Jamaica Plain

Fun Fact: Until the 1890s, ice houses lined the shore of Jamaica Pond and ice was harvested and sold in the winter by the Jamaica Plain Ice Company.  

 Jamaica Plain, aka JP, is a neighborhood of Boston.  See map here. 

Jamaica Plain is in the Boston Public Schools District. There are also a few private schools.

 Centre Street is JP's main commercial thoroughfare. There you will find restaurants, shops, yoga studios, banks and various food establishments.  Around the corner you will find America's oldest community theatre, the Footlight Club which was established in 1877.  Pockets of commerce are also popping up in other areas of the neighborhood. There is even a Whole Foods.

 One of the greenest neighborhoods in the city of Boston, JP  contains or is bordered by a number of jewels of the Emerald Necklace park system which was designed in the 19th century by Frederick Law Olmsted. 

 The Jamaica Pond, which has 60 acres of surface area and is the largest and deepest body of fresh water in Boston, is part of the Emerald Necklace. 

 Also included is the Arnold Arboretum, part of which lies in JP.  It is the oldest public arboretum in North America.  It is the perfect place for a walk and leaves you feeling like you might actually be in a forest fairytale instead of in the city of Boston. If the sky is clear, you can see Blue Hills Reservation from atop Bussey Hill.  Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife including, coyotes, turkeys, rabbits and birds. Lots of birds. It's free and open every day.

JP is home to the Loring Greenough House, built in 1760 it is an important part of Boston history.

 At 275 acres, Forest Hills Cemetery offers a unique garden cemetery experience with art installations scattered throughout the grounds. Gravesites date from 1848.  Several notable people are buried there. 

 The Needham Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail stops at Forest Hills Station, and many other lines are easily accessible by riding the Orange Line subway train which runs below ground and has stops at Jackson Square, Stony Brook, Green Street and Forest Hills.

The Green Line's E branch which runs on street level services Jamaica Plain as well as several bus lines.  There are two major bike paths, one of which will take you directly to the Back Bay.

A major hospital, Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital is a 171 bed non-profit, community teaching hospital and is conveniently located in JP.

JP is home to some of our favorites.  The last working farm in Boston, Allendale Farm is open Mid-March to end of December and sells among other things, plants, produce and Christmas trees.  City Feed and Supply has it all.... coffee, pastries, a deli and groceries.  Evengreen, JP Seafood Cafe and The Haven offer a good selection of different kinds of food. Tres Gatos combines a restaurant with a record and book store.  

For the record, do you see yourself in JP?  We can help you decide.