Newton Massachusetts History And Culture Notable People From

Based on statistics reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newton was the nation's safest city during 2003. The designation is based on crime statistics in six categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and auto theft. [1]

1 History and culture

Newton was settled in 1630 as part of Watertown. It became a separate town known as Cambridge Village in 1688. It was renamed Newtown in 1691 and finally Newton in 1766. It became a city in 1873.

There are several institutions of higher learning in the city, including Boston College, Andover Newton Theological School , Aquinas College, Lasell College , Hebrew College , and Mount Ida College. The city also has two symphony orchestras, the New Philharmonia and the Newton Symphony Orchestra. The Newton Free LibraryAlternative meanings: Library (computer science), Library (biology In its traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can refer to an individual's private collection, but more often, it is a large collection that is funded and maintained by possesses more than 500,000 volumes of print materials (2004), as well as art, both original and prints, sound recordings and videos.

The Jackson Homestead, now The Newton History Museum at the Jackson HomesteadThe Newton History Museum at the Jackson Homestead is a museum in Newton, Massachusetts dedicated to the city's early development. The museum, once the Jackson family home, was a stop on the underground railroad. External links Museums in Massachusetts., was once a farmhouse in the Federal style built in Newton in 1809Events January 16 Peninsular War: The British defeat the French at the Battle of Corunna. February 3 Illinois Territory was created. February 11 Robert Fulton patents the steamboat. February 20 A decision by the Supreme Court of the United States states t. It is now a museumA museum is a non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, and open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evi with paintings, costumes, photographs, manuscripts, maps and historical artifacts. It was also a stop on the underground railroad.

The Fig NewtonThe Fig Newton (in Europe, a Fig Roll is a soft, cake-like cookie (biscuit) filled with fig jam--despite a popular 1980s advertising slogan proclaiming, "it's not a cookie, it's a fig newton. The Fig Newton was created in 1891 by the Kennedy Biscuit Compa cookie is named after the city.

The Stanley SteamerThe Stanley Steamer Company was an American manufacturer of steam engine automobiles. Twins Francis Edgar Stanley ( 1849 1918) and Freelan O. Stanley ( 1849 1940) founded the company after selling their photographic dry plate business to Eastman Kodak. automobileAn automobile usually called a car (an old word for carriage) or a truck is a wheeled vehicle that carries its own engine. Older terms include horseless carriage and motor car with "motor" referring to what is now usually called the engine. The act of ope was manufactured in Newton.

2 Notable people from Newton

Russell Banks, prolific writer, was born in Newton in 1940. Edward W. Brooke, Massachusetts attorney general (1962-1966) and U.S. Senator (1966-1978), was the first black senator to be elected by popular vote and lived in Newton for many years. Thomas Bulfinch, bank clerk and author of the famous Age of Fable, was born in Newton in 1796. Ellen Goodman , Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist, was born in Newton in 1941. Jack Lemmon, Oscar-winning actor, was born in Newton in 1925. Robert Morse, actor, was born in Newton in 1931. Anne Sexton, poet and writer, was born in Newton in 1928. Howard Zinn, radical author of A People's History of the United States .

3 Transportation

Newton is best-known as a bedroom community for commuters to Boston, in spite of considerable commercial and manufacturing activity of its own. It is well-served by two modes of mass transit, the MBTA subway and the MBTA commuter rail. The light rail line, running through the center of the city, makes very frequent 30-minute trips to downtown Boston. The commuter rail, serving the Northern villages of Newton that are proximate to Waltham, offers less frequent service to Boston. It runs from every half-an-hour during peak times to every couple of hours otherwise.

Newton is on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

4 Location

Newton is located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, at 42°20'16" North, 71°12'36" West (42.337713, -71.209936) ¹. The city is bordered by Waltham and Watertown on the north, Needham and the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston on the south, Wellesley and Weston on the west, and Brookline and the Brighton neighborhood of Boston on the east.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 47.1 km² (18.2 mi²). 46.7 km² (18.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.82% water.

Newton has no single city center, but is divided up into "villages", each with a name and a small "downtown" of its own. Although some of the villages have a post office, they have no legal definition and no firmly defined borders. The villages are Newton Corner, Newtonville, West Newton, Nonantum (also called Silver Lake), Newton Upper Falls, Newton Lower Falls (both on the Charles River, which winds through the city), Newton Centre (with this spelling), Waban, Auburndale, Chestnut Hill, Newton Highlands, Oak Hill, Thompsonville. The city is sometimes called "The Newtons". See The Thirteen Villages of Newton.

5 Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there are 83,829 people, 31,201 households, and 20,499 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,793.2/km² (4,643.6/mi²). There are 32,112 housing units at an average density of 686.9/km² (1,778.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 88.07% White, 7.68% Asian, 1.97% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.71% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. 2.52% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 31,201 households out of which 31.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% are married couples living together, 8.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% are non-families. 25.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.51 and the average family size is 3.04.

In the city the population is spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $86,052, and the median income for a family is $125,289. Males have a median income of $65,565 versus $46,885 for females. The per capita income for the city is $45,708. 4.3% of the population and 2.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.8% of those under the age of 18 and 5.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

6 Safest City 2003

In 2004 Newton, MA was named Nation's Safest City for 2003.

CNN article about safe and dangerous US cities

7 External links

Cities in Massachusetts Middlesex County, Massachusetts

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