South Boston and Dorchester meet around Andrew Square and Dorchester Avenue, and both are known for their wood triple-deckers. What sets them apart for a buyer is size and layout. Southie is a peninsula with one residential ZIP code, a single main street and two Red Line stops on its west side. Dorchester covers far more ground, takes in several ZIP codes and is really a set of villages, each with its own square and station. Both are part of Boston, so the tax rate and city services are the same on both sides of the line.
Housing in each neighborhood
South Boston
South Boston’s older homes are mostly triple-deckers, two-families and attached rowhouses from the late 1800s and early 1900s, packed along the lettered streets (A through P) and the numbered East and West streets. Some of the more ornate Victorians are near Thomas Park and Telegraph Hill.
On the west side, near Andrew Square and Dorchester Avenue, former industrial land now has mid-rise condo and apartment buildings, and many triple-deckers have been converted or fully rebuilt.
If you are looking at a recent renovation, ask about
- Permits
- Warranties
- How a small association handles the budget and insurance
Dorchester
Dorchester’s three-families and two-families, mostly built from about 1890 to 1930, make up a large share of its housing, and many are now condos. The hills (Ashmont Hill, Savin Hill, Jones Hill and Melville Park) hold larger Queen Anne, Shingle Style and Colonial Revival single-families, often with porches and deep yards. Adams Village and Neponset add early twentieth-century single-families, and new mid-rise buildings have gone up near JFK/UMass, Savin Hill and Fields Corner.
Conditions vary a lot from street to street.
Multi-family buyers should review
- Leases
- Rent rolls
- Any open code issues
Our multi-family buying guide walks through the steps.
Flood zones in both
Transit and commute
South Boston
South Boston’s rail access is concentrated on its western edge, at Broadway and Andrew on the Red Line, a few stops from South Station and Downtown Crossing. Farther east toward City Point, the 7, 9, 10 and 11 buses run from City Point toward downtown, Copley and Arlington.
Dorchester
Dorchester has five Red Line stations on the Ashmont branch running north to south along its eastern side, with the Mattapan trolley continuing from Ashmont. The Fairmount Line commuter rail covers the western side, stopping at Uphams Corner, Four Corners/Geneva and Talbot Avenue on its way to South Station, and three Old Colony commuter rail lines stop at JFK/UMass.
- Uphams Corner
- Four Corners/Geneva
- Talbot Avenue
Interstate 93 runs along Dorchester’s eastern edge. Our Red Line guide covers each station.
Historic district review
The Boston Landmarks Commission’s list includes one district in South Boston, the Fort Point Channel Landmark District from 2009. It covers the Fort Point waterfront, the area most people group with the Seaport, not the triple-decker blocks south of Broadway. Dorchester has no local historic district on the list.
Water and open space
South Boston
South Boston’s shoreline runs from Carson Beach past the L Street and M Street beaches to Castle Island, Fort Independence and the Pleasure Bay loop, and Dorchester Heights rises above Thomas Park.
Dorchester
Dorchester has Malibu and Savin Hill beaches on the harbor, Columbia Point with the JFK Library and UMass Boston, and Pope John Paul II Park along the Neponset River.
Same city, same services
Because both are Boston neighborhoods, your tax bill depends on the assessed value, not the neighborhood’s rate. If you will live in the home, apply for the residential exemption.
Ask us for recent sales
Pricing varies from block to block and between Dorchester’s villages, so the best way to compare is with actual recent sales. Contact our team or start a search. More detail is in our South Boston and Dorchester guides.