Reading ma
Reading is a mid-size town having a total land area of 25.7 sq. km in Middlesex County, in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy area of Massachusetts. It is located in Eastern Massachusetts, 12 miles north of Boston, at the crossroads of route 95 and route 93. Interstate 93 runs across its western boundary and route 95 runs along its southern and southeastern boundary. It is bordered by North Reading ma on the north, by Lynnfield and Wakefield on the east, by Stoneham on the south, Woburn and Wilmington on the west. This location of Reading makes it easily accessible to both seashore retail shopping malls and employment centers. The easy accessibility and the New England character make Reading an ideal residential area.
The original settlers to Reading came from England in the 1630s and settled at Massachusetts Bay Colony; most of them came through the ports of Lynn and Salem. In the year 1639, some of the citizens of Lynn petitioned to the Government of Massachusetts Bay Colony for a place for inland plantation. The General Court granted them 6 sq. miles at that time and then additional 4 sq. miles. This first settlement came to be known as the Lynn Village on the south shore of the Great Pond, presently known as Lake Quannapowitt. On June 10th, 1644, the settlement was incorporated as the Town of Reading by the House of Deputies. The settlers soon organized the first church and the first parish, which later came to be known as South Reading, and was then changed to Wakefield in 1868. Land was added north of the Ipswich River to the Town of Reading by a special grant in 1651, which then became a separate area in 1853 and came to be known as the Town of North Reading. The current Town of Reading was known previously as Wood End or the Third Parish.
By the first half of the 19th century, Reading became known as a manufacturing town for shoes and neckties. Certain well established businesses at that time were: Sylvester Harnden's furniture factory, Daniel Pratt's clock factory and Samuel Pierce's organ pipe factory. However, with the advent of Civil War and in the subsequent years, the southern market for Reading products declined and several of its factories closed down.
Following the Civil War, Reading ma became a residential area, with excellent transportation facilities to Boston and nearby areas. General Tire and Rubber Co. set up its unit in Reading after the Civil War. With the advent of World War 1, Reading saw the establishment of a number of new businesses, Boston Stove Foundry, Ace Art and several others. The business community of Reading currently comprises of several retail and service businesses along with Analytical Sciences Corporation.
In March of 1986, the residents of Reading adopted the Reading Home Rule Charter, whereby the government would vest the policy and decision making powers in the hands of a few elected boards and committees and a position for the Town Manager was created. The Town Manager would be responsible for the day to day operation of the local government. In 1994, Reading celebrated its 350th Anniversary of the incorporation of the Town.
As per the census of 2000, Reading had a total population of 23, 708 people, 8,688 households and 6,437 families staying in the town. The population density of the town was 921.8 per sq. km. Reading has 8823 housing units having an average density of 343.1 per sq. km. The population of the town had declined by 2.3% by 2005 and the figures at the end of July, 2005 were 23,164.
The population of the town can be divided racially as 95.8% White Non-Hispanic, 0.9% Chinese, 0.8% Hispanic, 0.5% Asian Indian while 0.7% were two or more races. The ancestral distribution was Irish 32.8%, Italian 25.2%, English 16.4%, German 6.0%, French 5.1% and French Canadian 5.0% Out of 8,688 households, 36.7% had children below 18 years of age living with them, 63.5% were married couples living together, 8.3% were female occupants having no husbands and 25.9% were non-families. 22.4% of all households comprised of individuals, while 9.9% occupants were aged 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.22.
The population spread was, 26.3% under age 18, 5.1% ranging from 18 to 24, 29.8% were from 25 to 44, 24.6% were from 45 to 64 and the remaining 14.2% of the population was 65 years or older. The calculated median age was 39 years. Male to female ratio was 93.2 males for every 100 females. For every 100 females 18 or above, there were 88.3 males.
The per capita income of the town was $32,888 while the median income for households was $77,059 and for a family was $89,076. Males had a median income of $61,117 and females carried a median income of $39,817. About 1.7% of the families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line. The median resident age was estimated at 39.1 years and the median house value was $271,600.
Reading ma enjoyed a higher median household income, a much higher median house value, more number of rooms per house and a higher percentage of population had completed their bachelors as compared to the state average of Massachusetts. The unemployed percentage, Black and Hispanic race population as well as the renting percentage was much below the state average.
Notable locations in Reading are: Meadowbrook Country Club, Atlantic Plaza, Grand City Plaza, Parker Tavern, Reading Public Library, Reading Town Hall and Reading TownHall. Reading has two prominent parks by the name Common Historic District and Woburn Street Historic District.
Reading received negative publicity in July 2000 for one father beating the other father to death, after their sons hockey game. However, the crime rate was 0.3 per 1000 as recorded by FBI in 2003. The number of violent crimes was 7 and no murders or homicides were reported, once again establishing the fact, that the town is definitely a preferred residential area.
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