Brockton, MA - ProfilesArchive

About Me

The City of Brockton is a major urban community south of Boston with a rich industrial history. In 1649 the Native Americans sold the lands now comprising Brockton to Myles Standish and John Alden at a price of approximately thirty dollars. During the 1800's the land was part of Bridgewater and in 1821 separated itself to become North Bridgewater. The name of Brockton was adopted in 1874 and the City was incorporated under that name in 1881.
Brockton was the shoe manufacturing center of the region from the late 18th century through the 1950's. In the Civil War, it was claimed that half of the Union Army wore boots made in Brockton and at the height of the shoe manufacturing in 1929, more than 30,000 people were employed by shoe manufacturers in a city which dominated the world footwear market until after World War II.
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.
The community prides itself on its diversity; of populations, of interests and of facilities. Brockton hosts the Fuller Museum of Art, felt by residents to be one of the finest small museums in the country, as well as the Brockton Historical Society Complex with museums devoted to shoes, fire fighting artifacts and Thomas Edison. Residents take special pride in their sports heros, who include undefeated world heavyweight champion, Rocky Marciano and middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler. William H. McGunnigle, less known but of great importance, was the Brockton resident credited with inventing the first baseball glove.
Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested in Brockton in 1920.
Headlines were formally posted in street-corner window of the newspaper office of the Brockton Enterprise, 60 Main Street, Brockton, Massachusetts.
** A great website about what's happening in Brockton!**
www.inbrockton.com
**Narrative compiled by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.

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Brockton High School: Brockton High School is a comprehensive high school located in the city of Brockton, 30 miles south of Boston, MA. 4,200 students occupy the nine buildings which comprise the current high school, which opened in 1970. The building is approximately the size of an aircraft carrier (1/3 mile long) and has 13.5 acres of floor space, about half the size of the Prudential Center in Boston.Information on this page was obtained from http://brocktonmagenealogy.tripod.com/.

My Interests

**A note from the author** It is with great pleasure that I introduce this MySpace page dedicated to my hometown of Brockton, MA. I came to the decision to create this page after noting that such cities and towns as Boston, New Bedford and even Westford, Massachusetts all had pages devoted unto themselves. I thought, "How can Brockton, a city with a rich and illustrious history and an immense amount of civic pride not have a page on the nation's, if not the world's largest community website." It was at that point I began to research books, websites and other educational resources in order to provide a quick snapshot of the city aptly nicknamed, "The City of Champions." I was born in Brockton Hospital and went to Brockton Schools throughout my youth. I am a proud 1999 graduate of what I consider to be the greatest high school in America. Among my friends during my high school years it was an ongoing jest that I had maybe a little too much Brockton pride...I mean, is that possible? Although our fair city has faded from the lime light during these past 40 or so years, it is imperative that true native Brocktonians hold their heads high and support the city that is their hometown. Together we can rally to bring back some of Brockton's former glory and maintain our sense of community hubris. Thank you for visiting Brockton's MySpace page! Smile in knowing that your hometown was at the helm of the Industrial Revolution, and still today takes the best of the traditions of its past as it strives to elevate itself to the status befitting its title "City of Champions". Warm regards, Lindsey D.

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BROCKTON, A HISTORY IN PICTURES - Place cursor over pictures and click to read the photos caption. Most photos have a caption attached.
| View | Add FavoriteOne of the darkest days in Brockton's history occurred on March 10, 1941 when 13 firefighters were killed battling a huge blaze at the Strand Theater. The tragedy remains the single deadliest day for firefighters in America besides the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.

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Geography:Brockton is located at 42Â°4'57?N, 71Â°1'18?W (42.082500, -71.021788)GR1.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 55.9 kmÂ² (21.6 miÂ²). 55.6 kmÂ² (21.5 miÂ²) of it is land and 0.3 kmÂ² (0.1 miÂ²) of it (0.56%) is water.Demographics Population trends 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) As of the censusGR2 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/kmÂ² (4,392.8/miÂ²). There were 34,837 housing units at an average density of 626.5/kmÂ² (1,622.8/miÂ²). 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.

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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.

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TransportationBrockton 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.

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Here are some helpful Brockton based websites that may be of interest to you: ***Brockton Public Schools: http://www.brocktonpublicschools.com/ ***Brockton City Overview: http://www.brockton.ma.us/Section_About/AboutTheCity.cfm ***BAT - Public Transportation: http://homepage.mac.com/appleblossom/bat/bat.html ***MBTA - Commuter Rail Schedule: http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_commuter_linedetai l.asp?line=middle ***Brockton City Hall: http://www.brockton.net/brocktoncityhall.htm ***City Homepage: http://www.brockton.ma.us/