines, though, can take a while. Especially the B line, which stops much more often than the C, the ride can be close to an hour total.

Students living near Allston Village can walk to the farthest-west stopping point of the BU Shuttle, Harry Agganis Arena, in about 10 minutes, giving them another transportation option. The BU Shuttle takes about a half-hour to get to the BUMC from Allston. The shuttle is free (probably its biggest bonus), and runs very consistently.

In some areas of the neighborhood, particularly Allston Village, the #66 bus represents another transportation option. The #66 travels in south from Allston, through Brookline, and into Roxbury in a quarter-circle shaped route. While the #66 route isn’t any shorter than the B line or the #57 bus, if traffic on Commonwealth Avenue or Brighton Avenue is packed, sometimes the ride takes less time.

Please Note: Because Allston/Brighton is farther away from the BUMC than some of the more centrally located neighborhoods, students commuting to and from it need to keep their transportation schedule firmly in mind. After the T stops running at 12:30 a.m., and after the last #57 bus leaves Kenmore (around the same time as the T stops running), it can be very difficult to get back to Allston/Brighton without having to take a taxi. Bikes are one way to get around this – the actual distance between the South End and Allston/Brighton is only about 3 miles (not a long distance to a good cyclist.) None of the medical campus shuttles will travel that far away from the hospital, though, so BU does not have any after-hours methods of getting students home who live in this area.