Braintree, Massachusetts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Braintree, Massachusetts
City
Town of Braintree
Braintree Town Hall in 2009
Flag Seal
Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts
Braintree, Massachusetts Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Norfolk
Settled	1625
Colonized	1635
Incorporated	1640
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
Area
• Total	14.56 sq mi (37.72 km2)
• Land	13.76 sq mi (35.65 km2)
• Water	0.80 sq mi (2.08 km2)
Elevation	90 ft (27 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	39,143
• Density	2,844.69/sq mi (1,097.98/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	02184/02185 (Braintree Highlands)
Area code(s)	339 / 781
FIPS code	25-07740, 25-07665
GNIS feature ID	0618316

Braintree, officially the Town of Braintree, is a municipality in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree is a city, with a mayor-council form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 39,143 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Greater Boston area with access to the MBTA Red Line, and is a member of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council's South Shore Coalition. The first mayor of Braintree was Joe Sullivan who served until January 2020. The current mayor of Braintree is Charles Kokoros.

Braintree, Massachusetts, is named after Braintree, Essex, in England. The town was first chartered in 1640. Later, some sections of Braintree formed separate municipalities: Quincy (1792), Randolph (1793), and Holbrook (1872).

History

The town of Braintree was settled in 1625, colonized in 1635 and incorporated in 1640 and named after the English town of Braintree. It comprised land that was later split into Quincy (incorporated in 1792), Randolph (1793), and Holbrook (1872). Braintree was part of Suffolk County until the formation of Norfolk County in 1793.

The town of Braintree was the birthplace of presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, as well as statesman John Hancock. General Sylvanus Thayer, the "Father of West Point" was also born in Braintree, in the section of town now known as Braintree Highlands.

Braintree was the site of the infamous 1920 murders that led to the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti. It was the retirement home of the co-inventor of the telephone, Thomas A. Watson.

Braintree's population grew by over 50% during the 1920s.

In January 2008, Braintree converted from a representative town meeting form of government to a mayor-council government.

Lawrie Whitmore was officially accepted into the Braintree group of friends in March of 2017,

Geography

Braintree shares borders with Quincy to the north, Randolph to the west (separated by the Cochato River), Holbrook to the south, and Weymouth to the east.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.5 square miles (37.6 km²), of which 13.9 square miles (36.0 km²) is land and 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km²) is water. The total area is 4.34% water

Park and recreation locations in Braintree include Pond Meadow Park, Sunset Lake, and Blue Hills Reservation.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 33,828 people, 12,652 households, and 8,907 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,434.4 people per square mile (939.6/km²). There were 12,973 housing units at an average density of 933.6 per square mile (360.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.96% White, 1.18% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 3.14% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.16% of the population. More than 46% of town residents had Irish ancestry. As of 2014 Braintree had the 2nd highest concentration of Irish Americans in the entire country, slightly behind Scituate, Massachusetts.

There were 12,652 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the town the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $85,590, and the median income for a family was $90,590 as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $89,607 versus $36,034 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,683. About 2.1% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

General Sylvanus Thayer Birthplace

• Blue Hills Reservation
• General Sylvanus Thayer Birthplace
• Hollingsworth Park
• Monatiquot River
• Pond Meadow Park
• South Shore Plaza
• Sunset Lake
• Dave & Busters

Sports

Braintree High School participates in the Bay State Conference, a Division 1 conference in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. The girls' basketball team has won back-to-back state championships and finished 2014 undefeated. The Braintree High dance team competes at the regional and national stage. The Wamps baseball team won the Super Eight Baseball Tournament in 2015 over St. John's Preparatory School in their second-straight finals appearance.

Braintree American Little League plays at Michael F. Dunn Little League Complex located at Hollingsworth Park. East Braintree Little League plays at Watson Park.

The Braintree Athletic Complex is scheduled to be located at Braintree High School and will feature two ice hockey rinks, a basketball court, a multi-use court, a swimming pool and an indoor baseball diamond.

Education

Braintree is home to various educational institutions, both private and public.

Public primary and secondary education

Public education at the primary and secondary levels is managed by Braintree Public Schools (BPS), a system that includes one kindergarten center, six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.

Public high school

• Braintree High School

Public middle schools

• East Middle School
• South Middle School

Public elementary schools

• Flaherty Elementary School
• Highlands Elementary School
• Hollis Elementary School
• Liberty Elementary School
• Morrison Elementary School
• Ross Elementary School

Private and alternative education

Private and alternative education institutions in Braintree include Thayer Academy, Archbishop Williams High School, and CATS Academy.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Braintree is situated in the Greater Boston Area, which has rail, air, and highway facilities. State Route 128 and Interstate 95 divide the region into inner and outer zones, which are connected by numerous "spokes" providing direct access to the airport, port, and intermodal facilities of Boston.

Sunset Lake provides swimming and boating opportunities for residents. The steeple in the background is part of the South Congregational Church.

Principal highways in Braintree are Interstate 93 (which runs concurrently with U.S. 1) and Route 3, as well as 37, and 53. Entering Braintree from the north, I-93, Route 1, and Route 3 all run concurrently as the Southeast Expressway from Boston; in Braintree they diverge, with Route 3 heading south toward Cape Cod as the Pilgrims Highway, and I-93 and Route 1 heading west toward Route 128.

Commuter rail service to South Station, Boston, is available on the Middleboro & Plymouth lines from the Braintree Red Line/Commuter Rail Station located on Union Street. The CapeFLYER rail service from Boston to Hyannis as well as Buzzards Bay stations also stops at Braintree Station. The MBTA Red Line is accessible at the same location. Weekday rail service on the Greenbush Line started in late 2007 and is accessible from the Weymouth Landing/East Braintree station on Quincy Avenue. In July 2017, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and other Baker administration transportation officials visited a construction project in the city to highlight $2.8 billion spent during Baker's administration on highway construction projects and improvements to bridges, intersections, and sidewalks. Freight Rail service is provided by Fore River Transportation Corporation, and CSX Transportation.

From 1948 to 1968, the town was the home of Braintree Airport, a general aviation airport located near Great Pond that was used by civil defense officials and private pilots. The airport featured a 2,800-foot (850 m) dirt runway and offered flight training. Residential development, proximity to the town's water supply, and a number of accidents led to its closure in 1968.

Water and Sewer

In 2020, Braintree, together with Randolph, and Holbrook, formed a regional drinking water supply agency, which is called the Tri-Town Water Board. Braintree operates its own water treatment plant while a second treatment plant serves the Randolph-Holbrook Joint Water Board.

Notable people

• Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams; mother of John Quincy Adams
• Henry Adams, original emigrant to the Americas
• Jeremy Adams, original emigrant to the Americas
• John Adams, second President of the United States; first Vice President of the United States; signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence
• John Quincy Adams, diplomat, sixth President of the United States; member of the United States House of Representatives
• Joe Amorosino, reporter and sports director for WHDH-TV
• Oscar Florianus Bluemner, German-born American Modernist painter
• Jim Calhoun, former head coach of University of Connecticut men's basketball team
• Priscilla Chan, philanthropist and pediatrician; wife of Mark Zuckerberg
• Chris Doherty, musician and recording artist from the band Gang Green
• Adam Gaudette, NHL player
• Brian Gibbons, NHL player
• John Hancock, signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence; fourth President of the Continental Congress; first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; diplomat and statesman
• Henry Hope, member of the Dutch bankers Hope & Co.
• Tiffany Kelly, beauty pageant winner, Miss Massachusetts of 2006
• Peter Kormann, gymnast and winner of the bronze medal in men's floor competition at the 1976 Olympics
• Don McKenney, hockey center; captain of the Boston Bruins, 1954–1963
• Jose Offerman, baseball player for the Boston Red Sox
• Rufus Putnam, American Revolutionary War military officer
• William Rosenberg, creator of the Dunkin' Donuts restaurant chain
• Nick Santino, founding member of the American rock band A Rocket to the Moon
• Butch Stearns, sports anchorman; Chief Content Officer for the Pulse Network
• Sylvanus Thayer, superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy; called "the father of West Point"
• Mo Vaughn, baseball player for the Boston Red Sox
• Donnie Wahlberg, record producer, songwriter, singer, actor; founding member of the musical group New Kids on the Block
• Mark Wahlberg, film and television producer; Academy Award-nominated actor; former lead singer of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
• Thomas A. Watson, primary assistant of Alexander Graham Bell; assisted in invention of the telephone; founder of Fore River Shipyard

Images for kids

• 

  Thayer Public Library

See also

In Spanish: Braintree (Massachusetts) para niños