History
Brookline was originally established as the settlement of Muddy River. Unlike many other Boston communities it was first considered part of Boston, and then became independent. Brookline incorporated as a town in 1705 taking its name from the brooks that formed the borders with Brighton and Roxbury. Edward Devotion (1621–1685) settled in Brookline around 1650. The Edward Devotion House is one of the oldest colonial structures in town and is now the home of the Brookline Historic Society.
When the designer of New York’s Central Park Frederick Law Olmsted laid out Boston’s Emerald Necklace in the 1890s, the Muddy River was set aside as parkland. Olmsted’s century old business headquarters has been preserved as the 7 acre Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site at 99 Warren Street.
Description
Brookline is small geographically, only 6.8 square miles and is practically surrounded by the city of Boston. To the west the town borders the city of Newton. In 1873, it refused annexation by the City of Boston.
Schools include eight elementary schools, one public high school, Brookline High, and several exclusive private schools like the Beaver Country Day School. Colleges include Pine Manor College as well as The New England Institute of Art and parts of Wheelock College, Boston University and Boston College.
Residents
58,000 people live in Brookline. The town is well to do and well educated with a median household income in 2008 of $98,324 compared to $65, 400 for the state as a whole. 77% of the population of 25 and older has earned a BA or better. The median age for residents is 34.5. The population is 73% white, 17% Asian, 5% Hispanic, with more listing themselves as mixed race at 2.3% than black at 2.1%. A third of the town is Jewish, so it’s a major center of Jewish life in Greater Boston and includes the first Jewish congregation in Massachusetts, Ohabei Shalom.
Brookline is very safe area. Between 2000-2008 there were all of 3 murders in town. Because Brookline never became a city, it is still governed by town meetings, with a five person Board of Selectmen serving as the executive.
Rental Housing
The median monthly rent is $1,707. Much of Brookline, especially the Eastern part, was developed into a streetcar suburb, with large brick apartment buildings along the new electric trolley lines. The town is readily accessible by the MBTA’s Green Line and easily accessible to the Massachusetts Turnpike. There is no overnight street parking allowed in town, so if you drive and rent make sure you have a place to park.
Fun Stuff
Brookline’s major retail centers are at Coolidge Corner, Brookline Village, Washington Square, Cleveland Circle and the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center. They are pedestrian friendly and have plenty of restaurants and first run movie theaters.
The town is park like with large estates as well as plenty of public land. The town has its own working farm. It’s home to both the nation’s oldest country club and a town golf course. The Larz Anderson Auto Museum is worth a visit. The estate holds the oldest automobile collection in the country.
A must see is the John F. Kennedy birthplace, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Although we think of the Kennedy clan as a wealthy family, it’s interesting to see the modest origins of our 35th President. The site is maintained by the National Park Service and is open to the public from May through September.
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