Everything about Arlington Ma totally explained
Arlington is a
town in
Middlesex County,
Massachusetts,
United States, six miles (10 km) northwest of
Boston. The population was 42,389 at the 2000 census.
History
The Town of Arlington was originally settled by
European
colonists in 1635 as a
village within the boundary of
Cambridge, Massachusetts under the name Menotomy, an
Algonquian word meaning "swift running water". A larger area, including land that was later to become the town of
Belmont, and outwards to the shore of the
Mystic River, which had previously been part of
Charlestown, was incorporated on February 27, 1807 as West Cambridge. In 1867 the name "Arlington" was chosen in honor of those buried in
Arlington National Cemetery; the name change took effect that April 30.
The
Massachusett tribe, part of the Algonquian group of
Native Americans, lived around the
Mystic Lakes, the Mystic River and
Alewife Brook. By the time Europeans arrived, the local Indians had been devastated by disease; also, the tribal chief, Nanepashemet, had been killed by a rival tribe in about 1618 . Nanepashemet's widow, known to history only as "Squaw Sachem", sold the land of her tribe to the colonists for ten pounds, with provisions that she and her tribe could remain on her homestead land around the Mystic Lakes and continue
hunting and
farming. She also was to be given a new winter
coat of
wool each year for the rest of her life. She is thought to have lived until about 1650 .
Through the town also flows the stream called Mill Brook, 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 survives to this day. 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, 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. All in all, 25 colonials 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).
The
Jason Russell House, a blue colonial, is today a
museum which remembers those twelve Americans, including Russell himself, 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.
Arlington had a large
ice industry on
Spy Pond from the mid-1800s 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.
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.
Arlington was the site of the accident which claimed the life of
American cyclist
Nicole Reinhart, a two-time Pan American Games winner. She was killed on
September 17,
2000 when she was thrown from her bicycle during a cycling tournament.
Geography
Arlington covers 3,517.5
acres (14 km²), or 5.5 square
miles, of which 286.2 acres (1.2 km²) are covered by
water. 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.
Adjacent towns
Arlington is located in Eastern Massachusetts and is bordered by six towns:
Winchester to the north,
Medford to the northeast,
Somerville to the east,
Cambridge to the southeast,
Belmont to the south, and
Lexington to the west.
Demographics
Arlington currently has approximately 42,000 residents. Based on the
U.S. censuses, Arlington's population has been declining by an average of 7% per decade since 1970. (1970: 52,720; 2000: 42,389).
As of the
census of 2000, there were 42,389 people, 19,011 households, and 10,779 families residing in the town. The
population density was 8,179.6 people per square mile (3,159.6/km²). There were 19,411 housing units at an average density of 3,745.6/sq mi (1,446.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.97%
White, 1.70%
African American, 0.13%
Native American, 4.97%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander, 0.66% from
other races, and 1.56% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.86% of the population.
There were 19,011 households out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were
married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.2% were unmarried partners, and 43.3% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.4% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 36.0% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The
median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $64,344, and the median income for a family was $78,741. Males had a median income of $52,352 versus $40,445 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $34,399. About 2.4% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
Government
executive branch consists of an elected five-member
Board of Selectmen. The day-to-day operations are handled by a
Town Manager hired by the Board of Selectmen. The
legislative branch is made up of 252 Town Meeting Members, elected from the 21
precincts. The Town of Arlington technically has enough
citizens to become the City of Arlington, but hasn't done so, in part because it would lose its ability to hold Town Meetings. These meetings can often last for at least a month, being held two nights a week until the issues are settled.
Brian F. Sullivan is the current Town Manager.
The current members of the
Board of Selectmen are Annie LaCourt (Chair), Diane Mahon (Vice Chair), Kevin F. Greeley, John W. Hurd, and Clarissa Rowe.
Education
Public schools
Arlington has a public school system with nine schools.
(External Link
) The seven elementary schools (K-5) are Brackett, Bishop, Thompson, Hardy, Peirce, Stratton, and Dallin. There is also a single middle school (grades 6-8), Ottoson, and the eponymous
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.
(External Link)
The current members of the
School Committee are Denise M. Burns (Chair), Joseph E. Curran (Vice Chair), Joseph A. Curro, Jr., Leba Heigham, Sue Sheffler, Ronald L. Spangler, and Jeff Thielman.
Private schools
There are two
Catholic schools,
Arlington Catholic High School, and one elementary/middle school, called St. Agnes.
Parks and historical sites
- Robbins Library contains the oldest continuously operated free children's library in the country.
- 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'd brought up a tree branch.
- The Prince Hall Mystic Cemetery, the only black Freemason Cemetery in the country.
- Spy Pond Park provides access to the northeast shore of Spy Pond.
- Menotomy Rocks Park encompasses Hill Pond and has trails through the surrounding forested land.
- The Great Meadow comprises both 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.
- The Minuteman Bikeway, a popular rail-trail built in 1992, passes through various Arlington neighborhoods, including Arlington Center.
- The water tower at Park Circle is an exact copy of the ancient Greek Arsinoeon of Samothrace.
- The Uncle Sam Memorial Statue commemorates native son Samuel Wilson, who was perhaps the original Uncle Sam.
- The Cyrus E. Dallin Museum is a site dedicated to the artwork and sculpture of noted artist Cyrus E. Dallin.
Further Information
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