September 1 is a day of moving truck madness, statuesque trash pile-ups, and not-so pleasant traffic jams. The day has even generated its own lingo (see: Storrowing , Allston Christmas ). But despite local lore, the annual move-in phenomenon has largely gone unstudied by housing researchers and economists.

There’s a widely-held notion that Boston’s moving day falls on September 1 because of students starting the new academic year. But is this actually true? Has it always been this way, and will it ever change?

When did September 1 become ‘moving day’?

The earliest mention of September 1 as Boston’s “moving day” in The Boston Globe archives comes from a September 1, 1899 article titled “Getting Back To The City,” according to The Globe ’s researcher and librarian Jeremiah Manio

See Full Page