Brookline, town in Norfolk County, eastern Massachusetts, a residential community almost surrounded by Boston. Hebrew College (1921), Hellenic College (1937), Newbury College (1962), the Frederick Law Olmsted House, and the birthplace of United States President John F. Kennedy are located in Brookline. Formerly a part of Boston called Muddy River, the community was settled in the late 1630s and incorporated as a separate town in 1705. Its present name probably comes from a brook that served as a boundary line for an estate in the area. Population 55,062 (1980); 54,718 (1990); 54,718 (1996 estimate).
