Dorchester

DORCHESTER -- Dorchester is not monolithic. Just ask historian and resident J. Charles Swift.

``The thing about Dorchester, and what I always tell people, is that Dorchester is such a large neighborhood that it's easy to lump everything together as Dorchester," he said. ``But there are so many little, small neighborhoods in Dorchester. There are so many people of all economic backgrounds, all racial backgrounds working very hard in their own neighborhoods to improve" their communities.

Swift, a Jones Hill resident, said the area seems to breed community activism among newcomers and long time residents alike.

Currently facing an upsurge in crime in some parts of the sprawling neighborhood, Swift said Dorchester offers a variety of adaptable housing stock, ranging from three-deckers to single-family homes, many rich with historic details. Swift is particularly fond of the handiwork of Edwin Lewis Jr., a Dorchester resident who designed dozens of houses, principally in the Ashmont neighborhood, during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Settled by Europeans in 1630, Dorchester is Boston's largest neighborhood and was for some two centuries a separate community before being annexed by the city in 1870. Among the neighborhoods within its 6 square miles are Fields Corner, Uphams Corner, Savin Hill, Port Norfolk, Melville Park, and Codman Square.

On a recent week, Realtor.com listed 135 single-family homes, ranging from $229,000 for a one-bed, one-bath, 650-square-foot home to $1.1 million for a seven-bed, 3 1/2 -bath 4,826-square-foot home. Median price of a single-family home through June 2006 was $340,000, according to the Warren Group, which publishes real estate information.

JOHN RICHARDSON ELLEMENT