Wakefield, Massachusetts

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Wakefield, Massachusetts
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°30′23″N 71°04′24″W / 42.50639, -71.07333
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Middlesex
Settled 1639
Incorporated 1812
Government
 - Type Open town meeting
Area
 - Total 7.9 sq mi (20.5 km²)
 - Land 7.5 sq mi (19.3 km²)
 - Water 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km²)
Elevation 100 ft (30 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 24,804
 - Density 3,321.6/sq mi (1,282.5/km²)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01880
Area code(s) 339 / 781
FIPS code 25-72215
GNIS feature ID 0619410
Website: http://www.wakefield.ma.us/

Wakefield is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States located ten miles north of Boston. The population was 24,804 at the 2000 census.

Contents

[edit] History

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Wakefield was first settled in 1639 as Lynn Village. It officially separated from Lynn and incorporated as Reading in 1644 when the first church and corn mill were established. This first corn mill was built on the Mill River on Water St and later small saw mills were built on the Mill River and the Saugus River.

The old parish church became known as the Old or South Parish when in 1713 the North Parish was established. This North Parish later became the town of North Reading. In 1769 the West Parish was established. In 1812 the Old or South Parish of Reading separated from Reading and was officially incorporated as South Reading.

The Railroad was chartered and built in 1844 between Wilmington and Boston. This later became the main line of the Boston and Maine Railroad. The Boston and Maine Foundry was built in 1854 and was later reincorporated as the Smith and Anthony Stove Company. The Boston Ice Company cut and shipped ice from Lake Quannapowitt starting in 1851. The Rattan Works (which made wicker furniture) was established in 1856 by Cyrus Wakefield. This later grew into the Wakefield Rattan Company and at one time had a thousand employees. In 1868 Cyrus Wakefield donated land and money for a new Town Hall and in thanks the town voted to change its name from South Reading to Wakefield.

In 1856 the South Reading public library was established, this later became the Beebe Town Library. The first weekly newspaper in town was established in 1858. Wakefield is made up of various parts including the Westside, Montrose and Greenwood.

One of the oldest and largest manufacturers of flying model airplane toys in the world, Paul K. Guillow, Inc. is located in Wakefield. The company is particularly notable for its extensive line of balsa wood model airplane kits.

Wakefield gained media attention on December 26, 2000, when Michael McDermott, an employee at Edgewater Technology, fatally shot seven of his co-workers.

[edit] Geography

Wakefield is located at 42°30′4″N, 71°4′16″W (42.501345, -71.071324).[1]

Reading, Massachusetts (West), Melrose, Massachusetts (South), Stoneham, Massachusetts (Southwest), Lynnfield, Massachusetts (North), and Saugus, Massachusetts (East) border Wakefield.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.5 km²), of which, 7.5 square miles (19.3 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (5.56%) is water.

Wakefield has two lakes: Crystal Lake and Lake Quannapowitt. Crystal Lake is used as a reservoir for some of the town's drinking water. Lake Quannapowitt is used for a wide variety of recreational activities, including boating, windsurfing and fishing, and is the primary source of the Saugus river.

In 1847, Lake Quannapowitt was named for the Indian, James Quannapowitt, one of the signers of the old Indian Deed of 1686. The earliest settlers referred to the lake simply as the "Greate Pond" or "Reading Pond." Lake Quannapowitt is also home to the oldest inland yacht club in the United States, Quannapowitt Yacht Club which was founded in 1886.

Long regarded as "Wakefield's greatest natural resource," Lake Quannapowitt covers an area of 247 acres. Its outlet is the Saugus River to the Atlantic Ocean. Wakefield Common sits to the south of the lake, and is the site of many recreational activities and events throughout the year.

In 1991, a group of local citizens formed "The Friends of Lake Quannapowitt" to advocate for the lake and to educate the public about this natural resource. The group has also raised money for projects that benefit the lake and the surrounding areas.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 24,804 people, 9,747 households, and 6,608 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,321.6 people per square mile (1,282.0/km²). There were 9,937 housing units at an average density of 1,330.7/sq mi (513.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.94% White, 0.45% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.

There were 9,747 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $66,117, and the median income for a family was $77,834. Males had a median income of $51,591 versus $39,327 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,369. About 1.7% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

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[edit] Education

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Contains three High Schools: Wakefield High School, Northeast Vocational, and Our Lady of Nazareth Academy. Elinor Freedman is the current principal of Wakefield High School. In 1997, the boys' and girls' basketball teams from Wakefield High School won Division II state championships on the same night.

Contains 1 middle school (Galvin Middle) (current Principal: Dr. Mullen), and 4 Elementary schools (Woodville, Dolbeare, Walton and Greenwood). Defunct elementary schools include Doyle, Lincoln, Warren, Montrose, Franklin, Yeuell, and the Little Red School House. The Little Red School house was a one-room school house building that was used for pre-K and K students on the Westside. Westside students would later attend the Mary E. Walton School or Doyle school from 1-4 grades. Now, all Westside pupils attend the Walton school. Wakefield is also home to two private schools, St. Joseph's & the Odyssey day school. In 2003 the Doyle School closed down and force children to changed schools. Later they sold Doyle to the Odyssey day school.

[edit] Transportation

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An MBTA Commuter Rail station on the Haverhill/Reading Line is located in the center of town as well as in the Greenwood section. Several MBTA buses (Route 136 and Route 137) run to nearby communities, including the Oak Grove train station on the Orange line.

[edit] Media

[edit] Points of interest

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[edit] Annual events

[edit] Notable residents

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  • Israel Horovitz - American playwright and screenwriter born March 31, 1939 in Wakefield, MA
    Beastie Boy Adam "Adrock" Horovitz is the son of Israel Horovitz
  • Lucius Beebe - American author, gourmand, photographer, railroad historian, journalist, and syndicated columnist born December 9, 1902 in Wakefield, MA (died 1966)
  • Trevor Phipps - Lead vocals for Boston metalcore band Unearth.
  • Carleton S. Coon - Anthropologist
  • Mark Kumpel- Member of the 1984 US Olympic Ice Hockey Team and former NHL player with the Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques, and the Detroit Red Wings.
  • John Lilley- Member of the 1994 US Olympic Ice Hockey Team and former NHL player

with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

  • Marcia Pankratz- Member of the 1988 and 1996 Olympic Field Hockey team and former head coach of Field Hockey at the University of Michigan.
  • Dave Lapham Former NFL player with the Cincinnati Bengals. Former USFL player with the New Jersey Generals. Current member of the Cincinnati Bengal radio broadcast team.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] Further reading

Beautiful 1852 Map of Boston area showing South Reading later renamed Wakefield.
Beautiful 1852 Map of Boston area showing South Reading later renamed Wakefield.

[edit] External links

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Municipalities and communities of
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Cities
Towns
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Villages