Forest Hills (Boston) - Overview

Overview

As the name indicates, Forest Hills is characterized by hilly terrain and wooded areas within and adjacent to its borders. In general, the area slopes upward from Hyde Park Ave and downward from Walk Hill Street.

Forest Hills is primarily residential, although a number of small businesses are located along Hyde Park Avenue. Single family homes predominate south of Walk Hill Street, but triple deckers dominate near the train station. As in the rest of Jamaica Plain, many of the multi-unit houses have been converted into condominiums.

South of Walk Hill Street, Forest Hills is characterized by curving, tree-lined streets laid out in irregular patterns indicative of how the area was thoughtfully transformed from country estates into a streetcar suburb.

Spaced relatively close together, homes are generally well-kept and many have lush gardens, interesting architectural details. A variety of home styles are represented including Arts & Crafts, Cape Cod, Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, Tudor Revival and Victorian.

For much of 20th century, Forest Hills was home to working class laborers on the streets adjacent to the train station, and middle class managers and professionals to the south, with neither public housing nor areas of affluence. In the last generation, this area has become not only racially integrated, but has also undergone a degree of gentrification.

These changes have been fueled, in part, by the easy access to Longwood Area, Museum School, Mass Art, and Northeastern and all of downtown Boston by public transportation.