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Comments
JP when it's a realtor, Roxbury when it's crime
Not knocking Adam on the headline -- the zip code is Roxbury -- but one of those places if you pointed at it on the map, 80% of people would say it's JP (and most certainly any real estate listing).
Ah, Boston neighborhood lines ...
First, the key thing here is that somebody died a horrible death.
That out of the way, real-estate brokers can do excellent work, but, yeah, they're the last people I would turn to for the definitive word on Boston neighborhood lines.
Zip codes aren't actually much better - 02121 covers parts of both Dorchester and Roxbury (almost all the way over to Egleston Square), 02118 is the South End Zip code except it includes Lower Roxbury, and 02115 even includes some blocks that I think most folks would call the Back Bay rather than the Fenway (back in the day, we lived in the Brookline Zip code and had a Brookline phone number, but we were very much Brighton residents; got to vote for the mayor and everything).
As for this particular area, I've always used Columbus Avenue as the dividing line, although, to be honest, it's been more of an issue right in Jackson Square (so the T stop is in JP, but something happens across Columbus? Roxbury). But I stand to be corrected!
80 percent of people...
are entitled to their opinion and realtors usually have no clue. They will list something for Brookline when it's actually in West Roxbury right on the line.
Dividing line
I think you're right in saying it's JP. but that area is tricky because the Southwest corridor and Columbus ave are often considered to be the dividing line and this falls between the two. anyway RIP to bro.
There never was an official
There never was an official border for Jamaica Plain, so there is no certain answer. Once upon a time, there was a town of Roxbury, which included what is now called Jamaica Plain. Then, a separate town of West Roxbury was created, leaving Amory Terrace on the Roxbury side of the boundary. Later, both towns were annexed by the city of Boston, and there was no longer a border.
Zip codes come from earlier postal' districts, with O2130 coming from the old Jamaica Plain 30 designation. But that says nothing about the edges of the district. The city fire and police departments had separate, non-overlapping districts, so the city never had official district 'borders.' In the 20th century, many people would have associated their Catholic parishes with their neighborhoods.
Franklin Park is often said to be in Dorchester. It was originally 'the West Roxbury Park,' and was never part of the town of Dorchester. But the big entrance was on Blue Hill Ave., so time and practice put it in Dorchester. That's how these things work.
Urban Renewal
During this period, that whole area was redeveloped in preparation for the highway that never happened there. The Orange line and SW corridor were built and Columbus Ave was routed to the left so it would connect with Washington St in Egleston Sq. That left small portions of Roxbury on the right side of Columbus Ave.