Magazine article envisions an even greater Boston

The November issue of Boston magazine featured a whimsical proposal: that the state’s largest city could become considerably larger by absorbing many of its neighbors.

“Annex Brookline!,” written by Colin Kingsbury and published ahead of the Nov. 5 Boston mayoral election, lays out a scenario in which Boston could swell to roughly twice its current population with the absorption of Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Chelsea, Everett, Quincy and other nearby cities and towns.

The article is accompanied by a military-style map complete with “invasion arrows” that extend as far north as Medford and Malden.

“While no one expects Cambridge to put up a fight – the city’s nonviolent resistance could be easily dispatched by a postgame crowd of Bruins fans marching over the Longfellow [Bridge] – Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone can be counted on to mount a defense worthy of the Alamo,” Kingsbury wrote.

[In a tongue-in-cheek response he posted on Facebook, Curtatone envisioned that “waves of street performers, local bands, artists and artisans, specialty foods vendors and craft brewers would descend upon Cambridge” and drive the invading forces back across the Charles River.]

Kingsbury’s article isn’t entirely satirical, however. He discusses how Boston grew to its present size by annexing nearby towns in the late 19th century. In 1873, Charlestown, Allston-Brighton and West Roxbury (which then also included Jamaica Plain and Roslindale) all voted in favor of annexation. Brookline residents, however, chose to remain independent. Boston achieved its current boundaries in 1912, when Hyde Park was annexed.

Kingsbury also notes that some large cities in the south and west, such as Houston, aggressively expanded their territory throughout the past century.

To read the article, go to www.bostonmagazine.com and type in “Annex Brookline” in the search box.