Brookline ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of the City of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Allston, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and West Roxbury. The city of Newton borders Brookline to the west. It is known for being the birthplace of Conan O'Brien and U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
The land which comprises what is today Brookline was first settled in 1638 as a hamlet in Boston, known as Muddy River (as it was settled on the west side of the river of the same name). It was incorporated as a separate town with the name of Brookline in 1705.
Several streets and railroads were laid out in the town in the 19th century. Today, these are Massachusetts Route 9 (locally Boylston St., which unofficially divides north and south Brookline) and the various branches of the MBTA's Green Line. To the north of Route 9, the area is fairly urban; the southern part is much less so.
At the time of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 63,191.
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