[2] On November 27, 1676, Mather's home, the meeting house, and a total of 45 buildings were destroyed by a fire—Boston organized the first paid fire department in America two years later.

[6] In 1770, 11 year-old Christopher Seider was part of an angry crowd that attacked the home of Ebenezer Richardson which was located on Hanover Street.

[6][7] Successive waves of immigrants came to Boston and settled in the neighborhood, beginning with the Irish and continuing with Eastern European Jews and Italians.

[8] Boston as a whole was prosperous, however, and the wealthy residents of the North End moved to newer, more fashionable neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill.

[6][9] In 1859, tensions between the Catholic Irish immigrants and the existing Protestant community led to the Eliot School Rebellion.

[6][10] In the latter half of the 19th century, several charitable groups were formed in the North End to provide aid to its impoverished residents.

[2] Beginning in the 1880s, North End residents began to replace the dilapidated wooden housing with four- and five-story brick apartment buildings, most of which still stand today.

[2][12] These investments, as well as the creation of the Paul Revere Mall (also known as the Prado), contributed to the North End's modernization.

The funeral procession that conveyed Sacco and Vanzetti's bodies to the Forest Hills Cemetery began in the North End.

In the 1950s the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway (locally known as the Central Artery) was built to relieve Boston's traffic congestion.

The general street atmosphere of buoyancy, friendliness, and good health was so infectious that I began asking directions of people just for the fun of getting in on some talk.

[2] In 1976, the neighborhood welcomed President Ford and Queen Elizabeth II, who each visited the North End as part of the United States Bicentennial Celebrations.

[2] The North End describes its location in the historic Shawmut Peninsula, which centuries of infill have obscured.

The North End Parks of the Greenway occupy the site of the former elevated Central Artery (demolished in 2003).

[19] Although many businesses, social clubs, and religious institutions celebrate the neighborhood's Italian heritage, the North End is now increasingly diverse.

[21] In 1923, the Michael Angelo (later renamed "Michelangelo") School was built in the North End and named in honor of the Italian residents.

Later immigrants found more opportunities in the construction trades, and by 1920 the neighborhood was served by Italian physicians, dentists, funeral homes, and barbers.

[19] Residents founded businesses, some of which still exist today, including Prince Pasta,[11] the Pastene Corporation,[2][19][22] and Pizzeria Regina.

After World War II, however, Italian Americans began to gain political power which then helped the community to address these issues.

Today, the "old world" Italian atmosphere of the North End helps to drive tourism, and many of the small neighborhood shops have been replaced by restaurants.

[19] The North End Music and Performing Arts Center (NEMPAC) and the Improv Asylum Theater are located on Hanover Street.

It consists of framed portraits of Roman Catholic saints hung on a brick wall, some of which are visible from the street.

Today, the North End's streets are lined with cafes, small grocery stores, and Italian restaurants.

Sicilian immigrants also started food companies specializing in their native cuisine, which after successful expansion moved out of the neighborhood.

[30] Every summer, the remaining Italian residents of the North End hold festivals (feasts) to honor the patron saints of different regions in Italy from where their families immigrated.

By the time of the Great Depression, the North End's reputation as a city slum resulted in lending discrimination; the area's residents could not obtain mortgages for construction or rehabilitation.

Instead, residents, many of whom were carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and masons, lent their labor to each other and succeeded at rehabilitating the North End's buildings at low cost.

[33] Starting in the mid-1970s, the abandoned industrial area along the North End's waterfront was rebuilt and converted into a luxury housing and business district.

In 2012, Boston police officers increased patrols in the North End to deal with noise complaints.

[36][37][38] Members of the Patriarca crime family have historically lived in or operated out of the North End, including Gennaro Angiulo, Gaspare Messina, and the Dinunzio brothers (Anthony & Carmen).