[3] The town of Brighton, located on the southeastern border of the city of Rochester, is located on the traditional homelands of the Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca), part of the Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy,[4] the People of the Long House, called Iroquois by the French.

The first Europeans in the area were French trappers in the seventeenth century, who visited frequently but did not settle there.

Named for Brighton, England, it remained a farming and brick-making community until the 20th century, when the town began its evolution into an upscale suburban residential area, occupying some 15 square miles (39 km2).

During the Civil War the men of Brighton helped form Company D of the 140th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment in September 1862, which included Rochester.

The Alcoa Care-free Home and Stone-Tolan House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[5][6] In 1999, the town purchased 64 acres (26 ha) with the intention of developing a central park.

Brighton is in central Monroe County, bordered to the north and northwest by the city of Rochester.

The central entertainment and commercial hub is the Twelve Corners, so named because three intersecting roads, Winton Road, Monroe Avenue and Elmwood Avenue, define twelve distinct corners.

The latter is dedicated as Washington Grove and very popularly used; the former is the highest (though eroded) peak in Rochester and mainly used for unregulated mountain biking with an extensive and wide network of trails on its steep, sandy slopes.

The largest wetland in Brighton is a former clay-mining operation filled with lesser cattails along the Brickyard Trail, recently made a park in 2017.

In 2007, Brighton placed higher (87th) than its cross-town rival, Pittsford Mendon High School (94th) for the first time in several years.

The supervisor is elected to a two-year term and serves as the chief financial officer of the municipality and chairperson of the town board.