in
2004. Boston-based department stores Jordan Marsh and Filene's have both been
merged into the Cincinnati–based Macy's. Boston has experienced gentrification
in the latter half of the 20th century, with housing prices increasing sharply
since the 1990s. Living expenses have risen, and Boston has one of the highest
costs of living in the United States, and was ranked the 129th most expensive
major city in the world in a 2011 survey of 214 cities. Despite cost of living
issues, Boston ranks high on livability ratings, ranking 36th worldwide in
quality of living in 2011 in a survey of 221 major cities. On April 15, 2013,
at approximately 2:50 p.m. EDT, two Chechen Islamist brothers exploded two
bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and
injuring hundreds
