BOSTON

Established in 1630, Boston is one of the oldest cities in The United States and holds significant historical value to the birth of the nation. Events like the Boston Massacre, and Boston Tea Party, which pushed colonists towards revolution happened mere streets apart. During the American Revolution Boston was also a focus point, being an important port city that the British set their eyes on. The headquarters of George Washington during the war were just across the Charles River in Cambridge, and when the British armies first arrived, it was the Old North Church where two lanterns were hung, signalling to the revolutionists that they would attack by way of the Charles River.

Additionally, Boston has a rich history of promoting education, with Harvard University established in 1636 as the first college in what would become the United States. The area has expanded to host dozens of colleges in the Greater Boston Area. The Boston Public Library is the oldest free library system in the U.S. The most well-known “oldest” among runners is the Boston Marathon, which ends next to the library and has been running for 128 years consecutively. This doesn’t come close, however, to Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, which began in 1737 and reflects the deep Irish immigrant history of the city. Stretched in between these two events are a multitude of America’s most historic buildings, many of which have been repurposed for the modern age while still maintaining their historic structure, like the Old City Hall that is now a restaurant. The Freedom Trail is a notable feature of Boston, taking one through dozens of historic sites and highlighting the impact of minorities and immigrants on Boston’s history. Boston, while being historic, has kept up to modern environmental standards by funding restoration efforts of the Charles River and Fenway’s Emerald Necklace, creating more enjoyable running paths for the growing community of runners in Boston, and the thousands that visit each year during the weeks leading up to the marathon. An example of Boston’s innovative restoration practices is the Big Dig project where a portion of the Interstate 93 highway was rerouted underground, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway was built on top to reconnect downtown Boston with the North End neighbourhood. In fact, Boston is an incredibly “man-made” city, 75% of Boston is land that was created over the years by toppling nearby hills into the Charles River and the bay around Boston. Overall the city’s history offers something interesting around every corner and encourages visitors to explore and discover unseen wonders every time they visit, even lifelong residents would have an easy time discovering something new in Boston.