Houghs Neck is a one-square-mile (2.6 km²) peninsula in Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...

. It is surrounded by Quincy Bay

Quincy Bay

Quincy Bay is the largest of the three small bays of southern Boston Harbor, part of Massachusetts Bay and forming much of the shoreline of the city of Quincy, Massachusetts. Locally in the Wollaston neighborhood of Quincy it is known as Wollaston Bay...

, Hingham Bay

Hingham Bay

Hingham Bay is the easternmost of the three small bays of outer Boston Harbor, part of Massachusetts Bay and forming the western shoreline of the town of Hull and the northern shoreline of Hingham in the United States state of Massachusetts. It lies east of Quincy Bay and is met at the southwest by...

 and Rock Island Cove. It is lined by Perry Beach, which runs along Manet Avenue; Nut Island

Nut Island

Nut Island is a former island in Boston Harbor, part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island has been connected through a short causeway to the end of Houghs Neck, becoming part of the mainland of Quincy, Massachusetts....

, which is just beyond Great Hill at the very end of the peninsula; and Edgewater Drive.

Houghs Neck is commonly referred to by locals as "The Neck," and its residents as "Neckahs" ("Neckers") or "Neckies".

History

Houghs Neck (also "Hough's Neck", both ) is named for Atherton Hough, who was granted the land in 1636 as a farm and orchard. The neighborhood's elementary school is also named for Atherton Hough. The peninsula has been called the "flounder capital of the world" (or God's country by some locals) and once hosting six boat rental businesses geared toward catching the bottom dwelling winter flounder

Winter flounder

The winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, is a right-eyed flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is native to coastal waters of the western north Atlantic coast, from Labrador, Canada to Georgia, United States...

 that spent the cold weather months in Boston Harbor

Boston Harbor

Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...

. Currently, Houghs Neck is a thickly settled neighborhood.

Transportation

Sea Street and Manet Avenue are major thoroughfares in the neighborhood. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...

 provides service to Houghs Neck with the 216 bus route, which links this area to the Red Line

Red Line (MBTA)

The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the MBTA running roughly north-south through Boston, Massachusetts into neighboring communities. The line begins west of Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Alewife station, near the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Route 2...

 train station in Quincy Center

Quincy Center (Quincy, Massachusetts)

Quincy Center is an area of Quincy, Massachusetts, centered along Hancock Street and covering the downtown area of the city. The area is a retail shopping locale and also includes the City Hall, the Thomas Crane Public Library, several churches, including the United First Parish Church, where John...

.

External links

• United State Geological Survey Geographic Names Information Service:614088 Houghs Neck