Brighton is a former town and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the English city of Brighton. 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. The Aberdeen section of Brighton was designated as a local architectural conservation district by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 2001.
History
thumb|left|upright=1.0|The Old First Church of Brighton 1744–1811
thumb|left|upright=1.0|1852 map of Boston area showing Brighton and rail lines
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 Newtowne,
Transportation
Brighton is accessible via the B branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)'s Green Line light rail service, which has 11 stops along Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton, terminating at the Boston College stop at the western edge of Brighton. Cleveland Circle on the C branch is located in the southern tip of Brighton, and Reservoir station on the D branch is located one block to the south. The former A branch of the Green Line, (discontinued in 1969), also served the community. Brighton is also served by MBTA bus routes , , , , , , , , and , as well as Boston Landing station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line.
Geography
thumb|upright=1.0|right|Cemetery and apartment houses along [[Commonwealth Avenue, Boston|Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton, near Chandler's Pond]]
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 (zip code 02134). The two are referred to together as "Allston–Brighton " (and by some as "Brighton–Allston"), and (also according to Census Bureau data) 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 to 2019.
Demographics
As of 2020, the estimated population of Brighton is 48,330. The population density is 15,784 per mi<sup>2</sup>, slightly lower than the citywide average of 16,686 per mi<sup>2</sup>. The median age is 29.3. The largest measured age cohort is 25–34, which comprises 36.4% of the population (note: depending on methodology, college students might not be counted). 60.7% of the population have never been married.
The population was 65.5% white, 14.9% Asian American, 4.4% black or African American, and nearly 11.1% Hispanic of any race.
|-
! Race
! Percentage of <br/>02135<br/>population
! Percentage of<br/>Massachusetts<br/>population
! Percentage of<br/>United States<br/>population
! ZIP Code-to-State<br/>Difference
! ZIP Code-to-USA<br/>Difference
|-
| White || 72.2% || 81.3% || 76.6% || –9.1% || –4.4%
|-
| White (Non-Hispanic) || 66.3% || 72.1% || 60.7% || –5.8% || +5.6%
|-
| Asian || 15.8% || 6.9% || 5.8% || +8.9% || +10.0%
|-
| Hispanic || 10.2% || 11.9% || 18.1% || –1.7% || –7.9%
|-
| Black || 5.1% || 8.8% || 13.4% || –3.7% || –8.3%
|-
| Native Americans/Hawaiians || 0.5% || 0.6% || 1.5% || –0.1% || –1.0%
|-
| Two or more races || 2.6% || 2.4% || 2.7% || +0.2% || –0.1%
|}
According to the 2012–2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the largest ancestry groups in ZIP Code 02135 are: