Boston

Heart of the City.  A comprenensive treatment of a variety of characteristics of, and issues faced by, several Boston neighborhoods.  Topics include organizations, environment, green spaces, health and transportation. Includes a great collection of photos and some maps.  From the Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University.   [ccr]
http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/hotc/

A City of Neighborhoods.  Brief text descriptions of 23 boston neighborhoods.   Created by the City of Boston.  [ccr]
http://www.ci.boston.ma.us/neighborhoods/

Boston's Emerging Ethnic Quilt.   A series of ethinc group maps from the 2000 Census for the Boston area, in PDF format.   Created by geographers James P. Allen and Eugene Turner for a paper delivered at the 2004 meetings of the Population Assocaition of America in Boston.  A copy of the text is also included.   [ccr] 
http://www.csun.edu/%7Ehfgeg005/eturner/gallery/Bostonatlas/Bostonatlascover.html

The Boston Indicators Project.  A wealth of information, including data and maps, that shows recent pattrerns and trends for the Boston area and its neighborhoods.  Topics include civic and cultural life, economy, education, environment, health, housing, public safety, technology, and transportation.  Created by the Boston Foundation, the City of Boston, and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.  [ccr]
http://www.bostonindicators.org/IndicatorsProject/Content.aspx?id=602

Historical Marker Program.  Descriptions of scores of sites recognized by Boston historical markers, organized by neighborhood.  Mostly text, with a few photos.  Created by the Bostonian Society.  [ccr]
http://www.bostonhistory.org/hist_markers.php

City of Boston. Official web site of the City of Boston.  In addition to online services this site has a variety of information about the city and uses beautiful photographs as headers of each section.  [tdh]
http://www.cityofboston.gov/default.asp

Start Here Boston.   A good collection of photos and descriptions of historical and other attractions in Boston, accessible from a series of detailed maps or from topical lists.  [ccr]
http://www.starthereboston.com/index.html

Boston History and Architecture.  Photos and descriptions of art, architecture and historic places, people, and events. By Dave Wieneke.   [ccr]
http://www.iboston.org/index2.php

Boston Illustrated.   An on-line version of the 1891 edition of a book edited by Edwin M. Bacon "containing full descriptions of the City and its immediate suburbs, its public buildings and institutions, its business edifices, parks and avenues, harbor and island, etc., etc., with numerous historical illusions."  By Kellscraft Studios.  [ccr]
http://www.kellscraft.com/bostonillustrated/bostonillustratedcontent.html

Interactive Freedom Trail.   A map of Boston's famous walking tour with brief descriptions of fifteen stops along the way.   By Dave Wieneke.  [ccr]
http://www.iboston.org/pap/freedom.htm

BlackHeritageTrail Tour.  A clickable map leads to descriptions and images of thirteen sites important to the history of blacks in Boston.  Created by the Museum of African American History. [ccr]
http://www.afroammuseum.org/trailmap.htm

Boston Women's Heritage Trail.  Maps and descriptions of nine walks that highlight the lives and work of women.    [ccr]
http://www.bwht.org/tour.html

History of Scollay Square:    Nice descriptions and illustrations describing the this famous neighborhood, which was displaced by Government Center in the 1960s.     By David Kruh.  [ccr]
http://www.bambinomusical.com/Scollay/index.html#MENU

Blake Park Neighborhood, 1916-2005.   This neat site uses text, maps, and photos to describe a subdivision in Brookline.  Beginning in the 1920s it was transformed from an estate to a middle class neighborhood.  By Ken Lis. http://blakepark.muddyriver.us/index.html 

Digital Atlases, Searchable Digital Archives, and Other Sites Useful for Exploring Places

Digital Atlas of Boston and Vicinity.  One of several census-based urban atlas projects by William Bowen of the California Geographical Society and the Department of Geography at California State University Northridge.   Dozens of well-designed maps utilize 1990 census data.   Topical categories include population and race, ancestry and nationality, income and poverty, and adult educational attainment.    [ccr]
http://130.166.124.2/bospg1.html

Sports Temples of Boston.  An easily-searchable collection of historic images of Boston sports venues.  From the Boston Public Library.  [ccr]
http://sportstemples.bpl.org/

Boston Gas Company Photos.   A searchable collection of about 4500 photos showing people and scenes in Boston from the 1880s to the 1970s.  From the Boston College Libraries.   [ccr]
http://dlib.bc.edu:8881/R/KVQ3D6GT25KFT8SAQ4RFQC26CQR93SHAR97EBYYSABKE4CARXX-02003?func=search&local_base=gen01-bcd01-gs

Maps of Cambridge.   A collection of PDF maps showing just about everything you would want to know about Cambridge, including bicycle routes, census data, city squares, parks, waterplay, and more.   From the Cambridge Department of Community Development.
http://www.cambridgema.gov/cdd/cp/info/map_list.html