Winthrop Massachusetts MA Warrant Search

Winthrop, Massachusetts The Town of Winthrop is a municipality in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Winthrop adopted a home rule charter in 2005 with a council-manager form of government and is no longer governed by a representative town meeting. It is classified as a town with a city form of government. The population of Winthrop was 18,303 at the 2000 census. Standing on Winthrop's edge one can see the city of Boston and Deer Island. History The town was settled in 1630 by English colonists as Pullen Poynt. In 1775, residents of what is now Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea played a key role in the Battle of Chelsea Creek of the Revolutionary War. It was officially incorporated in 1852 and named Winthrop after Deane Winthrop, the son of the first Governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop, and is one of the four municipalities in Suffolk County (the others are the cities of Boston, Revere, and Chelsea). It is located on a peninsula, at the beginning of the North Shore, with seven miles (11 km) of shoreline that provides views of the ocean to the east and of the Boston skyline to the west.Originally part of an area called Winnisimmet by the Native Massachusett tribe, the peninsula was annexed by Boston in 1632 and within five years became the grazing area for farm animals of the rapidly growing Boston colony. In 1637 it was divided into 15 parcels of land that were given by Governor Winthrop to prominent men in Boston with the stipulation that each must erect a building on his land within two years. Few, if any, of these men ever lived here, but their farms prospered. One of these early houses, built initially during the first half of the 17th century, and rebuilt in 1675, was the home of Governor Winthrop’s youngest son, Deane Winthrop, who lived there until his death in 1703. This house is still standing and is maintained, for public viewing, by the Winthrop Improvement and Historical Association.In 1739, what is now Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop withdrew from Boston due to governmental control disputes and became the Town of Chelsea. Again the desire for more local control resulted in Revere and Winthrop seceding from Chelsea in 1846 to become North Chelsea. Shortly thereafter, in 1852, Winthrop was incorporated as a town in its own right with a Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting form of government. In 1920, Winthrop was the second town in the Commonwealth to apply for and receive a Charter for a Representative Town Meeting, which continued to 2006.In 2006, a new Town Charter, establishing a city form of government, was passed in a special election. The Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting were abolished, and legislative powers were vested in an elected Town Council. Executive power, largely ceremonial, resides in the Council President, who is popularly elected. An appointed Town Manager serves as the head of administrative services.On July 26, 2007, the Winthrop Sun Transcript reported that a movement was beginning to abolish the Town Council and return to a Representative Town Meeting. The multi-step process to reverse the changes made by the 2006 charter is quite complex, so it remains to be seen what form of government Winthrop will have going forward.Deer Island, though within the city limits of Boston, is located in Winthrop Bay. It ceased to be an island in the 1930s when Shirley Gut, which separated it from Winthrop, was filled in. The island has a sordid past as an internment camp for Native Americans during King Philip's War, a quarantine station where many immigrants died, and the site of a county jail. Today the island is home to the mammoth Deer Island Waste Water Treatment Plant, which provides sewage treatment for the Boston area.Winthrop has a weekly newspaper, the Winthrop Sun Transcript, which reports local news, current events, happenings, and concerns. Geography and transportation According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.3 square miles (21.5 km²), of which, 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²) of it is land and 6.3 square miles (16.3 km²) of it (76.02%) is water. Winthrop is connected by land skirting the Belle Isle Marsh Reservation, which is shared across the Belle Isle Inlet with Boston. Winthrop was originally separate from Deer Island, but the land between the two was filled in, with the northern end belonging to Winthrop and the southern end belonging to Boston.[citation needed] The town is considered the northern dividing line between Boston Harbor to its west and Massachusetts Bay to its east. There are several beaches, three yacht clubs and a golf course within the town, as well as several small parks. The town has one island, Snake Island, which lies northwest of Point Shirley and is part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.Winthrop is one of four municipalities within Suffolk County. The town is divided into several neighborhoods around the downtown area, including Court Park and Cottage Park along the Boston Harbor side of town, Point Shirley and Cottage Hill on either side of what was Shirley Gut, and Winthrop Beach, Ocean Spray and Winthrop Heights on the Massachusetts Bay side. The town is bordered by Revere to the north, and Boston on the northwest, west, and southeast. The water rights of the town extend to the edge of the county, and border those of Nahant in Essex County. Thanks to the expansion of Logan International Airport, part of four of the runways (4L/22R, 4R/22L, 15R/33L and most of 15L/33R) lies within what was once the water rights of the town. By land, Winthrop is 5.5 miles (8.9 km) from Beacon Hill, the measuring point for all road signs in Massachusetts.Route 145 passes through the town as its only state route. It enters from the Orient Heights neighborhood of East Boston along a bridge over the Belle Isle Inlet, then passes in a loop around the main body of the town (never entering Cottage Hill or Point Shirley) before leaving the town to the north, turning into the Winthrop Parkway in Revere. Two bus routes are provided by Paul Revere Transportation, which run from Point Shirley through the highlands and center of the town and terminate at Orient Heights. No routes of MBTA Bus service enter the town, the nearest routes being in Revere. The Blue Line of the MBTA subway system crosses near the town, with stops in Orient Heights, at Suffolk Downs, and in the Beachmont neighborhood of Revere, all of which are just a half mile from the city limits. An MBTA water transportation dock has been underway at the public landing for the past few years. The transport is said to transport people across the Boston Harbor. Currently the Boston Harbor Cruises serves between Winthrop and Rowes Wharf in duration of 25 minutes. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 18,303 people, 7,843 households, and 4,580 families residing in the town. The population density was 9,208.3 people per square mile (3,551.2/km²). There were 8,067 housing units at an average density of 4,058.5/sq mi (1,565.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.44% White, 1.68% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.15% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.36% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population.There were 7,843 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% were non-families. 32.5% 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 2.30 and the average family size was 2.98.In the town the population was spread out with 18.6% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.The median income for a household in the town was $53,122, and the median income for a family was $65,696. Males had a median income of $42,135 versus $36,298 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,374. About 3.3% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over. Economy Winthrop has a town center with a number of businesses, including CVS/pharmacy, Michael's Mall, Samuel's Pharmacy and The Pizza Center. The town center has always had a modestly vibrant business community. However, by the mid-1990s, large shopping malls in the nearby North Shore region of Massachusetts, especially Square One Mall in Saugus, began to drain away measurable amounts of business. A small business community still survives.The town is divided into four unique business areas: the Shirley Street Business District, the Crystal Cove District, the Center, and Magee's Corner District. Education Winthrop currently has five schools:Winthrop Senior High School, Grades 9-12, which is located on Main Street. Winthrop Middle School, Grades 6-8, which is located on Pauline Street. Arthur T. Cummings Elementary School, Grades 3-5, which is located on Hermon Street. William P. Gorman/Ft. Banks Elementary School, Grades PK-2, which is located on Kennedy Drive. The town also has numerous pre-schools and day cares for parents seeking early education options. Worship Winthrop has many places of worship. They include:Temple Tifereth Israel Congregation Tifereth Abraham St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Holy Rosary Catholic Church St. John's Episcopal Parish First Church, United Methodist The majority of Winthrop residents are of Christian denominations, such as Catholicism, Methodism, and Protestants. However, there is some Judaism as well. Ecosystem Winthrop, although highly developed, has a diverse ecosystem with many various flora and fauna. The climate of Winthrop is a temperate, humid continental climate, with warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Some of the flora and fauna that can be seen in Winthrop are as follows: Flora Sugar maple Fauna Bat Blue Jay Cardinal Common tern Coyote Duck Field mouse Goose Least tern Opossum Piping plover Raccoon Seagull Skunk Snake Squirrel Swan Points of interest Deane Winthrop House: one of the longest constantly lived-in houses in the U.S. (on Shirley Street) Fort Banks: Built to help protect the Boston Harbor from attack during the World Wars. An underground bunker is all that remains of this fort (off Revere and Almont Streets). It was once used as a Halloween haunted house called the 'Haunted Dungeon'. Fort Heath: Built to help protect the Boston Harbor from attack during the World Wars. It is now replaced with the Fort Heath Apartment building and a park on the bluff overlooking the ocean and Revere Beach. Larsen Rink: an indoorice skatingrink. Lewis LakePark Winthrop Water Tower: located on Great Head (Water Tower Hill), it is a red, white, and blue striped water tower. Capable of holding one million gallons of water, it is maintained by Winthrop's water department. Winthrop Golf Course: a private 9-hole, par 35 golf course. Winthrop Graveyard: includes graves from the 18th century. Winthrop Playmakers: a non-profit community theater group that features up to six performances a year. Winthrop Shore Drive Belle Isle Marsh Reservation Winthrop abuts the largest salt marsh in Boston Harbor, the 350-acre (1.4 km2) Belle Isle Marsh Reservation. This marsh also borders East Boston and Revere. It used to be a Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) reservation, and is now run by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR.) This marsh is a reserve for a variety of wildlife and plants. It is maintained in part by the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh, a grassroots environmental organization. Beaches Donovan's Beach Halford Beach Pico Beach Point Shirley Beach Short Beach Winthrop Beach Yirrell Beach June Strawberry Festival - located at the Deane Winthrop House July 3 July Bonfire which is held at Yirrell Beach (cancelled permanently after 2008 due to Public Safety concerns) 4 July Fireworks & 'Horribles Parade' - Parade starts at the Public Landing and ends at Coughlin Park. A fireworks display follows at nightfall. Annual Sandcastle Contest at Yirrell Beach Summer Concert Series - Wednesday nights at theIngleside Parkgazebo. September A Taste of Winthrop - event showcasing various Winthrop restaurants. October Fall Fair and Craft Show at Ingleside Park which includes a train ride around the park. Halloween Haunt at Winthrop Center. Consists of dressing up in costume and trick-or-treating at the businesses there. November Holiday Tree Lighting Festival - held on the Friday eve after Thanksgiving and features fun and games that culminate with the lighting of the trees in French Square by Santa Claus. December Christmas Eve:Santa Claus' ride through town on the fire department'sfire truck. Notable natives Deane Winthrop- Son ofJohn Winthrop, founder of the town and Massachusetts' first governor Mark Bavaro-NFLtight end Rick DiPietro- hockey goalie for theNational Hockey League'sNew York Islanders Mike Eruzione- former ice hockey player and captain of the 1980 Winter Olympics US national team that upset the Soviet Union in the famousMiracle on Icegame Michael Goulian- Aviator andRed Bull Air Racer Michael Turner-NFLAmerican Football running back for the Atlanta Falcons - Summer resident Edward J. King- Governor of Massachusetts (1979–1983) Mark Lovetree- Professional wrestler Robert Ellis Orrall- country music and indie rock musician Sylvia Plath- Poet Larry Thomas- Major League pitcher for the Chicago White Sox Benjamin Whorf- Linguist Dale Dunbar- formerNational Hockey Leaguedefenseman Unearth-Metalcoreband Steven Van Zandt- Musician withBruce Springsteen'sE Street Band. Also playedSilvio DantefromThe Sopranos. Terry Driscoll- All-American basketball player atBoston College; fourth pick in the first round of the 1969NBAdraft; played with theDetroit Pistons,Baltimore Bullets,Milwaukee Bucksand theSpirits of St. Louis. Also served as Athletic Director atThe College of William & Mary. Edward Rowe Snow- Prolific author and historian. Focused his work primarily on the history of Boston Harbor. He is noted for savingFort WarrenonGeorges Islandand for dropping gifts to the children of lighthouse keepers as the 'Flying Santa.' Robert DeLeo- Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Michael Soper Sr.- Played Single A baseball for the Texas Rangers until injured