Malden, Massachusetts

Malden, Massachusetts
City
View of Malden High School
Official seal of Malden, Massachusetts Seal
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Malden, Massachusetts Location in the United States
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Middlesex
Settled	1640
Incorporated	1649
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	Gary Christenson
Area
• Total	5.1 sq mi (13.2 km2)
• Land	5.1 sq mi (13.1 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	13 ft (4 m)
Population (2014)
• Total	60,859
• Density	11,656.8/sq mi (4,503.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	02148
Area code(s)	339 / 781
FIPS code	25-37875
GNIS ID	0612773
Website	cityofmalden.org

Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2010 United States Census, the population was at 59,450 people. In 2009, Malden was named the "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in Massachusetts by Bloomberg Businessweek.

History

Pleasant Street c. 1906

Malden, a hilly woodland area north of the Mystic River, was settled by Puritans in 1640 on land purchased in 1629 from the Pennacook tribe. The area was originally called the "Mistick Side" and was a part of Charlestown. It was incorporated as a separate town in 1649. The name Malden was selected by Joseph Hills, an early settler and landholder, and was named after Maldon, England. The city originally included what are now the adjacent cities of Melrose (until 1850) and Everett (until 1870).

At the time of the American Revolution, the population was at about 1,000 people, and the citizens were involved early in resisting the oppression of Britain: they boycotted the consumption of tea in 1770 to protest the Revenue Act of 1766, and it was also the first town to petition the colonial government to withdraw from the British Empire.

Malden High School has the second-oldest continuous high school football rivalry in the United States with Medford High School. The first "Thanksgiving Day Game" dates back to 1889.

In 1984, Malden came to national renown as the location of the controversial Fells Acres Day Care Center preschool trial.

In 2004, a same-sex Malden couple was the first to marry in Massachusetts at precisely 9:15 AM on May 17, 2004 at Cambridge City Hall. Massachusetts was the first state in the United States to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Geography

1852 map of Boston showing Malden

Malden is bordered by Melrose on the north, Stoneham on the northwest, Medford on the west, Everett on the south, Revere on the east, and Saugus on the northeast. Boojum Rock located in the north west corner of Malden inside the Middlesex Fells Reservation is the second highest point in Malden with an elevation of approximately 275'. Waits Mount is the highest point.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13 km²), of which 5.1 square miles (13 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (0.78%) is water. Bordered on the northwest by the cliffs of Middlesex Fells, Malden is drained by the Malden River.

Demographics

Fellsmere Park in 2012

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 59,450 people, 25,161 households, and 13,575 families residing in the city. The population density was 11,788.6 people per square mile (4,290.5/km²). There were 23,634 housing units at an average density of 4,657.5 per square mile (1,799.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 52.5% White, 14.8% African American, 0.14% Native American, 20.1% Asian (11.1% Chinese, 3.1% Asian Indian, 2.8% Vietnamese), 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.10% from other races, and 3.46% were multiracial. 8.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race (1.8% Puerto Rican, 1.7% Brazilian,1.5% Salvadoran, 0.9% Colombian, 0.7% Dominican, 0.5% Mexican, 0.4% Peruvian, 0.4% Guatemalan).

There were 23,009 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city, the population was spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,654, and the median income for a family was $55,557. Males had a median income of $37,741 versus $31,157 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,004. About 6.6% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Foreign-born population

As of 2009 and 2010, 37% of residents of Malden were born outside of the United States. This is twice the number in 1990, and an increase from the 26% of foreign-born residents in 2000. Malden's percentage of foreign-born residents was the second-highest in Massachusetts, after Chelsea.

As of 2009 and 2010 immigrants originate from Brazil, China, Haiti, India, Morocco, and Pakistan. The Moroccan American Civic and Cultural Association is located in Malden.

Previous immigrants included Italians and Irish in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Malden also received Jews who arrived escaping Europe before and after World War II.

Asian population

See also: History of the Chinese in Boston

See also: History of the Vietnamese in Boston

In 1990 Malden had 2,805 Asian residents, making the city 5.2% Asian. In 2000 this increased to 7,882 Asians, or 14.5% of the city's population, in 2000, making it one of ten Massachusetts cities with the largest Asian populations in the state. There were 4,504 ethnic Chinese people (57% of Malden's Asians), 876 ethnic Vietnamese, and 696 ethnic Indians. From 1990 to 2000 the Vietnamese population increased by 187% and the Indian population increased by 262%.

From 2000 to 2010 the Chinese population of Malden increased by about 50%.

Institutions serving the Asian community in Malden include the Immigrant Learning Center, which offers English as a second language classes; the Malden Asian Pacific American Coalition; a satellite office of the Vietnamese American Civic Association; the nonprofit multiservice organization Great Wall Center; and the antipoverty agency Tri-City Community Action Program Inc.

Education

Malden High School c. 1906

Malden Public Schools is the school district. Malden has five public elementary and middle schools; one charter elementary, middle, and high school; one public high school; one Catholic high school, one Catholic Pre-K through 8 school; and one public preschool. The elementary schools in Malden were replaced in the late 1990s with five new facilities: Beebe, Ferryway, Forestdale, Linden, and Salemwood. The city's three high schools are Malden High School, Malden Catholic High School and Mystic Valley Regional Charter High School. According to a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2013, Malden High School was found to be the most diverse public high school in Massachusetts.

Neighborhoods

Malden Auditorium in 1909

Like many communities in New England, many towns and neighborhoods are organized around squares, which are located at the crossroads and town commons dating back from the colonial times and the early 19th century. Many of the neighborhoods take their name and identity from the main square in their area.

Malden's squares include Malden Square (at Main and Pleasant streets), Converse Square (at Main, Salem, and Ferry streets) Oak Grove Square (at Oak Grove T Station), Bellrock Square (at the intersections of Cross, Main and Medford Sts.), Judson Square (near Ferryway School), former Suffolk Square (at Cross and Bryant Streets), and the location of a thriving Jewish community, Maplewood Square (at Lebanon, Maplewood and Salem Streets) and Linden Square.

Some of the neighborhoods in Malden include Faulkner (location of the former Suffolk Square) West End, Edgeworth, Linden, Ferryway, Forestdale, Maplewood, Bellrock, and Belmont Hill (located between Bellrock and Ferryway).

Bellrock

Descriptive plaque at the historic Bell Rock Cemetery

Bellrock is the south central section of the city, bordered by Main Street on the east, Charles Street on the north, the Malden River on the west, and the Everett line on the south. It contains Bell Rock Memorial Park (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and Bell Rock Cemetery (also listed), which contains marked graves dating back to 1670. Bell Rock Cemetery was called Sandy Bank until the establishment of the Salem Street Cemetery in 1832; it was then known as the Old Burial Ground for half a century until it was renamed in 1882. Also located in this area are the headquarters for New England Coffee.

Edgeworth

The Edgeworth neighborhood is the southwest section of the city. It contains Devir Park, Pearl St. Park, and Callahan Park. The city's football stadium, MacDonald Stadium is in Edgeworth. A school in Edgeworth is the former Emerson grammar school. The Converse Rubber Factory and offices once operated in Edgeworth at the bottom of Pearl Street. This is the original home of the Converse "All-Star" Basketball Sneakers. Malden Catholic High School was originally located in Edgeworth on Highland Ave. The school's football team played their home games at Brother Gilbert Stadium, located at Commercial & Medford Streets in Edgeworth. Immaculate Conception Grammar School was located in Edgeworth on the corner of Charles St. and Highland Ave. Edgeworth touches Everett and Medford. Edgeworth is also home to St. Rocco's Feast, SunSetter Awnings and Pisa Pizza.

Faulkner

The Faulkner neighborhood is generally bounded by Ferry Street on the west, the City of Everett on the South, at Dell Street on the east and Salem Street on the north. A few of the streets north of Salem Street around Pierce St are sometimes considered part of Faulkner. In colonial times, Harvell's Mill was located here (at the intersection of Cross Street and the old B&M Railroad tracks, between Eastern Ave and Salem Streets), just below the cliffs, on Harvell's Brook, which drained west to the Malden River. A road from Bellrock crossed here to meet Salem Street just uphill. Formerly called Harvell's Brook Lane, it was renamed Cross Street. In the 19th century a railroad was built along Harvell's Brook, named the Saugus Branch, and the brook was channeled to become a sewage ditch called the Saugus Branch Brook. During this time industry sprouted in this area, and a large immigrant neighborhood focused around Bryant and Cross Streets took shape named Suffolk Square. In the early 20th century Saugus Branch Brook was culverted due to pollution. In the 1920s and 30s Jewish immigrants from East Boston and Chelsea, as well as the West and North Ends of Boston, began to migrate to Suffolk Square. During this time Faulkner was served by three trolley lines and two commuter rail stations by what is now the MBTA. All that remains is the Route 105 T bus line. In the 1950s out-migration by the Jewish community to northern suburbs and the decline of railroads and mill-based industry led to a condition of dilapidated and shabby housing of triple deckers and empty storefronts. Ambitious but experimental urban renewal modeled on Boston's Scolley Square and West End projects leveled Suffolk Square and most of the neighborhood. Controversy around redevelopment projects led to the loss of the commercial center at Suffolk Square and the replacement of dense 3-family houses with suburban-like low-income and senior public housing. Housing projects include Suffolk Manor Senior Housing, Bowdoin Apartments and Newland Street Projects. The neighborhood was once served by Lincoln Elementary, Lincoln Jr High/ Middle School and Daniels Elementary as well at as the former Faulkner school at Peirce and Salem Streets. At the beginning of the 21st century a small section of Harvell's Brook was daylighted and partially restored at Roosevelt Park during the construction of the Salemwood School on the east end of the park. Parks in this neighborhood include Daniels Park, Lincoln Commons, Roosevelt Park and Harvard St. Park.

Ferryway

Ferryway is the south central section of the city. It contains the Ferryway School and Newman Park. The land where the school is now used to be called Ferryway Green. The Pasta Market Cafe is in Ferryway. There are also relatively new restaurants around Ferry Street. Judson and Oxford Streets are in Ferryway.

Forestdale

Forestdale is the north central section of the city and it contains the Forestdale School and park. It also has the largest park in Malden, Pine Banks Park, and the largest cemetery, Forestdale Cemetery. Parts of Forest street follow an old Indian path.

Linden

Linden is the easternmost section of the city, generally everything east of Broadway/Route 99. It contains the Linden S.T.E.A.M. Academy and Hunting Field, and a moderately sized mountainous area topped with an apartment complex called Granada Highlands. A large portion of this neighborhood was once a marshy area up until the late 19th century. The Linden Land Company sold off house lots on land that was created by filling in the marsh around the Hunting Field area. People are known to still dig up old glass bottles and other items on their property on occasion. Hunting field was once a park that encompassed the entire area inside of Broadway, Salem St., Eastern Ave., and Claremont Street, save for a few homes and a large trolley car barn that was located where Econo Lodge is today. The park at one point had public gardens and a fountain. Over time the land was obliterated by construction of a gated and private housing project for war veterans in the late 40s and the Linden elementary school in 1953. The veterans housing has since been converted to low-income housing. One of the last remaining vestiges of this park is education way which was the old entrance. One of the original park's large oak trees still stands here on the corner of Claremont St., as well as some stone walls.

Maplewood

In 1847, Joshua Webster, president of the Saugus Branch Railroad, purchased 200 acres in Malden along its the projected route. Here, he planned a residential development with wide streets and ornamental trees. Due to the hundreds of maple trees Webster planted, the neighborhood became known as Maplewood.

Maplewood is located approximately one mile east of Malden Square. By car, one can follow either Salem Street or Route 60 directly to Maplewood Square. Most of Maplewood lies within Malden's Ward Six. Maplewood comprises three neighborhoods: South Broadway, Maplewood Highlands (a hilly area to the northeast) and Maplewood lowlands, the most populous of the neighborhoods, which includes Maplewood Square, the heart of the Maplewood neighborhood.

Numerous public buses connect Maplewood to the MBTA's Orange line. Travel time from Maplewood to Boston, via public transit, is as little as 30-minutes. Travel time from Maplewood to the Square One Mall in Saugus is about 15-minutes. An MBTA public transit subway and Commuter Rail station is located 1.3 miles (2.1 km) from Maplewood Square. Maplewood Square is five miles (8 km) from downtown Boston, one mile (1.6 km) from Route One, and two miles (3 km) from Route 93.

Housing in Maplewood ranges from modern one-family homes in new developments to many homes over a hundred years old, which have been updated over the years. There are many apartments available in one- and two-family homes, as well as in some newer apartment complexes like the Cliffside Apartments on Broadway. There are also some Victorian style houses.

There are three public parks in the neighborhood: Roosevelt, South Broadway and Trafton. Trafton Park has recently been renovated with a tot lot, tennis courts and an off-leash dog run. The future Northern Strand Bike trail will travel through Maplewood on its route to the Atlantic ocean.

West End

The West End neighborhood is the northwest section of the city, along the border with Medford, Ma. It contains the Immaculate Conception Parish, the Fellsmere Pond and Amerige Park. The Beebe School is located in the West End neighborhood. The Malden Hospital, when it was operating, was also located in the West End.

Oak Grove- Oak Grove is the north-north-western section of the city. Pine Banks Park and Waitts Mount are in this neighborhood.

Government and infrastructure

Fire Station #4 shared with the Revere Fire Department

Fire department

The Malden Fire Department operates out of three stations, two located in Malden and one located in Revere. The Fire department was organized on April 10, 1839, when a hand tub purchased from England, the Alert 1 was received in the city and housed in a small garage on what is now the front lawn of the First Baptist Church, corner of Main St and Salem St. The fire department operates a fleet of four Engines companies, two Ladder trucks, one command car. There are three fire station locations. These include:

• Fire Station # 1: 1 Spraque Street (Headquarters – Ladder 1, Engine 1,Engine 2, Car 2,
• Fire Station # 3: 332 Pleasant Street (Ladder 3, Engine 3)
• Fire Station # 4: 5 Overlook Ridge Drive(in Revere)(Engine 4) (shared with Revere Fire Department)

Education

The headquarters of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education are in Malden.

Transportation

Major highways

Route 28, Route 60, Route 99, and U.S. 1 run through Malden. Route 16 and Interstate 93 are a short distance outside the city's borders.

Bus and rail

The city is served by the Orange Line subway that connects it to downtown Boston. The city's subway stops are Malden Center and Oak Grove. The MBTA's commuter rail also has one stop in the city (Malden Center) and can stop at Oak Grove if necessary. During the first few years of the 2000s, the MBTA updated signal systems and Orange Line service was replaced by shuttle buses at night. Since September 2007, such service interruptions have been limited to occasional weekends, while signal system repairs necessitated closing off the northern portion of the Orange Line and rerouting passengers via replacement bus service from either the Haymarket subway stop or Wellington Station.

There is a sizable section of the old Boston and Maine Saugus Branch Railroad line running across the middle of Malden. This line is currently owned by the MBTA, but has been out of use since 1993 and has not seen passenger service since 1958. A plan exists to create a bike trail (Bike to the Sea) along the side of these tracks on right-of-way land. Progress was hampered by lack of funds and land encroachment, but is now slated for ribbon cutting in June 3, 2012. The path will be known as the Northern Strand Community Trail.

Bus service to all adjacent communities is also available via the service of the MBTA.

Points of interest

Pine Banks Park in 1908

Approximately 30 park sites throughout the city provide a variety of recreational facilities including tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds and ballfields. Other sites include a 400-meter synthetic running track at MacDonald Stadium; 56 acres (23 ha) of the Middlesex Fells Reservation; the 25-acre (10 ha) Fellsmere Pond; a DCR-owned and operated swimming pool; a 30,000 square feet (2,800 m²) field house built under the new school rebuilding plan; the state-of-the-art Malden YMCA finished construction in early 2007; and Pine Banks Park, operated by a Board of Trustees with equal representation by the cities of Malden and Melrose. Waitt's Mountain is also in Malden.

Other points of interest include the Converse Memorial Library and the Congregation Beth Israel. One of Malden's finest and most notable landmarks is the public library which was designed by Henry Hobbs Richardson and built in 1885.

Notable people

• Johnny A., musician
• Jack Albertson, award-winning actor
• The Ames Brothers, singing quartet
• Reginald R. Belknap, military officer
• Walter Brennan, award-winning actor
• Edna May Oliver, actress
• George Loring Brown, painter
• George R. Carey, inventor
• Gary Cherone, singer-songwriter
• Elisha S. Converse, first mayor of Malden
• Timothy Dexter, businessman
• Gary DiSarcina, former Major League Baseball player
• Erle Stanley Gardner, author, creator of Perry Mason
• Breno Giacomini, National Football League player
• John Gilgun, poet and novelist
• Norman Greenbaum, guitarist, singer-songwriter
• Torbert MacDonald, US Representative
• Adoniram Judson, first Protestant missionary in Burma
• Killer Kowalski, former professional wrestler
• Ellis F. Lawrence, architect
• Fred A. Leuchter, execution technician and Holocaust denial author
• Ed Markey, member of the United States Senate
• Nerlens Noel, National Basketball Association player
• Helen Nordquist, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Lawrence Palmer, Olympic gold medalist and ice hockey player
• Elliot Paul, author
• Richard Rodenheiser, Olympic gold medalist and ice hockey player
• Dan Ross, former National Football League player
• William Schofield, federal judge
• Frank Stella, artist
• John A. Volpe, former Governor of Massachusetts and United States Ambassador to Italy
• Michael Wigglesworth preacher and author of " The Day of Doom: or a Poetical Description of the Great and Last Judgement," a best-selling classic of Puritan New England

Literary and film references

• Life in early 20th century Malden is the subject of the memoir Linden on the Saugus Branch by writer Elliot Paul. The name Linden refers to the eastern-most section of Malden that borders Revere. Linden was formerly served by the Saugus Branch of the B&M Railroad that ran from Everett to West Lynn via Malden and Saugus. While train service was terminated in the 1950s, and freight ceased to travel the line by the late 90s, the tracks remained in place until late 2012 when they were removed and made into a bike trail.
• In contemporary literature, Malden became a setpiece for Stephen King's zombie thriller Cell. King has referenced Malden several times over the years in his various works, as he has (or had) relatives who lived in the city.
• Malden's Suffolk Square is the setting for the 2003 novel Sin of Omission by David Evans Katz. In the novel, Malden is thinly disguised as "Middlesex".
• Parts of Toni Kelner's 2008 mystery novel Without Mercy are set in Malden. The book's protagonist lives in an apartment near Malden Center, and describes local businesses Pearl Street Station and Town Pizza House.
• A memorable gun purchase scene near the beginning of the 1973 film The Friends of Eddie Coyle starring Robert Mitchum was shot in the quarry and around the stone crusher of the former Rowe Quarry on the eastern border of the city. A still of this scene is printed on the recently released Criterion Collection DVD of this movie, used as cover art.
• Parts of the movie Monument Ave. starring Denis Leary were filmed in Malden.
• "Star Market" in Malden was referenced in the 2010 film The Town. Star Market does not have a location in Malden, however.

External links

• Official website
• Malden Public Library website
• History of Middlesex County, Volume II, p. 113 etc. (Medford, by W. H. Whitmore). 1880, published by Estes and Lauriat; edited by Samual Adams Drake.
• Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Town of Malden, 1649–1850 by Deloraine Pendre Corey, published 1903.