Welcome to Braintree

Braintree is a town in Norfolk County about 10 miles south of Boston, where I-93 and Route 3 meet at the Braintree Split. It pairs village areas like Braintree Center, South Braintree, East Braintree on the Weymouth Fore River, and the Highlands with the southern end of the Red Line, commuter rail, Pond Meadow Park, and part of the Blue Hills Reservation.

About Braintree

The area was home to Native people long before English settlement, and colonists from Boston settled here in the mid-1600s. Braintree was incorporated in 1640. Old Braintree was much larger than today's town: its north precinct became Quincy in 1792 and its south precinct became Randolph in 1793, and today's Braintree grew from the old middle precinct. The birthplaces of John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and John Hancock are in the part that became Quincy.

Mills on the Monatiquot River, shoemaking, and granite quarrying shaped the 1700s and 1800s, and the Old Colony Railroad reached South Braintree in 1845. Sylvanus Thayer, superintendent of West Point from 1817 to 1833, was born here in 1785, and his bequest founded the town library. Braintree has run its own electric utility since 1892. Today Braintree is governed by a mayor and town council but keeps the name Town of Braintree. Braintree borders Quincy to the north, Weymouth to the east, Holbrook to the south, and Randolph to the west.

Getting Around

Braintree station on Ivory Street is the southern end of the Red Line's Braintree branch, and the same station serves the MBTA Fall River/New Bedford and Kingston commuter rail lines to South Station. Weymouth Landing/East Braintree station on the Greenbush Line sits just over the line in Weymouth. MBTA bus routes connect Braintree with Quincy Center and South Shore Plaza. I-93 and Route 3 split in Braintree, Route 37 runs north and south past South Shore Plaza, and Route 53 crosses the east side of town between Weymouth and Quincy.

Braintree Real Estate

Braintree real estate is mostly established single-family neighborhoods, with small clusters of newer homes and several condominium communities. Center-chimney Capes from the 1700s survive in East Braintree, Federal houses line parts of Washington Street, and Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival homes date from the 1800s and early 1900s. Revival-style houses from the 1920s and 1930s and postwar homes fill out much of the town.

The Gen. Sylvanus Thayer House, a 1720 saltbox, the original 1874 Thayer Public Library building, and All Souls Church are individually listed on the National Register. Areas include Braintree Center along Washington Street, South Braintree, East Braintree along the Fore River, the Highlands, and Five Corners, where West Street meets Route 37.

Living in Braintree

Pond Meadow Park, shared with Weymouth, covers more than 300 acres around a pond with a paved loop path for walking and biking. Part of the Blue Hills Reservation reaches into Braintree, and the town lists Sunset Lake, Smith Beach, the Town Forest, the Cranberry Pond conservation area, and a public 18-hole golf course among its recreation spots.

The Thayer Public Library moved into its current building in 1999, and the Braintree Historical Society runs the Thayer House as a museum across from Town Hall. South Shore Plaza, a large regional mall, sits on Route 37, and Braintree Day each summer brings a parade on Washington Street, a festival, and fireworks.

Questions About Braintree

How do you get to Boston from Braintree?

Braintree station is the end of the Red Line's Braintree branch, with trains to downtown Boston and Cambridge, and it also has Fall River/New Bedford and Kingston Line commuter rail to South Station. By car, I-93 heads north into Boston.

What kinds of homes are in Braintree?

Braintree is mostly single-family neighborhoods, from colonial Capes and Federal houses to Victorian, Colonial Revival, and postwar homes, along with several condominium communities.

What is the Braintree Split?

The Braintree Split is the highway interchange in Braintree where I-93 heads west toward Canton and Route 3 heads south toward Cape Cod.

To see homes for sale in Braintree, browse the listings below. Thinking of buying or selling in Braintree? Call (617) 848-9616 or get a free home valuation. Braintree is part of our South Shore guide.

Photos: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 and John Phelan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.