Waltham, Massachusetts
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Waltham on charles.jpg Often called the true birthplace of the industrial revolution, Waltham is a city located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 59,226. The city is 10 miles west of Boston, Massachusetts on the Charles River. Waltham is partly surrounded by Interstate 95 (I-95). It is bordered to the west by Weston and Lincoln, to the south by Newton, to the east by Belmont and Watertown, and to the north by Lexington.
Waltham is home to Brandeis University, Bentley College, and The Sports Authority Training Center, which serves a dual role as practice facility/offices of the Boston Celtics.
Waltham is commonly referred to as Watch City because of its association with the watch industry. This is due to Waltham Watch Company, which opened its factory in Waltham in 1854. The American Waltham Watch Company, AWWCo Inc, was one of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution. It was the first company to make watches on an assembly line. It won the gold medal in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Over 40 million watches, clocks and instruments were produced by Waltham Watch Company until it closed in 1957. A search engine to retrieve information on vintage U.S. made Waltham watches by serial number is available at the Waltham Memorial.
The name of the city is pronounced with the primary stress on the first syllable and secondary stress on the second syllable, although the name of the Waltham watch was pronounced with accent only on the first syllable. The second vowel is pronounced properly ("Wall-tham", to rhyme with tall-ham, IPA Template:IPA), and not elided into a schwa ("Wall-thumb", IPA Template:IPA) as might be expected in American English.
Contents |
History
Waltham was first settled in 1634 and was officially incorporated in 1738. The city is home to Gore Place, a mansion built in 1806 for former Massachusetts Governor Christopher Gore; The Robert Treat Paine Estate, a residence designed in collaboration between architect Henry Hobson Richardson and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted for philanthropist Robert Treat Paine, Jr. (1810-1905); and the Lyman Estate, a 400-acre estate established in 1793 by Boston merchant Theodore Lyman.
Geography
Image:Waltham ma highlight.png Waltham is located at 42°22'50" North, 71°14'6" West (42.380596, -71.235005)Template:GR, about 9 miles (14 km) north-west of Boston, Massachusetts.
The city stretches along the Charles River and contains several waterfalls. These waterfalls were used to power textile mills and other such endeavors, accounting for its early industrial activity.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.2 km² (13.6 mi²). 32.9 km² (12.7 mi²) of it is land and 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 6.69% water.
Waltham is located near several important U.S. Interstate highways. Interstate 95 (which is also Route 128) runs through the western part of the city, Interstate 90 (also the Massachusetts Turnpike) is located just to south in Newton, Massachusetts, and Route 2 runs just to the north through Lexington, Massachusetts.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 59,226 people, 23,207 households, and 12,462 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,800.6/km² (4,663.4/mi²). There were 23,880 housing units at an average density of 726.0/km² (1,880.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.98% White, 4.41% African American, 0.16% Native American, 7.29% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.20% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. 8.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 23,207 households out of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.3% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 15.5% under the age of 18, 16.8% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $54,010, and the median income for a family was $64,595. Males had a median income of $42,324 versus $33,931 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,364. 7% of the population and 3.6% of families were below the poverty line. 4.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Culture
Waltham is some distance from the inner circle of Boston's hip, bustling inner neighborhoods (such as Cambridge, Beacon Hill, the Back Bay, and the South End), and maintains a distinctly different flavor. A number of high-tech companies have taken advantage of the lower cost of real estate to set up shop in the ring of office parks that dot the highway exits in Waltham, and swank restaurants and business-class hotels have sprung up to serve their needs.
Downtown Waltham's Moody Street offers its own brand of entertainment with a colorful assortment of shops, restaurants, and bars, including the Watch City Brewing Co., The Skellig, Jake's Dixie Roadhouse, The Lincoln, and the Embassy Cinema. Moody Street's booming night-life, convenience to the commuter rail and lower rents have attracted younger professionals to Waltham in growing numbers in recent years.
For over 25 years, the Waltham Arts Council has sponsored "Concerts On Waltham Common", featuring a different musical act each week of the summer, free of charge to attendees. "Concerts On Waltham Common" was created and organized by Stephen Kilgore until his death in 2004.
Open space in the city is protected by the Waltham Land Trust.
Waltham includes Gann Academy, Brandeis University and Bentley College
Notable Waltham community members
- Fred Smerlas -- 5-time NFL Pro-Bowl selection during 14-year career as a nose tackle with Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and New England Patriots, currently a part-time co-host on Sportsradio WEEI 850AM in Boston; 1975 Waltham High School graduate, native and former resident
- Antoine Walker -- 3-time NBA All-Star forward currently with the Miami Heat, was captain of the Boston Celtics and has also played with the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks; former resident
- Paul Pierce -- Boston Celtics captain who is a 5-time NBA All-Star as a guard/forward
- Gerald Green -- Boston Celtics rookie. 2005 First Round Draft Pick. Guard/Foward
- Shawn McEachern -- Boston Bruins forward has tallied 254 goals and 317 assists during 13-year NHL career with the Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators and Atlanta Thrashers; Waltham native
- Jeff Lazaro -- Former Boston Bruins forward notched 14 goals and 23 assists in 3-year NHL career with the Bruins and Ottawa Senators; 1986 Waltham High School graduate
- Keith Aucoin -- Current forward on the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes who starred at Norwich University, where he graduated in 2001 as the school's all-time leading scorer in ice hockey, was named U.S. College Hockey Online National Player of the Year in 1998-1999, helped Norwich win the NCAA Division III National Championship in 1999-2000 and was named ECAC East Player of the Year and First-Team All-American; Waltham native
- Tony Massarotti -- Boston Herald sportswriter, book author and part-time co-host on Sportsradio WEEI 850AM in Boston
- Noelle LeBlanc -- lead singer/guitarist of Island/Def Jam Records' pop/punk quartet Damone; Waltham native and current resident
- David J. Pino -- former lead guitarist/songwriter of Damone, founding member and former lead guitarist of rock band Waltham; current resident and 1996 Waltham High School graduate
- Frank Pino -- frontman of the band Waltham; guest star/instructor on episode of MTV show "Made;" Waltham native
Points of interest
External links
- Waltham official website
- Waltham Community website
- Key dates in Waltham, Mass., History
- Discover Waltham
- Waltham Community website
- Waltham Daily News Tribune
- Waltham Arts Council
- Embassy Cinema
- Brandeis University
- The Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University
