Randolph, Massachusetts

Randolph in 1839

Before European colonization the area that is now Randolph was occupied by the Massachusett, Wampanoag, and Pokanoket tribes.[5] 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. According to the centennial address delivered by John V. Beal, the town was named after Peyton Randolph, first president of the Continental Congress.[6]

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.

Starting in the 1950s, Randolph saw significant growth in its Jewish community with the exodus of Jews from Boston's Dorchester and Mattapan neighborhoods. In 1950, fifteen or twenty Jewish families lived in the town; by 1970, Randolph had about 7,000 Jewish residents, and about 9,000 in 1980, the largest such community south of Boston. At its peak, Randolph had a kosher butcher, Judaica shop, kosher bakery, and two synagogues. By the early 1990s, the population shrank to about 6,000.[7][8]

The inspiration for the nationally observed Great American Smokeout came from a Randolph High School guidance councilor, who observed in a 1969 discussion with students that he could send all of them to college if he had a nickel for every cigarette butt he found on the ground. This touched off an effort by the Randolph High School class of 1970, supported by the Randolph Rotary Club, to have local smokers give it up for a day and put the savings toward a college scholarship fund. The event went national in 1977.[9]

Registered historic places

The Jonathan Belcher House

Randolph is home to four Nationally Registered Historic Places:

• Jonathan Belcher House, 360 N. Main St. (Listed April 30, 1976)
  Home of Jonathan Belcher (1767–1839), built in 1806, home to the Randolph Womens Club (formerly Ladies Library Association) since 1911.
• Stetson Hall, 6 S. Main St. (Listed December 7, 2011)
  Former Town Hall, built in 1842.
• Ponkapoag Camp of Appalachian Mountain Club (Listed September 25, 1980)
• Gills Farm Archaeological District (Listed October 4, 1983)

Randolph is located at 42°09′24″N 71°2′56″W (42.173417, −71.049124).[10] Located fifteen miles south of Boston, at the intersection of Routes 128 and 24, Randolph's location has been an important factor in its economic and social history. Randolph is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by Milton and Quincy on the north, Braintree and Holbrook on the east, Canton on the west, and Avon and Stoughton on the south and southwest. Randolph is 15 miles south of Boston and 211 miles from New York City.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.5 square miles (27.2 km²), of which 10.1 square miles (26.1 km²) is land and 0.4 square mile (1.1 km²) (4.10%) is water. It is drained by the Cochato River and Blue Hill River, which flow into the Neponset River.

As of the census[23] of 2010, there were 32,158 people, 11,564 households, and 8,038 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,184 inhabitants per square mile (1,229/km²). There were 11,564 housing units at an average density of 1,145.4 per square mile (442.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 41.6% White, 38.3% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 12.4% Asian (6.3% Vietnamese, 3.3% Chinese, 0.9% Filipino, 0.8% Asian Indian) 0.0% Pacific Islander, 3.7% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.4% of the population.

Randolph is one of the fastest growing minority cities in America. 60% of all elementary school students are black, 21% Hispanic (predominately Dominican), 11% White, and 8% Asian.

There were 11,564 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% 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 5.5% of families and 6.5% 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.

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.

Randolph was originally governed by an open town meeting form of government. In an annual town meeting held on March 11, 1947, attendees voted unanimously to adopt a representative town meeting form of government.[24] Under the representative town meeting, the town would be divided into four precincts that would elect 60 town meeting members each.[25] The new form of government went into effect March 7, 1949.[26]

In a special election on April 7, 2009, the town adopted a new charter that became effective in January 2010, changing the town's form of government to a council-manager system.[2][27] The current town manager is Brian P. Howard.[28]

Randolph has a high school serving grades 9–12 (Randolph High School), a middle school serving grades 6, 7, and 8 (Randolph Community Middle School), and four elementary schools serving grades K–5:

• John F. Kennedy Elementary School
• Margaret L. Donovan Elementary School
• Martin E. Young Elementary School
• 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 High School, known as "Aggie", instead of Randolph High School. The school system is run by the School Committee.

• Ebenezer Alden, physician, biographer, bibliophile
• Rich Amiri, rapper
• Audie Cornish, journalist
• Danny Davis, bandleader and producer
• Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, author
• Bill Kenney, football coach
• Rod Langway, Hockey Hall of Fame hockey player
• Bob Long . Major League Baseball Umpire 1992-1993
• Gene McAuliffe, baseball player
• Shabazz Napier, NBA player for the Washington Wizards
• Liam O'Donnell, director and film producer
• Jordan Rich, radio talk show host
• William Rimmer, painter & sculptor
• Sergeant Dennis "DJ" Simmonds, Boston Police officer killed at the Boston Marathon bombing
• Mark Snyder, radio host, newspaper columnist & social media new site publisher
• Clinton Sparks, Grammy nominated music producer & hip hop DJ
• Scott D. Tingle, NASA astronaut
• Touré (né Touré Neblett), writer, music journalist, cultural critic, and television personality

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Randolph, Massachusetts.

• Town of Randolph, Massachusetts