Belmont Massachusetts MA Warrant Search

Belmont, Massachusetts Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 26,328 at the 2010 census. History Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then known as West Cambridge, to the north. The town was named after Bellmont, the 200 acre (0.8 km²) estate of one of the leading advocates of and largest donor to its creation, John Perkins Cushing. The easternmost section of the town, including the western portion of Fresh Pond, was annexed by Cambridge in 1880 in a dispute over a slaughterhouse licensed in 1878 on Fresh Pond, so that Cambridge could protect Fresh Pond, a part of its municipal water system. Much of that area is now a major commercial and office center for the city of Cambridge.Preceding its incorporation, Belmont was an agrarian based town, with several large farms servicing Boston for produce and livestock. It remained largely the same until the turn of the twentieth century, when trolley service and better roads were introduced, making the town more attractive as a residential area, most notably for the building of large estates.Belmont's population grew by over 90 percent during the 1920s.The economics of the town shifted from purely agrarian to a commercial greenhouse base: much of the flower and vegetable needs of Boston were met from the Belmont 'hothouses' which persisted until about 1983 when Edgar's, the last large greenhouse firm in the area, closed[citation needed]. Other commercial enterprises in Belmont included mining and waste management. The reclamation of a large dump and quarry off Concord Avenue into sites for the Belmont High School and the Clay Pit Pond stands as a lasting example of environmental planning. With the introduction of automobiles and highways Belmont continued its transition to a commuter-based suburb throughout the twentieth century.Belmont was the home of the headquarters of the John Birch Society from the organization's founding in 1958 until its relocation to Appleton, Wisconsin in 1989. It was located at 395 Concord Avenue, next-door to the Belmont branch of the Post Office. Today the building houses the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research. Present day Belmont remains a primarily residential suburb with little 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 located in Belmont Center. Large tracts of land from former farms and greenhouse estates form public or public-accessible areas such as Rock Meadow, Habitat (Mass Audubon), portions of the McLean Hospital tract and various town fields.The 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. Massachusetts Route 2 runs along the northern border of the town. Belmont is also served by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Fitchburg Commuter Rail line and MBTA Bus line numbers 72/75, 73, 74, 75, 78, 84, and 554.The town is home to McLean Hospital, a psychiatric hospital and research center, and the Boston Massachusetts Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Geography Belmont is located at 42°23′30″N 71°10′30″W / 42.39167°N 71.175°W / 42.39167; -71.175 (42.391546, -71.174712).According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.2 km²), of which, 4.7 square miles (12.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.06%) is water.Belmont is bordered by Cambridge on the East, Arlington on the North, Lexington on the Northwest, Waltham on the West, and Watertown on the South. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 24,194 people, 9,732 households, and 6,452 families residing in the town. The population density was 5,190.2 people per square mile (2,004.6/km²). There were 9,980 housing units at an average density of 2,141.0/sq mi (826.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.19% White, 1.10% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 5.76% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.82% of the population.There were 9,732 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married 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 the town the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $85,981, and the median income for a family was $102,964. Males had a median income of $64,579 versus $45,505 for females. The per capita income for the town was $42,485. About 3.6% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over. Education Belmont is served by the Belmont Public Schools, governed by an independently elected school committee. There are four public elementary schools in Belmont, the Mary Lee Burbank, Daniel Butler, Winn Brook, and Roger Wellington schools. 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 middle school, the Winthrop L. Chenery Middle School, which was rebuilt on the same location after an electrical fire damaged the auditorium in 1995, and one public high school, Belmont High School. Belmont High has an outstanding reputation for college placement; strong athletics, academics, music, and theater arts; a typical class size of about 280 students; and average SATs for the class of 2004 of 1179. Belmont students also have the option to attend Minuteman Career and Technical High School in Lexington. Minuteman High also offers adult education courses. In 2009, US News and World Reports gave Belmont High School a gold medal and named it the 100th best non-private high school in the United States and the second best in the state of Massachusetts.Belmont Hill School is a private, non-sectarian all-male high school, grades 7-12. Belmont Day School is a private, non-sectarian PK-8 school. There are several smaller private schools. Government The executive branch of the town government consists of a three-person Board of Selectmen elected by the residents. The Selectmen appoint a Town Administrator who is in charge of daily operations.The legislative branch is a representative town meeting, with eight districts each electing 36 representatives, plus ex-officio members and a Town Moderator to run the annual meeting.Belmont is part of the 24th Middlesex District (for the Massachusetts House of Representatives), the 2nd Middlesex and Suffolk District (for the Massachusetts Senate), and Massachusetts's 7th congressional district (for the United States House of Representatives). Transportation Belmont is served directly by two state routes. Running close to the middle of town is Route 60, locally known as Pleasant Street. On the northern border, Route 2 predominantly outlines Belmont's boundary with the neighboring town of Arlington. A short distance west in Waltham, lies MA-Route 128/I-95.Several MBTA bus routes serve Belmont:72/75 —Belmont Center-Harvard Stationvia Concord Ave. 73— Waverley Square - Harvard Station via Trapelo Road (trolleybus) 74 & 75 — Belmont Center - Harvard Station via Concord Ave. 78 —Arlmont Village- Harvard Station via Park Circle 84 — Arlmont Village -Alewife Station 554 — DowntownBoston- Waverley Square viaNewtonCorner Two rail stations—Waverley and Belmont Center on the MBTA Commuter Rail—are located in the town. Belmont is roughly sixteen minutes away from the rail line's terminus at North Station, Boston.Just across the border in Cambridge lies Alewife Station, the western terminus of the Red Line; providing a connection to Boston and the entire metropolitan rapid transit system. Railroad history Belmont was once served by two railroads, the Fitchburg Railroad and the Central Massachusetts Railroad, both of which were later to become part of the Boston & Maine system. Originally the two railroads had their own tracks through town, but in 1952 the Central Mass tracks were lifted between Hill's Crossing and Clematis Brook (Waltham). Traffic was then rerouted over the Fitchburg Line.Today the MBTA owns the trackage through Belmont, known as the Fitchburg Route. This route goes from Boston to Fitchburg, but it once was the area's main route into New York state. The station stops at Belmont Center and Waverley were once grade crossings. In 1907 a stone bridge was constructed in Belmont Center. The grade at Waverley was lowered. Notable residents Somewhat due to its proximity to Cambridge and Boston, Belmont has often had a dozen Nobel Prize winners in residence at one time or another[citation needed]. Well-known past and present residents include: Business Founder ofMAPSRick Doblin China traderJohn Perkins Cushing Deviled ham-maker William Underwood, founder of theWilliam Underwood Company Businessman and philanthropistStephen P. Mugar, founder of the Star Market chain Sugar Daddy inventor andJohn Birch SocietyfounderRobert W. Welch, Jr. Derek J. Birt, Co-owner ofBoston Network Services(BNS) Politics and government Former Massachusetts Governor and 2008 Republican presidential candidateMitt Romneyand his wifeAnn Romney Secretary of StateHenry Kissinger,Nobel Prize1973 - Peace Former Director ofCIAJohn Deutch Crown Princess of JapanMasako Owada Arts and music PainterWinslow Homer Landscape architectFrederick Law Olmsted MusicianSeth JustmanofThe J. Geils Band ComposerWalter Piston ComposerDianne Goolkasian Rahbee CellistYo-Yo Ma Singer-songwriter and guitaristJames Taylor Media Tom Bergeron- Radio and TV personality David E. Kelley- TV producer and writer Addison Powell- Actor Mary Richardson-WCVB-TV's 'Chronicle' anchor Sports Major League pitcher,Red Soxand White SoxWilbur Wood Major League catcher/Hall of Famer, Red Sox and White SoxCarlton Fisk Major League baseball player and two time NL MVP,Dale Murphy Red Sox pitcherBill 'Spaceman' Lee New York RangersdefensemanPaul Mara New York RangersForwardPatrick Rissmiller Literature AuthorTom Perrotta AuthorWilliam Dean Howells Author/journalistSebastian Junger Author and educatorGerald Warner Brace Author andpsychologistWilliam Damon Author/explorer/photographerBradford Washburn Academics PhysicistAlbert Baez, and his daughters folksingersJoan BaezandMimi Farina Harvard Business Schoolprofessor and authorClayton M. Christensen EngineerVannevar Bush Brigham Young University-IdahoPresident andHarvard Business SchoolDeanKim B. Clark Roman CatholicbishopThomas Vose Daily Scientist and photographerHarold 'Doc' Edgerton ProfessorMartin Feldstein, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Molecular biologistH. Gobind Khorana,Nobel Prize1968 - Medicine Harvard professorAndrew Knoll--Wollaston Medal2007 Scientist/inventor/authorNathan Cohen Theoretical physicistFrancis E. Low Reformationist scholar and novelistRichard Marius MIT economics professorFranco Modigliani,Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, 1985 PhilosopherRobert Nozick ProfessorEdwin O. Reischauer, East Asia scholar and Ambassador to Japan Albert Sacco, astronaut and chemical engineer EconomistPaul A. Samuelson,Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, 1970 HUACvictim andMITmathematicianDirk Jan Struik Computer scientistLeslie Valiant MathematicianNorbert Wiener Organic chemistRobert Burns Woodward--Nobel Prize1965 - Chemistry AstronomerFred Lawrence Whipple Paul Dudley White, founder ofAmerican Heart Association Bach scholarChristoph Wolff James E. Tillotson—Professor, Food Policy Friedman School of Nutrition Science and PolicyTufts University J. Gordon Scannell, thoracic surgeon, President of theNew England Surgical Society Jay O. Light, Former Dean of theHarvard Business School Points of interest Redtop, home ofWilliam Dean Howells Edwin O. Reischauer Memorial House Boston & Maine Railroad Stationin Belmont Center, now owned by the Lion's Club Wellington Hill Railroad Station, circa 1840, located across the street from the current MBTA stop at Belmont Center Boston Massachusetts Temple Local media The Belmont Citizen-Herald is a newspaper covering Belmont since 1988. The print edition of the newspaper is available in stores on Thursday. The Citizen-Herald was actually two newspapers at one time. The Belmont Citizen began publishing in 1920, and the Belmont Herald started in 1930. The Boston Globe and Boston.com publish a Belmont Your Town website that provides local news and information. It is found at www.boston.com/belmont.