February 29, 2008
Allston, Brighton, or Allston-Brighton?
I have lived in Brighton for the last 10 years, and I still don’t know where I am. Is it Allston? Is it Brighton? Or is it Allston-Brighton?
I went to the City of Boston neighborhoods page in hopes of finally settling the matter. First, I noticed that the city does distinctly separate the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods. Allston was described as a “radiant” neighborhood best known for its student population. (I already knew that.) The nexus of Allston was described as Harvard Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue and Brighton Avenue — otherwise known as Allston Village. I kinda knew that already, too. So that basically makes Allston east Brighton. Then I checked out what the City of Boston had to say about Brighton. They described it as a place of “multi-family homes and condominiums.” They mentioned Washington Street, Brighton Center and Oak Square as the center of what you would call “Brighton.” So that basically makes Brighton the western half of Allston.
I would like to posit, however, that the difference between Allston and Brighton may not consist so much of physical boundaries as simply a state of mind. If you’re tossing beer cans into the bushes on Saturday night, you live in Allston. If you’re sweeping up the beer cans the next day, you live in Brighton.
Other interesting facts about Allston, according to epodunk.com:
Over the years, Allston has been known as Brighton, Cambridge and Little Cambridge.
Allston was actually part of Cambridge until the 19th century. Then Cambridge decided it didn’t want it anymore. 
Prior to the American Revolution, Little Cambridge was a small agricultural community of only about 300 people.
At the beginning of the 19th century Cambridge wasn’t much into providing infrastructure for Little Cambridge’s booming cattle business. (That’s where the Stockyard restaurant got its name from, by the way). So Allston and Brighton seceded from Cambridge and became the town of Brighton.
In 1874, Brighton was annexed by Boston.
Today, 47 percent of Brighton residents drive alone to work and 36 percent use mass transit, compared with 71 percent and 15 percent respectively for the U.S. as a whole. (Hey, Allston-Brighton is a progressive place!)
If you live in Allston-Brighton, you may still not know exactly where you live (there are a lot of fuzzy boundaries) but at least you’ve learned a little history.
Here are three places on the market that are DEFINITELY in Allston:
54 Gordon Street, $670K
10 Parkvale Ave, No.4, $349,700
Harry Mattison said:
Hi,
Is Redfin trying to attract customers or alienate the general public? Playing on stereotypes is a quick and easy way to write a post for your blog. But trust me that there are a lot of responsible residents in Allston who “sweep up beer cans” and to a lot of other things to try to make this a great place to live.
Harry
February 29, 2008 8:56 AM
Pam said:
Harry, you are right. Not all people who live in Allston toss beer cans into the bushes. (That was written facetiously, of course.) However, as a long-time resident of Allston-Brighton, I can also tell you that unfortunately, the stereotype of Allston as a neighborhood filled with students who could care less about their neighbors is not totally unfounded. I have had more than a few experiences with thoughtless kids who really aren’t much concerned about the neighborhood’s quality of life. Hopefully, things are improving. (See my blog of Feb. 4 on student Charlie Geyer’s effort to clean up the neighborhood.)
February 29, 2008 10:13 AM
The Buyer's Broker said:
If I were buying anything in Allston, Brighton or “Little Cambridge” I would be looking at things as close to Harvard’s new Life Science Center as possible. Nothing like the infusion of a few billion dollars to upgrade a neighborhood’s property values.
February 29, 2008 10:52 AM
Pam said:
I have to agree with you Buyer’s Broker, although there’s not a whole lot out there in Lower Allston at the moment. I think everyone else has caught on!
There is a place I mentioned in a previous blog: 205 Everett Street. It looks to be a tear down and they’re asking a lot for a place in tough shape. On the other hand, at a lower price, someone could probably make something pretty nice of this property.
February 29, 2008 12:56 PM