Belmont, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 Looking north on Leonard Street in the town center | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: "The Town of Homes"[1] | |
 Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:42°23′45″N71°10′45″W / 42.39583°N 71.17917°W /42.39583; -71.17917 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Middlesex |
| Settled | 1636 |
| Incorporated | 1859 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Representative town meeting |
| • Town Administrator | Patrice Garvin |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.7 sq mi (12.2 km2) |
| • Land | 4.7 sq mi (12.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.039 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 27,295 |
| • Density | 5,840/sq mi (2,260/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Code | 02478 |
| Area code | 617 /857 |
| FIPS code | 25-05070 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618216 |
| Website | www |
Belmont is atown inMiddlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a westernsuburb ofBoston and is part of theGreater Boston metropolitan area. As of the2020 U.S. census, its population was 27,295, an increase of 10.4% from 2010.[2]
Belmont was established on March 18, 1859, by former citizens of, and on land from the bordering towns of,Watertown, to the south;Waltham, to the west; andArlington, then known as West Cambridge, to the north. The founders desired adry township (alcohol is now legal to purchase in Belmont). The town was named afterBellmont, the 200-acre (0.8 km2) estate of the largest donor to its creation,John Perkins Cushing, after which Cushing Square is named. After Cushing's estate nearly burned to the ground, it was converted to a Belmont Public Library branch. The easternmost section of the town, including the western portion ofFresh Pond, was annexed byCambridge in 1880.[3] The annexation was the result of a dispute over aslaughterhouse licensed in 1878[4] and situated next to Fresh Pond; Cambridge wished to protect Fresh Pond (part of itswater supply network) by removing neighboring buildings.[5]
Before its incorporation, Belmont was anagrarian town, with several large farms servicing Boston for produce and livestock. It remained largely agrarian until the turn of the 20th century, whentrolley service was introduced and roads were improved, making it more attractive as a residential area, most notably for the building of large estates. Belmont's population grew by over 70 percent during the 1920s.[6]
Other commercial enterprises in Belmont includedclay mining and waste management. The reclamation of a large dump and quarry off Concord Avenue into sites for theBelmont High School and theClay Pit Pond is a lasting example of environmental planning. With the introduction ofautomobiles andhighways, Belmont continued its transition to a commuter-based suburb throughout the 20th century.[citation needed]
TheJohn Birch Society was headquartered in Belmont from its founding in 1958 until its relocation toAppleton, Wisconsin, in 1989. The building at 395 Concord Avenue later became the headquarters of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), which is expanding and renovating its facility as of 2019[update].[7]
Belmont was once served by two railroads, theFitchburg Railroad and theCentral Massachusetts Railroad, both of which later became part of theBoston & Maine Railroad system. Originally the two railroads each had their own separate trackage through town, but in 1952 the Central Mass tracks were removed between Hill's Crossing andClematis Brook (Waltham),[8] and rail traffic was rerouted over the Fitchburg line.[citation needed]
Presently, theMBTA operates theFitchburg Line through Belmont as part of itsMBTA commuter rail service. Passenger service on the line terminates atWachusett station inFitchburg.
The station stops atBelmont Center andWaverley were oncelevel crossings, and pedestrian and vehicle traffic had to cross directly over rails on public roads. In 1907, a stonearch bridge, elevated embankment, and station building were constructed such that the track runs over the road.[citation needed] At Waverley, the grade was lowered so that the tracks ran under Trapelo Road, though the platform did not have an enclosed structure there.[citation needed]
A second historic railroad station building exists in Belmont, though it is not obvious. The one-room Wellington Hill Station was built in the 1840s as a private school, not far from its current location in Belmont Center. It was then used by the Fitchburg Railroad from 1852 to 1879. When the railroad decided to replace the station with a larger structure, the building was moved to the Underwood Estate and used as a summer house. In 1974, the station was donated to the Belmont Historical Society. It was restored and moved to its current location in 1980.[citation needed]
As of 2024, plans are underway[9] to construct theBelmont Community Path, arail trail across Belmont, using the abandonedCentral Massachusetts Railroadright-of-way along the existing Fitchburg Line tracks. When completed this trail will be part of theMass Central Rail Trail.
Belmont remains a primarily residential suburb, with little population growth since the 1950s. It is best known for the mansion-filled Belmont Hill neighborhood, although most residents live in more densely settled, low-lying areas around the Hill. There are three major commercial centers in the town: Belmont Center in the center, Cushing Square in the south, and Waverley Square in the west. Town Hall and other civic buildings are in Belmont Center. Large tracts of land from former farms and greenhouse estates form public or publicly accessible areas such as Rock Meadow, Habitat, portions of theMcLean Hospital tract and various town fields.[citation needed]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 4.7 square miles (12.2 km2), of which 4.7 square miles (12.1 km2) is land and less than 0.1 square miles (0.1 km2), or 1.06%, is water.
Belmont is bordered byCambridge on the east,Arlington on the north,Lexington on the northwest,Waltham on the west, andWatertown on the south.
In 2002,Middlesex County was ranked in the worst 10% of polluted counties in the United States in terms of air and water pollution.[10] Two companies that ranked in the top 10 for polluters in the county werePolaroid Corporation inWaltham and the Cambridge Plating Company in Belmont, which is several hundred feet from Belmont High School. TheEnvironmental Protection Agency fined Cambridge Plating Company, now operated by Purecoat North LLC, in 2002 following various violations[11] and in 2004 after a fire that led to an accumulation of toxic wastewater.[12]
The chemicals released weretrichloroethylene anddichloromethane, both of which have been shown to cause cancer. These chemicals are released into the air so it is difficult to trace them and to determine the source, as there are also several other industries in the area that release the same pollutants.
In a typical year, Belmont, Massachusetts temperatures fall below 50 °F (10 °C) for 195 days per year. Annual precipitation in Belmont is typically 45.2 inches (1,150 mm) per year (high in the US) and snow covers the ground 52 days per year, or 14.2% of the year (high for the US). The humidity is below 60% for approximately 25.4 days, or 7% of the year.[13]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 1,198 | — |
| 1870 | 1,513 | +26.3% |
| 1880 | 1,615 | +6.7% |
| 1890 | 2,098 | +29.9% |
| 1900 | 3,929 | +87.3% |
| 1910 | 5,542 | +41.1% |
| 1920 | 10,749 | +94.0% |
| 1930 | 21,748 | +102.3% |
| 1940 | 26,867 | +23.5% |
| 1950 | 27,381 | +1.9% |
| 1960 | 28,715 | +4.9% |
| 1970 | 28,285 | −1.5% |
| 1980 | 26,100 | −7.7% |
| 1990 | 24,720 | −5.3% |
| 2000 | 24,194 | −2.1% |
| 2010 | 24,729 | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 27,295 | +10.4% |
| 2022* | 26,710 | −2.1% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States Census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] | ||
As of 2020[update], there were 27,295 residents of the Town of Belmont, and in 2021 there were 17,640 registered voters.[24] In 2020, the racial make up of the town was 69.6%White, 1.9%Black orAfrican American, 0.05%Native American, 18.5%Asian, and 4.7% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 4.7% of the population.[2] Pending the release of the 2020 Census results, in 2010 6.3% of the population were under the age of five, 24.6% were under the age of eighteen, and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older; 53% were female. The median household income was $114,141.[25]
The 2000 census listed 9,732 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% weremarried couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.01.
In 2010, 20% of the residents of Belmont were born outside of the United States. In 2000 this percentage was 15%.[26]
Belmont has been referred to as a "Mormon enclave"[27] due to the location of the Boston MassachusettsTemple of the LDS Church at the highest elevation in the town. The prominent gold statue of theAngel Moroni atop the Temple was originally designed byCyrus Dallin in nearbyArlington, Massachusetts.
The executive branch of the town government consists of a three-personSelect Board elected by the residents.[28] The Select Board appoints a Town Administrator who is in charge of daily operations.
The legislative branch is arepresentative town meeting, with eight districts each electing 36 representatives, plusex-officio members and a Town Moderator to run the annual meeting.[29]
Belmont is part of the 24th Middlesex District (for theMassachusetts House of Representatives), the 2nd Middlesex and Suffolk District (for theMassachusetts Senate), andMassachusetts's 5th congressional district (for theUnited States House of Representatives).
Belmont is served by theBelmont Public Schools, governed by an independently elected school committee.[29]
There are four publicelementary schools in Belmont: the Mary Lee Burbank, Daniel Butler, Winn Brook, and Roger Wellington schools. The Mary Lee Burbank School was founded in 1931. Two other public elementary schools, Payson Park and Kendall, were closed in the 1970s and 1980s, respectively. The former closed after being destroyed by fire, the latter closed due to population shifts and was converted to an arts center, which was later also destroyed by fire. There is one public upper elementary school, the Winthrop L. Chenery Upper Elementary School, which was rebuilt on the same location after an electrical fire damaged the auditorium in 1995. There is one public middle school, located near the High School, the Belmont Middle School. There is one publichigh school, theBelmont High School.
Belmont High is noted for its college placement, strong athletics, academics, music, and theater arts; a typical class size of about 320 students. Belmont High regularly feeds 5-10 students into Harvard University on an average given year. As of 2009[update],U.S. News & World Report gave Belmont High School a gold medal and named it the 100th best public high school in the United States and the second best in the state of Massachusetts (afterBoston Latin School).
Belmont Hill School is a private, non-sectarian high school, grades 7–12.Belmont Day School is a private, non-sectarian Pre-K–8 school. There are several smaller private schools.
TheBelmont Citizen-Herald is a weekly newspaper covering Belmont, and published on Thursdays, and is available online, as well.[30] TheCitizen-Herald was formed in 1988 by merging theBelmont Citizen (founded in 1920) and theBelmont Herald (founded in 1930). TheBoston Globe andBoston.com publish aBelmont Your Town website that provides local news and information. The Belmontonian is an independently operated hyper-local news website.[31]Belmont Patch also provides online local news.[32]
The Belmont Media Center (BMC) was founded in 2005[33] as a local non-profit,public-educational & government access TV station mandated to provide and make available to Belmont residents a variety of media production & editing classes, locally produced TV programming, and video/TV equipment, studios and facilities. In 2017, BMC programs are available to Belmont subscribers ofComcast andVerizon, and BMC also carries live programming.[34] and on-demand programs[35]
Major roads in the town are Concord Avenue, which bisects the town from east to west; Common Street and Pleasant Street (Route 60) which travel north-south through Belmont; and Trapelo Road and Belmont Street, which run along the southern edge of the town.
Belmont is served directly by two state route designated highways. Running close to the middle of town isRoute 60, locally known as Pleasant Street. On the northern border,Route 2 generally outlines Belmont's boundary with the neighboring town ofArlington. Despite the small size of the town, Belmont has 5 signed exits on Route 2. Nearby major highways includeI-95/MA-Route 128,Route 16,Route 3, andRoute 20.
Belmont is served by theMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Fitchburg Commuter Rail line, and its bus andtrackless trolley lines.
TwoMBTA Commuter Rail rail stations,Waverley andBelmont Center, are located in the town. Belmont is roughly 16 minutes away from therail line's terminus atNorth Station, Boston.
Nearby inCambridge liesAlewife Station, the western terminus of theRed Line; providing a connection to Boston and the entiremetropolitan rapid transit system.
McLean Hospital, apsychiatric hospital and research center located in Belmont. It is the setting of the novelGirl, Interrupted, which was made into a1999 movie.
Due to its proximity to Harvard and MIT universities, amongst others, Belmont has had severalNobel Prize winners in residence at one time or another.[36] Notable past and present residents include people in the following categories:
Battles over Water Quality: Contemporary records show that, in the 1870s, there was little scientific agreement about the causes of any pollution to the pond's water, or about the best means of protection. [...] The alleged culprits [...] always seemed to be across the town borders in Arlington and, especially Belmont. [...] A report commissioned in 1879 concluded that the city needed to acquire a strip of land around the Fresh Pond shoreline up to fifty rods (about 825 feet) wide, to remove buildings from around the shore, and to annex the parts of the neighboring towns of Belmont and Arlington that abutted the pond.
Municipalities and communities ofMiddlesex County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Geographic | |
| Other | |
