Tiffany Lopinsky

Tiffany Lopinsky

This is a photo of a sign in front of Blackbird Doughnuts, an artisanal donut shop in the South End, located at 492 Tremont Street. Blackbird Doughnuts, which opened up less than a year ago, is representative of a larger trend that has been occurring in the South End over the past few decades. The neighborhood has become increasingly catered to wealthy residents, bringing in new businesses like upscale restaurants, luxury spas, artisanal gift shops, dog bakeries, and even a Whole Foods Market, which opened up earlier this year. As we know, however, and as the map of median household income shows, not all of the South End’s residents are wealthy. The map shows that there are pockets of affluent residents with incomes of over approximately $100,000 gathered around the Tremont Street area. There are also areas with incomes slightly below that surrounding the richest areas, but a majority of the rest of the neighborhood is living below the poverty line, with family incomes between 0 and $40,000. This data reflected on the map in concert with the trend that the picture represents demonstrates the idea that the South End is diverse, but not integrated. While the housing projects like Villa Victoria may have their own tight-knit communities, it appears as though the wealthier residents of the neighborhood have isolated the poor communities by attracting high-end retailers and restaurants.