Brighton, Boston


Brighton is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the town of Brighton in the English city of Brighton and Hove. Initially Brighton was part of Cambridge, and known as "Little Cambridge". Brighton separated from Cambridge in 1807 after a bridge dispute, and was annexed to Boston in 1874. For much of its early history, it was a rural town with a significant commercial center at its eastern end.
The neighborhood of Allston was also formerly part of the town of Brighton, but is now often considered to be separate, leading to the name Allston–Brighton for the combined area. This historic center of Brighton is the Brighton Center Historic District.

History

In 1630, land comprising present-day Allston–Brighton and Newton was assigned to Watertown. 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, 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 became 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 became 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 Little Cambridge with Cambridge proper. Legislative approval for separation was obtained in 1807, and Little Cambridge renamed itself Brighton.
In 1820, the horticulture industry was introduced to the town. Over the next 20 years, Brighton blossomed as one of the most important gardening neighborhoods in the Boston area. Its businessmen did not neglect the cattle industry, however. In 1834, the Boston & Worcester Railroad was built, solidifying the community's hold on the cattle trade. By 1866, the town contained 41 slaughterhouses, which later were consolidated into the Brighton Stock Yards and Brighton Abattoir.
In October 1873, the Town of Brighton in Middlesex County voted to annex itself to the City of Boston in Suffolk County, and in January 1874 Brighton officially became a neighborhood of the City of Boston. Allston–Brighton's population grew rapidly in the next 50 years, rising from 6,000 in 1875 to 47,000 by 1925.

Transportation

Brighton is accessible via the B branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 's Green Line light rail service, which has 11 stops along Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton. Cleveland Circle on the C branch is located in the southern tip of Brighton, and the D branch is nearby. The former A branch of the Green Line,, also served the community. Brighton is also served by MBTA bus routes,,,,,,,, and, well as Boston Landing station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line.

Geography

Brighton is connected to the rest of Boston by the Allston neighborhood. It 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.
Brighton is administered jointly with the adjacent neighborhood of Allston. The two are referred to together as "Allston–Brighton ", and have a combined population of 65,276 and a land area of. Brighton is generally to the west of Everett, Gordon and Kelton streets., the city councilor of Allston-Brighton is Liz Breadon. Breadon's predecessor Mark Ciommo held this position from 2007-2019.

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. Fifty-nine percent of the population have never been married.
The population was 78% white, 12% Asian American, 3.5% black or African American, and nearly 7% Hispanic of any race.
Thirty-three percent of Brighton residents graduated from a four-year college.
, the median home price was $495,000 compared with $217,200 for the country as a whole, and the cost of living was 30% higher than the national average. Brighton has a comparatively older housing stock. The median home age was 58 years and 42% of homes were built before 1939.
The largest religious group is Catholic, with Protestants and other Christians making up the second-largest, at 10% of the population. The next largest religions are Judaism and Islam 2%.

Race and ancestry

According to the 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the largest ancestry groups in ZIP Code 02135 are:
AncestryPercentage of
02135
population		Percentage of
Massachusetts
population		Percentage of
United States
population		ZIP Code-to-State
Difference		ZIP Code-to-USA
Difference
Irish20.35%21.16%10.39%–0.80%+9.97%
Italian10.96%13.19%5.39%–2.23%+5.57%
Chinese10.70%2.28%1.24%+8.42%+9.46%
English7.72%9.77%7.67%–2.06%+0.05%
German5.82%6.00%14.40%–0.19%–8.59%
Russian4.37%1.65%0.88%+2.72%+3.49%
Polish3.96%4.67%2.93%–0.71%+1.03%
Puerto Rican2.85%4.52%1.66%–1.67%+1.19
American2.51%4.26%6.89%–1.75%–4.39%
French2.37%6.82%2.56%–4.45%–0.19%
French Canadian1.98%3.91%0.65%–1.92%+1.33%
Mexican1.79%0.67%11.96%+1.12%–10.17%
Sub-Saharan African1.66%2.00%1.01%–0.34%+0.64%
Scottish1.57%2.28%1.71%–0.72%–0.15%
Asian Indian1.56%1.39%1.09%+0.17%+0.37%
Swedish1.35%1.67%1.23%–0.32%+0.12%
Greek1.32%1.22%0.40%+0.10%+0.82%
Portuguese1.06%4.40%0.43%–3.34%+0.63%

Education

Brighton is home to many Boston Public Schools:
;Elementary
;Secondary
Brighton was home to many Catholic schools, many of which have closed: Our Lady of the Presentation in Oak Square, Saint Gabriel's, behind Saint Elizabeth Medical Center, Saint Sebastian's School in the Oak Square Heights. Our Lady of Presentation School is currently under study for landmark status by the Boston Landmarks Commission. Remaining are Saint Columbkille's School on Arlington Street and St. Joseph's Preparatory Academy, a co-educational high school located on Cambridge Street. The EF International Language School, an English and college preparatory school for international students, is located on Lake Street. The City of Boston leases the former Hamilton Elementary School building on Chestnut Hill Avenue to Bais Yaakov High School for Girls and Torah Academy of Brookline; Shaloh House Hebrew Day School is several blocks away.
Brighton is home to the Everest Institute, Saint John's Seminary and portions of Boston College. The area is also close to other colleges, including Boston University, and houses many of their students and faculty.

Notable people