East Boston: A Boston neighborhood guide

Surrounded by water and New England's biggest airport, East Boston sits directly across the harbor from downtown. The diverse neighborhood offers a mix of single- and multi-family homes of various architectural styles that evoke an older Boston, alongside a shoreline studded with modern apartment buildings.

East Boston, or Eastie, is an immigrant neighborhood to its core. For nearly two centuries, it has been home to waves of first-generation Americans: Canadians in the 1840s; Irish immigrants in the 1850s; Eastern European Jews and Italians in the 1890s. By 1915, the neighborhood was majority Italian. Today, Latinos comprise more than half of Eastie's residents, the majority from Colombia, El Salvador and Guatemala.

In recent decades, many have struggled with housing costs as developers seek to cash in on interest from students and wealthier newcomers. But the threat of rising sea levels is causing some to question the prudence of building in low-lying areas. That's why Eastie is a big part of the city's focus on climate resilience, as many locals fear the neighborhood could be cut off from mainland Boston in a worst-case-scenario weather event.

As the neighborhood with the least tree canopy in Boston, it's also getting extra attention in the city's effort to plant more trees as a way to decrease the impacts of a warming climate.

Unlike neighborhoods rooted in colonial times, East Boston was created in the 1830s, by connecting five islands in Boston Harbor. The neighborhood prospered as a major shipbuilding hub in the 19th century.

In 1923, what would become Logan International Airport opened; it now takes up roughly half the land mass of East Boston. Massport, which owns and operates Logan, has a rocky history with residents, as it razed homes and even a Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park to grow its operations. Residents must grapple with noise and pollution from planes taking off, but many say the port authority has now evolved into a major supporter of parks, youth programs and other community initiatives in the neighborhood.

Eastie is one of the city's most unique and vibrant neighborhoods — a dense residential community with a heavy dose of modernity. Locals rave about the variety of restaurants both casual and upscale, the beautiful views of downtown Boston (which is one underwater T stop away) and the increasing stretch of parkland along the shore.

Mateo Arango was spending some time exercising in Piers Park, overlooking the Boston Harbor. The park has sweeping views of the skyline, grassy open spaces, a playground, workout equipment and a nonprofit community sailing center.

Arango, who's in his 20s, has lived in East Boston all his life and said the neighborhood has gotten safer over the years. That, combined with its proximity to downtown and impressive restaurant options, make it a great place to live. But Arango said the neighborhood is shifting as people take notice of it. Rents are rising, which is making it harder for some longer-term residents to stay.

“It's changing culturally, 100%,” Arango said. “People that come with money, they're moving to East Boston because East Boston is the heart of Boston, really.”

Elis Fernandez has seen similar changes in the neighborhood. Her family has owned and operated a convenience store in the area since 1998 and Fernandez, who's in her early 30s, has seen many of the same faces year after year. But with an increasing cost of living in the area, some regulars have been pushed out of East Boston.

“Our customers have changed,” said Fernandez. “We have definitely seen a lot of the families that used to go and visit and buy from us have to move to like Revere, Lynn.”

Fernandez herself owns Eagle Hill Café, a Meridian Street coffee shop. It’s one of the many different eateries and restaurants in East Boston. She said that the diversity of the food and people in the area is one of its strengths.

“It’s like a melting pot. It has a lot of different cultures, which is something important to note because you'll find whatever you're looking for. Whatever kind of food, anything is here,” said Fernandez.

After living in Boston's Brighton, Longwood and Allston neighborhoods, Laina Marciano and her wife said they finally found home in East Boston — and don't plan on leaving anytime soon. They find it an easy launching point to favorite destinations, even though Eastie is separated by water from the rest of Boston.

"People think it's hard to get here transportation-wise, and also that once you're here, it's hard to get around," Marciano said. "And it's really not." She rides buses around the North Shore and regularly takes the train into downtown Boston.

Drivers might be less likely to agree with that sentiment. It's also a difficult commute for cyclists, who have no direct way to ride from downtown Boston into Eastie.

Lauren Olson moved from Allston to East Boston four years ago. She lives about a block away from the Maverick T station, in Jeffries Point, where all of those new mid-rises stand.

“Everyone's super nice here," she said. "I see a lot of the same people all the time, so it's nice to feel like a community; everyone knows my dog's name, and they'll say 'hi' on the streets.” (Her mini goldendoodle is named Remy.)

Olson said she moved from Allston because Eastie offers one of the best vistas of downtown. When she wants to clear her head, she walks Remy along the water.

“Just the whole [Harborwalk] from LoPresti Park and then toward the Hyatt by the airport, it's a really nice walk.” The Harborwalk is a 43-mile park that winds along Boston’s shoreline, with a stretch of brand new parks and sports fields on the Eastie waterfront.

Brandon Gatti runs a woodworking shop in the East Boston shipyard — the Boston Harbor Shipyard & Marina — where there’s also a seasonal contemporary art exhibition space (the ICA Watershed), a restaurant and several businesses.

Gatti enjoys taking his family sailing on the harbor. A job at Piers Park Sailing Center is what drew him to Boston in the first place.

"We have a little boat down at the yacht club, so we'll just go on that in the summer," he said. "That's probably the most peaceful thing."

While East Boston's amenities are wonderful, Gatti said the people are the best part of Eastie.

“East Boston's got one of the tightest communities,” he said, standing at a community garden near the shipyard. “You say hi to people, you talk to people. I used to live in Back Bay and you get in an elevator and you would never talk to anybody. So I think the sense of community here is huge.”

Tell us: Did we miss your favorite spot or hidden gem in the neighborhood? Let us know here, and it may appear in a future version of this list.

WBUR's Simón Rios wrote this guide, with additional reporting from WBUR's Carrie Jung.