Charlestown Neighborhood Guide: Bunker Hill, the Navy Yard, Ferry Tips and the Numbers

Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-year estimates, National Park Service, MBTA. Updated Oct. 29, 2026.

Charlestown, the Boston neighborhood on the peninsula between the Charles and Mystic rivers, is home to the Bunker Hill Monument, the Charlestown Navy Yard and USS Constitution, all within walking distance of its brick rowhouse streets. This Charlestown neighborhood guide covers what to see this fall, the off-season hours that just kicked in, how to get there by ferry or the Orange Line, and what Census data says about who lives there now.

A short history of Charlestown

Charlestown is older than Boston. Settlers laid it out in 1629, it served as the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and its Puritan founders crossed the river to the Shawmut peninsula to start what became the city of Boston. It stayed an independent town, and later a city, until Boston annexed it on Jan. 5, 1874, which also moved it from Middlesex County into Suffolk County.

Two events define its identity. On June 17, 1775, New England militia fought the British army in the first pitched battle of the Revolution on the hills above the town. And in 1800 the federal government opened the Navy Yard on the waterfront, which built, repaired and supplied warships for 174 years until it closed in 1974. Irish immigrants who arrived during the famine of the 1840s shaped the neighborhood for more than a century, and longtime residents still call themselves “Townies.”

Bunker Hill Monument: hours, climb and what to know

The 221-foot granite obelisk stands on Breed’s Hill, where Provincial troops built their earthen fort before the battle. The National Park Service says about 2,400 British soldiers and Marines were engaged that day and about 1,000 were killed or wounded. The Marquis de Lafayette laid the cornerstone on the battle’s 50th anniversary, and the monument took more than 17 years to finish before its 1843 dedication.

Climbing it is free but takes effort: 294 steps up a tight spiral stairway, with only 25 people allowed inside at a time. Off-season hours run from Oct. 13 to May 28, when the monument, the Bunker Hill Lodge and the Bunker Hill Museum at 43 Monument Square are open Wednesday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. and closed Monday and Tuesday. The climb can close for weather, so check before you go. The lodge, the base of the monument and every floor of the museum are accessible; the top is not, and service animals can’t go inside the shaft.

Charlestown Navy Yard and USS Constitution

The Navy Yard is the neighborhood’s other anchor and part of Boston National Historical Park. The grounds are open 24 hours a day. In the off-season (Oct. 12 to May 28), the Navy Yard Visitor Center is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• USS Constitution: “Old Ironsides,” the oldest commissioned warship in the U.S. Navy, is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Every visitor goes through security screening, and anyone 18 or older needs a valid federal or state photo ID.
• USS Cassin Young: This Fletcher-class destroyer served from 1943 to 1960 and survived two kamikaze attacks. Its fall season runs through Nov. 11, Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• USS Constitution Museum: Open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission to the Park Service sites is free. The historic ships have limited accessibility, while the yard, visitor center and museum are accessible. With Veterans Day approaching, the yard makes a natural stop; see our guide to Veterans Day 2026 events in Boston.

Getting to Charlestown: ferry, Orange Line and parking

The most scenic way in is the MBTA’s Charlestown Ferry, which runs between Long Wharf (South) downtown and the Navy Yard. It stays in the inner-harbor fare zone, so a one-way trip costs $2.40, or $1.10 with a reduced fare. On Oct. 28 the MBTA confirmed the Charlestown route runs year-round with weekday and weekend service, while it extended the East Boston, Lynn, Winthrop and Quincy routes only through Dec. 31. There is no ferry service on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s Day. If you qualify for a discount, our MBTA reduced fares guide explains who can apply.

On land, the Orange Line stops at Community College and Sullivan Square, and the Freedom Trail continues from the North End across the river to the Navy Yard and the monument. Street parking in the residential core is limited, so read the posted signs before you leave a car; our Boston resident parking permit guide explains how the stickers work.

Charlestown by the numbers

Census Bureau estimates for ZIP code 02129, which closely matches the neighborhood, show a place that is wealthier, a bit older and far more likely to own than Boston overall. The figures below come from the American Community Survey 2024 five-year estimates; the comparisons are The Boston Report’s calculations from that data. They are survey estimates with margins of error, so treat small gaps with caution.

• Income: Median household income is $157,247, about $59,900 or 62% higher than Boston’s $97,344.
• Ownership: 50.5% of Charlestown’s 9,606 occupied homes are owner-occupied, compared with 35.7% citywide.
• Rent: Median gross rent is $2,259 a month, about 5% above Boston’s $2,147.
• Age: The median age is 35.6, compared with 33.3 for the city.

Commuting is where Charlestown stands out most. About 28.5% of workers in the ZIP code work from home, seven points above the city share, and 6.9% bike to work, roughly three times the Boston rate of 2.2%. Fewer residents drive (31.8% versus 38.2%) or ride transit (16.3% versus 22.6%). The ferry matters here: an estimated 261 Charlestown workers commute by boat, 2.1% of the neighborhood’s workforce and about 37% of all ferry commuters in Boston.

Where to wander and eat

After the monument, walk the streets around Monument Square for Charlestown’s 19th-century brick rowhouses, then head down to the Training Field, now Winthrop Square, where Martin Milmore’s Civil War memorial was dedicated in 1872. Nearby Main Street is home to the Warren Tavern, one of Boston’s oldest pubs. Finish on the Navy Yard piers, where the view back across the harbor to downtown is one of the best free sights in the city, especially at sunset now that the clocks fall back on Nov. 1.

Sources

• National Park Service: Bunker Hill
• National Park Service: Charlestown Navy Yard
• MBTA: MBTA Extends Four Ferry Routes Through the End of the Year (Oct. 28, 2026)
• MBTA: Ferry fares
• Census Reporter: ZIP code 02129 profile (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-year data)

Additional sources

• MBTA: Charlestown Ferry schedules and route map
• Census Reporter: Boston city profile, used for the citywide comparisons
• Wikipedia: Charlestown, Boston, for settlement and annexation background