Medford

 

City (1990 pop. 57,407), Middlesex co., E Mass., a residential and industrial suburb of Boston, on the Mystic River; settled 1630, inc. as a city 1892. Wax, paper, clothing, and furniture are among its products. A shipping and shipbuilding center from the 17th to the 19th cent., Medford was also known for its rum. It is the seat of Tufts Univ. Several 18th-century buildings stand in the city.

Medford, Massachusetts
Seal
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°25′06″N 71°06′24″W / 42.41833, -71.10667
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Middlesex
Settled	1630
Incorporated	1630
Government
- Type	Mayor-council city
- Mayor	Michael J. McGlynn
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2000)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	02155
Area code(s)	617 / 781
FIPS code	25-39835
GNIS feature ID	0612778
Website: http://www.medford.org/

Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, just a few miles north of Boston. In the 2000 census, Medford's population was 55,765. It is the home of Tufts University. The city's name comes from the description of a "meadow by the ford".

History

Medford was founded in 1630. It was established as a city in 1892 and was a center of industry, including the manufacture of brick and tile, rum, Medford Crackers, and clipper ships.

Gypsy moth

In 1868, a French astronomer and naturalist, Leopold Trouvelot, was attempting to breed a better silkworm using Gypsy moths. Several of the moths escaped from his home, at 27 Myrtle Street, which no longer exists. Within ten years, the insect had denuded the vegetation in the neighborhood. It spread over North America.^{[citation needed]}

Holiday songs

In a pub on Salem Street in the late 19th century, local resident James Pierpont wrote "Jingle Bells" after watching a sleigh race from Medford to Malden. Another local resident, Lydia Maria Child (1802–1880), made a poem out of the trip across town to her grandparents' house, now the classic song "Over the River and Through the Woods".

Other notables

Medford was home to Fannie Farmer, author of one of the world's most famous cookbooks—as well as James Plimpton, the man credited with the 1863 invention of the first practical four-wheeled roller skate, which set off a roller craze that quickly spread across the United States and Europe.

"The Black Dahlia", the infamous Hollywood murder victim, was born and raised in Medford before going to the West Coast looking for fame.

The Peter Tufts house (350 Riverside Ave.) is thought to be the oldest all-brick building in New England. Another important site is the "Slave Wall" on Grove Street, built by "Pomp," a slave owned by the prominent Brooks family.

Medford has sent more than its share of athletes to the National Hockey League; Sean Bates, though born in Melrose, MA grew up in Medford, as did Keith Tkachuk, Mike Morrison and Joe Sacco.

Medford is home to some of New England's most well-known bakeries and Italian restaurants and delis.

Medford was home to Michael Bloomberg, American businessman, philanthropist, and the founder of Bloomberg L.P., who is currently serving as the Mayor of New York City. Mayor Bloomberg attended Medford High School and resided in Medford until after he graduated college. His mother remains a resident of Medford.

Medford and the law

Medford is home to some famous scandals:

• A few crooked officers of the Medford Police and MDC forces pulled off one of the biggest bank robberies and jewel heists in world history in 1980, robbing the Depositors Trust bank over the Memorial Day weekend.
• The only recorded proof of the Mafia's existence is from an FBI audiotape of a Mafia induction ceremony held in Medford in the late 1980s.
• An admitted Mob execution by Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi took place at the "Pewter Pot" cafe in Medford Square.^{[1][citation needed]}

Medford became the northeast flashpoint for race relations when two Militant Christian White Supremacists burned a black child while yelling racial remarks. The incident was largely ignored by law enforcement and local media, with the notable exception of the Boston Globe.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

Medford is located at 42°25′12″N, 71°6′29″W (42.419996, −71.107942).¹

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.4 km² (8.6 mi²). 21.1 km² (8.1 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (5.79%) is water.

An impressive park called the Middlesex Fells Reservation¹ straddles the town's northern boundary. This  acre ( km²) preserve is shared by Medford with the municipalities of Winchester, Stoneham, Melrose and Malden. Unfortunately its two Depression-era stone towers, both of which offered wide views across much of the park and city, have become overgrown by maturing forests, and fallen into disrepair due to government cutbacks.

Neighborhoods

People of Medford often identify themselves with what part of the city they are from. The most populated are:

• West Medford
• North Medford (a.k.a. The Heights or Fulton Heights)
• Wellington
  • Station Landing (a.k.a. New Boston)
• Medford Square

• South Medford

Demographics

The majority of Medford's population is Italian American families who mostly live in the south Medford neighborhood of the city. Irish-Americans also are a strong majority in the city and live in all areas.

As of the census² of 2000, there were 55,765 people, 22,067 households, and 13,505 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,645.1/km² (6,851.3/mi²). There were 22,687 housing units at an average density of 1,076.1/km² (2,787.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.45% White, 6.10% African American, 0.11% Native American, 3.87% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 2.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.59% of the population.

There were 22,067 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 17.9% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $52,476, and the median income for a family was $62,409. Males had a median income of $41,704 versus $34,948 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,707. About 4.1% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Medford has three Public Access television stations: TV3, Channel 15 (educational access) and Channel 16 (governmental or municipal access).

Transportation

In Medford Square numerous buses provided by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority run through, allowing easy access to other parts of town and nearby cities. On Medford's east side, Wellington serves as the city's source to the Orange Line. From the Orange Line people obtain quick transportation to countless areas including Boston. On the west side, the Lowell Commuter Rail Line makes a stop in West Medford Square.

Points of interest

• Tufts University: Though formally listed as being located in Medford, Tufts University is also located in Somerville. The Somerville-Medford line actually runs through Tufts' campus. The school employs many local residents and has many community service projects that serve the city, especially those run through the Leonard Carmichael Society and the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, the latter of which especially emphasizes public service in Tufts' host communities.
• Springstep, a nonprofit that hosts variety of dance and music classes, weekly social dances, and a six-part Performance Series. It is located across from City Hall.
• Amelia Earhart residence, 76 Brooks Street
• Former site of Fannie Farmer's house; corner of Paris & Salem Streets
• Grandfather's House
• Grace Church, designed by H. H. Richardson
• Gravity Research Foundation monument at Tufts University
• Isaac Royall House
• Jingle Bells historical marker, High Street
• Peter Tufts House
• Salem Street Burying Ground
• Outside The Lines Studio
• Muscle Orchard

Notable residents

• Edwin Adams, (1834-1877), stage comedian of the 19th century^[2]
• Lou Antonelli, science fiction writer
• Shawn Bates, professional hockey player, New York Islanders
• Michael Bloomberg, current mayor of New York City
• Terri Lyne Carrington, jazz drummer
• Lydia Maria Child, anti-slave activist, writer of the poem "Over the River and Through the Woods"
• Fannie Farmer
• Paul Geary former drummer of the hard rock band Extreme, music manager for acts such as Godsmack
• John Honeycutt, TV producer for the Discovery Networks
• Daniel Lyons, Senior Editor of Forbes and author of fake Steve Jobs blog.
• Mike McGlynn, Mayor
• Maria Menounos, Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 1996, media personality (Entertainment Tonight), actress
• Bill Monbouquette, former Major League Baseball pitcher 1958-1968 (Red Sox, Tigers, Yankees)
• Priscilla Morrill, actress, played Edie Grant on the Mary Tyler Moore Show
• John Forbes Nash, Princeton professor, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
• Julianne Nicholson, actress (Ally McBeal, Conviction)
• Mike Pagliarulo, former Major League Baseball player
• Jerry Pallotta, children's book author
• James Pierpont, writer of "Jingle Bells"
• William Zebina Ripley, American economist and racial theorist
• Isaac Royall, Jr.
• Joe Sacco, NHL Hockey player (Toronto, Anaheim, NY Islanders, Washington & Philadelphia)
• David Sacco, NHL Hockey player (Toronto & Anaheim)
• Elizabeth Short, aspiring starlet, brutally mutilated and murdered, dubbed the "Black Dahlia" by the press
• Clifford Shull, Nobel Prize winning American physicist
• Paul Theroux, author
• Keith Tkachuk, NHL Hockey player (Winnipeg, Phoenix, St. Louis & Atlanta)

References

See also

• Blessing of the Bay
• List of Registered Historic Places in Medford, Massachusetts

External links

• City Hall's website
• Medford Transcript, newspaper
• City Hall's Official Histories
• Medford History by local schools
• Medford Genealogy by Sharon Guzik
• Medford Historical Society
• Medford Historical Commission
• Middlesex Fells,  acre ( km²) Natural Reservation
• Picture of Slave Wall, Grove Street
• The Brooks Estate
• Royall House Association
• Chevalier Theater
• The Jewish Center Serving the Tufts Jewish Communty and beyond
• Sikh Temple, Mystic Ave. Medford
• Springstep, connecting people through dance+music
• Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance(MGNA)
• Medford Maddogs Website

Coordinates: 42.419996° N 71.107942° W

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