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Lexington, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lexington, Massachusetts
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Massachusetts | ||
| County | Middlesex | ||
| Settled | 1642 | ||
| Incorporated | 1713 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | Representative town meeting | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 16.5 sq mi (42.8 km²) | ||
| - Land | 16.4 sq mi (42.5 km²) | ||
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²) | ||
| Elevation | 210 ft (64 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - Total | 30,355 | ||
| - Density | 1,851.0/sq mi (714.7/km²) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 02420 / 02421 | ||
| Area code(s) | 339 / 781 | ||
| FIPS code | 25-35215 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0619401 | ||
| Website: http://ci.lexington.ma.us/ | |||
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,355 at the 2000 census.
The town is famous for being the site of the opening shots of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first engagement of the American Revolution.
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Lexington was first settled in 1642 as the Cambridge Farms parish of Cambridge, Massachusetts and was incorporated as a separate town in 1713[1]. It was named in honor of Lord Lexington, a British nobleman.[2] Some believe it was named after Lexington (which was pronounced and today spelled Laxton) in Nottinghamshire, England.[3]
For decades, Lexington showed modest growth while remaining largely a farming community, providing Boston with much of its produce. It always had a bustling downtown area, which remains to this day. Lexington began to prosper, helped by its close proximity to Boston, and having a rail line (now the Minuteman Bikeway) service its citizens and businesses. For many years, East Lexington was considered a separate entity from the rest of the town, and it still retains a degree of separation, due in part to some of its blue collar neighborhoods, a contrast to many of the wealthier parts of town.
Lexington, as well as many of the towns along the Route 128 corridor, experienced a jump in population in the 1960s and 70s, due to the high tech boom. Property values in the town soared, and the school system became nationally recognized for its excellence. The town participates in the METCO program, which buses minority students from Boston to suburban towns to, in theory, receive a better education in a safer environment than in Boston Public Schools.
Every year, on the third Monday of April, the town observes Patriots' Day. Events begin with Paul Revere's Ride, with a special re-enactment of the scene on the Battle Green. At 6 a.m., there is a re-enactment of the skirmish on the Battle Green, with shots fired from the Battle Green and the nearby Buckman Tavern (to account for the fact that no one knows where the first shot was fired from, or by whom). After the rout, the British march on toward Concord. The battle in Lexington allowed the Concord militia time to organize at the Old North Bridge, where they were able to turn back the British and prevent them from capturing and destroying the militia's arms stores. The actual events occurred on April 19, 1775.
Throughout the rest of the year many tourists enjoy tours of the town's historic landmarks such as Buckman Tavern, Munroe Tavern, and the Hancock-Clarke House, which are maintained by the town's historical society.
Lexington is located at (42.444345, -71.226928).GR1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.5 square miles (42.8 km²), of which, 16.4 square miles (42.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.85%) is water.
Lexington borders the Following towns: Burlington, Woburn, Winchester, Arlington, Belmont, Waltham, Lincoln, and Bedford.
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 30,355 people, 11,110 households, and 8,432 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,851.0 people per square mile (714.6/km²). There were 11,333 housing units at an average density of 691.1/sq mi (266.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.13% White, 10.90% Asian, 1.13% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population.
There were 11,110 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $96,825, and the median income for a family was $111,899. Males had a median income of $81,857 versus $50,090 for females. The per capita income for the town was $46,119. About 1.8% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.
- Maria Hastings Elementary School
- Harrington Elementary School
- Fiske Elementary School
- Bridge Elementary School
- Bowman Elementary School
- Joseph Estabrook Elementary School
- William Diamond Middle School
- Jonas Clarke Middle School
- Lexington High School
- Minuteman Regional High School
- Lexington Christian Academy
- Armenian Sisters Academy
- Community Therapeutic Day School
- Pelham Academy (Concord Assabet Family Youth Services)
- Lexington Montessori School
- The Waldorf School (Formerly Adams Elementary School)
- Cotting School
- Lexington is probably most well-known for its history and is home to many historical buildings, parks, and monuments, most dating from Colonial and Revolutionary times.
- One of the most prominent historical landmarks, located in Lexington Center, is the Battle Green, where the skirmish was fought, and the Minute Man Statue in front of it.
- Another important historical monument is the Revolutionary Monument, the nation's oldest war memorial (completed on July 4, 1799) and the gravesite of those colonists slain in the Battle of Lexington.
- Other landmarks of historical importance include the Old Burying Ground (with gravestones dating back to 1690), the Old Belfry, Buckman Tavern (circa 1704-1710), Munroe Tavern (circa 1690), the Hancock-Clarke House (circa 1698), the U.S.S. Lexington Memorial, the Old Depot train station, and Follen Church (the oldest standing church building in Lexington, built in 1839).
- Lexington is also home to the 900-acre Minute Man National Historical Park and the National Heritage Museum, which showcases exhibits on American history and popular culture.
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Central to the town is Lexington's town center, home to numerous dining opportunities, fine art galleries, retail shopping, a small cinema, the Cary Memorial Library, the Minuteman Bikeway, Depot Square, and many of the aforementioned historical landmarks.
Engraved memorial bricks lining the Lexington Depot sidewalk
- Lexington is also renowned for its public education system, which includes six elementary schools, two middle schools, and Lexington High School, ranked the 304th best high school in the nation.[1]
- The Cotting School, America's first day school for children with special needs, moved to Lexington in 1986.
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
- Henry Abraham, Nobel Peace Prize
- Charles Austin, reporter for WBZ-TV news
- Steve Bennett, film producer, pioneer of digital cinema
- Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web
- Keith Block, Oracle vice president
- Noam Chomsky, professor of linguistics at MIT, author, wrote the Letters from Lexington
- Francis Judd Cooke, composer
- Robert Dentler, sociologist, special master for the Boston school desegregation case
- John M. Deutch, Deputy Secretary of Defense (1994–1995) and Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) (1995–1996)
- Rachel Dratch, cast member of Saturday Night Live
- David Elkind, child psychologist, author
- Philip Elmer-DeWitt, science editor for Time Magazine
- Carl Everett, Rightfielder/Designated Hitter for the Seattle Mariners, former outfielder for the Boston Red Sox
- Fred Fitzgerald, Olympic athlete
- Jean B. Fletcher, Norman C. Fletcher, (See John & Sarah Harkness below)
- Henry Louis Gates, Jr., African-American Studies scholar, co-editor of Encarta Africana encyclopedia
- Arthur Gelb, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of TASC (The Analytic Sciences Corporation); president, Four Sigma Corporation
- Tissa Hami, comic
- Rev. John Hancock, grandfather of Mass. Governor, revolutionary and businessman John Hancock
- John C. Harkness and Sarah P. Harkness, founders of The Architects Collaborative in Cambridge, Massachusetts with Bauhaus veteran Walter Gropius
- Bill Janovitz, lead singer and guitarist of the rock and roll band Buffalo Tom
- Tama Janowitz, author, 'Slaves of New York' (1986)
- Dennis Johnson, guard for the Boston Celtics
- Joyce Kulhawik, arts and entertainment anchor for WBZ-TV news
- Raef LaFrentz, forward/center for the Portland Trail Blazers
- Steve Leach, former NHL Player
- Bill Lichtenstein, journalist, filmmaker, radio producer
- Salvador Luria, Nobel Prize in Medicine
- Rollie Massimino, lead Villanova Wildcats to basketball national championship in 1985, former Lexington High School teacher and coach
- Matt Nathanson, musician
- Eugene Mirman, comedian
- Douglas Melton, Time 2007 100 most influential people in the world, pioneer of stem cell research
- Mario Molina, Nobel Prize in Physics
- Joseph Nye, political analyst, author of Soft power
- Amanda Palmer, songwriter, vocalist, pianist of the duo The Dresden Dolls
- Charles Ponzi, con man
- John Rawls, philosopher; known for his theory of justice
- Ruth Sawyer, author, winner of the Newbery Medal
- Clifford Shull, Nobel Prize in Physics
- Abigail Thernstrom, vice chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
- Melanie Thernstrom, author
- Sheila E. Widnall, aerospace researcher and educator at MIT, former Secretary of the Air Force
- Edward Osborne Wilson, entomologist and author
- Ethan Zohn, winner of Survivor: Africa
Lexington is a sister city of
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Antony, France |
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Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico |
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Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine |
- Lexington official website
- Lexington Historical Society
- Lexington Public Schools
- Virtual Tour of Lexington
- Lexington, Massachusetts is at coordinates Coordinates:
- Lexington (Massachusetts) travel guide from Wikitravel
