Chelsea, Massachusetts

Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea, Massachusetts
	— City —
	Soldiers' Monument
	; Seal
	; Seal
	Location in Suffolk County in Massachusetts
	Coordinates: 42°23′30″N 71°02′00″W / 42.39167°N 71.03333°WCoordinates: 42°23′30″N 71°02′00″W / 42.39167°N 71.03333°W
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Suffolk
Settled	1624
Incorporated	1739
	Government
• Type	Council-manager government
• City Manager	Jay Ash
• Deputy City Manager	Ned Keefe
	Area
• Total	2.5 sq mi (6.4 km2)
• Land	2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
	Population (2010)
• Total	35,177
• Density	14,000/sq mi (5,500/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
Zip code	02150
Area code(s)	617 / 857
FIPS code	25-13205
GNIS feature ID	0612723
Website	chelseama.gov

Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated in the country. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 35,177.^[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, Chelsea has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²), of which 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.6 km²), or 10.02%, is water.^[2] Located on a peninsula in Boston Harbor, Chelsea is drained by Chelsea Creek and sits on the Mystic River just north of downtown Boston.

History [edit]

The area of Chelsea was first called Winnisimmet (meaning "good spring nearby") by the Massachusett tribe, which once lived there. It was settled in 1624 by Samuel Maverick, whose palisaded trading post is considered the first permanent settlement at Boston Harbor. In 1635, Maverick sold all of Winnisimmet, except for his house and farm, to Richard Bellingham. The community remained part of Boston until it was set off and incorporated in 1739, when it was named after Chelsea, a neighborhood in London, England.

In 1775, the Battle of Chelsea Creek was fought in the area, the second battle of the Revolution, at which American forces made one of their first captures of a British ship. Part of George Washington's army was stationed in Chelsea during the Siege of Boston.

Chelsea originally included North Chelsea, which consisted of what is now Revere, Winthrop, and parts of Saugus. In 1846, North Chelsea was set off as a separate town. Reincorporated as a city in 1857, Chelsea developed as an industrial center, producing rubber and elastic goods, boots and shoes, stoves, and adhesives. It became home to the Chelsea Naval Hospital designed by Alexander Parris and home for soldiers. On April 12, 1908, nearly half the city was destroyed in the First Great Chelsea Fire. In 1973, the Second Great Chelsea Fire burned eighteen city blocks.

Chelsea Square after Great Fire of 1908

In September 1991, Massachusetts enacted special legislation to place Chelsea into receivership. Governor William Weld named James Carlin as the first receiver followed by Lewis "Harry" Spence. This was the first time since the Great Depression that a major United States municipality had such an action taken against it. Events preceding the action included failed financial intervention by the state, a political stalemate over the city's budget, deepening economic decline and a spiraling fiscal crisis. Fortunately, Chelsea had no long-term debt publicly held; thus, a solution to its problems could be explored in isolation of creditors.

A charter change in 1995 led by the receivership through a community process designed an efficient council–manager government, which has focused on improving the quality of service the city provides to its residents and businesses, while establishing financial policies that have significantly improved the city's financial condition. Increased emphasis on economic development and capital improvement has led to an influx of new business and home buyers. In 1998, Chelsea was named winner of the All-America City Award. The city is home to a Carnegie library built in 1910.

Demographics [edit]

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	472	—
1800	849	79.9%
1810	594	−30.0%
1820	642	8.1%
1830	771	20.1%
1840	2,390	210.0%
1850	6,701	180.4%
1860	13,395	99.9%
1870	18,547	38.5%
1880	21,782	17.4%
1890	27,909	28.1%
1900	34,072	22.1%
1910	32,452	−4.8%
1920	43,184	33.1%
1930	45,816	6.1%
1940	41,259	−9.9%
1950	38,912	−5.7%
1960	33,749	−13.3%
1970	30,625	−9.3%
1980	25,431	−17.0%
1990	28,710	12.9%
2000	35,080	22.2%
2010	35,177	0.3%

Old Pratt House in 1908

The Fitz Public Library in 1905

As of the 2010 United States Census^[3], there were 35,080 people, 11,888 households, and 7,608 families residing in the city. The population density was 16,036.8 people per square mile (6,184.7/km²), placing it among the highest in population density among U.S. cities.^[4] There were 12,337 housing units at an average density of 5,639.9 per square mile (2,175.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.95% White, 48.42% Hispanic or Latino, 7.25% Black or African American, 4.69% Asian, 0.48% Native American, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 22.94% from other races, and 6.58% were multiracial.^[5]

There were 11,888 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.5.

The population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,161, and the median income for a family was $32,130. Males had a median income of $27,280 versus $26,010 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,628. About 20.6% of families and 23.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 20.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation [edit]

The MBTA Commuter Rail provides service from Boston's North Station with the Chelsea station on its Newburyport/Rockport Line. MBTA buses provide local service to Boston, Everett, Revere, and other cities nearby.

Education [edit]

Chelsea Public Schools has four elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school, Chelsea High School. The Chelsea school system has historically been towards the bottom of the state's test score rankings. It is plagued by high turnover among students, a very high percentage of students move in or out over the course of the year, and the dropout rate is high. In 1988, the school board made the unprecedented move of delegating its authority for control of the school district to Boston University. In June 2008, a partnership with BU ended, and the schools returned to full local control.

Chelsea has only one private school remaining, St. Rose School, as the others have closed. St. Rose is located on Broadway and of 2012, has an enrollment of about 220 students. In addition, there is one public charter school, the Excel Academy. Bunker Hill Community College and the for-profit Everest Institute hold satellite locations of their schools in Chelsea.

Elementary, middle, and high schools in Chelsea include:

There are also two post-secondary campuses:

Fire Department [edit]

The City of Chelsea is protected by the career professional firefighters of the City of Chelsea Fire Department, operating from three fire stations across the city, each shift commanded by a Deputy Chief. Chelsea Fire operates an apparatus fleet of 4 Engines, 3 Ladders, Special Operations Units, Maintenance Unit, Foam Tender Unit, and several other special, support, and reserve units. Chelsea Fire responds to ~11,000 emergency calls annually.^[6] The current Chief of Department is Robert Better.^[7]

Chelsea Engine 2 responds to over 4,000 emergency calls annually, with 4,269 in 2011, placing it among the busiest engine companies in the United States, and at 120% of the maximum acceptable threshold for engine company call volume, as set by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. ^[8]

Fire Station Locations and Apparatus [edit]

Engine Company	Ladder Company	Special Unit	Command Unit	Address	Neighborhood
Engine 1		Ladder 3 (Reserve), Special Operations Unit 2		Sagamore Ave & Washington Ave	Pratville
Engine 2	Tower 1	Engine 4 (Reserve), Foam Tender Unit (Class B), Maintenance Unit, Special Operations Unit 1, Fire Prevention & Arson Fleet	C1(Chief of Department), C2(Deputy Chief), K1(Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention)	307 Chestnut St.	Downtown
Engine 3	Ladder 2			885 Broadway	Mill Hill

Sites of interest [edit]

Chelsea Clock Company [edit]

Founded in 1897, the Chelsea Clock Company is one of the oldest, largest, and few remaining American clock manufacturing companies in existence. For over a century, Chelsea's clockmakers have been designing and handcrafting distinguished, high quality clocks for customers in the corporate, consumer, government and marine markets. Today, the company continues to build and repair clocks at its original corporate headquarters in the city.