Jamaica Plain is a historic neighborhood of 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²) in Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

. Founded by Boston Puritan

Puritan

The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...

s seeking farm land to the south, it was originally part of the city of Roxbury. The community seceded from Roxbury as a part of the new town of West Roxbury

West Roxbury, Massachusetts

West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston bordered by Roslindale to the north, the Town of Dedham to the east and south, the Town of Brookline and the City of Newton to the west. Many people mistakenly confuse West Roxbury with Roxbury, but the two are not connected. West Roxbury is separated from...

 in 1851, and became part of Boston when West Roxbury was annexed to Boston in 1874.The oldest community theatre in the US, Footlight Club

Footlight Club

The Footlight Club is the oldest continuously-running community theatre group in the United States of America, having performed every year since 1877...

 is located in this neighborhood.