Boston: A City Built on Landfill

Did you know Boston used to be a tiny peninsula barely connected to the mainland?

Early Boston sat on the Shawmut Peninsula, connected by a thin strip of land called the Boston Neck.

The city originally had three massive hills — Beacon Hill, Copp’s Hill, and Fort Hill.

In the 1700s and 1800s, Boston began cutting those hills down for fill.

That dirt was dumped into the harbor, literally creating new land. Neighborhoods like

Back Bay and the South End didn’t exist — they were once tidal flats. Entire streets and

neighborhoods were built on landfill, not solid bedrock. Under parts of Boston, there’s a mix of

soil, rubble, and even old trash. This expansion helped Boston grow into