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Renting an Apartment in Bedford
What You Should Know
Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts,
United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, some 15 miles north-west of
the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 12,595 at the 2000 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.9
km˛ (13.9 mi˛). 35.6 km˛ (13.7 mi˛) of it is land and 0.3 km˛ (0.1 mi˛) of it
(0.94%) is water. Bedford is approximately 15 miles (24 km) away from the coast.
Bedford is a relatively circular town. Its neighbors, clockwise, starting from
12 o'clock, are: Billerica, Burlington, Lexington, Lincoln, Concord, and
Carlisle.
In addition to the Concord River which forms part of the town's borders, the
Shawsheen River flows through town.
Demographics
As of the census˛ of 2000, there were 12,595 people, 4,621 households, and 3,419
families residing in the town. The population density was 353.9/km˛ (916.7/mi˛).
There were 4,708 housing units at an average density of 132.3/km˛ (342.7/mi˛).
The racial makeup of the town was 91.19% White, 1.65% African American, 0.22%
Native American, 5.40% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more
races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.80% of the population.
There were 4,621 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 21.8% of all
households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the
average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 3.9%
from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there
were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.
The median income for a family was $101,081, similar to its surrounding towns.
Males had a median income of $65,697 versus $45,181 for females. The per capita
income for the town was $39,212. About 1.4% of families and 2.5% of the
population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and
4.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Bedford's school system consists of four buildings: Lt. Eleazer Davis Elementary
(K–2), Lt. Job Lane Elementary (3–5), John Glenn Middle School (6–8), and
Bedford High School (9–12). Some students from Hanscom Air Force Base, which is
partially located in Bedford, join Bedford residents at Bedford High for 9th
grade and beyond, or they go to Shawsheen Valley Technical High School which is
in nearby Billerica.
The former Center School was deactivated in the 1980s. Center School is today
the Town Center building. Page School was similarly deactivated in the 1980s and
today is a retirement village. John Glenn Middle School (originally called
Bedford Junior High School) is named for the late John Glenn, formerly the
Superintendent of Schools in Bedford, not for the U.S. Senator and astronaut.
The Davis and Lane (and former Page) schools are named for local officers who
took part in the Battle of Concord on April 19, 1775.
The high school mascot is the Buccaneer and the team colors are blue, white and
black. Bedford's school sports teams compete in the Dual County League. In
2005–06, the boys' basketball team won the DCL behind the strong play of DCL MVP
Gerry Cohen. In 2006–07, the Bucs made the MIAA Division III North Sectional
Final but lost to eventual state champion Watertown, 63–58.
Transportation
Bedford is located slightly northwest of the intersection of I-95 (also known as
MA-128) and MA-4/MA-225 (which actually cross in Lexington). Important roadways
through town include US-3 (an expressway) and MA-62. It is serviced by the 62
and 62/76 lines of the MBTA's bus service. Bedford is also served by Hanscom
Field (IATA: BED, ICAO: KBED), a civilian airport, which is located adjacent to
Hanscom Air Force Base.
A snowstorm on January 10, 1977, prompted the end of passenger service on the
Lexington Branch of the Boston & Maine Railroad (see additional notes under
Boston and Lowell Railroad). The line was embargoed four years later. In 1991,
the branch was railbanked by the Interstate Commerce Commission. It is now used
for the Minuteman Bikeway. In the early 1900s, the Middlesex & Boston Street
Railway line ran generally down Great Road (Route 62), with lines from as far
west as Hudson running into Lexington and beyond.
Other historic transportation systems through Bedford included the narrow-gauge
Billerica and Bedford Railroad and the Middlesex Turnpike.