Boston's diverse neighborhoods serve as a political and cultural organizing mechanism. The City of Boston's Office of Neighborhood Services has designated 23 Neighborhoods in the city: * Allston * Back Bay * Bay Village * Beacon Hill * Brighton * Charlestown * Chinatown–Leather District * Dorchester (divided for planning purposes into Mid-Dorchester and Dorchester) * Downtown * East Boston * Fenway-Kenmore (includes Longwood) * Hyde Park * Jamaica Plain * Mattapan * Mission Hill * North End * Roslindale * Roxbury * South Boston * South End * West End * West Roxbury * Wharf District