Massachusetts Real Estate & Relocation Guide

Waltham, Massachusetts

Population: 59,226

Located in Middlesex County

Waltham is a suburban community made of many different areas and neighborhoods. There are neighborhoods with their own names, such as Cedarwood, Warrendale, Glen Meadow and Pigeon Hill. It has a downtown area that has been revitalized with outstanding restaurants and a river walk. It has a rich history of innovations, such as the Waltham Watch Company. Please call for more information on the many features of the area.

Waltham is a city on the Charles River with a population of about 58000, about 10 miles west of Boston. It was formed in 1738 when it separated from Watertown. The mayor is David Gately. The Waltham Watch Factory, founded in the 1850's, pioneered the mass production of watches. The city was named after Waltham, England. After Frances Cabot Lowell built his cotton mill in Waltham, he expanded his manufacturing enterprises north to the Merrimack Valley. Today his namesake city, less than an hour's drive from Waltham, features the Lowell National Historical Park, with mill tours, canal boat rides, and intriguing museums that focus on the Industrial Revolution. Less than an hour south of Waltham is the Blackstone Valley, where Samuel Slater in 1790 built America's first factory using the water power of the Blackstone River. The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor (401-762-0250) preserves and interprets a host of Industrial Revolution sites in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
In the Waltham West Suburban area residents and visitors can take a leisurely stroll along the Charles River, delve into history at area museums, or wonder at the magnificence of the surrounding countryside, the galleries and museums, outdoor sculptures and the architecture for which the region is famous. Individuals of all ages can spend an evening or an afternoon at the theater or a concert; watch any one of the hundreds of sporting events from boat races to baseball; or go hiking, biking, horseback riding, or ice skating. There is something for everyone and for every season.

And, just a few miles away are all of the cultural, historical and recreational offerings of Boston, from the Freedom Trail to Salem Village, the Boston Pops to the Boston Ballet, the Franklin Park Zoo to the New England Aquarium, of the Museum of Science to the Red Sox.
Waltham flourished throughout the 18th century as a gateway on the "Great Road" to the western parts of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1814, the Industrial Revolution came to town with the establishment of the Boston Manufacturing Company textile mill on the Charles River. Forty years later, the American Waltham Watch Factory, the first factory to mass-produce watches, opened on the banks of the Charles. These companies, along with a bleachery and dye works and other factories, attracted a steady stream of workers from Europe, Scandinavia, and Canada creating an ethnic mix that continues to be the source of the unique character and community strength of the city and its many distinct neighborhoods. Although a population of more than 58,000 classifies it as a city, "Old Waltham" retains much of the small town flavor of its immigrant and culturally diverse heritage.

Waltham's current success is attributed in part to Raytheon which was an important part of the city's recovery from the Great Depression. Today Raytheon, a modern industrial concern, is one of a host of high technology firms in Waltham and the West Suburban area.

Building renovations, environmental improvements and growing business activity attract increasing numbers of people to work and shop in the dynamic downtown business district and in the areas along River Street, Lexington Street, and Second Avenue. The city's population more than doubles every day as people come to Waltham to do business, shop, or enjoy cultural and recreational attractions.

Waltham is the home of the Reagle Players, the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra, and three prestigious colleges: Brandeis University, Bentley College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. These schools offer the community a variety of programs in the visual and performing arts. Waltham is truly an edge city with the heart of suburbia in a metropolitan region.