Chelsea, Massachusetts
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Chelsea is a city in
Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County ( ) is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in Massachusetts. The county comprises the cities of Boston ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, which sits across the
Mystic River The Mystic River is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in Massachusetts. In the Massachusett language, means "large estuary", alluding to the tidal ...
from
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. The 2020 census reported Chelsea as having a population of 40,787, thereby making it the third most densely populated city in Massachusetts. With a total area of , Chelsea is the smallest city in Massachusetts in terms of total area.


History


Prehistory

The area of Chelsea was first called Winnisimmet, possibly meaning "swamp hill", by the Naumkeag tribe, which had lived there for thousands of years.


17th and 18th centuries

Samuel Maverick became the first European to settle permanently in Winnisimmet in 1624. His
palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymo ...
d
trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...
is considered the first permanent settlement by
Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, located adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the Northeastern United States. History 17th century Since its dis ...
. In 1635, Maverick sold all of Winnisimmet, except for his house and farm, to
Richard Bellingham Richard Bellingham (c. 1592 – 7 December 1672) was a colonial magistrate, lawyer, and several-time governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the last surviving signatory of the colonial charter at his death. A wealthy lawyer in Lincolnshi ...
. The community remained part of
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
until it was incorporated in 1739. It was named after Chelsea, a neighborhood in
London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. In 1775, the Battle of Chelsea Creek was fought in the area, the second battle of the
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
. During the battle, American forces made one of their first captures of a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
ship. Part of
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
's army was stationed in Chelsea during the
Siege of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. In the siege, Patriot (American Revolution), American patriot militia led by newly-installed Continental Army commander George Wash ...
.


19th century

On February 22, 1841, part of Chelsea was annexed by Saugus. On March 19, 1846, North Chelsea, which consists of present-day Revere and Winthrop, was established as a separate town. Reincorporated as a city in 1857, Chelsea developed as an industrial center and by mid-century had become a powerhouse in wooden sailing ship construction. As the century wore on, steam power began to overtake the age of the sail, and industry in the town began to shift toward manufacturing. Factories making
rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...
and
elastic Elastic is a word often used to describe or identify certain types of elastomer, Elastic (notion), elastic used in garments or stretch fabric, stretchable fabrics. Elastic may also refer to: Alternative name * Rubber band, ring-shaped band of rub ...
goods,
boot A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...
s and
shoes A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...
,
stove A stove or range is a device that generates heat inside or on top of the device, for - local heating or cooking. Stoves can be powered with many fuels, such as natural gas, electricity, gasoline, wood, and coal. Due to concerns about air pollu ...
s, and
adhesive Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation. The use of adhesives offers certain advantage ...
s began to appear along the banks of Boston Harbor. It became home to the
Chelsea Naval Hospital Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria, a suburb ** Chelsea railway station, Melbourne Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia, a community * Chelsea, Quebec, a municipality United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of Lo ...
designed by Alexander Parris in 1836. According to local historical records, Nathan Morse, the first
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
resident of Chelsea, arrived in 1864, and by 1890, only 82 Jews were living in the city. However, Chelsea was a major destination for the "great wave" of Russian and Eastern European immigrants, especially
Russian Jews The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...
, who came to the United States after 1890. By 1910, the number of Jews had grown to 11,225, nearly one-third of the entire population of the city. In the 1930s, there were about 20,000 Jewish residents out of a total population of almost 46,000 in Chelsea. Given the area of the city, Chelsea may have had the most Jewish residents per square mile of any city outside of
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.


20th century

On April 12, 1908, nearly half the city was destroyed in the first of two great fires. The fire left 18,000 people, 56 percent of the population, homeless. Many of the city's residents were taken in by those whose homes had survived the fire; others sought refuge in nearby Revere. It would take the city about two and a half years to rebuild and five years to surpass the extent of 1908's infrastructure. The city was also laid out differently after the fire, with wider streets and more access for emergency vehicles. By 1919, Chelsea's population had reached 52,662, with foreign-born residents comprising 46 percent of the population. Fully transitioned from a suburb to an industrial city, the waterfront flourished, with shipbuilding, lumberyards, metalworks, and paint companies lining Marginal Street. Between 1940 and 1980, the population declined by 38 percent. Chelsea lost more population than other urban areas after the 1950s because of the construction of the elevated Northeast Expressway built to connect the North Shore suburbs to Boston, via the Mystic River Bridge (later renamed for Boston Mayor
Maurice J. Tobin Maurice Joseph Tobin (May 22, 1901July 19, 1953) was an American politician serving as 46th Mayor of Boston, the 56th Governor of Massachusetts and 6th United States Secretary of Labor. He was a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Dem ...
). In 1973, the Second Great Chelsea Fire burned 18
city block A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. In a city with a grid system, the block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are th ...
s, leaving nearly a fifth of the city in ashes. Both fires originated in Chelsea's "rag shop district," cluttered streets filled with junk shops hawking scraps, metal, and combustible items. Wood-frame buildings and three- to six-family houses were built tightly together, and quickly caught fire. By 1990, Chelsea had collapsed economically and socially. Crime was rampant, even among the police and local government officials. The population drain made way for more immigrants but depleted the city's tax base. The cost of running the city and maintaining its infrastructure did not decrease correspondingly so, in 1991, the city suffered fiscal collapse. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts enacted special legislation to place Chelsea into
receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...
. For the first time since the Great Depression, a Massachusetts city surrendered its home rule and allowed a state-appointed receiver to control all aspects of city government. Governor
William Weld William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...
named James Carlin as the first receiver followed by Lewis "Harry" Spence. City Hall was eviscerated, the police and fire departments reorganized, management of the public schools given to
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
, and indictments handed down.
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
John "Butchie" Brennan and two former mayors were found guilty of federal crimes. By the summer of 1995, when the state returned City Hall to the people of Chelsea, a new government had been born, brought to life by a panel of citizens charged with drafting a new
city charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally, the granting of a charter ...
. The new charter eliminated the position of mayor, converting management of the city from a
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
to a
council–manager government The council–manager government is a form of local government commonly used for municipalities and counties in the United States and Ireland, in New Zealand regional councils, and in Canadian municipalities. In the council-manager government, ...
system, where a
city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...
is selected by
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
members. As such, municipal government focused on improving the quality of services provided to residents and businesses, while establishing financial policies that have significantly improved the city's financial condition.


21st century

In the early 2000s, Chelsea began ongoing urban development. Several underutilized areas were converted into residential and mixed-use neighborhoods. The Forbes Site along the Chelsea River redeveloped into Forbes Park, a 17-acre area featuring housing, light commercial space, and more. Furthermore, in 2018, the MBTA Silver Line saw a major upgrade, with new Bus Rapid Transport stations that improve public transit access,


Geography

Located on a small
peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
in
Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, located adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the Northeastern United States. History 17th century Since its dis ...
covering , Chelsea is the smallest city by area in Massachusetts. Chelsea is bordered on three sides by water. The
Mystic River The Mystic River is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in Massachusetts. In the Massachusett language, means "large estuary", alluding to the tidal ...
borders Chelsea to the southwest, the Chelsea Creek and Mill Creek and the Island End River border it to the west. The topography of Chelsea consists primarily of coastal lowlands, punctuated by four
drumlins A drumlin, from the Irish word ("little ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground ...
formed during the last Ice Age. These drumlins are located in the southwest (Admirals Hill), southeast (Mount Bellingham), northeast (Powderhorn Hill), and northwest (Mount Washington). A smaller drumlin (Mill Hill) is located on the east side of Chelsea, adjacent to Mill Creek. This sloped and hilly landscape helps to divide the city into discernible neighborhoods, each with its character, thereby giving the city a manageable sense of scale and orientation.


Neighborhoods and districts

There are several distinct neighborhoods in Chelsea: * Admirals Hill: Admirals Hill sits atop a point of land between the Mystic River and Island End River. Containing the Naval Hospital Historic District, the area is mostly residential development. On the south slope of the hill is the site of the historic
Chelsea Naval Hospital Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria, a suburb ** Chelsea railway station, Melbourne Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia, a community * Chelsea, Quebec, a municipality United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of Lo ...
. Between the Naval Hospital and the shoreline is Mary O'Malley Park, the largest public park in Chelsea. * Addison-Orange: Adjacent to the north side of downtown, the Addison-Orange neighborhood is residential, flat, and densely populated. Washington Avenue runs through this neighborhood. *
Bellingham Square Bellingham Square Historic District is a historic district encompassing the civic and commercial heart of Chelsea, Massachusetts. Roughly bounded by Broadway, Shawmut, Chestnut, and Shurtleff Streets, the district was almost entirely built ...
: This
historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...
became the center of commerce and government after the 1908 fire. The design is the result of community planning after the Great Fire of 1908. The district includes City Hall, modeled after Old Independence Hall in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, the Public Library, and Phoenix Charter Academy's campus. * Box District: Just over a block from City Hall, this neighborhood gets its name from various box manufacturing companies that operated in the area as early as 1903, when the Russell Box Company began operations at the foot of Gerrish Avenue. Abandoned in the 1960s, the area was rezoned for residential use in the 2000s. * Carter Park—Wyndham Area: The neighborhood around Carter Park is a small enclave of mostly single-family Queen Anne style homes. Route 1 is above the southeastern edge of this tree-lined neighborhood, and Revere Beach Parkway winds along the northern edge. The Chelsea High School, Boston's
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
regional field office, MGH Healthcare Center, and Mystic Mall are located in this area. The historic Chelsea Clock Company used to be located in this area until 2015. * Chelsea Square: This historic district includes a waterfront district (South Broadway neighborhood). Third Street is also in the area, becoming Everett Avenue. The Chelsea Police Department is located here. * Chelsea Commons: Formerly known as Parkway Plaza, Chelsea Commons sits on a low flat area near the end of Mill Creek, part of which was on a former landfill and clay pit. The plaza consists of big-box retail, fast-food restaurants, and two large apartment buildings. It is bordered by a strip of wetlands on both sides. Webster Ave, Mill Creek Riverwalk, Creekside Common, and Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare. * Mill Hill: This largely residential area consists mostly of two- and three-story wood frame detached buildings. Covering the smallest of the city's drumlins, the Mill Hill neighborhood sits on a small neck of land bounded by Chelsea Creek and Mill Creek. This neighborhood is on the Revere line. Eastern Avenue goes through this neighborhood. * Prattville: This is the northwestern section of the city. It also borders Revere and Everett to the west. Washington Park and Voke Park are located in this area. A smaller Chelsea fire station is located here as well. Garfield and Washington Avenues are in Prattville. Route 1 is on the east side of Prattville, and Route 16 is on the south side. * Soldiers Home: The Soldiers Home neighborhood covers the steep slopes and the peak of Powderhorn Hill. This residential area contains Queen Anne style architecture. Soldiers Home is one of the least dense neighborhoods in the city. At the peak sits the Soldiers Home, a structure. * Waterfront District: For the first time, Chelsea is reconnecting with its waterfront. It was established to promote water-oriented industrial uses at Forbes Industrial Park and the lower Chelsea Creek waterfront, its use also remains primarily industrial. Most of the waterfront from the Tobin Bridge to the mouth of Mill Creek is a Designated Port Area (DPA).


Demographics


Statistics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 35,177 people, 11,888 households, and 7,614 families residing in the city. The population density was , placing it among the highest in population density among U.S. cities. Due to many residents not wanting to be counted, it was estimated in 2023 that the actual population of Chelsea is probably 50,000 or more. There were 12,337 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 47.8%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 8.5% Black or
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 3.1% Asian, 1.1% Native American, 0.09%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 33.6% from other races, and 5.9% were
multiracial The term multiracial people refers to people who are mixed with two or more races (human categorization), races and the term multi-ethnic people refers to people who are of more than one ethnicity, ethnicities. A variety of terms have been used ...
. In addition, 62.1% of residents identified as
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino (of any race), which includes 18.2%
Salvadoran Salvadorans (), also known as Salvadorians, are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvadoran diaspora, particularly in the United States, with smalle ...
, 12.7% Puerto Rican, 8.4% Honduran, 7.3%
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
n, 2.8% Mexican, 2.2% Dominican, 0.5% Cuban, 0.5% Costa Rican, 0.4%
Nicaraguan Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America after Guatemala and ...
, 0.4%
Panamanian Panamanians (; feminine ) are people identified with Panama, a country in Central America (which is the central section of the American continent), and with residential, legal, historical, or cultural connections with North America. For most Pan ...
, 1.4% other Central American countries, 2.5% other South American countries, 5.3% other Hispanic/Latino. There were 11,888 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36% were non-families. Of all households, 28.8% were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.5. The population has 27.3% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,161, and the median income for a family was $32,130. Males had a median income of $27,280, versus $26,010 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $14,628. About 20.6% of families and 23.3% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 20.9% of those age 65 or over.


Foreign-born population

In 2010, 38% of Chelsea residents were born outside of the United States. This is the highest percentage of foreign-born residents in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.Sacchetti, Maria. "A melting pot stretches out to the suburbs." ''
Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
''. September 15, 2010. p
1Archive
. Retrieved on September 23, 2014.
Its "Interfaith Alliance" brings members of the Jewish,
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, and
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
communities together to promote inclusiveness, diversity, and tolerance. The 2007 Sanctuary City Resolution aims to support all foreign-born residents.


Government


Local


Presidential Results

The city of Chelsea is a Democratic stronghold, having voted for every Democratic nominee for President since 1928. Before 1928, Chelsea, like many municipalities in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, was a Republican stronghold.


Economy


Top employers

According to Chelsea's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:


Economic development

Under City Manager Ambrosino, Chelsea has implemented several innovative data analysis and tracking programs. Many of these programs are led and administered in conjunction with fellows from the
Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
's Innovation Field Lab. According to Chelsea's 2017 "State of the City" report, "this partnership allows the city to benefit from the questions and suggestions of omestic andinternational graduate students." In 2016, the City Council approved a $5.2 million grant for infrastructure improvements in the district. The project has been supported by a newly hired Downtown Coordinator and aims to engage residents and local businesses in a collective effort to advance the economic prosperity and quality of life in the district. Since the beginning of 2017 City officials kicked off Reimagining Broadway as a way to improve the downtown streets for motorists, pedestrians, and public transit. On July 23, 2019, the Baker-Polito Administration announced the expansion of the Transformative Development Initiative (TDI), a MassDevelopment program for Gateway Cities designed to accelerate economic growth within focused districts. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito made the announcement with MassDevelopment President and CEO Lauren Liss, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, and members of the New Bedford legislative delegation at the WHALE Co-Creative Center in New Bedford. "Our administration is pleased to further expand this program, which represents an innovative, block-by-block approach to revitalizing local economies." said Governor
Charlie Baker Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician serving as the sixth president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 72nd governor of Massa ...
. Chelsea has programs such as "Re-Imagining Broadway" and "Chelsea Centro". The project includes design and parking studies of the corridor from Chelsea Square through Bellingham Square to Fay Square. There are other similar projects like "Commonwealth Places", a collaborative initiative from MassDevelopment and the civic crowdfunding platform Patronicity, and "The Chelsea Business Foundation" are in progress and scheduled for spring/summer 2020.


Capital Improvement Plan

As summarized by the "State of the City" report, Chelsea's Capital Improvement Plan will invest in "park development, building improvements, water and sewer upgrades, and neighborhood street/sidewalks improvements. Other specific investments in new graffiti removal and snow removal equipment will enhance the quality of life for residents." The expenditures for Fiscal Year 2018 and Fiscal Year 2018–2022 can be found to the right. Total expenditures are divided between utility enhancement, equipment acquisition, parks and open space, public buildings and facilities, public safety, and surface enhancement. For Fiscal Year 2018, almost 64% of the budget will be dedicated to surface enhancements, which includes citywide sidewalks, marginal street pre-engineering, Shurtleff Street roadway and sidewalks, casino mitigation/transportation, citywide traffic calming, Congress Avenue road and sidewalks, Downtown Broadway engineering and construction, and Highland Street Greenway Phase II.


Residential development

Housing Composition: According to the 2011–2015 Community Survey, there are a total of 12,940 households in Chelsea, 27.9% of which are owner-occupied and 72.1% of which are renter-occupied. Although Chelsea has been known as the "City of Renters", there has been a push for home ownership. This has been pushed in particular by the Chelsea Restoration Corporation, which offers educational housing workshops and works in partnership with other state, municipal, and private partners to "rehabilitate properties and increase the stock of affordable housing." Over half (55.4%) of the housing units in Chelsea use utility gas, 29.8% use electricity, 12.7% use fuel oil, kerosene, etc. and smaller portion (2.1%) of housing units use bottled, tank, or LP gas, as well as other fuel or no fuel at all. With these statistics in mind, Chelsea has started several initiatives towards renewable energy and sustainability. One includes a partnership with SolSmart, a team of individuals dedicated to implementation of Solar energy, by making solar panels accessible through zoning laws, offering affordable solar options and providing education and resources for those who are interested in these efforts.


Reimagine Broadway

Reimagine Broadway was a six-month long planning effort that began in 2017 to transform downtown Chelsea, with the guidance of the Chelsea City Council, City Manager Ambrosino and several others. This effort ranges from supporting small business owners to re-designing the streetscape. The goals of this project were to "Enhance how public space is used and accessed downtown, support existing businesses and encourage new growth, beautify the area and create a consistent, vibrant look, improve overall safety for all users, establish a circulation pattern that works for cars, buses, pedestrians, transit riders, and bicyclists."


Transportation


Roads

The Route 1 North Expressway is a limited access highway that cuts the City of Chelsea in half. The
Tobin Bridge The Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge (formerly the Mystic River Bridge) is a cantilever bridge, cantilever truss bridge that spans more than from Charlestown, Boston, Boston to Chelsea, Massachusetts, Chelsea over the Mystic River in Massach ...
, a major regional transportation artery, carries Route 1 from Chelsea across the
Mystic River The Mystic River is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in Massachusetts. In the Massachusett language, means "large estuary", alluding to the tidal ...
to Charlestown.


Train

Chelsea is served by the
Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...
's
Commuter Rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
. The Commuter Rail provides service from
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
's
North Station North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Amtr ...
with the Chelsea station on its Newburyport/Rockport Line. Some MBTA Bus routes have a link to subway transit systems, including 111, 112, 114, 116, and 104.


Bus

Chelsea is served by many
MBTA bus The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates List of MBTA bus routes, 152 bus routes in the Greater Boston area. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance (defined as ) for all residents ...
routes providing local service to East Boston, Revere, Everett, and other nearby cities as well as bus rapid transit connections to
Logan Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport — also known as Boston Logan International Airport — is an international airport located mostly in East Boston and partially in Winthrop, Massachusetts, United States. Covering , it has ...
and downtown Boston via the MBTA's Silver Line. The Silver Line's SL3 route to Chelsea has been in operation since 2018. The new SL3 route begins at
South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan I ...
and runs through the Waterfront Tunnel, along with the SL1 and SL2 routes, to Silver Line Way, continuing with the SL1 through the Ted Williams Tunnel. The new route diverges to meet the Blue Line at Airport Station, and follows the Coughlin Bypass Road (a half-mile commercial-use-only road which opened in 2012) to the Chelsea Street Bridge. The Silver Line stops at the four stations in Chelsea: Eastern Avenue, Box District, Downtown Chelsea, and Mystic Mall. A new $20 million Chelsea commuter rail station and "transit hub" was constructed at the Mystic Mall terminus of the new Silver Line route, so that trains no longer block Sixth Street. The new Silver Line and commuter rail stations are fully handicapped accessible. Additionally, a multi-use shared path
linear park A linear park is a type of park that is significantly longer than it is wide. These linear parks are strips of public land running along canals, rivers, streams, defensive walls, electrical lines, or highways and Esplanade, shorelines. Examples o ...
runs parallel to the Silver Line bus rapid transit busway utilizing the Boston & Albany Railroad's Grand Junction Branch right-of-way. Located within the Box District neighborhood, the path connects Downtown Chelsea and Eastern Avenue stations.


Education

Chelsea Public Schools has four elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school, Chelsea High School. The Chelsea school system has historically been towards the bottom of the state's test score rankings. It has a high turnover among students. A high percentage of students move in or out over the course of the year, and the dropout rate is high. In 1988, the school board delegated its authority for control of the school district to
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
. In June 2008, a partnership with BU ended, and the schools returned to full local control. Chelsea has no private schools remaining with St. Rose closing in June 2020. In addition, there are two public
charter schools A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...
, the Excel Academy and Phoenix Charter Academy.
Bunker Hill Community College Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is a public community college with multiple campuses in the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1973 in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, BHCC provides higher education and j ...
and the
for-profit Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessari ...
Everest Institute have satellite locations of their schools in Chelsea.


Fire department

The city of Chelsea has firefighters of the City of Chelsea Fire Department, operating from three fire stations across the city, each shift commanded by a Deputy Chief. Chelsea Fire operates an apparatus fleet of four engines, two ladders, two special operations units, a maintenance unit, a foam-tender unit, and several other special, support, and reserve units. Chelsea Fire responds to ~11,000 emergency calls annually. The Chief of Department is John Quatieri who was sworn in on March 8, 2024.
Emergency Medical Services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...
are contracted to private ambulance provider Cataldo Ambulance Service, which has serviced the city since 1982.


Notable sites


Historic places

Chelsea has eight places on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. File:Bellingham Square Historic District Chelsea MA 02.jpg, Bellingham Square Historic District File:Bellingham-Cary House Chelsea MA.jpg, Bellingham-Cary House File:C Henry Kimball House Chelsea MA 01.jpg, C. Henry Kimball House File:Chelsea Garden Cemetery Chelsea MA 01.jpg, Chelsea Garden Cemetery File:Congregation Agudath Shalom Chelsea MA.jpg, Congregation Agudath Shalom File:Downtown Chelsea Residential HD Chelsea MA 02.jpg,
Downtown Chelsea Residential Historic District The Downtown Chelsea Residential Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by Shurtleff, Marginal, and Division Streets and Bellingham Square in Chelsea, Massachusetts. This district incorporates the Shurtleff School (now the ...
File:Middle Building.jpg, Naval Hospital Boston Historic District File:Revere Beach Parkway Eastbound at Everett Ave, Everett MA.jpg, Revere Beach Parkway


Chelsea Clock Company

Founded in 1897, the Chelsea Clock Company is an American
clock A clock or chronometer is a device that measures and displays time. The clock is one of the oldest Invention, human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month, a ...
manufacturing company still in existence. In 2015, the Chelsea Clock Company moved to a smaller building a few blocks away from the original location. The old building was demolished to make way for condominiums.


Open space

File:Kayem.jpg, Kayem Park File:DeverPark.jpg, Dever Park File:Anita's Garden.jpg, Anita's Garden File:Kaboom Park.jpg, Judie Dyer Park File:Eden Street Park.jpg, Eden Street Park File:Bellingham Park.jpg, Bellingham Park File:Port Park.jpg, Port Park File:Ciepela Memorial Park.jpg, Ciepela Memorial Park File:O'Neil Park.jpg, O'Neil Park File:*Mystic River Overlook Park & Dog Park.jpg, Mystic River Overlook Park & Dog Park File:Carter Park.jpg, Carter Park File:Voke Park.jpg, Voke Park


Notable people

*
Horatio Alger Horatio Alger Jr. (; January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was an American author who wrote young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to middle-class security and comfort through good works. His writings wer ...
, author * Miguel La Fay Bardi, Roman Catholic Prelate of the Territorial Prelature of Sicuani (1999–2013) *
Richard Bellingham Richard Bellingham (c. 1592 – 7 December 1672) was a colonial magistrate, lawyer, and several-time governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the last surviving signatory of the colonial charter at his death. A wealthy lawyer in Lincolnshi ...
, governor of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...
* Tom Birmingham, former President of the Massachusetts Senate * Selma Botman, President of the
University of Southern Maine The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Gorham and Portland, Maine, United States. It is the southernmost university in the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universities, Go ...
*
Ian Bremmer Ian Arthur Bremmer (born November 12, 1969) is an American political scientist, author, and entrepreneur focused on global political risk. He is the founder and president of Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm. He is al ...
, political scientist and founder of
Eurasia Group Eurasia Group is a political risk consultancy founded in 1998 by Ian Bremmer. History Eurasia Group reports on emerging markets including frontier and developed economies, in addition to establishing practices focused on geo-technology and energ ...
* Alfred Winsor Brown, 31st
Naval Governor of Guam The governor of Guam ( / ) is the head of government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territory) addresses to t ...
* William Bryden, U.S. Army major general *
Vannevar Bush Vannevar Bush ( ; March 11, 1890 – June 28, 1974) was an American engineer, inventor and science administrator, who during World War II, World War II headed the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), through which almo ...
,
Raytheon Company Raytheon is a business unit of RTX Corporation and is a major List of United States defense contractors, U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. Fou ...
Co-founder *
Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain (instrumental), Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" ...
, jazz musician * Norman Cota,
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
general * Albert DeSalvo,
Boston Strangler The Boston Strangler is the name given to the murderer of 13 women in Greater Boston during the early 1960s. The crimes were attributed to Albert DeSalvo based on his confession, on details revealed in court during a separate case, and DNA profi ...
*
Win Elliot Irwin Elliot Shalek (May 7, 1915 – September 17, 1998), better known as Win Elliot, was an American television and radio sportscaster and game show host. He was best known for his long tenures as a play-by-play broadcaster of NHL New York Ra ...
, sportscaster and game show host * Anna Christy Fall (1855–1930), lawyer * David Sidney Feingold, biochemist, born in Chelsea in 1922 * Adeline Frances Fitz, composer and DAR president * Jack Harvey, member of the
Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...
*
Ray Hyman Ray Hyman (born June 23, 1928) is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, and a noted critic of parapsychology. Hyman, along with James Randi, Martin Gardner and Paul Kurtz, is one of the founders of the ...
, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the
University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
, author, magician and a noted critic of
parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, teleportation, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry (paranormal), psychometry) and other paranormal cla ...
* Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers head football coach * Isaac Pendleton Langworthy, American Congregational minister and librarian * Lewis Howard Latimer, scientist and inventor * Samuel Maverick, colonist * Howard B. Meek, educator at
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
*
Charles E. Mitchell Charles Edwin Mitchell (October 6, 1877 – December 14, 1955) was an American banker whose incautious securities policies facilitated the speculation which led to the Crash of 1929. First National City Bank's (now Citibank) controversial act ...
,
banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
* Jim Mutrie,
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
pioneer * Joseph C. O'Mahoney,
United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from
Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
* Marion Osgood, violinist, orchestra leader, composer * Daniel Pratt, author and eccentric * Belle Yeaton Renfrew, trombonist and conductor * Harris S. Richardson, former President of the Massachusetts Senate *
Annette Rogers Annette Rogers (later ''Kelly'', October 22, 1913 – November 8, 2006) was an American sprinter and high jumper. She competed in the individual 100 m, relay and high jump at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won two gold medals in the relay, setti ...
, sprinter and Olympic gold medalist * John Ruiz,
heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...
boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
champion * Joe Smith (music industry executive) *
Arnold Stang Arnold Sidney Stang (September 28, 1918 – December 20, 2009)
''
The Man with the Golden Arm ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' is a 1955 American independent drama film noir directed by Otto Preminger, based on the novel of the same name by Nelson Algren. Starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang and Darren Mc ...
'' and ''
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' is a 1963 American Technicolor epic comedy film in Ultra Panavision 70 produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, from a screenplay by William and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all ...
'' *
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton ( Cady; November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 ...
, American social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early women's rights movement * Michelle Tea, author, poet, and literary arts organizer, co-founder of lesbian-feminist performance art collective based in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
* Carl Voss,
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
Hall of Famer *
Wenepoykin Wenepoykin (1616–1684) also known as Winnepurkett, Sagamore George, George No Nose, and George Rumney Marsh was a Native American leader who was the Sachem of the Naumkeag people when English began to settle in the area. Early life Wenepoykin w ...
, last sachem of the
Naumkeag people Naumkeag is a historical tribe of Eastern Algonquian-speaking Native American people who lived in northeastern Massachusetts. They controlled most of the territory from the Charles River to the Merrimack River at the time of the Puritan migra ...
* John Raimondi, renowned American sculptor and art collector.


See also

*
List of mayors of Chelsea, Massachusetts The city government of Chelsea, Massachusetts was incorporated in 1857. From 1739 to 1857, Chelsea was incorporated as a town. From 1857 to 1991 (with the exception of 1908 to 1911), the city's head of government was the mayor of Chelsea. The offi ...


References


Further reading

* Chamberlain, Mellen (1908)
''A documentary history of Chelsea: including the Boston precincts of Winnisimmet, Rumney Marsh, and Pullen Point, 1624–1824''
Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society. *


External links


Official website
*
Chelsea Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control 1620s establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony 1624 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Cities in Massachusetts Cities in Suffolk County, Massachusetts Hispanic and Latino American culture in Massachusetts Historic Jewish communities in the United States Populated coastal places in Massachusetts Populated places established in 1624 Russian communities in the United States