Brighton, Boston, Massachusetts

Brighton is a working class, blue-collar section of the city of Boston, Massachusetts.

History

The area was established in the late 17th century and was known as "Little Cambridge" in its early years. In 1807 residents acquired legal separation from Cambridge and named the town Brighton. In 1874 the town was officially annexed into the City of Boston. Brighton was home to agricultural plots and stockyards in post-colonial days. The extension of street car lines in the 1800s, however, encouraged residential growth, and soon houses, triple deckers and apartments were built across the neighborhood. Brighton is fairly quiet, especially at night. The neighborhood, which is primarily populated by graduate students, young professionals and families, consists of an intricate network of streets lined with houses and small apartment buildings. Local family businesses mix with national chains of pharmacies and banks along Brighton's main street, Washington Street, which runs straight through Brighton Center to Oak Square.

Brighton is also home to the Archdiocese of Boston and St. John's Seminary, and is a center of Catholic life in Boston.

In 2003, the community, along with neighboring Allston, saw an outbreak of bedbugs in hundreds of apartments. A $200 subsidy was offered to tenants with infested mattresses ^*, and bedbug extermination workshops were held by the Boston Inspectional Services Housing Division.

Geography

Brighton appears on a map as a western appendage of Boston, connected to the rest of the city by the Allston neighborhood and otherwise surrounded on all sides by the cities of Cambridge, Watertown, and Newton, and the town of Brookline. Allston-Brighton is often considered collectively as one neighborhood.

The Charles River separates Brighton from Cambridge and Watertown.

Demographics

The area is mostly inhabited by families and college students. Brazilians, Irish, Greeks, Italians and Latinos are among the most prominent ethnic groups of the neighborhood. This can be observed by the abundance of Latin/Brazilian shops along Cambridge St. and Brighton Ave. along with the great number of Irish pubs and convenience stores. Similar to Brookline, its neighbor to the south, Brighton is home to a significant Jewish community.

Colleges and universities

Brighton is host to the Bryman Institute, Saint Johns Seminary and part of Boston College. The area is also proximal to other colleges, including Boston University, and houses many of their students and faculty.

In 2006, WGBH is expected to move their studios to Brighton from their current location at 125 Western Avenue, Allston.

Transportation

Major streets in Brighton include Commonwealth Avenue, Washington Street and Market Street. The B line of the Boston MBTA subway Green Line runs directly through the neighborhood along Commonwealth Avenue, and the C line of the Green Line ends at Cleveland Circle after passing through Brookline.

External links

Brighton-Allston Historical Society