Allston - Geography

Geography

The ZIP code 02134 is famously identified with Allston, due to a recurring musical piece on the PBS children's series ZOOM — whose originating station, WGBH, was located in the neighborhood until 2007. Residents and mapmakers refer to the eastern part of the former town of Brighton as "Allston." The border runs along Everett Street, continuing along Gordon Street and Kelton Street.

The neighborhood of Allston is almost completely cut off from the main body of the city of Boston by the town of Brookline, which borders Allston on the south and east. It is connected to the rest of Boston only by a small portion of its eastern border that is shared with the Fenway/Kenmore neighborhood. Allston is bordered by the Charles River, separating it from the city of Cambridge to the north, and is split in two by the Massachusetts Turnpike.

The area north of the turnpike near the river is often referred to as "Lower Allston" (referring to its lower elevation) or "North Allston." It consists of streets north of Cambridge Street and the Turnpike, all the way to the Charles River. It extends westward to Everett Street and eastward to Windom Street.

The busiest section of the neighborhood lies immediately south of the turnpike and centers on the stretch of Harvard Avenue between Commonwealth Avenue and Cambridge Street, which houses many shops, bars, and restaurants. Recent business promotion initiatives have dubbed this area "Allston Village", though the prevalence of musicians and music venues, such as Harpers Ferry, has given rise to the popular nickname "Allston Rock City". The center of the neighborhood is sometimes referred to as the "Allston Shuffle".

Lower Allston has been given the nickname "L.A."; Common Ground, a club/bar located near Harvard Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue, sells t-shirts and other items with the slogan "This is L.A. not Boston," (a play on the title of an influential hardcore punk compilation, This Is Boston, Not L.A. released in 1982).

Lower Allston is a small neighborhood that consists of a mix of working professionals, homeowners, and long-term residents. Unlike the rest of Allston, Lower Allston has much fewer students. The neighborhood is very quiet, has extremely low crime, and is an easy walk to Allston Village or Harvard Square.

Lower Allston has close proximity to Route 2, the Mass Pike, Storrow Drive, and Soldier's Field Road. Public transportation includes the Red Line at Harvard Square, the Green Line at Packard's Corner or Harvard Street and Commonwealth Avenue in "upper Allston", and the 57, 66, 70, 71, and 86 bus connections on North Harvard and Western Avenue are about a 2-5 minute walk for everyone.

In the early 21st century, Harvard University announced dramatic expansion plans that called for major building projects, including the demolition of existing businesses, to prepare for the construction of new biology and science buildings in the northern sections of Lower Allston. While the existing building stock was demolished and businesses were evicted, the financial crisis of 2008 and the resultant decrease in Harvard's endowment caused the university to suspend the expansion projects.