ZIP Code 02451

Waltham was first settled in 1634 as part of Watertown and was officially incorporated as a separate town in 1738. In the early 19th century, Francis Cabot Lowell established in Waltham the first integrated textile mill in the United States. The city is now a center for research and higher education, home to Brandeis University and Bentley University as well as industrial powerhouse Raytheon Technologies. The name of the city is pronounced with the primary stress on the first syllable and a full vowel in the second syllable, WAWL-tham. In some areas, theCity is referred to as "The Walth am". The city stretches along the Charles River, which contains several dams and was used to power textile mills and other endeavors in the early years of the industrial Revolution. The heart of the WALTHam is WalthAM Common, which is home to the City Hall and various memorial statues. The City is also home to several churches, the Main Street Office, the town library and the Post Office on the Common. The population was 65,218 at the census in 2020. WalthAm Watch Company opened its factory in WALTHAM in 1854 and was the first company to make watches on an assembly line. It won the gold medal in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. The company produced over 35 million watches, clocks and instruments before it closed in 1957. In late 19th and early 20th century the first production motorcycle in the U.S. was built. During World War II, the magnetron tube technology was applied to radar.

History

Waltham is the primary city name, but also North Waltham are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Waltham, Massachusetts. Waltham was first settled in 1634 as part of Watertown and was officially incorporated as a separate town in 1738. In the early 19th century, Francis Cabot Lowell established in Waltham the first integrated textile mill in the United States. The city is home to a number of large estates, including Gore Place, a mansion built in 1806 for former Massachusetts governor Christopher Gore, the Robert Treat Paine Estate, and the Lyman Estate, a 400-acre (1.6 km²) estate built in 1793 by Boston merchant Theodore Lyman. The name of the city is pronounced with the primary stress on the first syllable and a full vowel in the second syllable, WAWL-tham. In 1857, the WalthAm Model 1857 watch was produced by the American Watch Company in the city of Walth am, Massachusetts. The first production motorcycle in the U.S. was built in the late 19th and early 20th century by the brass era automobile manufacturer Metz. During World War II, the magnetron tube technology was applied to radar. Later, magnetron tubes were used as components in microwave ovens. It is also the home of the Walter E. Fernald State School, the western hemisphere's oldest publicly funded institution serving people with developmental disabilities. The storied and controversial history of the institution has long been covered by local and, at times, national media. In some areas, the city has been referred to as "The WALTHam".

Geography

Waltham is located about 11 miles (18 km) north-west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts. The heart of the city is Waltham Common, which is home to the City Hall and various memorial statues. The city stretches along the Charles River and contains several dams. The dams were used to power textile mills and other endeavors in the early years of the industrial activity. 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. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.6 square miles (35 km²), of which 12.7 sq miles (33 km²) is land and 0.9sq miles (2.3km²) (6.69%) is water. It has several neighborhoods or villages, including:. It also has several towns, including Weston, Lincoln, Newton, Belmont, Watertown and Lexington, and one village, Lexington. It was founded in the 17th century by a group of German Huguenots, and was named after the town's first postmaster, William W. W. "Willy" WIlliams, who was born in 17th Century England. The town's name is derived from the German word "Weltham", which means "home" or "place" in German. It means "welcome" in English, and "waltham" means "to the city".

Demographics

As of the census in 2020, there were 65,218 people and 23,891 households in the city. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.02. The median income for a household was $95,851, and per capita was $44,977. In 2020, 9.2% of the population and 5% of families lived below the poverty line. 26.6% of Waltham residents were born outside of the United States. Of foreign-born residents, 41.5% were born in Asia, 32.7% in Latin America, 11.9% in Europe, and 9.7%. The median age was 34. The population was 48.3% male and 51. 7% female. The racial makeup of the city was 70.5%, 7.6%, Native American or Alaska Native, 11% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 5.3%, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.3%. The age distribution is as follows: 13.7%) under 18, 20% from 18 to 24, 30.6%) from 25 to 44, 9.9%) from 45 to 64, and 14.6%" from 65 or older. The city is located on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which runs through Boston. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, with a population of 1.2 million in 2014. The speed of growth is at an average of 2.4%.

Economy

Among the companies based in Waltham are the defense contractor Raytheon, medtech corporation PerkinElmer, biopharmaceutical services provider Paraxel, energy supply company Global Partners, and broker-dealer Commonwealth Financial Network. Retail activity is concentrated on Main Street, Moody Street, Lexington Street, River Street, parts of Route 60, and the First Avenue area. Footwear manufacturer Wolverine World Wide, Inc. moved their regional headquarters from Lexington to the CityPoint campus in July 2016. New retail development has also been active at a former Polaroid site. According to the city's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top ten non-city employers in the city are as follows: Care.com, StudentUniverse, Education Development Center (EDC), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Constant Contact, Steel Connect, and Global Partners. C & J Clark America, Inc., moved their headquarters from Newton to the Polaroids site in October 2016. The city's unemployment rate is currently at 4.2%. The unemployment rate for the city as a whole is currently 4.1%. The city has a population of 2.1 million, the highest rate of any city in the state. The average household income is $50,000, the lowest rate of unemployment is 1.7%. The average income for a city resident is $44,000. The median household income for the town is $57,000; the average income is $60,000 for the county.

Arts and culture

Starting in 2020, the City of Waltham in Massachusetts has shut down a large portion of the main road, Moody St., to vehicular traffic from May 1 until October 31 annually. Moody Street is also referred to as "Restaurant Row" and has become a destination because of the number, variety and quality of its locally owned restaurants. Without the barrier effect that cars often have on Moody Street, the street is open and enjoyable to walk around. The dense rows of restaurants and other businesses lining the road make for an engaging experience for people who walk the street during the street closure. Providing a space that is for pedestrians and cyclists only has increased the number of chance encounters residents have, hence improving social connections. These changes have overarching public health benefits for local residents utilizing the space. 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. Some of these non-restaurant business owners oppose repeating the plan in the future, arguing that closing off the road makes their businesses less accessible due to a lack of automobile access. Some restaurants have brought in tents with lighting, while others just bought picnic tables and umbrellas and set them outside. The Rose holds a variety of exhibitions and programs and collections are open to the public. The city's history is also celebrated at a number of museums, libraries, and archives. Many festivals are held at these year, such as the annual festival at shearing the annual sheep.

Government

Waltham is governed by a mayor and a city council. The current mayor is Jeanette A. McCarthy. There are 15 members of the city council, each elected to two-year terms in non-partisan elections. The city is in Massachusetts's 5th congressional district and is currently represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Katherine Clark. Waltham also is represented by State Representatives John J. Lawn and Thomas M. Stanley, and in the Massachusetts Senate by Senator Michael Barrett. It is located on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which runs through the city's downtown area. The turnpike is one of the busiest roads in the city, reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) in some areas. It was built in the 19th century and was the site of the first train station in 18th century. It has been named after the town's founder, William W. "Bill" Walthal, who was born in the area in 1805. The town is also known as "The City of the Stars" because of its many spires, which date back to the early 19th Century. The name is derived from the name of one of its first residents, William "William" "Walthal" (pronounced "Wally" or "William") Walthall, who lived in the town in the early 1800s. In the early 20th century, the city was known as the "City of the Saints" because it had a reputation for having a good reputation.

Education

The Waltham Public Schools system includes seven elementary schools (Northeast, Fitzgerald, MacArthur, Plympton, Whittemore, Stanley) and one senior high school (Waltham High School) WalthAM is home to: Bentley University, Brandeis University, and the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University which closed in 2014. The city also has a number of private schools and private colleges, including: Boston University, Boston College, Boston University and Boston University. The town is also home to the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Bruins, the New England Patriots and the New York Yankees. The Red Sox won the World Series in 2007 and 2008, while the Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2010 and 2011. The Bruins also won the NBA title in 2008 and 2010. The Celtics won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and 2012, and were runner-up in the 2010 World Series. The Patriots won their first World Series title in 1988, and their second in 1991. They won their third title in 2010, their fourth in 2012 and their sixth in 2013. The team won the title in 2013 and 2014, and won their sixth title in the 2013-14 school year. The Hawks won their fourth title in 2014, their fifth in the 2014-15 school year, and sixth in the 2011-12 school year in the 2012-13 season. The school's sports teams had been referred to as the Watchmen and the Crimson, before they changed the name to the Hawks.

Infrastructure

Waltham is close to several U.S. interstate highways. The MBTA commuter rail has two stops in Waltham as part of the Fitchburg-Boston Line. The Charles River runs through the city, and bike and walking paths cover most of the south bank. The city is protected by the 166 full-time, paid firefighters of the city of WALTHam Fire Department (WFD) Established in 1816, the WFD is currently organized into three divisions of operations: fire suppression, fire prevention, and training.Armstrong Ambulance Service currently provides 24/7 Advanced Life Support emergency medical services to the City of Walthan. The Walthalam Police Department has been in existence since 1816 and is the oldest police department in the state of Massachusetts. It was established to protect the city from the threat of fire, and was the first police force in the city's history to be organized as a non-profit organization. It has been the subject of a documentary, "Walthaland: The City of Fire", which airs on PBS stations in the United States and on PBS in the UK. It is also the home of the Boston Marathon bombing victims, who were killed on September 11, 2001. The Boston Marathon bombings took place on October 11, 2004. The bombings were the deadliest attack on the Boston area since the Second World War, killing more than 3,000 people, including more than 1,000 police officers and firefighters.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts = 43.5. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 43. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Waltham = 3.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 40,508 individuals with a median age of 38.1 age the population grows by 1.68% in Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 5,117.95 residents per square mile of area (1,975.99/km²). There are average 2.26 people per household in the 23,876 households with an average household income of $66,345 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.30% of the available work force and has dropped -4.07% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 25.56%. The number of physicians in Waltham per 100,000 population = 389.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Waltham = 41.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 50.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 115. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 197. 85 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 17.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 49, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts which are owned by the occupant = 43.86%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 52 years with median home cost = $345,020 and home appreciation of -1.93%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.70 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $11,207 per student. There are 11 students for each teacher in the school, 509 students for each Librarian and 403 students for each Counselor. 6.58% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 22.91% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 15.76% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).