The Back Bay, once a stagnant pool of water behind the Public Garden, now holds some of the most exclusive real estate in Boston. A stroll down Newbury St. will take you from high fashion to hip ice cream parlors, and a walk back up Commonwealth Ave. will let you take in some of the most elegant townhouses in the city. With its rows of historic homes and a vibrant commercial district to boot, Back Bay is an elegant and exciting place to live.

The Public Garden is an oasis in the middle of the city. Among the garden's best-known features are the iconic Swan Boats.

The Commonwealth Avenue Mall is in the heart of the Back Bay. There are no stores here, just a wide swath of grass, dotted with statues, that separates the eastbound and westbound lanes. The mansions here sell for millions of dollars each.

The bell tower of the H.H. Richardson-designed First Baptist Church of Boston rises above Copley Square as does the main branch of the Boston Public Library.

Back Bay is bordered on the North by the Charles River, with its lovely tree lined esplanade containing bike paths, foot paths, boathouses, as well as the famous Hatch Shell where the Boston Pops performs during the summer, and where Boston holds its renowned 4th of July festival.

It is bordered on the East by the Public Garden with its famed Swan Boats, and on the South by the Columbus Avenue, the beginning of the beautiful South End neighborhood. To the West is Kenmore Square, location of the legendary Fenway Park, the home of the beloved Boston Red Sox.

Back Bay, known for it's fine homes, prestigious shopping and elegant restaurants has some of the most expensive real estate in Boston.

In the late 1850's, it became apparent that Boston needed more land for development. The city government determined that the swamp to the west of the public garden, heretofore used for sewage disposal would be filled in and developed. This brand new district, which would take its name from the swamp which preceded it, attracted the wealthiest and most prestigious members of society who had some of the most noteworthy architects of the time design and build their new homes.

Commonwealth Avenue, which runs down the middle of Back Bay from East to West was designed to emulate the broad boulevards of Paris. Indeed, most of the homes along all the streets in the Back Bay were built in what was called the "French Academic" school of architecture, the most noteworthy characteristic of which were the Mansard roofs which still grace most of the buildings.

Today, there are still many single family homes in this area. But the majority of the buildings have been converted into lovely condominium homes where much of the city's elite lives.

The most elegant shopping in Boston is located on Newbury Street, parallel to and one block to the South of Commonwealth Avenue.