Waltham, Massachusetts
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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 Massachusetts State Highway 128. It is bordered to the west by Weston, to the south by Newton, to the east by Belmont and Watertown, and to the north by Lexington.
Waltham is home to Brandeis University and Bentley College. It is called 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 (http://www.waltham.ch/cgi/waltham/search.asp).
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), and not elided into a schwa ("Wall-thumb") as might be expected in American English.
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History
Waltham was first settled in 1634 and was officially incorporated in 1738. Michael J. O'Halloran was the youngest person ever elected to the city council in 1987. He was 21 years old.
Geography
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 runs through the western part of the city, Interstate 90 is located just to south in Newton, Massachusetts, and State Route 2 runs just to the north through Lexington, Massachusetts.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 59,226 people, 23,207 households, and 12,462 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,800.6/km² (4,663.4/mi²). There are 23,880 housing units at an average density of 726.0/km² (1,880.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 23,207 households out of which 20.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% are married couples living together, 8.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 46.3% are non-families. 34.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.29 and the average family size is 3.01.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $54,010, and the median income for a family is $64,595. Males have a median income of $42,324 versus $33,931 for females. The per capita income for the city is $26,364. 7.0% of the population and 3.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Culture
Waltham is a considerable 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 an assortment of shops, restaurants, and bars, including the Watch City Brewing Co. and the Embassy Cinema. With its convenience to the commuter rail and lower rents, Moody Street's popularity among some younger professionals has grown. Local bands include fan favorites Waltham and the Island/Def Jam signed Damone
External links
- Waltham official website (http://www.city.waltham.ma.us/)
- Waltham Community website (http://www.waltham-community.org/)
- Key dates in Waltham, Mass., History (http://www.waltham-community.org/history.html)
- Discover Waltham (http://www.discoverwaltham.com/index.php)
- Watch City Brewing Co. (http://www.watchcitybrew.com/)
- Embassy Cinema (http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/Boston/EmbassyCinema.htm)
- The Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University (http://www.cdiabu.com)