Lexington, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
||
|
||
| Settled: 1642 – Incorporated: 1713 | ||
| Zip Code(s): 02420 / 02421 – Area Code(s): 339 / 781 | ||
| Official website: http://ci.lexington.ma.us/ | ||
| Location | ||
|---|---|---|
 Location in Massachusetts |
||
| Government | ||
| County | Middlesex County | |
| Form of Government | Representative town meeting | |
| Executive office | Town Manager | |
| Geography | ||
| Area | ||
| Total | 16.5 mi² / 42.8 km² | |
| Land | 16.4 mi² / 42.5 km² | |
| Water | 0.1 mi² / 0.4 km² | |
| Coordinates | ||
| Elevation | 210 ft / 64 m | |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
| Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
| Population | ||
| Total (2000) | 30355 | |
| Density | 1851.0/mi² / 714.7/km² | |
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,355 at the 2000 census.
The town is famous for being the site of the opening shots of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the first engagement of the American Revolution.
Contents |
[edit] About the town
- Lexington is probably most well-known for its history, and is home to many historical buildings, parks and monuments, most dating from Colonial and Revolutionary times.
- One of the most prominent historical landmarks is the Battle Green on which the skirmish was fought, and the Minute Man Statue in front of it.
- Another important historical monument is the Revolutionary Monument, the nation's oldest war memorial (completed on July 4, 1799) and the gravesite of those colonists slain in the Battle of Lexington.
- Other landmarks of historical importance include the Old Burying Ground (with gravestones dating back to 1690), the Old Belfry, Buckman Tavern (circa 1704-1710), Munroe Tavern (circa 1690), the Hancock-Clarke House (circa 1698), the U.S.S. Lexington Memorial, and The Old Depot train station.
- Lexington is also home to the 900-acre Minute Man National Historical Park, and the National Heritage Museum, which showcases exhibits on American history and popular culture *Central to the town is Lexington's town center, home to numerous dining opportunities, fine art galleries, retail shopping, a small cinema, the Cary Memorial Library, the Minuteman Bikeway, the Depot Square and many of the aforementioned historical landmarks.
- Lexington is also renowned for its public education system, which includes 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and Lexington High School, ranked the 199th best high school in the nation[1].
[edit] History
Lexington was first settled in 1642 as the Cambridge Farms parish of Cambridge, Massachusetts and was incorporated as a separate town in 1713[1]. It is named after Lexington (which was pronounced and today spelt Laxton) in Nottinghamshire, England[2].
Every year, on the third Monday of April, the town observes Patriot's Day. Events begin with Paul Revere's Ride, with a special re-enactment of the scene on the Battle Green. At 6 a.m., there is a re-enactment of the skirmish on the Battle Green, with shots being fired both from the Battle Green and the nearby Buckman Tavern, to take into account the fact that no one knows where the first shot was actually fired from, or by whom. After the rout, the British march on towards Concord. The battle in Lexington allowed the Concord militia time to organize at the Old North Bridge, where they were able to turn back the British and prevent them from capturing and destroying the militia's arms stores. The actual events occurred on April 19, 1775.
Throughout the rest of the year many tourists enjoy tours of the town's historic landmarks such as Buckman Tavern, Monroe Tavern, and the Hancock-Clarke house, which are maintained by the town's historical society.
[edit] Geography
Lexington is located at (42.444345, -71.226928)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 42.8 km² (16.5 mi²). 42.5 km² (16.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.85%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 30,355 people, 11,110 households, and 8,432 families residing in the town. The population density was 714.6/km² (1,851.0/mi²). There were 11,333 housing units at an average density of 266.8/km² (691.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.13% White, 10.90% Asian, 1.13% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population.
There were 11,110 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $96,825, and the median income for a family was $111,899. Males had a median income of $81,857 versus $50,090 for females. The per capita income for the town was $46,119. About 1.8% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Current events
- Beginning in April of 2005, a controversy erupted over teaching materials at a local elementary school which included portrayals of same-sex unions. The story received much attention from the local and national media. See Joseph Estabrook School for more information.
[edit] Sister cities
Lexington is a sister city of
 |
Antony, France |  |
Haifa, Israel |  |
Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine |
[edit] Notable residents
- Tissa Hami -- comic, graduate of Lexington High School
- Henry Abraham -- Nobel Peace Prize, current resident
- Steve Bennett -- Film Producer and pioneer of Digital Cinema, former resident
- Sir Tim Berners-Lee -- Inventor of the World Wide Web, current resident
- Noam Chomsky -- world famous professor of linguistics at MIT and left wing author, current resident, wrote the Letters from Lexington
- Francis Judd Cooke -- composer
- Rachel Dratch -- member of the cast of Saturday Night Live, graduate of Lexington High School
- Carl Everett -- Rightfielder/Designated Hitter for the Seattle Mariners, former outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, former resident
- Raef LaFrentz -- forward/center for the Portland Trail Blazers
- Fred Fitzgerald -- Olympic Athlete
- Nomar Garciaparra -- 1999, 2000 batting title-winning shortstop for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, and first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, former resident
- Mia Hamm -- Member of the United States women's national soccer team 17 times, former resident
- Bill Janovitz -- Lead singer and guitarist of the rock and roll band Buffalo Tom, current resident
- Salvador Luria -- Nobel Prize in Medicine, former resident
- Mario Molina -- Nobel Prize in Physics, current resident
- Eugene Mirman -- comedian, graduate of Lexington High School
- Joseph Nye -- political analyst, author of Soft power
- Amanda Palmer -- vocalist and pianist of the band the Dresden Dolls; grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts, and attended Lexington High School
- Charles Ponzi -- Infamous con man, former resident
- Ruth Sawyer -- Author, winner of the Newbery Medal, former resident
- Clifford Shull -- Nobel Prize in Physics, former resident
- Abigail Thernstrom -- Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, current resident
- Edward Osborne Wilson -- famous entomologist, current resident
- Rollie Massimino -- Lead Villanova Wildcats to an improbable basketball national championship in 1985, former Lexington High School teacher and coach
- Dennis Johnson -- guard for the Boston Celtics, former resident
- Ethan Zohn -- Winner of Survivor: Africa, graduate of Lexington High School
- Henry Louis Gates, Jr. -- African-American Studies scholar, co-editor of Encarta Africana encyclopedia, former resident
- John Rawls -- Famous for his theory of justice, former resident
- Steve Leech -- former NHL Player
- Tama Janowitz -- author, 'Slaves of New York' (1986), former resident, attended Lexington High School
[edit] Points of interest
- Buckman Tavern
- Hancock-Clarke House
- Minute Man National Historical Park
- Monroe Tavern
- Cotting School - America's First Day School for Children with Special Needs
[edit] External links
- Lexington official website
- Lexington Public Schools
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Lexington (Massachusetts) travel guide from Wikitravel
