Medford,city,Middlesex county, northeasternMassachusetts, U.S. It lies along theMystic River just north ofBoston. It was founded in 1630, when Mathew Cradock settled a plantation there; its English place-name is descriptive of a “middle ford.” Farming and fishing were early enterprises. Shipbuilding in Medford began in 1631 withBlessing of the Bay, one of the first oceangoing ships to be built inAmerica. Later, the city’s merchants were active in thetriangular trade by which rum made from West Indian sugar was traded for African slaves, who in turn were sold to theWest Indies. Medford’s economy is now based on services and trade. It is the site ofTufts University, founded in 1852. Several colonial buildings are preserved, including the Isaac Royall House, which was built in the 1730s, and the 17th-century houses of JonathanWade and Peter Tufts. The Mystic River Reserve is a popular area for fishing and hiking. Inc. town, 1695; city, 1892. Pop. (2000) 55,765; (2010) 56,173.