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Waltham Information
Often called the true birthplace of the industrial revolution, Waltham is a
city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was
59,226 at the 2000 census. The city is 10 miles west of Boston, Massachusetts on
the Charles River. Waltham is partly surrounded by Interstate 95 (I-95). It is
bordered to the west by Weston and Lincoln, to the south by Newton, to the east
by Belmont and Watertown, and to the north by Lexington.
Waltham is home to Brandeis University, Bentley College, and The Sports
Authority Training Center, which serves a dual role as practice facility/offices
of the Boston Celtics.
Waltham is commonly referred to as Watch City because of its association with
the watch industry. This is due to Waltham Watch Company, which opened its
factory in Waltham in 1854. The American Waltham Watch Company, AWWCo Inc, was
one of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution. It was the first company to
make watches on an assembly line. It won the gold medal in 1876 at the
Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Over 40 million watches, clocks and
instruments were produced by Waltham Watch Company until it closed in 1957. A
search engine to retrieve information on vintage U.S. made Waltham watches by
serial number is available at the Waltham Memorial.
The name of the city is pronounced with the primary stress on the first syllable
and secondary stress on the second syllable, although the name of the Waltham
watch was pronounced with accent only on the first syllable. The second vowel is
pronounced properly ("Wall-tham", to rhyme with tall-ham), and not elided into a
schwa ("Wall-thumb") as might be expected in American English.
Waltham is some distance from the inner circle of Boston's hip, bustling inner
neighborhoods (such as Cambridge, Beacon Hill, the Back Bay, and the South End),
and maintains a distinctly different flavor. A number of high-tech companies
have taken advantage of the lower cost of real estate to set up shop in the ring
of office parks that dot the highway exits in Waltham, and swank restaurants and
business-class hotels have sprung up to serve their needs.
Downtown Waltham's Moody Street offers its own brand of entertainment with a
colorful assortment of shops, restaurants, and bars, including the Watch City
Brewing Co., The Skellig, Jake's Dixie Roadhouse, The Lincoln (L), and the
Embassy Cinema. Moody Street's booming night-life, convenience to the commuter
rail and lower rents have attracted younger professionals to Waltham in growing
numbers in recent years. Moody St. is also referred to as "Restaurant Row".
For over 25 years, the Waltham Arts Council has sponsored "Concerts On Waltham
Common", featuring a different musical act each week of the summer, free of
charge to attendees. "Concerts On Waltham Common" was created and organized by
Stephen Kilgore until his death in 2004. Open space in the city is protected by
the Waltham Land Trust. Waltham includes Gann Academy, Brandeis University and
Bentley College.