A Powerful Memoir of Southie: How Working-Class Communities Are Marginalized (2000)

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South Boston is home to some of the oldest public housing in the United States. In the last 30 years they have changed from having a mostly Irish American population to a more ethnically mixed population. The housing facilities are under the control of the Boston Housing Authority (BHA)[56] and include West Broadway which was built in 1949 and occupies 20 acres (81,000 m2),[57] West Ninth Street[58] (these three facilities are next to each other and commonly called D street), Old Colony which was built in 1941,[59] and Mary Ellen McCormack, which is the BHA's oldest development, being constructed in 1936. It was originally called Old Harbor Village.[60] Other developments are Harbor Point (HP is in Dorchester), Foley[61] and Monsignor Powers.[62] As of the June 26, 2014 city officials and civilians officially celebrated the completion of the second phase of construction and redevelopment of the Old Colony housing project that took place in the neighborhood of South Boston that began construction back in 2009. The phase two completion is huge milestone because this phase included important aspects such as: high-efficiency affordable housing in town-house style and four-story elevator buildings. Part of this project was funded by a HOPE VI grant which ensured $22-million dollars for the project to build these new public houses for the citizens of South Boston 223 original apartments along Old Colony Ave up to Dorchester Street and over to Reverend Burke Street. These affordable housing units are some of the greenest and most environmentally friendly public houses in the entire Commonwealth. In the future the Boston Housing Authority and its partners are looking to redevelop the remaining 453 original housing units in South Boston.[63] South Boston is served by two Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Red Line rapid transit stations: Broadway and Andrew. In addition due to the development and revitalization of the South Boston Waterfront area, lead to the opening of a new station in South Boston. This new station was built and given the name of World Trade Center Station, this new location can be found on Congress St. in South Boston Waterfront. This is an affordable and safe way to travel throughout the Boston area. A ticket costs under $3 while an unlimited pass will cost $75.[64] MBTA bus service connects these stations with the residential areas of South Boston, downtown Boston and the Back Bay. The MBTA Silver Line, a Bus rapid transit service running partly in a tunnel from South Station, also serves the north side of South Boston. South Boston is also served by five bus routes including the numbers 5, 7, 9, 10, 11. Similarly to the subway, the busing industry in South Boston also benefited from revitalization and development that took place under the late Mayor Menino during his time serving the city of Boston. The World Trade Center station also doubles as a bus station that connects this part of South Boston to other parts of the neighborhood. The bus tickets are under $2.50 while a monthly bus pass is $50. This bus station can be found on Congress St. For 1996, Good Will Hunting showed the working class Irish side of parts of South Boston, concerned with whether the character played by Matt Damon wished to get out, seeing he had a rare mathematical ability. In 2006 a movie directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Brad Pitt called The Departed was inspired by the events that took place in Boston during Whitey Bulger's reign as the kingpin of the Irish mafia. The 2006 film adaptation loosely based on the life of Whitey Bulger was headlined by such A-list actors as Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg. The films was subsequently nominated for numerous prestigious awards, going on to win many of them, including the Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, Best Film Editing, as well as Best Picture.[65] In 2015 the film, Black Mass, was also inspired by the criminal activity that Whitey Bulger was part of during his time running the Irish mob in South Boston up until his capture. Similarly to The Departed many A-list actors signed on to this project as well, including Johnny Depp and Benedict Cumberbatch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Boston