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South Boston Heading Intro Paragraph Edit

South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. One of the oldest and most historic neighborhoods in the US, South Boston is most popularly known as Southie or "God's Country" Although still popularly known as a working class Irish-American neighborhood, it is also home to the Boston area's small but vibrant Polish and Lithuanian communities, and its demographics are rapidly changing. South Boston contains Dorchester Heights, where George Washington forced British troops to evacuate during the American Revolutionary War. South Boston's real estate market has exploded in recent years and South Boston has seen property values join the highest in the city. The Departed, filmed in South Boston, was based Whitey Bulger, an organized crime head born in South Boston. South Boston would also have the Olympics hosted in the area of Boston were to win the 2024 Olympic nomination. South Boston has many community resources specifically designed to help residents with their needs, many of their community resources help children and keep them off the streets as well has giving them a safe way for them to be hear. South Boston historically has had very old public housing for its residents, which is the reason they are working to restore and modernize them, while simultaneously making then environmentally friendly. The neighborhood of South Boston can be traveled by the means of public transportation whether it be my bus or subway, but if a person is just looking to relax is there are parks for their enjoyment as well.

Demographics

South Boston is traditionally an Irish working-class neighborhood ever since the Irish migrated to Boston due to the infamous Potato Famine that occurred in Ireland. However, since then the neighborhood has continued to diversify and blend different cultures and ethnic backgrounds together. As of the 2010 Census The total population is estimated to be around 35,200. whites represented 76.3% of the population. The Hispanic and Latino population has grown to 10.8% and the Black population grew to 6.5%. Another notable ethnic group that calls South Boston home are the Asian folks. The Asian people in the neighborhood of South Boston make up 4.71% of the population currently living there. When race and age intersect it is interesting to note that the percent of White folks above the age of 18 increases while all the other ethnic groups decreases. The White population as it stands in the most recent data is 80.19%. While the Black population is at 5.55%, Hispanic population at 8.54%, and Asian population at 4.39%. Currently 92.03% of the current housing in South Boston is occupied while approximately 7.97% of the current housing is vacant.

Urban Policy

Article 89 Article 89 is is urban policy pertaining to Agriculture. This Code specifically is about urban agricultural activities through the Boston area, mainly farming. Other aspects of agriculture that are mentioned are soil safety and composting. According to rules and regulations regarding composting in South Boston, the policy states that the compost maximum height can be no greater than 10 feet and must remain a minimum of 5 feet from property lines. Although the farming community maybe smaller than compared in the Southern parts of the United States but there is still interest in rural activities that take place in urban cities despite peoples popular belief that a city, especially one as urban as Boston, would not have rural activities and practices that it's citizens could proudly take part in as often as they would like.

Olympic Bidding of 2024 South Boston has been nominated to be selected to be the host city for the Olympics in the year 2024 by the Olympic Selection Committee. Supporters of the Boston 2024 Olympics are hopeful the 70,000 new temporary jobs will bring in money to the community, while people opposing the Boston 2024 campaign are skeptical of the amount of costs the construction and development will take while building the new grounds and facilities. It is also said by John Fish, head of Suffolk Construction and chairman of Boston 2024 states hosting the Olympics would lead to better transportation and housing for the entire state of Massachusetts. He goes on to state that, "There's no question: These games are a catalyst for economic growth, job creation and prosperity". Right now there is currently no further information about how the Olympics would affect the neighborhood of South Boston if Boston were to win the Olympic bid for the right to host the Olympics in the year 2024.

Community Resources

Community Resources resources are easy to access for both new residents and residents that have lived in the South Boston area all their lives. The resources that are also available range from a wide array of services specifically designed to fit peoples individual requirements. South Boston has two places children can enjoy, the first being the Neighborhood House and the second being the Boys and Girls Club. The South Boston Neighborhood House is located at 136 H Street in South Boston. While the Boys and Girls club is located at 50 Congress Street, Suite 730. The main program that has been in place at the Neighborhood House is called the Ollie program which as been around for approximately 113 years. What the program does is it provides services for families so they can stay whole and grow through learning to stay healthy, literacy, and both academic and social skills that are necessary for everyday life. The Boys and Girls club which is similar to the South Boston Neighborhood House, both strive for a better tomorrow for the community as a collective whole. However, the Boys and Girls club specifically targets the youth of the community by ensuring positive leadership, communication, and social skills necessary to bring forth change within the community, starting with the children. There is also public housing and food services who the citizens of South Boston who require such needs. The food assistance is available at schools and other locations through out the area of South Boston to assist the citizens to make sure they do not go hungry. The public housing is run through MassHousing, which offers plans for people to rent or buy affordable property.There is also and elderly assitance and elderly abuse hotline to keep the older loved ones safe from harm. There is also Fuel assistance and Legal assistance to anyone who needs it in South Boston. The Fuel assistance is available all year around, and especially in the winter so people don't have to be cold due their lack of fuel.

Transportation

South Boston is served by two Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Red Line rapid transit stations: Broadway and Andrew. In addition due to the development and revitalization of the South Boston Waterfront area, lead to the opening of a new station in South Boston. This new station was built and given the name of World Trade Center Station, this new location can be found on Congress St. in South Boston Waterfront. This is an affordable and safe way to travel throughout the Boston area. A ticket costs under $3 dollars while a unlimited pass will cost $75 dollars.

MBTA bus service connects these stations with the residential areas of South Boston, downtown Boston and the Back Bay. The MBTA Silver Line, a Bus rapid transit service running partly in a tunnel from South Station, also serves the north side of South Boston. South Boston is also served by five bus routes including the numbers 5, 7, 9, 10, 11. Similarly to the subway, the busing industry in South Boston also benefited from revitalization and development that took place under the late Mayor Menino during his time serving the city of Boston. The World Trade Center station also doubles as a bus station that connects this part of South Boston to other parts of the neighborhood. The bus tickets are under $2.50 while a monthly bus pass is $50 dollars. This bus station can be found on Congress St.

Public housing

South Boston is home to some of the oldest public housing in the United States. In the last 30 years they have changed from having a mostly Irish American population to a more ethnically mixed population. The housing facilities are under the control of the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) and include West Broadway which was built in 1949 and occupies 20 acres (81,000 m²), West Ninth Street (these three facilities are next to each other and commonly called D street), Old Colony which was built in 1941, and Mary Ellen McCormack, which is the BHA's oldest development, being constructed in the 1930s. It was originally called Old Harbor Village.

Other developments are Harbor Point (HP is in Dorchester), Foley and Monsignor Powers.

As of the June 26th, 2014 city officials and civilians officially celebrated the second phase of completion of the second face of construction and redevelopment of the Old Colony housing project that took place in the neighborhood of South Boston that began construction back in 2009. The phase two completion is huge milestone because this phase included important aspects such as: high-efficiency affordable housing in town-house style and four-story elevator buildings. Part of this project was funded by a HOPE VI grant which ensured $22-million dollars for the project. In order to have built these new public houses for the citizens of South Boston 223 original apartments alone Old Colony Ave up to Dorchester Street and over to Reverend Burke Street. These affordable housing units for the citizens of South Boston are some of the greenest and environmentally friendly public houses in the entire Commonwealth. In the future the Boston Housing Authority and its partners are looking to redevelop the remaining 453 original housing units in South Boston, as of right now there is no further information.

Movies Filmed about South Boston

In 2006 a movie directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Brad Pitt called The Departed was inspired by the events that took place in Boston while Whitey Bulger during his reign as the kingpin of organized crime when it came to the Irish mafia. The 2006 film adaptation loosely based on the life of Whitey Bulger was headlined by A-list actors which include: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg. This film has been nominated for many awards and has also won many awards. This film receives high praise from movie critics.

In an upcoming movie scheduled for September 18th, 2015 Whitey Bulger is portrayed in another film. This film, Black Mass is also inspired by the criminal activity that Whitey Bulger was part of during his time running the mafia in South Boston up until his capture. Similarly to the departed many A-list actors signed on to this project as well, some of the actors includeJohnny Depp and Benedict Cumberbatch. As of right now there is no further information that we know of, more will come as the release approaches.