ZIP Code 01867

Reading ((listen) RED-ing) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, 16 miles (26 km) north of central Boston. The population was 25,518 at the 2020 census. Many of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's original settlers arrived from England in the 1630s through the ports of Lynn and Salem. The town of Reading was initially governed by an open town meeting and a board of selectmen. It was prominently involved in the engagements pursuing the retreating British Army after the battles of Lexington and Concord. During and after Civil War the southern markets for Reading's products declined and several of its factories closed. For many years, Reading was an important casket manufacturing center. In the 20th century, Reading became a small, residential community with commuter service to Boston on the Boston and Maine Railroad. Both commuter services were later taken over by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and many years later there was discussion of extending the MBTA Orange Line to Reading. In 1791, sixty members started the Federal Library with each member paying $1.00 to join, and annual dues of $25.00. In 1853 this area became the separate town of North Reading. A total of 411 men from Reading fought in the Civil War, 15 of whom died in action and 33 died of wounds and sickness. A memorial exists in the Laurel Hill Cemetery commemorating those who died in the civil War. The making of shoes began as a cottage industry and expanded to large factories. By the mid-19th century Reading had thirteen establishments that manufactured chairs and cabinets.

History

The town of Reading was founded in 1644 by settlers from England. It was named after Reading, England. Reading was an important casket manufacturing center in the 19th century. Reading played an active role in the American Revolutionary War. A total of 411 men from Reading fought in the Civil War, of whom 15 died in action and 33 died of wounds and sickness. In the 20th century, Reading became a small residential community with commuter service to Boston on the Boston and Maine Railroad and the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. For many years, there was discussion of extending the MBTA Orange Line to Reading. The town's public library was created in 1868. It is located on the Common in Reading, which is now the town's main square. The public library is open to the public and costs $1.00 to join, and annual dues of $25.25.

Geography

Reading is located at 42°3133N 71°635W (42.52585, 71.109939). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.9 square miles (25.7 km²) No significant amount of land is covered permanently by water, although there is a plethora of vernal pools in various areas of conservation land. Reading borders the towns of Woburn, Stoneham, Wakefield, Lynnfield, North Reading, and Wilmington. The town is located on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which runs through the town of Reading and into the city of Cambridge. It is the only town in Massachusetts that is not on the Turnpikes' Turnpiked Highway, which goes through Reading and Cambridge. Reading is also the only city in the state that does not have a city center, but has a number of smaller towns and hamlets. The city of Reading has a population of 2,816. It was the site of the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in 1864. The Battle was followed by the First World War, which ended in 1875. The Reading River, which flows through the center of the town, is a tributary of the Delaware River. It runs through Reading, which was once part of the Berkshires, and is now part of Berkshire County. It also runs through Wilmington, which is a suburb of Boston, and the town's largest city.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 24,747 people, 9,617 households, and 6,437 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 92.4% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 4.2% Asian, 0,03% Pacific Islander, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population. As of 2015, according to the Census Bureau, the median income for a household in theTown was $107,654 and the median incomes for a family was $124,485. Of the families in Reading, 1.0% were below the poverty line, as opposed to 1.9% of. the general population. The town has a population of 24,788, and the population density is 2,486.1 people per square mile (921.8/km²). The town is located on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which runs from New Hampshire to New Hampshire. The Turnpikes are one of the busiest roads in the state, with a speed limit of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) and an average speed of 50mph (80km/h). It is the only town in Berks County to have a post office, which is open seven days a week. It is also the second largest city in the Berks County, after Reading, Massachusetts. The city's population has grown to more than 24,000, with the growth rate outpacing that of the rest of Massachusetts.

Climate

In a typical year, Reading, Massachusetts temperatures fall below 50F° for 195 days per year. Annual precipitation is typically 44.3 inches per year (high in the US) and snow covers the ground 62 days a year. The humidity is below 60% for approximately 25.4 days or 7% of the year. It may be helpful to understand the yearly precipitation by imagining 9 straight days of moderate rain per year, as Reading has 44 inches of precipitation per year on average. The city is located on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which runs through the Berkshires. The town has a population of about 2,000,000. It is located in the eastern part of the state, near the town of Reading, where it is possible to drive through the town in the morning and afternoon. It has an average temperature of 44.7F°, which is the highest in the state. It also has a high humidity of about 60% which means that the city is very dry and very hot at times, especially in the summer. The average annual rainfall is 44 inches, or about 9 inches, and the yearly snowfall is 62 inches or about 17 inches. The temperature is typically between 50 and 60F°. It can get as hot as 70F° in the winter, and as cold as 80F° at the end of the summer, when the temperature drops to 40F° and the humidity rises to 60%. The city has a low humidity of approximately 25% or about 7% for about 25 days peryear.

Government

The municipal government of Reading comprises a representative town meeting, whose members are elected from eight precincts. The town elects a five-member select board by general election, who serve for overlapping three-year terms. The day-to-day running of the town government is the responsibility of a town manager, appointed by the board of selectmen. The select board are responsible for calling the elections for the town meeting and for calling town meetings. They also review fiscal guidelines for the annual operating budget and capital improvements program and make recommendations on these to the town Meeting. In addition the board serves as the local road commissioners and licensing board, and appoints members to most of theTown's other boards, committees, and commissions. They initiate legislative policy by proposing legislative changes to theTown meeting, and then implement the votes subsequently adopted. The board are also responsible for appointing members to the Town Council, which is made up of the mayor, vice-mayor, and members of the Board of Selectmen. They are elected to a term of three years, with a maximum of five years. They can only be replaced by a new member of the select board if the current one is not re-elected to a second term. They have a maximum term of two years, which can be extended to five years if the new member is elected for a third term. The mayor is the only person to hold both seats in the town council and the town select board at the same time. The chairman of the board is the mayor of Reading, who is also the town's chief executive.

Transportation

Reading is located close to the junction of Interstate 93 and Interstate 95/Massachusetts Route 128 to the north of Boston. Reading is served by Reading station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Haverhill/Reading commuter rail line. Plans existed during the 1970s, when this line of track was bought by the MBTA, to extend the Orange Line rapid transit service out as far as Reading. Although new stations were successfully constructed at Malden Center and Oak Grove station, residents just past Oak Grove complained and such plans were put on hold.Reading is also served by MBTA bus service routes 136 and 137, which run between Reading station and Malden station. The town is home to the Reading High School, which was founded in the early 20th century. It was the first high school in the United States to open its doors to students in the 1960s. It is also home to a number of colleges, including Harvard, MIT, and the University of Massachusetts, Boston. It also has a high school, which opened in the late 1970s. Reading was the site of the World War II-era Battle of the Bulge, in which the U.S. Army used the town as a staging ground for the Battle of Gettysburg. The Reading High school was founded by students from the town in the 1880s. The school is now a part of the Boston Public Schools system. It has been the home of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology since the early 1900s, and was the location of the first public library in the state.

Education

Reading's public school system, managed by Reading Public Schools, comprises: Reading Memorial High School, Coolidge Middle School, Walter S. Parker Middle School and M. Barrows Elementary School.Austin Preparatory School, is a co-ed, independent school, in the Augustinian Catholic tradition, founded in 1962. It is located on 55 acres of land and has an enrollment of 700 students, providing instruction for students in grades 612. The school is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. The Reading Public School system was established in the 1950s. It was named after Reading, a town in Pennsylvania. It has a population of 1.2 million. The system is managed by the Reading School District, which was formed in the 1960s. The district has a budget of $1.2 billion. It also has a school system that covers the city of Reading, the town's largest suburb. The public school district has an annual budget of about $1 billion. The schools' schools have an average enrollment of about 1.3 million students, with an average class size of 12.5 students. They are located in the town of Reading and the surrounding communities of Reading Township, Reading, Prentiss County, and Pembroke, Pennsylvania. The city's public schools were founded in the 1850s and the school system has a history of more than 100 years. The current school system began in the 1970s and covers an area of 2,000 square miles.

Points of interest

The Parker Tavern is the town's oldest remaining 17th century structure, built in 1694. The roof of the St. Athanasius Parish, on Haverhill St., was designed by Louis A. Scibelli and Daniel F. Tulley, and is one of the largest hyperbolic paraboloids in the Western Hemisphere. The Walnut Street School is a building on the National Register of Historic Places, and current home to a local community theatre. The Capt. Nathaniel Parker Red House, a building in the same neighborhood, was the original town Tavern, and a meeting place for notable American Revolutionaries. The Burbank Arena skating rink and private condos on Bear Hill St. both reside over the sites of decommissioned Army National Guard Nike Ajax missile silos. The Reading Antiquarian Society operates the Parker Tavern, which is currently owned and operated by the non-profit Reading Antiquary Society. It is located on Washington Street, on the north side of the town, and was built in the 17th Century. The Parker Tavern was the first Tavern in Reading, and the first building to be built on the North Side of the city. It was built by Nathaniel Parker, who was a member of the American Revolution, and served as mayor of Reading from 1793 to 1796. The Tavern is currently home to the Reading Antiquarium, which was founded in 1798. The Park Tavern is on the south side of Reading, on Washington St. and is the oldest remaining Tavern in the town. The building is currently known for its Red exterior and is known for being a popular meeting place.

Local media

Reading's Community Access Television station is RCTV, which provides trainings and air-time for residents to produce their own programs. The Daily Times Chronicle publishes a Reading edition of the newspaper on weekdays. The Reading Advocate publishes weekly and is delivered by mail. The Community Access TV station provides training and air time for residents who want to make their own TV shows. The station is located in the town's downtown area, on the corner of Main and Main streets. The TV station is owned and operated by the city of Reading, which also has its own community radio station, RCTV. The radio station is based in the city's downtown, which is also owned and run by the City of Reading. It provides a variety of programming for the community, including news, sports, and entertainment. It also has a radio station for the surrounding area, which can be found on the radio station's website, rctv.com. The channel is also available on the Internet, via the Internet and on the company's mobile app, which has a mobile app for Android and iOS devices. The app is available in the U.S. and Canada, and the app is free to download for iOS and Android users. The Android app is not available in Canada, but it will be available later this year in Canada and in the United States. It is available for download in the UK and Australia. It will also be available in Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as in the Netherlands and Canada.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts = 43.5. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 43. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Reading = 3.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 2,045 individuals with a median age of 41 age the population dropped by -3.10% in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,600 residents per square mile of area (990/km²). There are average 2.69 people per household in the 8,497 households with an average household income of $99,261 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.40% of the available work force and has dropped -4.07% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 24.46%. The number of physicians in Reading per 100,000 population = 389.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Reading = 47.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 62.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 133. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 197. 82 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 15.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 50, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts which are owned by the occupant = 80.70%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 51 years with median home cost = $373,330 and home appreciation of 0.14%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.70 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,863 per student. There are 14.3 students for each teacher in the school, 542 students for each Librarian and 866 students for each Counselor. 8.06% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 28.17% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 19.66% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).