HISTORY:
It was called Cochaticquom by the local Cochato and Ponkapoag tribes. The town was incorporated in 1793 from what was formerly the south precinct of the town of Braintree. It is a widely-held assumption that Randolph was named after Peyton Randolph, first president of the Continental Congress. Randolph was formerly the home of several large shoe companies. Many popular styles were made exclusively in Randolph, including the "Randies". At the time of Randolph's incorporation in 1793, local farmers were making shoes and boots to augment household incomes from subsistence farming. In the next half century, this sideline had become the town's major industry, attracting workers from across New England, Canada and Ireland and later from Italy and Eastern Europe, each adding to the quality of life in the town. By 1850, Randolph had become one of the nation's leading boot producers, shipping boots as far away as California and Australia.  The decline of the shoe industry at the beginning of the twentieth century led to Randolph's evolution as a suburban residential community. Boot and shoe making has been supplanted by light manufacturing and service industries. The town's proximity to major transportation networks has resulted in an influx of families from Boston and other localities who live in Randolph but work throughout the metropolitan area.

DEMOGRAPHICS:
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,963 people, 11,313 households, and 7,986 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,075.2 people per square mile (1,187.2/km²). There were 11,533 housing units at an average density of 1,145.4/sq mi (442.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 62.83% White, 20.85% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 10.18% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.53% from other races, and 3.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.25% of the population.
There were 11,313 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.25. In the town the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $55,255, and the median income for a family was $61,942. Males had a median income of $41,719 versus $32,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,413. About 2.5% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

GOVERNMENT:
Randolph is governed by a five-member executive body, the Board of Selectmen, and a representative legislative body, Town Meeting. Selectmen appoint an Executive Secretary, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Town. However, the form of government will switch to a Council-Manager form of government in January, 2010.

TRANSPORTATION:
Randolph is situated in the Greater Boston Area, which has excellent rail, air, and highway facilities. State Route 128 and Interstate Route 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 highway is Interstate 93; parallel N-S State Massachusetts_Route_28 and Massachusetts_Route_24 (the Fall River Expressway), and State Route 139.   Commuter rail service to South Station, Boston, is available on the Middleboro line from the Randolph/Holbrook Rail Station located on the Randolph/Holbrook Town line and Union Street (Route 139). The MBTA Red Line is accessible in Braintree and Quincy.   Randolph is a member of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) which provides fixed route service to Quincy Adams, Quincy Center and Ashmont Stations. Randolph is served by Bus 240 from Ashmont Station and the 238 Bus from Quincy Center Station. The MBTA also provides THE RIDE, a paratransit service for the elderly and disabled.  The Brockton Area Transit (BAT) provides bus service to Brockton (and Ashmont).  The Norwood Memorial Airport, a Reliever (RL) facility, is easily accessible. It has 2 asphalt runways 4,001'x 150' and 4,007'x 150'. Instrument approaches available: Non-precision. However the majority of Randolph residents use Logan International Airport for Air transportation.

EDUCATION:
Randolph has a high school serving grades 9-12 (Randolph High School), a middle school serving grades 7 and 8 (Randolph Community Middle School), and four elementary schools serving grades K-6:  John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Margaret L. Donovan Elementary School,
Martin E. Young Elementary School and Elizabeth G. Lyons Elementary School.  Pre-elementary education (kindergarten) is provided at the respective home schools, the Charles G. Devine Early Childhood Center having been closed in 2007. As part of the Blue Hills Regional School District, Randolph students entering the ninth grade may opt to attend the Blue Hills Regional Technical School, commonly referred to as "Blue Hills" or the Norfolk County Agricultural School, known as "Aggie," instead of Randolph High School. The school system is run by the School Committee.