City: Chestnut Hill, MA

Category: Education

Telephone: (617) 552-8000

Address: 140 Commonwealth Ave.

Description: Boston College opened as a Jesuit school with just 22 students in 1864. The college was established to serve the immigrant Irish community of the city; today its 9 schools enroll more than 9,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students. The main campus is situated on 175 acres of lush greenery in Chestnut Hill overlooking Boston and features outstanding examples of gothic revival architecture. BC’s signature building is stone Gasson Hall, which has a terra-cotta tile roof, stained-glass windows, and a majestic 200-foot bell tower. BC has a second residential campus 1 mile away in Newton, which is home to the BC Law School. Fall is a big season for the BC Eagles (NCAA Division I), whose football program has historically been a big local draw—even before Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary pass over Miami in 1984.