Braintree, Massachusetts

== History == Braintree was colonized in 1635 and incorporated in 1640.

Braintree was part of Suffolk County until the formation of Norfolk County in 1793.

In 1888, the villages of Braintree and South Braintree were separate communities within the town of Braintree.

In 1920, Braintree was the site of the murders that led to the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti.

Official temperature records have ranged from −21 °F (−29 °C) in February 1934, up to 101 °F (38 °C) in August 1949 and 1974.

From 1948 to 1968, the town was the home of Braintree Airport, a general aviation airport located near Great Pond that was used by civil defense officials and private pilots.

From 1964 to 1991, Braintree was the location of the largest Valle's Steak House in the restaurant chain.

Residential development, proximity to the town's water supply, and a number of accidents led to its closure in 1968.

In 1980, then presidential candidate Ronald Reagan made a campaign speech at a South Shore Chamber of Commerce luncheon held there.

== Demographics == As of the census of 2000, there were 33,828 people, 12,652 households, and 8,907 families residing in the town.

The median income for a household in the town was $85,590, and the median income for a family was $90,590 as of a 2007 estimate).

"Images of America: Braintree." Arcadia Publishing, 2010.

There is also high year-to-year variability in snowfall; for instance, the winter of 2011−2012 saw only 24.2 in (61.5 cm) of accumulating snow, but in the winter of 2014–2015, t...

The last such storm to impact the city was Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

As of 2014, Braintree had the second highest concentration of Irish Americans in the entire country, slightly behind Scituate, Massachusetts.

The first mayor of Braintree was Joe Sullivan, who served until January 2020.

The current mayor of Braintree is Erin Joyce, who was elected in 2023, defeating incumbent Charles Kokoros.

Braintree formerly had a kindergarten center, but it was closed in 2024.