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A publication of neigborhoods.net

Other water resources

Atlantic Ocean

Boston Harbor

Lakes and Ponds

Rivers in the neighborhood

The Assabet | The Charles
The Concord | The Essex
The Middlesex Canal | The Mystic
The Neponset | The Sudbury

The AssaWHAT?! The Assabet used to be a working river. In the Civil War, many of the North's uniforms were made in the Maynard mill powered by its water. This river actually has a little white water in the spring, making it our most wild ride. But the rest of the time, it's quieter and perfect for canoeing.

• Autumn Afternoon on the Assabet
• American Whitewater Affilation description

Better known as "The Chuck" to its closest friends, as the crow flies, the headwaters of the Charles are only about 26 miles from the sea. But the Charles meanders for some 70 miles before meeting Boston Harbor. Like the Assabet, it was once a working river. Most of the industry has left (although their dams remain), and the river is once again a place for recreation and contemplation. And, yes, there are large schools of giant (but not killer) goldfish in the Charles River Basin between Cambridge and Boston - you can see them from the banks along B.U.

• The Charles River - Excerpts and photos from a book about the river.
• July 4th by the river - Photos and RealVideo from the annual Esplanade concert.
• Photos of the Charles River in Waltham
• Medfield's Charles River describes the river.
• A picture of the Longfellow Bridge over the Charles.
• Massachusetts Memories: Paddling the Concord and Charles Rivers
• Charles River Watershed Association - Advocacy group for the river.
• Statistics on the Charles River Dam

Possibly the region's most hysteric...uh, that's historic...waterway, thanks to the Old North Bridge in Concord (what do you supose made it so "rude?"). The river starts just before the bridge, where the Assabet and Sudbury join.

• Emerson's Nature: A River Reading
• Massachusetts Memories: Paddling the Concord and Charles Rivers
• American Whitewater Affilation description

• The town of Essex - Named for the river. 'Nuf said.

Ok, ok, so it's not a river, but we had to put this somewhere. Before trains and planes, ships were the main way people and cargo moved from place to place. While it's not exactly the Panama, the Middlesex Canal -- begun in 1793 (under a bill signed by Gov. John Hancock) -- provided a straight path between Boston and the Merrimack River.

• The Middlesex Canal 1793-1853 provides a history and maps.

Contrary to popular belief, this river does not have it's own 900 number for psychic readings. But there is a lot more to it than that famously traffic-snarled bridge that crosses over it at its mouth on the harbor.

• The Mystic River Mural Project celebrates a teen group's exploration of the river.
• Mystic River Reservation is a state park on the banks of the river.

The Neponset is the Rodney Dangerfield of Boston-area rivers - it don't get no respect. But a planned riverside park system (the state has been buying land along the river for years) could lead more people to discover this attractive waterway.

• The "Other" River
• Neponset River Greenway - Details on a planned park along the Neponset.
• The Secret History of the Neponset River

Another of our meandering rivers, it's pretty to look at - but multilingual warning signs urge you to avoid eating anything you catch in it.

• Great Meadows National Wildlife Sanctuary
• Nyanza Chemical Waste Dump - Why you should never, ever eat mud (and fish) from the Sudbury River.