Arlington, Massachusetts Explained

Official Name:Arlington, Massachusetts
Mapsize:250px
Pushpin Map:Massachusetts#USA#North America
Pushpin Label:Arlington
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Massachusetts
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Middlesex
Established Title:Settled
Established Date:1635
Established Title2:Incorporated
Established Date2:1807
Established Title3:Renamed
Established Date3:1867
Government Type:Representative town meeting
Leader Title:Town Manager
Leader Name:Jim Feeney
Leader Title1:Select Board
Leader Name1:Stephen W. DeCourcey
Lenard Diggins
Eric D. Helmuth (chair)
John V. Hurd
Diane M. Mahon
Area Total Km2:14.235
Area Total Sq Mi:5.495
Area Land Km2:13.077
Area Land Sq Mi:5.048
Area Water Km2:1.158
Area Water Sq Mi:0.447
Population As Of:2020
Settlement Type:Town
Population Total:46,308
Population Density Km2:3,541.18
Population Density Sq Mi:9,173.53
Elevation M:14
Elevation Ft:46
Timezone:Eastern
Utc Offset:−5
Timezone Dst:Eastern
Utc Offset Dst:−4
Coordinates:42.4153°N -71.1569°W
Website:www.arlingtonma.gov
Postal Code Type:ZIP Codes
Postal Code:02474, 02476
Area Code:339 / 781
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:25-01605
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0619393

Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is six miles (10 km) northwest of Boston, and its population was 46,308 at the 2020 census.

History

European colonists settled the Town of Arlington in 1635 as a village within the boundaries of Cambridge, Massachusetts, under the name Menotomy, an Algonquian word considered by some to mean "swift running water", though linguistic anthropologists dispute that translation.[1] A larger area was incorporated on February 27, 1807, as West Cambridge, replacing Menotomy. This includes the town of Belmont, and outwards to the shore of the Mystic River, which had previously been part of Charlestown. The town was renamed Arlington on April 30, 1867, in honor of those buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

The Massachusett tribe lived around the Mystic Lakes, the Mystic River, and Alewife Brook. Chief Nanepashemet was killed by a rival tribe in about 1619, and Nanepashemet's widow "Squaw Sachem of Mistick" became the acknowledged leader of the tribe. In 1639, she deeded the land of what was then Cambridge and Watertown to the colonists. She lived her last years on the west side of the Mystic Lakes near Medford, where she died sometime between 1650 and 1667.[2]

A stream called Mill Brook flows through the town, which historically figured largely into Arlington's economy. In 1637, Captain George Cooke built the first mill in this area. Subsequently, seven mills were built along the stream, including the Old Schwamb Mill, which still survives. The Schwamb Mill has been a working mill since 1650, making it the longest working mill in the country.

Paul Revere's midnight ride to alert colonists took him through Menotomy,[3] now known as Arlington. Later on that first day of the American Revolution, more blood was shed in Menotomy than in the battles of Lexington and Concord combined. Minutemen from surrounding towns converged on Menotomy to ambush the British on their retreat from Concord and Lexington. Twenty-five Americans were killed in Menotomy, half of all Americans killed in the day's battles, as well as 40 British troops (more than half their fatalities). Arlington resident Cyrus Dallin would later create an iconic sculpture of the rider; a version can be seen at the town's Cyrus Dallin Art Museum.

The Jason Russell House is a museum which remembers those 12 Americans who were killed in and around this pictured dwelling on April 19, 1775. Bullet holes are visible in the interior walls to this day.

In its early years, Arlington was a thriving farming community and had its own lettuce that was quite popular.[4] Arlington had a large ice industry on Spy Pond from the mid-19th century until the last ice house burned down in 1930; much of its ice was sent to the Caribbean and India by "Ice King" Frederic Tudor.

Arlington's population grew by over 90 percent during the 1920s.[5] In 1979, the first spreadsheet software program VisiCalc was developed by Bob Frankston and Dan Bricklin in the attic of the Arlington apartment rented by Bob Frankston.[6]

Geography and infrastructure

Arlington covers 3,517.5 acres (14 km2), or 5.5 square miles, of which 286.2 acres (1.2 km2), or 0.4 square miles, are covered by water.[7] There are 210.52 acres (0.9 km2) of parkland. Elevation ranges from 4 feet (1.2 m) above sea level (along Alewife Brook) to 377 feet (114.9 m) near Park Avenue and Eastern Avenue.

Arlington borders on the Mystic Lakes, Mystic River, and Alewife Brook. Within its borders are Spy Pond, the Arlington Reservoir, Mill Brook, and Hills Pond.

Neighborhoods

Zip Codes

Adjacent municipalities

Arlington is located in eastern Massachusetts and is bordered by the cities of Medford to the northeast, Somerville to the east, Cambridge to the southeast, and the towns of Winchester to the north, Lexington to the west, and Belmont to the south.

Transportation

Several MBTA bus routes pass through the town.

The Minuteman Bikeway also runs through the center of town, connecting residents by bike to Bedford, Lexington, the Alewife Red Line station and Boston.

Route 2 is a limited access highway that runs along the southern border of Arlington with Belmont.

Demographics

Historically, Arlington is known for being an Irish, Italian and Greek middle class community but in the last decades has become increasingly expensive, while still retaining its middle class homes with a mixture of double/triple decker homes (multiple family styles homes) and (mostly smaller sized for single family homes) single family homes.

At the 2020 census,[8] there were 46,308 people living in 19,308 households in the town. The population density was 9,004.1 people per square mile. There were 19,974 housing units at an average density of 3841.2sp=usNaNsp=us as of the 2010 census. The racial makeup of the town as of the 2020 census was 75.6% White, 3.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 13.7% Asian and 6.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.0% of the population.

There were 19,308 households with an average household size of 2.37 According to previous data, 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 2.0% had a male householder with no wife present, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.0% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Of the 46,308 people in the population, 6.5% were under the age of 5, 21.4% were under the age of 18, and 16% were 65 years and over. 53.3% of the population was female. The median household income was $125,701, up from $85,059 in 2010. The per capita income for the town was $69,007, up from $47,571 in 2010. About 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line.

Income

See also: List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income. Data is from the 2009–2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.[9] [10] [11]

RankZIP Code (ZCTA)Per capita
income
Median
household
income
Median
family
income
PopulationNumber of
households
Poverty Rate
102476 (Arlington Center/Heights)$51,709$95,305$131,77016,6627,065N/a
Arlington$49,549$89,841$117,59043,30818,6884.4%
202474 (East Arlington)$48,199$87,225$111,14826,64611,623N/a
Middlesex County$42,861$82,090$104,0321,522,533581,1207.7%
Massachusetts$35,763$66,866$84,9006,605,0582,530,14710.7%
United States$28,155$53,046$64,719311,536,594115,610,21615.1%

Government

+ Historical county designation: Middlesex County
align=right Clerk of CourtsMichael A. Sullivan
align=right District AttorneyMarian Ryan
align=right Register of DeedsRichard P. Howe, Jr. (North at Lowell)
Maria Curtatone (South at Cambridge)
align=right Register of ProbateTara E. DeCristofaro
align=right County SheriffPeter Koutoujian
State government
align=right State Representative(s)Dave Rogers (D)
Sean Garballey (D)
align=right State Senator(s)Cindy F. Friedman (D)
align=right Governor's Councilor(s)Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney
Federal government
align=right U.S. Representative(s)Katherine Clark (D), (5th District)
align=right U.S. SenatorsElizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)

Arlington's executive branch consists of an elected five-member select board. The day-to-day operations are handled by a town manager hired by the select board.The legislative branch is a representative town meeting,[12] presided over by the town moderator, and is made up of 252 town meeting members.[12] Twelve town meeting members are elected to staggered three year terms from each of the 21 precincts. Article LXXXIX section 8 of the Massachusetts Constitution permits towns with a population greater than 12,000 to adopt a city form of government.[13] The town of Arlington meets the population requirement to become a city, but has not done so, in part because it would lose its ability to engage citizens in local government under the representative town meeting form of government. Annual town meetings begin in April on the first Monday after Patriots' Day, and are held two nights a week until all items on the town warrant are resolved, and generally last three to four weeks.

In April 2021, Arlington voted to become the third municipality in the United States to recognize polyamorous domestic partnerships, following adjacent cities of Somerville and Cambridge.[14]

Education

Public schools

Arlington has a public school system with ten schools. (seven elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school)[15] The seven elementary schools (K–5) are Brackett, Bishop, Dallin, Hardy, Peirce, Stratton, and Thompson. There are also two middle schools, grade 6 at Gibbs, and grades 7–8 at Ottoson, and Arlington High School, which includes grades 9–12. In addition, Arlington is in the district served by the Minuteman Regional High School, located in Lexington, one of the top vocational-technical schools in Massachusetts.[16]

Private and parochial schools

There are two Parochial schools, Arlington Catholic High School, and an elementary/middle school, St. Agnes School,[17] both affiliated with St. Agnes Parish.[18] In addition, there are two secular elementary schools, Lesley Ellis and the Alivia Elementary School.

Supplementary schools

The, a supplementary school for Japanese people, has its weekday office in Arlington, while it holds classes at Medford High School in Medford.[19]

Parks and historical sites

Regent Theatre

The Regent Theatre is a historic theater in downtown Arlington. It was built in 1916 for vaudeville acts and is still used for live performances as well as films. It was remodeled in 1926. The theatre, located at 7 Medford Street, has 500 seats. It hosts the Arlington International Film Festival.[22]

Notable people

In popular culture

Sister cities

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The True Meaning of Menotomy. Porter. Jim. Menotomy Journal. August 26, 2019.
  2. Hurd, Duane Hamilton (1890). History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume 1. Philadelphia: J. W. Lewis. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  3. Book: Fischer, David Hackett . Paul Revere's Ride . 1994 . . . 0-19-508847-6 .
  4. Web site: History . January 17, 2008 . Town of Arlington . https://web.archive.org/web/20080109160049/http://www.town.arlington.ma.us/Public_Documents/ArlingtonMA_WebDocs/ArlingtonHistory . January 9, 2008 . dead .
  5. Schaeffer, K. H. and Elliott Sclar. Access for All: Transportation and Urban Growth. Columbia University Press, 1980. Accessed on Google Books. 86. Retrieved on January 16, 2010. .
  6. Web site: Early Days . Bricklin.com . January 2, 1979 . October 13, 2012.
  7. Web site: - Arlington History (History & Facts) | Town of Arlington . June 30, 2019 . June 30, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190630181707/https://www.arlingtonma.gov/i-want-to-/arlington-history . dead .
  8. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. September 11, 2023.
  9. Web site: SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 2009–2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. https://archive.today/20150117113227/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_5YR_DP03&prodType=table. dead. January 17, 2015. U.S. Census Bureau. January 12, 2015.
  10. Web site: ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES 2009–2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. https://archive.today/20150105011252/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_5YR_DP05&prodType=table. dead. January 5, 2015. U.S. Census Bureau . January 12, 2015.
  11. Web site: HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES 2009–2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. https://archive.today/20200212210258/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_5YR_S1101&prodType=table. dead. February 12, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau . January 12, 2015.
  12. Web site: 2022 Town Meeting | Town of Arlington .
  13. Web site: Article LXXXIX (Home Rule Amendment) . https://web.archive.org/web/20230812155004/https://www.mma.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/article89_0.pdf . August 12, 2023 . live.
  14. Web site: April 30, 2021. Arlington Recognizes Polyamorous Domestic Partnerships. July 12, 2021. Arlington, MA Patch. en.
  15. Web site: Arlington Public Schools: Home Page . Arlington.k12.ma.us . May 24, 2012 . October 13, 2012.
  16. Web site: Home . Minuteman.org . October 13, 2012.
  17. Web site: Providing Quality Catholic Education for Grades Pre-K through 8 since 1888 . Saint Agnes School . October 13, 2012.
  18. Web site: About Us . Saintagnesschool.com . October 13, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924093604/http://www.saintagnesschool.com/about_us.htm . September 24, 2015 . dead .
  19. Web site: Contact. Saturdays (In-person) Medford High School 489 Winthrop Street Medford, MA 02155 [...] All other days The Japanese Language School Arlington Office 792 Massachusetts Avenue Arlington, MA 02476.
  20. Web site: History of the Library - Robbins Library . March 22, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140322125156/https://www.robbinslibrary.org/about/history_of_the_library . March 22, 2014 . dead .
  21. http://foagm.org/About%20AGM.htm About AGM
  22. Web site: Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA . Cinema Treasures . Ron Newman . May 4, 2014 . The Regent Theatre in downtown Arlington is currently used for mostly live performances and some film presentations as well. The Arlington was used primarily as a venue for family and children's films in the mid-1990s..
  23. Web site: Sven Birkerts . Graywolf Press . Graywolf Press . October 13, 2012.
  24. Web site: Falcons add Boudreau as offensive line coach . AccessNorthGa . January 31, 2008 . October 13, 2012.
  25. Book: Braithwaite, William Stanley . 1972 . The William Stanley Braithwaite reader . https://archive.org/details/williamstanleybr00brai/page/265 265.] . University of Michigan Press. . Ann Arbor, MI . 0-472-08194-2 .
  26. Web site: Christopher Castellani: Workman Publishing . Workman.com . October 13, 2012.
  27. Web site: Alan Hovhaness International Research Centre, Yerevan, Armenia . Cristoforifund.tripod.com . October 13, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080516094412/http://cristoforifund.tripod.com/alanhovhaness1.html . May 16, 2008 . dead .
  28. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/creeley/life.htm Robert Creeley's Life and Career
  29. News: Adio diBiccari, at 94; sculptor shaped unmolded clay into masterpieces – The Boston Globe . Boston.com . January 12, 2009 . October 13, 2012. Marquard . Bryan .
  30. Web site: dfa . Dodgefamily.org . October 13, 2012.
  31. Book: Dukakis, Olympia . Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress . registration . 2003 . HarperCollins . New York, NY . 0-06-093409-3 .
  32. Web site: Roy J. Glauber, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics, winner 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics . August 1, 2007 . Harvard University Gazette . https://web.archive.org/web/20070816212458/http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/daily/2005/10/04-nobel.html . August 16, 2007 . dead .
  33. Web site: Harpist Deborah Henson-Conant . Harpgigs.com . June 1, 1998 . October 13, 2012.
  34. Web site: Jordan Peterson on autism. Autism Global News. August 5, 2017. January 12, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180112221733/http://autismglobalnews.org/2017/08/05/jordan-peterson-on-autism/. January 12, 2018. dead.
  35. News: Platters founder Herb Reed dies at 83 . Associated Press . . June 5, 2012 . June 5, 2012.
  36. https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2012/06/21/singer-songwriter-chris-smither-still-refining-his-singular-style/nDl8Zs01kBBDCihVccWhMI/story.html Chris Smither still refining his singular style
  37. Web site: Director, Mark Sullivan. May 20, 2007. United States Secret Service. https://web.archive.org/web/20070508192527/http://www.secretservice.gov/director.shtml. May 8, 2007. dead.
  38. Book: Winters , Rebecca Davis . Blind Owl Blues . self published . 2007 . Boston, MA . 8,19,219.
  39. Web site: After years of GamerGate harassment, Brianna Wu's still fighting. CNET. July 15, 2017.
  40. Web site: About - the Steve Katsos Show.
  41. Web site: About Us . Arlington-Teosinte Sister City Project . September 3, 2021 . In 1988 Arlington's Board of Selectmen officially recognized Teosinte, El Salvador as its Sister City [..] In 2005 the relationship was re-established .
  42. Web site: Executive Services - 2009 Selectmen Highlights . Town of Arlington . arlingtonma.gov . 2009 . September 3, 2021 .
  43. Web site: 2009 Town Meeting . Town of Arlington . arlingtonma.gov . 2009 . September 3, 2021 . In 2009, Mayor Yutaka Oda from Nagaokakyo, Japan addressed Town Meeting to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Sister City Relationship between Nagaokakyo and Arlington .