Brighton, Boston, Massachusetts

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Cemetery and apartment houses along Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton, near Chandler's Pond
Cemetery and apartment houses along Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton, near Chandler's Pond

Brighton is a neighborhood of the City of Boston, Massachusetts, located in the northwest corner of the city. It comprises land covered by the zip code 02135.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

1852 Map of Boston area showing Brighton and Rail lines.
1852 Map of Boston area showing Brighton and Rail lines.

In 1630, land comprising present-day Allston-Brighton and Newton was assigned to Watertown.[2] In 1634, the Massachusetts Bay Colony transferred ownership of the south side of the Charles River, including present-day Allston-Brighton and Newton, from Watertown to Newetowne,[2] later renamed Cambridge.

In 1646, Reverend John Eliot established a “Praying Indian” village on the present Newton-Brighton boundary, where resided local natives converted to Christianity. The first permanent English settlement came as settlers crossed the Charles River from Cambridge, establishing Little Cambridge, the area's name before 1807.

Before the American Revolutionary War, Little Cambridge become a small, prosperous farming community with fewer than 300 residents. Its inhabitants included wealthy Boston merchants such as Benjamin Faneuil.

A key event in the history of Allston-Brighton was the establishment in 1775 of a cattle market to supply the Continental Army. Jonathan Winship I and Jonathan Winship II established the market, and in the post-war period that followed, the Winships become the largest meat packers in Massachusetts.

The residents of Little Cambridge resolved to secede from Cambridge when the latter's government made decisions detrimental to the cattle industry and also failed to repair the Great Bridge linking the two towns. Legislative approval for separation was obtained in 1807, and Little Cambridge renamed itself Brighton.

In October of 1873, the Town of Brighton voted to annex itself to the City of Boston, and in January of 1874 Brighton officially became a neighborhood of the City of Boston.

[edit] Transportation

Brighton is accessible via the B line of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Green Line as well as its local bus (Routes 57 - Kenmore Square to Watertown Yard, 64 - Oak Square to Central Square (Cambridge) via Cambridge Street, 65 - Kenmore Square to Brighton Center via Longwood Medical District, 70 - Waltham to Central Square (Cambridge) via Western Avenue and 86 - Cleveland Circle to Harvard Square via Market Street) and inner-express bus (Routes 501 - Brighton Center to Financial District and 503 - Brighton Center to Copley Square) routes. The C and D branches of the Green line also run nearby though not through Brighton.

While 47% of the population of Brighton drives alone to work, 36% uses mass transit, compared with 71% and 15% respectively for the United States as a whole.[3]

[edit] Geography

Brighton is a neighborhood of Boston that is connected to the rest of the city by the Allston neighborhood and is otherwise surrounded by Cambridge, Watertown, Newton, and Brookline. The Charles River separates Brighton from Cambridge and Watertown. According to the Census Bureau, Brighton, defined by zip code 02135, has a population of 43,887 and a land area of 2.78 square miles.

Brighton is, for the most part, administered jointly with the adjacent neighborhood of Allston (zip code 02134). The two are often referred to together as "Allston-Brighton" (and by some as "Brighton-Allston"), and (also according to Census Bureau data) have a combined population of 65,276 and a land area of 4.12 square miles.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2007, the estimated population of Brighton is 42,789, a 2.81% loss from the 2000 Census. The population density is 14,797 per mi2, slightly higher than the citywide average of 12,166 per mi2. The median age is 32.2. The largest measured age cohort is 25-34, which comprises 32.52% of the population. (Note: depending on methodology, college students might not be counted.) Fifty-nine percent of the population have never been married.[4]

The population was 78% white, 12% Asian, 3.5% black, and nearly 7% hispanic of any race.[5]

Thirty-three percent of Brighton has graduated from a four-year college.[6]

The median home price is $495,000 compared with $217,200 for the country as a whole, and the cost of living is 30% higher than the national average.[7] Brighton has a comparatively older housing stock. The median home age was 58 years and 42% of homes were built before 1939[8]

The largest religious group (45%) is Catholic, with Protestants and other Christians making up the second-largest, at 10% of the population. The next largest religious identification is Judaism (4%), with Islam at 2%.[9]

[edit] Colleges and universities

Brighton is host to the Bryman Institute, Saint John's Seminary and portions of Boston College and Harvard University. Currently the latter two institutions have ambitious and controversial plans to expand their presence in Brighton. The area is also proximal to other colleges, including Boston University, and houses many of their students and faculty.

See also the List of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston.

[edit] Famous residents

[edit] References

  1. ^ Brighton, Massachusetts (MA) population and demographics data - Sperling's BestPlaces
  2. ^ a b History of Brighton-Allston. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
  3. ^ Brighton, Massachusetts (MA) transportation resources - Sperling's BestPlaces
  4. ^ Brighton, Massachusetts (MA) demographic resources - Sperling's BestPlaces
  5. ^ Brighton, Massachusetts (MA) demographic resources - Sperling's BestPlaces
  6. ^ Brighton, Massachusetts (MA) education and school resources - Sperling's BestPlaces
  7. ^ Brighton, Massachusetts (MA) population and demographics data - Sperling's BestPlaces
  8. ^ Brighton, Massachusetts (MA) real estate resources - Sperling's BestPlaces
  9. ^ Brighton, Massachusetts (MA) religion resources - Sperling's BestPlaces

[edit] External links


Neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts

Allston/Brighton · Back Bay · Beacon Hill · Charlestown · Chinatown · Dorchester · Downtown Crossing · East Boston · Fenway-Kenmore · Government Center · Hyde Park · Jamaica Plain · Longwood · Mattapan · Mission Hill · North End · Roslindale · Roxbury · South Boston · South End · West End · West Roxbury
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