Winthrop is a town in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, zip code 02152. The population was 18,303 at the 2000 census.
History
Winthrop was first settled in 1635 and was officially incorporated in 1852. Winthrop was named after the first Governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop, and is one of the four municipalities, and the only town, in Suffolk County, (the cities of Boston, Revere, and Chelsea, and the Town of Winthrop). It is located on a peninsula, at the beginning of the North Shore, with 7 miles of shore line that provides breathtaking views of the ocean to the East and of the Boston skyline to the West.
Originally part of an area called Winnesimmet by the Native Americans, the peninsula was annexed by Boston in 1632 and within 5 years became the grazing area for farm animals of the rapidly growing Boston colony. In 1637 it was divided into 15 parcels of land which were given by Governor Winthrop to prominent men in Boston with the stipulation that each must erect a building on his land within 2 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 1600’s,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 was passed in a special election. The Board of Selectmen was 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.
Deer Island, though within the city limits of Boston, is located in Winthrop Bay and actually 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 Indians 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 treats sewage treatment for the Boston area.
Winthrop includes Snake Island in Boston Harbor as well as a portion of Logan Airport.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.5 km² (8.3 mi²). 5.2 km² (2.0 mi²) of it is land and 16.3 km² (6.3 mi²) of it (76.02%) is water.
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 3,551.2/km² (9,208.3/mi²). There were 8,067 housing units at an average density of 1,565.2/km² (4,058.5/mi²). 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.
Points of interest
Notable residents
Trivia
External links
