The West End in Boston was, for a while, Boston’s little dirty secret. Fifty years ago, in an effort deemed an “urban redevelopment project”, the city claimed the land from all the inhabitants, and bulldozed everything to the ground. Anyone with enough money to move into the proposed high rises had no interest in living there, and the area, tucked between Beacon Hill, the North End, and the Charles River, was left to rot. Today, however, a new variety of redevelopment has taken its toll on the area, and West End real estate is responding. The T’s elevated green line has been taken down, giving many streets their first breath of fresh air in years, the big dig has removed the central artery, trendy restaurants are springing up, luxury condo buildings are being erected, and a new unique culture has found nourishment. Monica Collins, in her article “Born Again” published in The Boston Globe, wrote “It brims with development and bursts with promise”. In 2005, the city finally cleaned up its manors with a blue sign, “Welcome to the West End”.