Blue Hills Avenue, a major north-south thoroughfare, is the oldest road in the neighborhood. It was built as a colonial turnpike to Granby, and, in the mid-19th century, was lined with farm houses.

The neighborhood did not develop as a residential area until a number of factors were in place, including the establishment of the trolley line into the neighborhood and the development of Keney Park at it's eastern border. As with some other neighborhoods in Hartford, Blue Hills experienced tremendous growth in the post-World War I era.

In 1886, the present day campus of the Watkinson School was purchased as a farm by the Watkinson Juvenile Asylum and Farm School, which had been located on Park Street. The school was committed to providing a Christian family life and training in agriculture and work skills for homeless and neglected boys. Now known as Watkinson Hall, the school closed its dairy farm operation and became an education institution in 1946.

In 1943, the Jewish community organized Mount Sinai Hospital, the city's third general hospital. In 1990, the hospital became affiliated with Saint Francis to create a regional health system. It was the first recorded instance of collaboration between a Catholic and Jewish hospital in U.S. history. The two institutions completed the formal merger.

The North Branch of the Park River runs through a length of the western part of the neighborhood. A two-mile nature trail straddling the floodplain between the river and Mark Twain Drive has been developed on what was the site of illegal dumping grounds. The project, coordinated by the Eastern Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development Area, encourages teachers, students and residents to learn about the wildlife and habitats found in the Park River watershed.

In September of 2008, the Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center opened on the corner of Albany Avenue and Westbourne Parkway. The Center is the instructional home for collegiate and Community Division students at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford. It has five dance studios, four theatre rehearsal studios, three vocal studios and two black box theatres as well as faculty offices, a community room, bank and cafe.

The neighborhood's revitalization is also the joint goal of the Blue Hill Civic Association and its affiliate, the Blue Hills Merchants Association. Together, they have worked since 1988 to invigorate the commercial area on Blue Hills Avenue.