Avenue de las Americas

The Boston Globe reports today on an initiative by some local Latin American groups that is gaining support among some city officials. The City is considering renaming a portion of Centre Street in Jamaica Plain "Avenue de las Americas. At-Large City Council member Felix Arroyo, and Boston's first Hispanic council member, was named in the report as a supporter of the proposal. The idea is to give recognition to the portion of Centre Street between Jackson Square and Hyde Square to reflect the Latin American culture that is now in the majority in that area. Local shops, from bodegas and restaurants to record stores and clothing shops are owned by ethnic Latin Americans. The City's Main Streets program has begun to refer to the area as "the Latin Quarter." But some are hoping for official recognition in the form of a renaming of the street to reflect the culture of the area.

Jamaica Plain was once home to many German immigrants who worked in manufacturing, but recently has become home to a large Dominican, Guatemalan, and Puerto Rican population – among various other Latin American ethnicities. Each summer the Puerto Rican and Dominican festival take place in Forrest Park, with the parade making it's way from Roxbury Community College, past Jackson Square, up to Egleston Square and into the park - it's not down what would be the Avenue de las Americas, but it is nearby. The reaction to the proposal, as Bostonist has anecdotally measured today, has been mixed. Some people seem to fear any sort of name change, others are excited to embrace the change and recognition of the neighborhood's diversity, while others are worried that such a change would create official recognition of where the affluent yuppies live and the often lower-income immigrant community make up their respective parts of Jamaica Plain. The proposal as it stands also would rename Mozart Park to Park de las Americas and festoon street corners with flags from various Latin American countries. It remains to be heard if Menino can even attempt to pronounce Avenue de las Americas in any acceptable manner.