invented by realtors to get higher prices for property. It’s ROXBURY. Get real.”

That

would come as a surprise to Robert Woods, head of the South End House, who published a book about

the South End in 1898. People from Roxbury would have referred to the South End as the “Neck” in

the early days of Boston. What we think of as the South End was never part of Roxbury..

realtors to get higher prices for property. It’s ROXBURY. Get real.

its own mayor or anything, right?”

The answer is yes and no. The city recognizes various

civic associations which have defined boundaries: for example, Columbia/Savin Hill in Dorchester

has a great deal of say about development which goes on within its boundaries. Furthermore, the

old town boundaries are still recognized in a variety of ways, but they get fuzzy around the edges.

The area between Mass Ave and Melnea Cass is one of these fuzzy areas.

When making

distinctions between a location being in the South End or Roxbury it seems to break down this way:

if it is a $600,000 condo, it is in the South End. If it is a guy getting shot, it is Roxbury.

I feel a blog post coming on.

Plain. One of my housemates went on for some months giving out Jamaica Plain (and, I believe, the

JP zip code) as part fo her address, even though this meant delays in her mail getting to her. I

wonder if she felt suddenly less cool when admitted that she was in Roxbury.