Waltham ( ) is a city in
Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the
labor movement as well as a major contributor to the
American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the
Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning, spawning what became known as the
Waltham-Lowell system of labor and production. The city is now a center for research and higher education as home to
Brandeis University
Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...
and
Bentley University. The population was 65,218 at the
2020 United States census. Waltham is part of the
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas, home to 4,941,632. The most s ...
area and lies west of Downtown Boston.
Waltham has been called "watch city" because of its association with the watch industry.
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.
Waltham borders
Watertown and
Belmont to the east,
Lexington to the north,
Lincoln and
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* W ...
to the west, and
Newton to the south.
History

Waltham was first settled by the English in 1634 as part of
Watertown, and was officially incorporated as a separate town in 1738,
but the area was inhabited for thousands of years prior to English colonization. At the time of European arrival, Waltham was in a border zone between the territories of the
Pawtucket confederation and the
Massachusett, with nearby native settlements at
''Nonantum'' and ''Pequosset'' (Watertown). Early settlers recorded the presence of an "Indian Stockade" near today's
Cambridge Reservoir, and an "Indian Hollow" in today's Calvary Cemetery.
A native trail through Waltham, the "Old Connecticut Path" saw continued use after colonization and became the basis for present day
Route 20.
Waltham is most likely named for
Waltham Abbey in the County of
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
, England.
The first record of the name is from the articles of incorporation, dated January 15, 1738.
The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon words, weald or wald "forest" and ham "homestead" or "enclosure." Waltham had no recognizable town center until the 1830s, when the nearby
Boston Manufacturing Company gave the town the land that now serves as its
central square.
In the early 19th century,
Francis Cabot Lowell and his friends and colleagues established in Waltham the
Boston Manufacturing Company—the first integrated textile mill in the United States, with the goal of eliminating the problems of co-ordination, quality control, and shipping inherent in the subcontracting based textile industry. The Waltham–Lowell system of production derives its name from the city and the founder of the mill.
The city is home to a number of large estates, including
Gore Place, a mansion built in 1806 for former
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 ...
governor
Christopher Gore
Christopher Gore (September 21, 1758 – March 1, 1827) was a prominent Massachusetts lawyer, Federalist Party (United States), Federalist politician, and U.S. diplomat. Born into a family divided by the American Revolution, Gore sided with th ...
, the
Robert Treat Paine Estate, a residence designed by architect
Henry Hobson Richardson and landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmsted for philanthropist
Robert Treat Paine, Jr. (1810–1905), and the
Lyman Estate, a estate built in 1793 by Boston merchant
Theodore Lyman.
In 1857, the
Waltham Model 1857 watch was produced by the
American Watch Company in the city of Waltham, Massachusetts.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Waltham was home to the
brass era automobile
A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...
manufacturer
Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
, where the first production motorcycle in the U.S. was built.
Another first in Waltham industrial history involves the method to mass-produce the
magnetron
The cavity magnetron is a high-power vacuum tube used in early radar systems and subsequently in microwave oven, microwave ovens and in linear particle accelerators. A cavity magnetron generates microwaves using the interaction of a stream of ...
tube, invented by Percy Spencer at
Raytheon. During World War II, the magnetron tube technology was applied to radar. Later, magnetron tubes were used as components in microwave ovens.
Waltham was also the home of the
Walter E. Fernald State School, the western hemisphere's oldest publicly funded institution serving people with
developmental disabilities
Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...
. The storied and controversial history of the institution has long been covered by local and, at times, national media.
Timeline
* 1703 –
Grove Hill Cemetery established.
* 1738 – Town of Waltham incorporated from
Watertown, Massachusetts
Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Sq ...
.
* 1755 – Part of
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
annexed to Waltham.
* 1793 –
The Vale (residence) built.
* 1810 – Waltham Cotton and Wool Factory Company formed.
* 1813 –
Boston Manufacturing Company in business.
* 1820
**
First Congregational Church founded.
** Manufacturers' Library active.
** Waltham Bleachery built.
* 1827 – Rumford Institute organized.
* 1833 – ''The Hive'' newspaper begins publication.
* 1835 – Waltham Bank established.
* 1837 – Methodist Episcopal Church organized.
* 1849
** Part of
Newton annexed to Waltham.
**
Christ Episcopal Church built.
* 1851 – Tornado.
* 1852 – Baptist Church organized.
* 1853 – Waltham Gas Light Company incorporated.
* 1854 –
American Horologe Company relocates to Waltham.
* 1856 – ''Waltham Sentinel'' newspaper begins publication.
* 1857
** Waltham and Watertown Railroad constructed.
**
Mount Feake Cemetery established.
** Waltham Agricultural Library Association formed.
* 1859 – Town of
Belmont separates from Waltham.
* 1863 – ''Waltham Free Press'' begins publication.
* 1865 – Public Library founded.
* 1866 – Emmet Literary Association formed.
* 1870
** Waltham Horological School established.
** Waltham Foundry Co. established.
* 1876
** ''Waltham Weekly Record'' begins publication.
** Davis & Farnum Manufacturing Company in business.
* 1879 – Leland Home for aged women established.
* 1880 – Music Hall built.
* 1881 – Emery Wheel Company in business.
* 1882 – Parmenter Crayon Company chartered.
* 1884
** City of Waltham incorporated.
**
Harrington Block built.
* 1885
** Board of Trade organized.
** Waltham Hospital founded.
** Waltham Training School for Nurses established.
* 1886 –
Robert Treat Paine Estate built.
* 1888 – Sesquicentennial.
* 1890
** Population: 18,707.
**
Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded relocates to Waltham.
* 1891 –
O'Hara Waltham Dial Company organized.
* 1893
** ''Waltham Evening News'' begins publication.
** Waltham Manufacturing Company established.
**
Beaver Brook Reservation and
Charles River Reservation established.
* 1894
**
Linden Street Bridge constructed.
** Waltham Bicycle Park opens.
* 1902 –
Metz Company in business.
* 1908 –
Company F State Armory built.
* 1910 – Population: 27,834.
* 1915 – Waltham Historical Society incorporated.
* 1924 – ''
Waltham News Tribune'' newspaper in publication.
* 1928 –
Middlesex College of Medicine and Surgery relocates to Waltham.
* 1933 –
First Parish Church rebuilt.
* 1935 –
Gore Place Society founded.
* 1936 – Hovey Players (theatre group) founded.
* 1938 –
County Courthouse built.
* 1941 – Waltham Garden Club founded.
* 1948 –
Brandeis University
Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...
established.
* 1961 –
Rose Art Museum founded at Brandeis University.
* 1968
**
Bentley University relocates to Waltham.
**
WBRS on air.
* 1970 – Population: 61,582.
* 1971
** Waltham Museum established.
**
Robert Drinan becomes
Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district representative.
* 1975 –
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
musical group rents
Wherehouse.
* 1976 – Waltham Mills Artists Association open studios begins (approximate date)
* 1980 –
Charles River Museum of Industry established.
* 1982 –
Parexel International Corporation headquartered in Waltham.
* 1985 – Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra formed.
* 1987 –
Joseph P. Kennedy II becomes
Massachusetts's 8th congressional district representative.
* 1988 –
Global Petroleum Corporation headquartered in Waltham (approximate date).
* 1995 –
Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. headquartered in Waltham.
* 1996
**
Lionbridge Technologies Inc. headquartered in Waltham.
** City website online.
* 1999 – Waltham Land Trust incorporated.
* 2003 –
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 ...
and
Roving Software Inc. headquartered in Waltham.
* 2004
** Jeannette A. McCarthy becomes mayor.
** Brandeis University's Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism nonprofit established.
* 2006 –
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. headquartered in Waltham.
* 2007
**
PerkinElmer, Inc. headquartered in Waltham.
**
Waltham Symphony Orchestra formed.
* 2010 – Population: 60,632.
* 2011
**
A triple homicide occurs on September 11.
**
Watch City Steampunk Festival begins.
* 2013 –
Katherine Clark becomes
Massachusetts's 5th congressional district representative.
Pronunciation

The name of the city is pronounced with the primary stress on the first syllable and a full vowel in the second syllable, , though the name of the Waltham watch was pronounced with a reduced
schwa in the second syllable: . At one time, most people would have pronounced it in the British way, "Walthum", but when people came to work in the mills from Nova Scotia, the pronunciation evolved. The local version became a phonetic sounding to accommodate French speakers who could not pronounce it in the British way. In some areas, the city is referred to as "The Waltham".
Geography
Waltham is located at (42.380596, −71.235005),
about north-west of downtown
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 ...
,
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 ...
, and approximately northwest of Boston's
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
neighborhood. The heart of the city is Waltham Common, which is home to Waltham City Hall and various memorial statues. The Common is on Main Street, which is home to several churches, the
Waltham Public Library, and Post Office.
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.

According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (6.69%) is water.
Neighborhoods
Waltham has several neighborhoods or villages, including:
* Angleside
* Banks Square
* The Bleachery (named after the former Waltham Bleachery and Dye Works)
* Cedarwood
* The Chemistry (named after the former Newton Chemical Company)
* Ellison Park
* Gardencrest
* Headyland
* The Highlands
* The Island (formerly Morse Meadow Island)
* Kendal Green (mostly in
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* W ...
)
* Kendall Park
* Lakeview
* The Lanes
* Northeast
* The North Side
* Piety Corner
* Prospectville (defunct in 1894, now under Cambridge Reservoir)
* Rangeley Acres
* Ravenswood
* Roberts
* Rock Alley
* The South Side
* Warrendale
* West End
* Wildwood Acres
Adjacent towns
It is bordered to the west by
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* W ...
and
Lincoln, to the south by
Newton, to the east by
Belmont and
Watertown, and to the north by
Lexington.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
in 2020, there were 65,218 people and 23,891 households in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was 5,117.9/mile². According to 2021 census estimates, the racial makeup of the city was 60.5%
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 ...
, 7.6% 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 ...
, 0.5%
Native American or Alaska Native, 11.8%
Asian, 0.0%
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 ...
, 5.3% from
other races, and 4.3% from two or more races.
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 were 22.3% of the population.
There were 23,891 households, 19.8% of which included children under the age of 18 and 28.4% with people 65 and older. 39.7% of households 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, 9.9% cohabitating couples, 21.2% male householders with no partner present, and 29.2% female householders with no partner present. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.02.
32.7% of households spoke a language other than English at home.
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% 65 or older. The median age was 34. The population was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

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
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 ...
. 11.7% of those under 18 and 8.45% of those 65 and older lived below the poverty line.
Foreign-born residents
As of 2020, 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% in Africa.
Arts and culture
Waltham's combination of population (especially in central and south Waltham) parks, public transit, stores, and trails gives it 62 (out of 100) walkability ranking on
walkscore.com.
Moody Street in downtown Waltham offers its own brand of entertainment with a colorful assortment of shops, restaurants, and bars. Moody Street's booming nightlife, convenience to the commuter rail and lower rents have attracted younger professionals to Waltham in growing numbers in recent years. 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. The city of Waltham has a free "Tick Tock Trolley" on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 6pm–11pm for visitors that provides easy access to local municipal parking lots.
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 lined with restaurants and other small businesses but typically has high volumes of automobile passage. In an effort to assist these businesses in a difficult time, the Waltham Traffic Commission closed off a segment of the road to allow businesses to have outdoor dining and storefronts amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Bus stops that would typically be on the blocked off part of Moody St. are temporarily relocated to nearby spots.
Restaurants are supportive of the closure, as they can offer outdoor seating and increase their capacity for business. However, Moody Street has a variety of other businesses like small grocery stores, clothing stores, and jewelers. 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. While Waltham has included a variety of stakeholders in the process of the street closure, it is crucial that they continue to do so in order to continue using a democratic process for city-wide decision-making.
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. "Concerts On Waltham Common" was created and organized by Stephen Kilgore until his death in 2004.
The
Rose Art Museum at
Brandeis University
Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...
is devoted to modern and contemporary art. The Rose holds a variety of exhibitions and programs, and collections are free and open to the public.
The city's history is also celebrated at a number of museums, monuments, and archives. The
Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, the
Waltham Watch Factory historic district, the Gore Estate, the Lyman Estate, and the Robert Treat Payne Estate are among the most well known of the 109 sites in the city on the National Register of Historical Sites. Many festivals are held at these sites each year, such as the annual sheep shearing festival at the Gore Estate. The
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
Northeast regional branch is located in Waltham. The Waltham Public Library has extensive archives regarding the city's history. The Waltham Museum is devoted solely to the history of the city. Mark Gately is the only stakeholder left of the Waltham Museum.
Waltham is known for its embracing of literary arts. Local author Jessica Lucci has written a series of books about Waltham which can be found at the Waltham Museum, The Waltham Historical Society, and many other regional establishments devoted to promoting literary arts.
The Waltham Mills Artists Association is located in one of the former factories of the Boston Manufacturing Company. The WMAA Open Studios takes place each year on the first weekend of November. The 76 artists of the WMAA open their homes and studios to the public. Works of all media imaginable are demonstrated, displayed and discussed.
The Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra, a civic symphony of the MetroWest area, began in 1985 under the direction of local musicians David J. Tierney and Harold W. McSwain, Jr. With almost 60 professional, semi-professional, and amateur musicians, the orchestra's mission is to provide the Waltham community with the opportunity to perform in and attend classical concerts of the highest quality. WPO musicians come from Waltham as well as from Boston and surrounding communities. The ensemble includes players of a wide range of ages and professions.
There are five to six concerts throughout the season, including one that features the winner of the annual Youth Concerto Competition, which provides opportunities for young musicians to perform solo works with the WPO. Annual concerts have included summer Concerts on the Common and the December Holiday Pops.
Waltham is home to the
Waltham Symphony Orchestra, a high-level semi-professional civic orchestra. The 55 piece orchestra performs five concerts each season at the Kennedy Middle-school Auditorium. Its music director is French-born American conductor, Patrick Botti.
Open space in the city is protected by the
Waltham Land Trust.
Waltham embraces its ethnic diversity in a number of festivals. The annual Latinos en Acción Festival celebrates the many Puerto Rican, Mexican, Peruvian, and Guatemalan residents. It is held by Latinos in Action, a local nonprofit group that helps the Latino population register to vote, understand the laws and find scholarships. The festival includes a parade, music, food, and a beauty pageant.
Waltham has in recent decades become a center for Ugandan culture, with an estimated 1500 Ugandans living in the city, leading some to call Waltham "Little Kampala". The Ugandan North America Association is headquartered in Waltham, along with St. Peters Church of Uganda Boston, as well as Karibu, a well regarded Ugandan eatery. Wilberforce Kateregga, a Ugandan immigrant to Waltham has since established Waltham College Uganda in Seeta Nazigo, Uganda, a boarding school for over 300 orphans and children affected by AIDS. The school was named in honor of Kateregga's new home city.
Points of interest
*
Gore Place
*
Lyman Estate
*
Robert Treat Paine Estate
*
Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation
*
Prospect Hill – third-highest point in the region (after two of the Blue Hills)
*
Charles River – Riverwalk on Moody St.
*
A. Wherehouse
*
Rose Art Museum
*
Metropolitan State Hospital (Massachusetts)
*
Norumbega Tower
*
American Waltham Watch Company Historic District
*
Mass Central Rail Trail—Wayside
Economy

Among the companies based in Waltham are medtech corporation
PerkinElmer, biopharmaceutical services provider
Paraxel, energy supply company
Global Partners, data services provider
Lionbridge,
Steel Connect, broker-dealer
Commonwealth Financial Network, technology companies
Care.com and
StudentUniverse, research and development organization
Education Development Center (EDC), provisioner of scientific instrumentation
Thermo Fisher Scientific, and the marketing firm
Constant Contact. Footwear manufacturer
Wolverine World Wide, Inc. moved their regional headquarters from Lexington to the CityPoint campus in July 2016.
C & J Clark America, Inc. moved their headquarters from Newton to the Polaroid site in October 2016. Retail activity is concentrated on Main Street, Moody Street, Lexington Street, River Street, parts of Route 60, and the First Avenue area. New retail development has also been active at a former
Polaroid site.
Top employers
According to the city's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top ten non-city employers in the city are as follows.
Education
Higher education

Waltham is home to:
*
Bentley University
*
Brandeis University
Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...
Public schools
The
Waltham Public Schools system includes seven elementary schools (Northeast, Fitzgerald, MacArthur, Plympton, Whittemore, Stanley, and the Waltham Dual Language Elementary School), two middle schools (McDevitt, Kennedy), and one senior high school (
Waltham High School).
Waltham High School's sports teams had been referred to as the Watchmen and the Crimson, before they changed the name to the Hawks.
Private schools
*
Chapel Hill – Chauncy Hall School
*
Gann Academy – The New Jewish High School of Greater Boston
* Our Lady's Academy (formally Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted School) (Pre-K through 8)
* Saint Jude School (Pre-K through 8) closed in 2019
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 current president of the city council is John J. McLaughlin.
The city is in
Massachusetts's 5th congressional district and is currently represented in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
by
Katherine Clark. Waltham is also represented in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...
by State Representative John J. Lawn and State Representative Thomas M. Stanley, and in the
Massachusetts Senate by Senator
Michael Barrett.
Mayors of Waltham
* Jeannette A. McCarthy, 2004–
* David F. Gately, 1999–2003
* William F. Stanley, 1985–1999
* Arthur Clark, 1968–1984.
* Austin D. Rhodes 1959
*
Paul V. Shaughnessy 1956–1958
* Henry A. Turner, 1953–1955
* Chauncey Cousens, 1949–1952
* John Devane, 1942–1948
* Arthur A. Hansen 1938–1942
* Frederick L. MacDonald 1937
* Henry W. Beal, 1922–1927
* George Raynolds Beal 1917–1922
* Eben J. Williams, 1915–1917
* Thomas K. Keans, 1913–1915
*
Patrick J. Duane 1911–1913; 1930–1933
* Edward A. Walker, 1908–1911
* John L. Harvey, 1904–1908
* Murray D. Clement, 1902–1904
* Mahlon Leonard, 1901–1902
* George L. Mayberry 1898–1901
* Charles Bond 1897–1898
* Arthur Lyman 1896–1897
* Henry Milton 1895–1896
* Erskine Warden 1892–1895
* George L. Mayberry 1890–1891
* Henry N. Fisher 1887–1889
* Charles F. Stone 1886
* Byron B. Johnson (first mayor) 1884
Infrastructure
Transportation
Waltham is close to several U.S. interstate highways.
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
,
multiplexed with Route 128, runs through the western part of the city.
Interstate 90, which is also the
Massachusetts Turnpike, is just to the south in
Newton. Due to its proximity to the center of the
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas, home to 4,941,632. The most s ...
metropolitan area, a number of state highways are within a few miles.
The
MBTA commuter rail has two stops in Waltham as part of the
Fitchburg-Boston Line: one in
Central Square Waltham across from the City Hall and
one near Brandeis University.
MBTA bus service also covers the city, including routes 61, 70, 170, 505, 553, 554, 556 and 558.
The Charles River runs through Waltham, and bike and walking paths cover most of the south bank, as well as part of the north bank from Prospect Street to Moody Street. Some commuters ride the path to offices in Cambridge and Boston.
Fire department
The city of Waltham is protected by the 166 full-time, paid firefighters of the city of Waltham Fire Department (WFD). Established in 1816, the Waltham Fire Department is currently organized into three divisions of operations: fire suppression, fire prevention, and training.
Emergency Medical Services
Armstrong Ambulance Service currently provides 24/7 Advanced Life Support emergency medical services to the City of Waltham.
Media
Waltham is home to the ''Waltham News Tribune'' (formerly ''
The Daily News Tribune''), a weekly paper which is published each Thursday, year-round owned by Gatehouse Media. The ''Waltham
Patch'' covers the local, daily news and invites locals to post their own blogs, events and opinion online only. In 2018, Waltham writer Jessica Lucci was chosen as the "Mayor" of Waltham Patch. WCAC-TV is the cable access and provides opportunities for community members to learn how to create their own local-interest television programming. Waltham news sometimes appears in ''
The 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 ...
s GlobeWest section, as well.
Waltham was formerly the home of classical radio station WCRB (99.5 FM), which relocated to the WGBH studios in Brighton in 2006. Brandeis University runs a low-power station,
WBRS (100.1 FM).
Notable people
*
Luther Atwood, chemist in the oil industry
*
Keith Aucoin, hockey forward for
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
*
F. Lee Bailey, lawyer
*
Nathaniel Prentice Banks, Union General in the Civil War, 24th Governor of Massachusetts,
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...
*
Anya Battaglino, professional hockey player in the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL)
*
Mackenzy Bernadeau, guard for NFL's
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
*
Suzanne Brockmann, author
*
Nellie Marie Burns (–1897), actor and poet
*
Annie Payson Call, author
*
Rob Chiarelli, multiple
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
winner
*
JP Dellacamera, play-by-play commentator of Major League Soccer for ABC and ESPN
*
Ryan Gallant, professional skateboarder
*
Alan Griffin, professional basketball player for the
Newfoundland Growlers of the
Canadian Elite Basketball League
*
James N. Hallock, scientist, known for his work on the
Columbia Accident Investigation Board
*
John Peabody Harrington, ethnologist and linguist
*
Sophie Chantal Hart, professor at
Wellesley College
*
Lorenza Haynes (1820–1899), librarian, minister, school founder, suffragist, writer
*
Clarence Hobart, six-time national doubles champion in
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
; born in Waltham
*
Abbie Hoffman, born in Worcester, MA; author, radical political activist, founder of the
Youth International Party
*
C. D. Howe, WWII and postwar Canadian politician; Waltham native
*
Gail Huff, television reporter for
WCVB-TV, wife of
Scott Brown, former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts

*
Deena (Drossin) Kastor, Olympic bronze medal-winning marathon runner
*
Pauline R. Kezer,
Secretary of the State of Connecticut (1991–1995); born and raised in Waltham
*
John Leary, Major League Baseball first baseman and catcher for the St. Louis Browns
*
Jeff Lazaro, former
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
forward
*
Samuel Livermore, United States Senator from New Hampshire
*
Mel Lyman, musician, filmmaker, writer and founder of the Fort Hill Community
*
John Lynch,
Governor of New Hampshire
The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Hampshire.
The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along w ...
*
Shawn McEachern,
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
forward
*
Paul Moody, Inventor, developer of cotton loom; namesake of Moody St. in downtown Waltham
*
Angelo Mosca, former
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
player and professional wrestler
*
Richard Thomas Nolan, Episcopal Church Canon, writer, philosophy and religion professor,
LGBT
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
advocate
*
Dave Pino, member of the band Powerman 5000
*
Tom Rooney, racing driver
*
Ida Annah Ryan, first woman to earn a master's degree in architecture (from
M.I.T.)
*
Evelyn Sears,
U.S. Open tennis champion
*
Fred Smerlas,
NFL defensive lineman with
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
,
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
, and
New England Patriots
*
Caroll Spinney, puppeteer; performed the roles of
Big Bird and
Oscar the Grouch on ''
Sesame Street''
*
Edward Royal Warren, naturalist and engineer
*
Mary Watson Whitney, astronomer, Vassar professor of astronomy, Vassar observatory director
*
Bob Weston, American bass guitarist and music producer, known for his work in the minimalist rock band
Shellac
*
Chris Wilson, guitarist for the
Flaming Groovies and
The Barracudas
*
Gordon S. Wood, recipient of the 1993
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
for History
*
Franz Wright,
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
–winning poet
*
Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda (born Mukunda Lal Ghosh; January 5, 1893March 7, 1952) was an Indian and American Hindu monk, yoga, yogi and guru who introduced millions to meditation and Kriya Yoga school, Kriya Yoga through his organization, Self ...
, author of ''
Autobiography of a Yogi'' built his first ashram in America here
See also
*
New Covenant Church of Cambridge
*
Norumbega
*
List of mill towns in Massachusetts
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
* Federal Writers' Project
"Waltham,"in ''Massachusetts: a Guide to its Places and People.'' Federal Writers' Project, 1937.
* Gitelman, Howard M., ''Workingmen of Waltham: Mobility in American Urban Development, 1850–1890.'' (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1974).
* Hurd, D. Hamilton
"Waltham,"in ''History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts.'' W. Lewis and Co., 1890.
* Starbuck, Alexander. "Waltham," in Samuel Adams Drake (ed.), ''History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts.'' vol. 2, pp. 407–433.1879–80.
* Toomey, Daniel P.
"Waltham,"in ''Massachusetts of Today.'' Boston: Columbia Publishing Co., 1892.
"Waltham,"in ''Anthony's Standard Business Directory and Reference Book of Woburn, Winchester, Arlington, Lexington, Belmont, Watertown, Waltham, Newton, Massachusetts.'' Anthony Publishing Co., 1898.
''Directory of...Waltham and Watertown.''W.A. Greenough & Co., 1887.
External links
*
Waltham Historical Society*
{{authority control
Cities in Massachusetts
Populated places established in 1634
Cities in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
1634 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony