Brockton, Massachusetts

Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 94,304 at the 2000 census. The city and Plymouth are the county seats of Plymouth County. Brockton is the 6th largest city in Massachusetts and claims to be the "City of Champions", mainly due to the success of native boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, as well as its extremely successful Brockton High School sports programs (especially the football team).

History

In 1649, Ousamequin (Massasoit) sold the surrounding land, then known as Saughtucket, to Myles Standish as an addition to Duxbury. Brockton was part of this area, which the English renamed Bridgewater, until 1821, when it became the town of North Bridgewater. Its name changed in 1874, and was incorporated a city on April 9, 1881. During the American Civil War, Brockton was America's largest producer of shoes, and until the latter parts of the 20th century Brockton had a large shoe and leather products industry.

Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested in Brockton in 1920.

Historical Firsts

Brockton has claim to three "Firsts" in the world, and two in the country. On October 1, 1883, Brockton became the first place in the world to have a three wire underground electrical system when Thomas Edison threw a switch to activate it. For the other two firsts for electricity, Brockton was home to the first theater in world to be tied into the three wire electrical system. The City Theater opened on October 24, 1894. On December 30, 1884, the first electrically operated fire station in the United States opened in Brockton.

In addition, the department store Santa Claus, now a main-stay of the Christmas season everywhere, appeared in Brockton in December 1890, when James Edgar, of Edgar's Department Store, suited up for the first time.

Also of some note, Brockton became the first city in the country to abolish grade crossings in 1896.

Geography

Brockton is located at (42.082500, -71.021788).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 55.9 km² (21.6 mi²). 55.6 km² (21.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.56%) is water.

Demographics

1890 - 27,273
1900 - 40,063
1910 - 56,878
1920 - 66,254
1930 - 63,797
1940 - 62,343
1950 - 62,860
1960 - 62,628
1970 - 72,813
1980 - 95,172
1990 - 92,788
2000 - 94,304
2002 - 95,437 (estimate)

Population trends

As of the census of 2000, there were 94,304 people, 33,675 households, and 22,764 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,695.9/km² (4,392.8/mi²). There were 34,837 housing units at an average density of 626.5/km² (1,622.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.49% White, 17.83% African American, 0.36% Native American, 2.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 10.32% from other races, and 7.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.01% of the population.

There were 33,675 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 19.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.35.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,507, and the median income for a family was $46,235. Males had a median income of $34,255 versus $26,886 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,163. About 12.1% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Brockton has a substantial city government led by a mayor and city council. The city elects a mayor for two year terms. The city council consists of 4 Councilors at Large and 7 Councilors, one for every ward in the city.

Politically, the city is divided into 7 wards and 28 precincts (4 precincts per ward, i.e. Ward 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D).

A school committee is also elected by the citizens with one member per ward.

Transportation

Brockton is located along MA 24, a highway-grade roadway which connects the city to I-93 to the north, and I-495 and I-195 to the south.

The MBTA operates a commuter rail line to Brockton, with one of the stations located in the downtown district. BAT (Brockton Area Transit Authority) operates bus lines throughout the city as well as an intermodal transportation facility in downtown Brockton.

External links

Cities in Massachusetts | Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Brockton (Massachusetts) | Brockton, Massachusetts | Brockton