The North End, Boston’s oldest and most historic neighborhood, has been a home to immigrants for almost 400 years. This tour explores how immigration, and Boston’s rise as a maritime power, have influenced the development of the North End into a unique, compact, urban space loved by residents and visitors alike for its walkability and Old World charm. Learn about the push and pull factors that drove immigrants to the North End, the difficulties they faced when they arrived, and the civic and cultural institutions created to service this population. This tour begins at the waterfront, and weaves its way through Boston’s famous “crooked and narrow” streets, ending in the heart of the North End.