Interior House Painter Stoneham MA

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Stoneham, Massachusetts
Town
Welcome to Stoneham, Massachusetts
Seal
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°28′48″N 71°06′00″W / 42.48000°N 71.10000°W / 42.48000; -71.10000Coordinates: 42°28′48″N 71°06′00″W / 42.48000°N 71.10000°W / 42.48000; -71.10000
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Middlesex
Region	New England
Settled	1645
Incorporated	1725
Government
• Type	Open town meeting
Area
• Total	17.4 km (6.7 sq mi)
• Land	15.9 km2 (6.2 sq mi)
• Water	1.5 km (0.6 sq mi)
Elevation	47 m (155 ft)
Population  (2020)
• Total	23,244
• Density	1,300/km2 (3,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	02180
Area code	339 / 781
FIPS code	25-67665
GNIS feature ID	0618235
Website	https://www.stoneham-ma.gov

Stoneham ( STO-nəm) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, nine miles (14.5 km) north of downtown Boston. Its population was 23,244 at the 2020 census. Its proximity to major highways and public transportation offer convenient access to Boston and the North Shore coastal region and beaches of Massachusetts. The town is the birthplace of the Olympic figure-skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan and is the location of the Stone Zoo.

History

The earliest documented mention of the territory now called Stoneham dates to 1632 when, on February 7, Governor Winthrop and his party came upon this area. They found Spot Pond and ate their lunch on a place they called Cheese Rock, now known as Bear Hill. Stoneham is situated on the traditional territory of the Massachusett and Pawtucket peoples.

Stoneham was first settled by colonists in 1634 and was originally a part of Charlestown. In 1678, there were six colonists with their families, all in the northeast part of the town, probably because of its proximity to the settlement in Reading (now Wakefield).

By 1725, the population of the area, called “Charlestown End”, had increased until there were 65 male inhabitants paying taxes; however, they were miles away from the settlement in Charlestown and could not conveniently reach its church or school. For this reason, Captain Benjamin Geary and 53 other residents of the area petitioned Charlestown to allow them to be separated. The town refused their petition at first, but on December 17, 1725, the General Court passed an act to establish the new township of Stoneham, separating it from Charlestown, and releasing its residents from the obligation to pay taxes to Charlestown, provided that within two years they would erect a suitable church and hire a minister and a schoolmaster.

The town’s first meeting-house was erected in 1726, as was its Burying Ground [now known as the Old Burying Ground and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.] The first church was organized in 1729, with members being released from the congregations in Reading and Melrose to form it. In the same year, the town voted to raise £9 for the building of a school, and chose a committee to hire a schoolmaster. Stoneham remained a small town during the colonial era. Traces of its colonial history are still to be seen in the Spot Pond Archeological District of the Middlesex Fells Reservation. During the Industrial Revolution, Stoneham prospered as a major shoe-manufacturing center.

Transportation

Stoneham is inside the Route 128 belt that delineates the core of metropolitan Boston. Public transportation is available in or near Stoneham. The Tri-Community Greenway path goes through Stoneham accessible to walkers/bikers. The Oak Grove subway station is 3.8 miles (6.1 km) from Stoneham Center, in Malden, and is the northern terminus of the MBTA’s Orange Line. Several commuter rail stations are in bordering communities of Melrose, Winchester, Wakefield, Reading, Medford, Woburn and Malden, each providing transportation to Boston’s North Station. The MBTA’s 132 bus route travels through Stoneham Center, offering transportation to the Orange Line at Oak Grove and Malden Station. And the MBTA’s 325 Express Bus to downtown Boston offers limited service. Interstate 93 passes through Stoneham, and Route 128/Interstate 95 passes just to the north of the town.

Geography

Stoneham is located at 42°28′48″N 71°5′54″W / 42.48000°N 71.09833°W / 42.48000; -71.09833 (42.480145, −71.098352).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17.4 km), of which 6.2 square miles (15.9 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km), or 8.36%, is water.