Quincy was named for Colonel John Quincy, maternal grandfather of Abigail Adams and after whom John Quincy Adams was also named. Quincy was founded in 1625 and became a city in 1888.
Known as the “City of Presidents”, Quincy is the birthplace of two U.S. presidents—John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams.
Quincy is also the birthplace of John Hancock, a President of the Continental Congress and the first signer of the Declaration of Independence, as well as being the first and third Governor of Massachusetts.
Quincy is home to the United States’ first commercial railroad. In the 20th century, both Howard Johnson’s (in 1925) and Dunkin’ Donuts (in 1950) were founded in Quincy.