Boston's Back bay, so named because it was originally a bay in the 'back of the town' on the then remote western side of the original peninsula.  The Back Bay Homeowners association will tell you that the neighborhood is limited to the grid of streets laid out in the 1860's as the area was filled to create one of the most affluent parts of Boston.  I felt that the actual neighborhood is somewhat larger than that, following the broad avenues that caused it to become what it is, and the former beds of railroad tracks that separated it from other developing parts of the city.  I attempt to explain it all, in detail:  The way the area first appeared to arriving settlers, the varied reasons for filling the area in, the logic behind the street plan, and many more details about the development of this neighborhood.  Features of the area include the Public Garden, and the Commonwealth Mall, the Christian Science Center, Copley Square and many other points of interest.  This 36X24 map print depicts the Back Bay neighborhood as it appeared in 2008. The print is finished in warm deep brown tones in an attempt to mimic a well-worn old fashioned map, and will stand out wherever it is hung.

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High Resolution cross section