Everything about Reading Massachusetts totally explained
Reading is a town situated in
Middlesex County,
Massachusetts,
United States, some 10
miles north of central
Boston. The population was 23,708 at the 2000 census. The local pronunciation is
red-ing as opposed to
reed-ing.
History
Settlement and Independence
Many of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony's original settlers arrived from
England in the 1630s through the ports of
Lynn and
Salem. In 1639 some citizens of Lynn petitioned the government of the colony for a
place for an inland plantation. They were initially granted six square miles, followed an additional four. The first settlement in this grant was at first called
Lynn Village and was located on the south shore of the
Great Pond, now known as
Lake Quannapowitt. On June 10th, 1644 the settlement was incorporated as the town of Reading, taking its name from the town of
Reading in England.
The first church was organized soon after the settlement, and the first parish, later known as
South Reading, became the separate town of
Wakefield in 1868. A special grant in 1651 added land north of the
Ipswich River to the town of Reading. In 1853 this area became the separate town of
North Reading. The area which currently comprises the town of Reading was originally known as
Wood End, or
Third Parish.
The town of Reading was initially governed by an
open town meeting and a
board of selectmen, a situation that persisted until the 1940s. In 1693, the town meeting voted to fund
public education in Reading, with grants of four pounds for three months school in the town, two pounds for the west end of the town, and one pound for those north of the Ipswich River. In 1769, the meeting house was constructed, in the area which is now the Common in Reading. A stone marker commemorates the site.
Reading played an active role in the
American Revolutionary War.
Minutemen were prominently involved in the engagements pursuing the retreating
British Army after the
battles of Lexington and Concord.
John Brooks, later to become
Governor of Massachusetts, was captain of the
Fourth Company of Minute and subsequently served at the
Battle of White Plains and at
Valley Forge. Only one Reading soldier was killed in action during the Revolution; Joshua Eaton died in the
Battle of Saratoga in 1777.
In 1791, sixty members started the Federal Library. This was a subscription Library with each member paying
$1.00 to join, and annual dues of $.25. The Town's public library was created in 1868.
19th Century
The
Andover-Medford Turnpike was built by a private corporation in 1806-7. This road, now known as
Massachusetts Route 28, provided the citizens of Reading with a better means of travel to the
Boston area. In 1845, the
Boston and Maine Railroad came to Reading and improved the access to Boston, and the southern markets. During the first half of the nineteen century, Reading became a manufacturing town. Sylvester Harnden's
furniture factory, Daniel Pratt's
clock factory, and Samuel Pierce's
organ pipe factory were major businesses. By the mid 1800s, Reading had thirteen establishments that manufactured
chairs and
cabinets. The making of
shoes began as a cottage industry and expanded to large factories.
Neckties were manufactured here for about ninety years. During and after Civil War the southern markets for Reading's products declined and several of its factories closed. For many years, Reading was an important
casket manufacturing center.
During the
Civil War, members of the
Richardson Light Guard of South Reading fought at the
First Battle of Bull Run. A second company was formed as part of the
Army of the Potomac, and a third company joined General Bank's expedition in
Louisiana. A total of 411 men from Reading fought in the Civil War, of whom 15 died in action and 33 died of wounds and sickness. A memorial exists in the Laurel Hill Cemetery commemorating those who died in the Civil War.
20th Century
In the 20th century, Reading became a residential community with commuter service to Boston on the Boston and Maine Railroad and the
Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. Both commuter services were later taken over by the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and for many years, there was discussion of extending the
MBTA Orange Line to Reading. Industrial expansion during that time included the Goodall-Sanford Co. off Ash Street, later sold to General Tire & Rubber Company. Additional businesses created after World War I included the
Boston Stove Foundry,
Roger Reed Waxes,
Ace Art,
Addison-Wesley Publishing and several other companies. For many years, Wes Parker's Fried Clams was a landmark off state Route 128. Military installations also came to the town, with two
Nike missile sites, one on Bear Hill and the other off Haverhill Street, and the opening of
Camp Curtis Guild, a
National Guard training facility. The business community currently consists of a number of retail and service businesses in the downtown area, a series of commercial businesses in and around the former town dump on Walker's Brook Road (formerly John Street) as well as the
Analytical Sciences Corporation (TASC).
In 1944, Reading adopted the
representative town meeting model of local government in place of the open town meeting. In 1986, a new charter was adopted by the towns voters. This retained the representative town meeting and board of selectmen, but focused policy and decision making in a smaller number of elected boards and committees whilst providing for the employment of a
town manager to be responsible for day to day operations of the local government.
Reading town officials raised a national controversy in the late 1970s when they refused to grant a common victulators license to the
Sambo's restaurant chain on the ground that its name was based on
racial stereotyping. A
Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the chain, but the restaurant opened and failed. The chain subsequently filed for bankruptcy protection and liquidated its assets in the
Eastern United States.
In recent years the town of Reading struggled with the decisions to build a new elementary school, to cope with the influx of new families to the community, and renovate the severely aging
Reading Memorial High School. Both of these projects were approved and as of August 2007 the new building at the High School is completed.
Geography
Reading is located at (42.52585, -71.109939).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.9
square miles (25.7
km²).None of the area is covered with water.
Reading borders the following towns:
Woburn,
Stoneham,
Wakefield,
Lynnfield,
North Reading, and
Wilmington.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 23,708 people, 8,688 households, and 6,437 families residing in the town. The
population density was 2,388.3 people per square mile (921.8/km²). There were 8,823 housing units at an average density of 888.8/sq mi (343.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.47%
White, 0.36%
Black or
African American, 0.06%
Native American, 2.21%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.21% from
other races, and 0.65% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population.
There were 8,688 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% were
married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $77,059, and the median income for a family was $89,076. Males had a median income of $61,117 versus $39,817 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $32,888. About 1.7% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The
municipal government of the town of Reading comprises a
representative town meeting, whose members are elected from eight precincts.
The town meeting in turn elects a five member
board of selectmen, who serve for overlapping three year terms. The selectmen are responsible for calling the elections for the town meeting, and for calling town meetings. They initiate legislative policy by proposing legislative changes to the town meeting, and then implement the votes subsequently adopted. The also review fiscal guidelines for the annual operating budget and capital improvements program and make recommendations on these to the town meeting. In addition the board serves as the local road commissioners and licensing board, and appoints members to most of the town's other boards, committees, and commissions.
The day to day running of the town government is the responsibility of a
town manager, appointed by the board of selectmen.
Transportation
Reading is located close to the junction of
Interstate 93 and
Interstate 95/
Massachusetts Route 128 to the north of Boston. I-93 provides a direct route south to central Boston and beyond via the
big dig, whilst I-95/128 loops around Boston to the west and then south before meeting up with I-93 again at
Canton.
Reading is served by
Reading station on the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's
Haverhill/Reading commuter rail line, which links the town to Boston's
North Station.
Education
Reading's public school system comprises:
Reading was an early and active participant in Boston's
METCO program, which brought African-American and inner-city students from
Boston to attend grades K-12.
Points of interest
The Parker Tavern - The town's oldest remaining 17th Century structure, built in 1694. This property, on Washington Street, is currently owned and operated by the non-profit Reading Antiquarian Society.
The roof of the St. Athanasius Parish, on Haverhill St., was designed by Louis A. Scibelli and Daniel F. Tulley, and is one of the largest hyperbolic paraboloids in the Western Hemisphere
Burbank Arena skating rink on Haverhill St. as well as private condos on Bear Hill St. both reside over the sites of decommissioned Army National Guard Nike Ajax missile silos.(External Link
)(External Link) This is where the High School received its nickname the Rockets.
Jordan's Furniture, located near I-95. A 750,000 sq. ft. complex, it contains a 3D IMAX Theater, a complete showroom and ware house, not to mention a Fuddruckers Restaurant, a trapeze open to the public, a candy store, a Richardson's ice cream store, a water fireworks show, and a Bose store. The floor in the main entrance is covered in jellybeans as are the walls to the candy store and ice cream store. A large mechanized Wally the Green Monster can be seen waving its hand as customers walk in.
Notable residents
Clark Booth, TV personality, lived and raised his children in Reading. A graduate of The College of Holy Cross, he was a sports commentator and special projects commentator for WCVB, Channel 5.
Joshua Eaton, farmer, who died in the Revolutionary War, at the Battle of Saratoga, lived his entire civilian life in Reading.
Walter F. MacConaway, biographer of explorer James Michael Prescott
Mark Erelli, folk musician
JoAnne McGee, actress
Gary LaPierre, well-known radio personality, lived in Reading for years. His voice is recognized by most individuals living in the WBZ radio (1030) listening area.
Moses Nichols, officer during the American Revolutionary War
Eddie Peabody, banjo player
Brad Whitford, who replaced Ray Tabano (aka Crazy Raymond) as the second guitarist of Aerosmith
Lennie Merullo, a professional baseball player who played for the Chicago Cubs starting in 1941. He was a professional baseball scout for major league baseball for years.
Bill Russell, professional basketball player
Tom Silva, This Old House, PBSFurther Information
Get more info on 'Reading Massachusetts'.
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