Established in 1634, historic Boston Common is the oldest park in the U.S. But it's just one bead in an "Emerald Necklace" of parks, that hopscotches south through the city neighborhoods to Franklin Park.
Boston's parks tend to be more formal, with landscaped gardens, gazebos, fountains, statues, and monuments.
Like many cities, Boston has expanded its park system recently to include the Rose Kennedy Greenway, which was built above the "Big Dig," the project that tunneled through the city to form the route for I-93.
Cities with great park systems are often healthy cities and Boston is no exception. It was ranked the sixth fittest major city in the nation by the American College of Sports Medicine.
