Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan.

It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby Jamaica Plain. Roslindale has its own branch of the Boston Public Library, the neighborhood is covered by Boston Police District E-5 in West Roxbury, Boston EMS Ambulance 17 is stationed in Roslindale, and the Boston Fire Department has a station on Canterbury Street which houses Ladder 16, Engine 53 & District Chief 12. Roslindale's original Engine Company 45 was deactivated on April 10, 1981, due to budget cuts. Roslindale was once called the "garden suburb" of Boston. The portion of the Arnold Arboretum south of Bussey Street is located in Roslindale.

Six miles south-southwest of downtown Boston, Roslindale was originally part of the town of Roxbury. In 1851, current day Jamaica Plain, Roslindale and West Roxbury seceded from Roxbury. The area voted in 1873 to be annexed to the City of Boston.

History

In the 1860s, the area was called South Street Crossing, due to the railroad's intersection with South Street. However, when the community applied for a post office district of its own, the name "South Street Crossing" proved to be unacceptable to the government. The name Roslindale was suggested by John Pierce, a well-traveled member of the community, who told the assembled citizens that the area reminded him of the historic town of Roslin, Scotland, outside Edinburgh. Pierce thought the area was like a dale because of the hills surrounding it. Thus the combination of "Roslin" and "dale" was submitted to the United States Postal Service and the name Roslindale was formally established.

Roslindale grew residentially as a classic streetcar suburb. The railway was built after the American Civil War, and spawned a new round of commercial development. Roslindale saw steady growth in its residential population, beginning in the 1880s, with the introduction of the horse-drawn street railway service between Forest Hills and Dedham.

The Forest Hills disaster, a train wreck, occurred in Roslindale on March 14, 1887. A Boston & Providence Railroad train consisting of a locomotive and nine passenger cars inbound from Dedham to Boston with over 200 passengers, was passing over a bridge at Bussey Street, in the current Arnold Arboretum, when the bridge collapsed causing the rear five cars to pile up on top of each other, killing twenty-three and injuring over one hundred. This is considered one of the first major rail catastrophes in the country, and contributed to the widespread inspection of train bridges across the U.S.

alt=A portion of Roslindale Square on Belgrade Ave., directly across the street from the Roslindale Village Commuter Rail stop.|thumb|A portion of Roslindale Square on Belgrade Ave., directly across the street from the Roslindale Village Commuter Rail stop.

Demographics

Roslindale is a diverse neighborhood—according to the 2020 census, the racial makeup of its inhabitants was 45.7% Non-Hispanic White, 20.6% Non-Hispanic Black or African-American, 25.1% Hispanic or Latino, 3.5% Asian or Pacific Islander, and 5.2% identified as other or multiple races.

Notable people

  • Joseph Abboud
  • Paul Francis Anderson
  • Mark Bavis
  • Martha Cahoon
  • Steve DeOssie, linebacker for Boston College and four NFL teams
  • Stephen Davenport
  • Walter Alden Dyer
  • George Fair
  • Charlotte Gilbertson
  • Martha Goodway
  • T. Vincent Learson
  • Skip Lockwood
  • Brian McGrory
  • Mary McGrory
  • Matt O'Malley
  • Charlie Rugg
  • Slaine
  • Esoteric
  • Paul Sally
  • Stephen Soldz
  • Marian Walsh
  • Billy West
  • Courtney Sims
  • Michelle Wu, Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts

Education

Elementary schools

  • Sacred Heart School
  • George H Conley
  • Sarah Roberts
  • Mozart
  • Phineas Bates
  • Dennis C Haley
  • Children's Learning Center
  • Brooke Charter School

Middle schools

  • Sacred Heart School
  • Brooke Charter School
  • Washington Irving Middle School

High schools

  • St. Clare High School [closed - building is now Brooke Charter School]
  • Roslindale is depicted in the 2017 film, Last Night in Rozzie

See also

  • District 5, Boston

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell, Roslindale: Then & Now, Arcadia Publishing, 2003
  • The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University