Arlington, Massachusetts

Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, six miles (10 km) northwest of Boston. The population was 42,844 at the 2010 census.

"Menotomy" redirects here. For figure of speech, see Metonymy.
Arlington, Massachusetts
Town
Ice Harvesting on Spy Pond, from an 1854 Print.
Seal
Motto(s): 
Libertatis Propugnatio Hereditas Avita (Latin)
"The Defense of Liberty Is Our Ancestral Heritage"
Location in Massachusetts
Arlington
Location in Massachusetts
Arlington
Arlington (the United States)
Arlington
Arlington (North America)
Coordinates: 42°24′55″N 71°09′25″W
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountyMiddlesex
Settled1635
Incorporated1807
Renamed1867
Government
 • TypeRepresentative town meeting
 • Town ManagerAdam Chapdelaine
 • Select BoardJoseph A. Curro Jr.
Stephen W. DeCourcey
Daniel J. Dunn
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
 (2010)
 • Total42,844
 • Density8,239.2/sq mi (3,197.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes
02474, 02475, 02476
Area code(s)339 / 781
FIPS code25-01605
GNIS feature ID0619393
Websitewww.arlingtonma.gov

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, 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 1619. Nanepashemet's widow, known to history only as "Squaw Sachem of Mistick", 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.

The Jason Russell House.

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,[2] 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).

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

The Jason Russell House, a yellow 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.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

Arlington was the site of the accident which claimed the life of top American professional 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 National Calendar criterium bicycle race.

An 1875 map of Arlington

Geography

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.[6] 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
  • Arlington Heights, in the west
  • East Arlington, roughly east of Franklin Street
  • Brattle Square
  • Jason Heights
  • Arlmont Village
  • Morningside
  • Turkey Hill
  • Little Scotland
  • Poets' Corner

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. Zip Codes: East Arlington-02474 Arlington Center-02475 Arlington Heights-02476

Demographics

At the 2010 census,[15] there were 42,844 people, 18,969 households and 10,981 families residing in the town. The population density was 8,239.2 per square mile (3,197.3/km2). There were 19,974 housing units at an average density of 3,841.2 per square mile (1,490.6/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.[16][17][18]

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,[19] presided over by the Town Moderator, and is made up of 252 Town Meeting Members.[19] 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.[20] 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
  • Diane M. Mahon (Chair)
  • Daniel J. Dunn (Vice-Chair)
  • Joseph A. Curro, Jr.
  • Stephen W. DeCourcey
  • John V. Hurd
School Committee
  • Leonard J. Kardon (Chair)
  • Jane P. Morgan (Vice-Chair)
  • Paul Schlichtman (Secretary)
  • Kirsi C. Allison-Ampe
  • Bill Hayner
  • Jennifer R. Susse
  • Jeffrey D. Thielman
Other Town-Wide Elected Officials
  • Stephanie Luccarelli, Town Clerk
  • John D. Leone, Town Moderator

Education

Public schools

Arlington has a public school system with ten schools. (7 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school)[21] 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.[22]

Private and parochial schools

There are two Parochial schools, Arlington Catholic High School, and an elementary/middle school, St. Agnes School,[23] both affiliated with St. Agnes Parish.[24] In addition, there are two secular elementary schools, Lesley Ellis and the Alivia Elementary School.

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, and a commanding view of the Boston skyline.
  • Robbins Library contains the oldest continuously operated free children's library in the country.[25]
  • 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.[26]
  • 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.[27]
  • 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.[28]

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

Organizations based in Arlington
Topography of Arlington and environs
  • Arlington International Film Festival[48]
  • Arlington Garden Club[49]
  • Arlington Democratic Town Committee[50]
  • Arlington Republican Town Committee
  • Arlington Youth Health & Safety Coalition
  • The Menotomy Bird Club[51]
  • Arlington Friends of the Drama[52]
  • Arlington Dog Owners Group[53]
  • The Armenian Cultural Foundation
  • Mystic Valley Lodge, A.F. & A.M.

Sister cities
gollark: My school uses some clone called the "orange pip".
gollark: Wow, you must be lucky to have that actually work for you.
gollark: Genericization?
gollark: Plus a WiFi-connected light lets you control them centrally and not just from your phone or something.
gollark: Pairing is annoying and doesn't really work.

See also
  • List of Registered Historic Places in Arlington, Massachusetts

References
  1. Porter, Jim. "The True Meaning of Menotomy" (PDF). Menotomy Journal. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  2. Fischer, David Hackett (1994). Paul Revere's Ride. New York, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508847-6.
  3. "History". Town of Arlington. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  4. 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.
  5. "Early Days". Bricklin.com. 1979-01-02. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  6. https://www.arlingtonma.gov/i-want-to-/arlington-history
  7. "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.
  8. "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.
  9. "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.
  10. "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.
  11. "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 requires |journal= (help)
  12. "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.
  13. "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.
  14. "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.
  15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  16. "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.
  17. "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.
  18. "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.
  19. https://www.arlingtonma.gov/town-governance/town-meeting
  20. https://www.mma.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/article89_0.pdf
  21. "Arlington Public Schools: Home Page". Arlington.k12.ma.us. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  22. "Home". Minuteman.org. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  23. "Providing Quality Catholic Education for Grades Pre-K through 8 since 1888". Saint Agnes School. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  24. "About Us". Saintagnesschool.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  25. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2014-03-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. About AGM. Foagm.org. Retrieved on 2013-08-16.
  27. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  28. 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.
  29. Sven Birkerts. "Graywolf Press". Graywolf Press. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  30. "Falcons add Boudreau as offensive line coach". AccessNorthGa. 2008-01-31. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  31. Braithwaite, William Stanley (1972). The William Stanley Braithwaite reader. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. p. 265. ISBN 0-472-08194-2.
  32. "Christopher Castellani: Workman Publishing". Workman.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  33. "Alan Hovhaness International Research Centre, Yerevan, Armenia". Cristoforifund.tripod.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  34. Robert Creeley's Life and Career
  35. "Adio diBiccari, at 94; sculptor shaped unmolded clay into masterpieces – The Boston Globe". Boston.com. 2009-01-12. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  36. "dfa". Dodgefamily.org. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  37. Dukakis, Olympia (2003). Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress. New York, NY: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-093409-3.
  38. "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.
  39. "Harpist Deborah Henson-Conant". Harpgigs.com. 1998-06-01. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  40. Berry, Conor (February 22, 2016). "Hogan Hero: Arlington Police Officer Michael Hogan to be honored at tonight's Boston Bruins game for saving man's life". masslive.com. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  41. "Jordan Peterson on autism". Autism Global News. August 5, 2017. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  42. "Platters founder Herb Reed dies at 83". Boston.com. Associated Press. 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  43. Chris Smither still refining his singular style
  44. "Director, Mark Sullivan". United States Secret Service. Archived from the original on 8 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  45. Winters, Rebecca Davis (2007). Blind Owl Blues. Boston, MA: self published. p. 8,19,219.
  46. "After years of GamerGate harassment, Brianna Wu's still fighting". CNET. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  47. http://stevekatsos.com/?page_id=26
  48. Arlington International Film Festival web site
  49. "Home". Arlingtongardenclub.org. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  50. " ". Arlingtondems.org. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  51. Marj. Rines. "Menotomy Bird Club". Menotomy Bird Club. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  52. "Community Theatre, AFD Theatre Arlington, MA Home". Afdtheatre.org. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  53. "Arlington Dog Owners Group | for responsible dog owners in Arlington MA". Arlingtondogowners.org. Retrieved 2012-10-13.

Further reading
  • Somerville, Arlington and Belmont Directory. 1869; 1873; 1876.
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