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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 American Revolution, in the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.
History
Lexington was first settled circa 1642 as part of Cambridge, Massachusetts. What is now Lexington was first incorporated as a parish, called Cambridge Farms, in 1691, and was incorporated as a separate town in 1713. It was then that it got the name Lexington.[1] How it received its name is the subject of some controversy. Some people believe that it was named in honor of Lord Lexington, a British nobleman.[2] Some, on the other hand, believe that it was named after Lexington (which was pronounced and today spelled Laxton) in Nottinghamshire, England.[3]
In the early colonial days, the Vine Brook, which runs through Lexington, Burlington, and Bedford, and then empties into the Shawsheen River, was a focal point of the farming and industry of the town. It provided for many types of mills, and later, in the 20th Century for farm irrigation.
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 so to this day. Lexington began to prosper, helped by its proximity to Boston, and having a rail line (originally the Boston and Maine Railroad, later renamed, and now serves as the Minuteman Bikeway) service its citizens and businesses, beginning in 1846. For many years, East Lexington was considered a separate village from the rest of the town, though it still had the same officers and Town Hall. Most of the farms of Lexington became housing developments by the end of the 1960s.
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.[citation needed] 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.
On April 19, 1775, Lexington was the location of the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. 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 Battles of Lexington and Concord. 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 from where the first shot was fired, 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.
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.
Geography
Lexington is located at 42°26′39″N 71°13′36″W / 42.44417°N 71.22667°W / 42.44417; -71.22667 (42.444345, -71.226928).[4]
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. It has more area than all other municipalities that it borders.
Demographics
Topography of Lexington and environs
As of the census[5] 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, 3.13% 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 5.41% 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.
According to a 2007 estimate[6], the median income for a household in the town was $122,656, and the median income for a family was $142,796. Males had a median income of $100,000+ versus $73,090 for females. The per capita income for the town was $61,119. 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.
Education
Public schools
Lexington is also renowned[citation needed] for its public education system, which includes six elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. Lexington High School was recently ranked the 304th best high school in the nation by Newsweek.[7] In addition to Lexington High School, students may also attend Minuteman Regional High School if so desiring.
Private schools
Points of interest
Engraved memorial bricks lining the Lexington Depot sidewalk
- 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 Centre, is the Common, or as it later became known, the Battle Green, where the battle was fought, and the Minuteman Statue in front of it.
- Another important historical monument is the Revolutionary Monument, the nation's oldest standing 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 1695), the Hancock-Clarke House (1737), the U.S.S. Lexington Memorial, the Centre Depot (old Boston and Maine train station, today the headquarters of the town Historical Society), 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.
- 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.
- The Great Meadow a.k.a Arlington's Great Meadows, is a sprawling meadow and marshland located in East Lexington, but owned by the town of Arlington, Lexington's neighbor to the east.
- Willards Woods Conservation Area, a small forest of conservation land donated years ago by the Willard Sisters.[8]
- Wilson Farms, a farm and farm stand in operation since 1884.
- Notable Lexington neighborhoods include Lexington Centre, Meriam Hill (and Granny Hill), Irish Village, Loring Hill, Belfry Hill, Munroe Hill, Countryside (sometimes referred to as "Scotland"), the Munroe District, the Manor Section, Four Corners, Grapevine Corner, and East Lexington (fondly "East Village", or "The East End").
- Marrett Square, at the intersection of Marrett Road and Waltham Street, is the location of some light shopping and dining.
- The "Old Reservoir" used to provide drinking water to Lexington residents and surrounding areas. Now it offers a place to swim and picnic in the summer time. In the winter, when it freezes over, it is used as an ice skating area.
Notable residents
- Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web
- Harold Dow Bugbee, Western artist born in Lexington
- Sidney Burbank, officer in the U.S. Army during the American Civil War
- Noam Chomsky, professor of linguistics at MIT, creator of the theory of generative grammar and one of the most prominent linguists of the 20th century, as well as a noted political activist, commentator, and author.
- Francis Judd Cooke, composer
- Joseph Dennie, writer
- 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
- 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
- Dana Greeley, last president of the American Unitarian Association and first president of the Unitarian Universalist Association
- Jonathan Gruber, professor of Economics at MIT and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy in the U. S. Treasury Department
- Cyrus Hamlin, co-founder of Robert College in Istanbul
- John C. Harkness and Sarah P. Harkness, founders of The Architects Collaborative in Cambridge, Massachusetts with Bauhaus veteran Walter Gropius
- Yu-Chi Ho, mathematician
- 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
- Claude Julien, current head coach for the Boston Bruins
- X. J. Kennedy, noted poet and writer
- Joyce Kulhawik, arts and entertainment anchor for WBZ-TV news
- Steve Leach, former NHL Player
- Bill Lichtenstein, journalist, filmmaker, radio producer
- Salvador Luria, Nobel Prize in Medicine
- Alexander McGregor, singer/songwriter and guitarist of Ponies in the Surf
- Rollie Massimino, led Villanova Wildcats to basketball national championship in 1985, former Lexington High School teacher and coach
- Scott McCloud, cartoonist
- Andrew McMahon, musician - lead vocalist and song writer of Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate
- Bill McKibben, environmentalist
- Eugene Mirman, comedian
- Douglas Melton, pioneer of stem cell research
- Russell Morash, pioneer of 'How-to' television, creator and producer of the PBS shows "The Victory Garden",'This Old House', and 'New Yankee Workshop.'
- Marian Morash, author of "The Victory Garden Cookbook." Married to Russell Morash.
- Mario Molina, Nobel Prize in Physics
- Matt Nathanson, musician
- Joseph Nye, political analyst, author of Soft power
- Peter Orszag, economist, Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- Dionne Quan, voice actress
- Amanda Palmer, songwriter, vocalist, pianist of the duo The Dresden Dolls
- Theodore Parker, Unitarian minister and Transcendentalist
- Charles Ponzi, con man
- John Rawls, philosopher; known for his theory of justice
- Ruth Sawyer, author, winner of the Newbery Medal
- Aafia Siddiqui Neuroscientist (alleged Al-Qaeda operative), convicted of assaulting with a deadly weapon and attempting to kill U.S. soldiers and FBI agents
- Clarence Skinner, Dean of Crane School of Theology at Tufts and influential 20th century American Universalist
- Clifford Shull, Nobel Prize in Physics
- Tom Silva, Building contractor and co-host of the PBS show This Old House
- Barbara Washburn and Bradford Washburn, mountaineers
- Sheila E. Widnall, aerospace researcher and educator at MIT, former Secretary of the Air Force
- Edward Osborne Wilson, entomologist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author
- Ethan Zohn, winner of Survivor: Africa
Sister cities
Lexington is a sister city of
References
Further reading
- 1871 Atlas of Massachusetts. by Wall & Gray.Map of Massachusetts. Map of Middlesex County.
- History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume 1 (A-H), Volume 2 (L-W) compiled by Samuel Adams Drake, published 1879 and 1880. 572 and 505 pages. Lexington section by Charles Hudson in volume 2 pages 9–33 (note page 9 missing).
- History of the Town of Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts,Volume 1 - History, Volume2 - Genealogies, by Charles Hudson, published 1913,
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