HISTORY:
The story of Holbrook's split from Randolph starts in 1871, when pressure had been building in East Randolph for an independent town. After a little "misunderstanding" (according to Randolph brethren, the Eastern group used rather stronger language) about the placement of a cupola on top of Stetson Hall as a vent for the gas lighting, the pot boiled over and East Randolph petitioned to be incorporated as a separate town. The town was named for benefactor Elisha N. Holbrook, who provided the town with the funds for the town hall and library upon incorporation. Holbrook residents again took up arms in the First and Second World Wars. The latter had a great impact on the life of the community. After 1945, demobilization created a building boom and altered the economy and lifestyle across the United States. Holbrook experienced a housing boom and became a largely residential community, in which some service industry provides local jobs, but from which most residents commute to work in Greater Boston.
DEMOGRAPHICS:
According to the US Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.4 sq miles (19.2 km˛), of which, 7.3 square miles (19.0 km˛) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km˛) of it (0.69%) is water. There were 4,076 households of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.19. The age distribution was 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males. The median household income was $54,419, and the median family income was $62,532. Males had a median income of $43,134 versus $35,305 for females. The per income for the town was $23,379. About 4.3% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
TRANSPORTATION:
Holbrook is situated in the Greater Boston Area, which has excellent rail, air and highway facilities. Route 128 and Interstate 495 divide the region into inner and outer zones, which are connected by numerous "spokes" providing direct access to the airport, port, and intermodal facilities of Boston. Principal highways are Routes 37 and 139, which intersect at the center of the town. Commuter rail service to South Station, Boston, is available on the Middleboro line from the Holbrook/Randolph Rail Station located on the Holbrook/Randolph Town line and Union Street (Route 139). The MBTA Red Line is accessible in Braintree and Quincy.
Holbrook is a member of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) which provides fixed bus route service to Quincy Adams, Quincy Center and Braintree Stations. Holbrook is served by the 230 Bus from Quincy Center Station. The MBTA also provides THE RIDE, a paratransit service for the elderly and disabled. Norwood Memorial Airport, a Reliever (RL) facility, is easily accessible. It has 2 asphalt runways 4,001'x 150' and 4,007'x 150'. However the majority of Holbrook residents use Logan International Airport for Air transportation as Norwood is a General Aviation only facility.
