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Arlington, Massachusetts

Coordinates: 42°24′55″N 71°09′25″W / 42.41528°N 71.15694°W / 42.41528; -71.15694
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"Menotomy" redirects here. For figure of speech, see Metonymy.
Arlington, Massachusetts
Town
Ice Harvesting on Spy Pond, from an 1854 Print.
Ice Harvesting on Spy Pond, from an 1854 Print.
Official seal of Arlington, Massachusetts
Seal
Motto(s): 
Libertatis Propugnatio Hereditas Avita (Latin)
"The Defense of Liberty Is Our Ancestral Heritage"
Location in Massachusetts
Location in Massachusetts
Arlington is located in Massachusetts
Arlington
Arlington
Arlington is located in the United States
Arlington
Arlington
Arlington is located in North America
Arlington
Arlington
Coordinates: 42°24′55″N 71°09′25″W / 42.41528°N 71.15694°W / 42.41528; -71.15694
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountyMiddlesex
Settled1635
Incorporated1807
Renamed1867
Government
 • TypeRepresentative town meeting
 • Town ManagerSandy Pooler
 • Select BoardStephen W. DeCourcey
Lenard Diggins
Eric D. Helmuth
John V. Hurd
Diane M. Mahon
Area
 • Total5.495 sq mi (14.235 km2)
 • Land5.048 sq mi (13.077 km2)
 • Water0.447 sq mi (1.158 km2)
Elevation
46 ft (14 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total46,308
 • Density9,173.53/sq mi (3,541.18/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes
02474, 02476
Area code339 / 781
FIPS code25-01605
GNIS feature ID0619393
Websitewww.arlingtonma.gov
Robbins Farm Park

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

History

Patriots' Grave in the Old Burying Ground

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 Schitts Corner, 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]

The Jason Russell House.

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 famous 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).

1852 Map of Boston area showing Arlington, then called West Cambridge. The former Middlesex Canal is highlighted.

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]

An 1875 map of Arlington

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

Arlington Center in 2019
  • Arlington Center
  • Arlington Heights, in the west
  • East Arlington, east of Franklin Street
  • Brattle Square
  • Jason Heights
  • Arlmont Village
  • Morningside
  • North Union
  • Turkey Hill
  • Little Scotland
  • Poets' Corner
  • Kelwyn Manor
  • Quincy Heights, a neighborhood in Arlington Heights

Zip Codes

  • 02474: East Arlington, and most of the rest of the town north of the Minuteman Bikeway
  • 02476: Arlington Heights, and most of the rest of the town south of the Bikeway and west of Spy Pond

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 passes through the town.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18502,202—    
18602,681+21.8%
18703,261+21.6%
18804,100+25.7%
18905,029+22.7%
19008,603+71.1%
191011,187+30.0%
192018,665+66.8%
193036,094+93.4%
194040,013+10.9%
195044,353+10.8%
196049,953+12.6%
197053,524+7.1%
198048,219−9.9%
199044,630−7.4%
200042,389−5.0%
201042,844+1.1%
202046,308+8.1%
* = population estimate. Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

At the 2010 census,[17] there were 42,844 people, 18,969 households and 10,981 families residing in the town. The population density was 8,239.2 inhabitants per square mile (3,181.2/km2). There were 19,974 housing units at an average density of 3,841.2 per square mile (1,483.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 83.6% White, 2.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.3% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.

There were 19,007 households, of which 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. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.93.

Of the 42,844 people in the population, 21.4% were under the age of 18, 5.8% were 15 to 19 years of age, 5.3% were 20 to 24 years of age, 30.3% were 25 to 44 years of age, 28.7% were 45 to 64 years of age, and 15.8% were 65 years and over. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females 18 years and over there were 83.9 males.

The median household income was $85,059, and the median family income was $107,862. The median income of individuals working full-time was $78,820 for males versus $64,143 for females. The per capita income for the town was $47,571. About 1.9% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Income

See also: List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income

Data is from the 2009–2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.[18][19][20]

Rank ZIP Code (ZCTA) Per capita
income 		Median
household
income 		Median
family
income 		Population Number of
households 		Poverty Rate
1 02476 (Arlington Center/Heights) $51,709 $95,305 $131,770 16,662 7,065 N/a
Arlington $49,549 $89,841 $117,590 43,308 18,688 4.4%
2 02474 (East Arlington) $48,199 $87,225 $111,148 26,646 11,623 N/a
Middlesex County $42,861 $82,090 $104,032 1,522,533 581,120 7.7%
Massachusetts $35,763 $66,866 $84,900 6,605,058 2,530,147 10.7%
United States $28,155 $53,046 $64,719 311,536,594 115,610,216 15.1%

Government

Arlington town hall
Historical county designation: Middlesex County
Clerk of Courts: Michael A. Sullivan
District Attorney: Marian Ryan
Register of Deeds: Richard P. Howe, Jr. (North at Lowell)
Maria Curtatone (South at Cambridge)
Register of Probate: Tara E. DeCristofaro
County Sheriff: Peter Koutoujian
State government
State Representative(s): Dave Rogers (D)
Sean Garballey (D)
State Senator(s): Cindy F. Friedman (D)
Governor's Councilor(s): Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s): Katherine Clark (D), (5th District)
U.S. Senators: Elizabeth 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,[21] presided over by the Town Moderator, and is made up of 252 Town Meeting Members.[21] 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.[22] 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.

Select Board
  • Lenard T. Diggins (Chair)
  • Diane M. Mahon (Vice-Chair)
  • Stephen W. DeCourcey
  • Eric D. Helmuth
  • John V. Hurd

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.[23]

School Committee
  • William Hayner (Chair)
  • Liz Exton (Vice Chair)
  • Kirsi C. Allison-Ampe (Secretary)
  • Jane P. Morgan
  • Leonard J. Kardon
  • Paul Schlichtman
  • Jeffrey D. Thielman
Other Town-Wide Elected Officials
  • Juli Brazile, Town Clerk
  • Greg Christiana, Town Moderator

Education

Public schools

Arlington has a public school system with ten schools. (7 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school)[24] 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.[25]

Private and parochial schools

There are two Parochial schools, Arlington Catholic High School, and an elementary/middle school, St. Agnes School,[26] both affiliated with St. Agnes Parish.[27] In addition, there are two secular elementary schools, Lesley Ellis and the Alivia Elementary School.

Supplementary schools

The Greater Boston Japanese Language School (ボストン補習授業校, Bosuton Hoshū Jugyō Kō), a supplementary school for Japanese people, has its weekday office in Arlington, while it holds classes at Medford High School in Medford.[28]

Parks and historical sites

Hills Pond, Menotomy Rocks Park
The water tower in Arlington Heights, built in 1921
  • The Old Schwamb Mill is the oldest continuously-operating mill site in the United States. Founded by the Schwambs, who immigrated to the U.S. from Germany, the mill currently produces and sells museum-quality, hand-turned wooden oval and circular frames, created much as they were in 1864. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, the mill-museum is operated by a nonprofit educational trust that maintains the mill's traditions.
  • Menotomy Rocks Park encompasses Hills Pond and has trails through the surrounding forested land.
  • Robbins Farm Park along Eastern Avenue includes a playground, ball fields, a basketball court and a commanding view of the Boston skyline.
  • Robbins Library contains the oldest continuously operated free children's library in the country.[29]
  • Spy Pond Park provides access to the northeast shore of Spy Pond.
  • The Arlington Center Historic District, where the Robbins Library and Old Burying Ground are located, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • The Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum is a site dedicated to the artwork and sculpture of noted artist Cyrus E. Dallin.
  • The Great Meadow comprises both wet meadow swamp and forest right outside the border of Arlington. While the Great Meadow lies within the borders of Lexington, the park is owned and maintained by the Town of Arlington.[30]
  • The House at 5 Willow Court
  • The Henry Swan House, built in 1888, is a historic house at 418 Massachusetts Avenue. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[31]
  • The Jason Russell House contains a museum that displays, among other items, a mastodon tusk found in Spy Pond in the late 1950s by a fisherman who originally thought he had brought up a tree branch.
  • The Minuteman Bikeway, a popular rail trail built in 1992, passes through various Arlington neighborhoods, including Arlington Center.
  • The Prince Hall Mystic Cemetery, the only black Freemason Cemetery in the country.
  • The Uncle Sam Memorial Statue commemorates native son Samuel Wilson, who was perhaps the original Uncle Sam.
  • The Water tower at Park Circle is an exact copy of the rotunda of the ancient Greek Arsinoeon of the Samothrace temple complex.

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.[32]

Notable people

Menotomy Indian Hunter in Arlington Center by resident Cyrus E. Dallin (1911).

Sister cities

See also

References

  1. ^ Porter, Jim. "The True Meaning of Menotomy" (PDF). Menotomy Journal. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  2. ^ Hurd, Duane Hamilton (1890). History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume 1. Philadelphia: J. W. Lewis. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  3. ^ Fischer, David Hackett (1994). Paul Revere's Ride. New York, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508847-6.
  4. ^ "History". Town of Arlington. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  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. ISBN 978-0-231-05165-1.
  6. ^ a b "Early Days". Bricklin.com. 1979-01-02. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  7. ^ "- Arlington History (History & Facts) | Town of Arlington". Archived from the original on 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  8. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Arlington town, Middlesex County, Massachusetts; United States". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  9. ^ "TOTAL POPULATION (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  10. ^ "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision – GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  11. ^ "1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1990. Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990. 1990 CP-1-23. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  12. ^ "1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1981. Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980. PC80-1-A23. Archived from the original on August 5, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  13. ^ "1950 Census of Population" (PDF). 1: Number of Inhabitants. Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21–10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. ^ "1920 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21–5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  15. ^ "1890 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  16. ^ "1870 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Archived from the original on August 8, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  17. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  18. ^ "SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 2009–2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2015-01-17. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
  19. ^ "ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES 2009–2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
  20. ^ "HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES 2009–2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
  21. ^ a b "2022 Town Meeting | Town of Arlington".
  22. ^ https://www.mma.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/article89_0.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  23. ^ "Arlington Recognizes Polyamorous Domestic Partnerships". Arlington, MA Patch. 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  24. ^ "Arlington Public Schools: Home Page". Arlington.k12.ma.us. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  25. ^ "Home". Minuteman.org. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  26. ^ "Providing Quality Catholic Education for Grades Pre-K through 8 since 1888". Saint Agnes School. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  27. ^ "About Us". Saintagnesschool.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  28. ^ "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
  29. ^ "History of the Library - Robbins Library". Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  30. ^ About AGM. Foagm.org. Retrieved on 2013-08-16.
  31. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  32. ^ Ron Newman. "Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 2014-05-04. 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.
  33. ^ Sven Birkerts. "Graywolf Press". Graywolf Press. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  34. ^ "Falcons add Boudreau as offensive line coach". AccessNorthGa. 2008-01-31. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  35. ^ Braithwaite, William Stanley (1972). The William Stanley Braithwaite reader. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. p. https://archive.org/details/williamstanleybr00brai/page/265 265.] ISBN 0-472-08194-2.
  36. ^ "Christopher Castellani: Workman Publishing". Workman.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  37. ^ "Alan Hovhaness International Research Centre, Yerevan, Armenia". Cristoforifund.tripod.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  38. ^ Robert Creeley's Life and Career
  39. ^ Marquard, Bryan (2009-01-12). "Adio diBiccari, at 94; sculptor shaped unmolded clay into masterpieces – The Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  40. ^ "dfa". Dodgefamily.org. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  41. ^ Dukakis, Olympia (2003). Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress. New York, NY: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-093409-3.
  42. ^ "Roy J. Glauber, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics, winner 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics". Harvard University Gazette. Archived from the original on 2007-08-16. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  43. ^ "Harpist Deborah Henson-Conant". Harpgigs.com. 1998-06-01. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  44. ^ "Jordan Peterson on autism". Autism Global News. August 5, 2017. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  45. ^ "Platters founder Herb Reed dies at 83". Boston.com. Associated Press. 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  46. ^ Chris Smither still refining his singular style
  47. ^ "Director, Mark Sullivan". United States Secret Service. Archived from the original on 8 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  48. ^ Winters, Rebecca Davis (2007). Blind Owl Blues. Boston, MA: self published. p. 8,19,219.
  49. ^ "After years of GamerGate harassment, Brianna Wu's still fighting". CNET. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  50. ^ "About - the Steve Katsos Show".
  51. ^ "About Us". Arlington-Teosinte Sister City Project. Retrieved 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
  52. ^ "Executive Services - 2009 Selectmen Highlights". arlingtonma.gov. Town of Arlington. 2009. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  53. ^ "2009 Town Meeting". arlingtonma.gov. Town of Arlington. 2009. Retrieved 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

Further reading

  • Somerville, Arlington and Belmont Directory. 1869; 1873; 1876.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arlington, Massachusetts.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Arlington, Massachusetts.
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