Brighton

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 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.

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.

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.