Town Profile
Waltham is a metropolitan city of 57,878, situated nine miles from Boston, encompassing a total area of 13.6 square miles. The Charles River cuts a path through the southern section of Waltham used throughout history for transport, water, and industry.
Today, the Charles River has given way to Route 128 as the main economic center in the City. In the Greater Boston area, Waltham has the second largest office market behind Boston. Waltham has a diverse housing stock, with dense multi-family housing in the southern section of the City and larger lot single-family housing in the northern section. The City also boasts large park and open space facilities such as Prospect Hill Park an the Robert Treat Paine Estate.
With an aggressive revitalization program, Waltham is witnessing the rebirth of its historic downtown and is providing better public access to its greatest natural resource, the Charles River.
Geography
Eastern Massachusetts, bordered by Lexington on the north, Belmont and Watertown on the east, Lincoln and Weston on the west, and Newton on the south. Waltham is situated on the Charles River 9 miles west of Boston, 33 miles east of Worcester, and 215 miles from New York City.
- Total Area: 13.61 sq. miles
- Land Area: 12.70 sq. miles
- Population: 57,878
- Density: 4,557 per sq. mile
Government
Municipal Offices Main Number: (781) 893-4040
Form of Government; Mayor-Council. Incorporated as a town in 1738 and as a city in 1884.
Museums
- American Jewish Historical Society
2 Thornton Road
(781) 891-8110 - Charles River Museum of Industry
154 Moody Street
(781) 893-5410 - Gore Place Society
52 Gore Street
(781) 894-5745 - Lyman Estate, The Vale
185 Lyman Street
(781) 893-7232 - Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University
415 South Street
(781) 736-3434 - Waltham Historical Society
190 Moody Street
(781) 891-5815 - The Waltham Museum
194 Charles Street
(781) 893-8017
Transportation and Access
Waltham is situated in the Greater Boston Area, which has excellent rail, air, and highway facilities. State Route 128 and Interstate Route 495 divide the region into inner and outer zones, which are connected by numerous "spokes" providing direct access to the airport, port, and intermodal facilities of Boston.
Major Highways
Principal highways are State Route 128, the inner loop around Boston, and cross-state highway U.S. Route 20, which intersect in Waltham.
Rail
Commuter rail service to North Station, Boston is available from Brandeis (travel time: 25 min; 70 MBTA parking spaces) and Waltham (travel time: 19-22 min.; City Parking Lot). Freight rail service is available from the Springfield Terminal Railway, contact number: (508) 663-1073
Bus
Waltham is a member of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The MBTA provides fixed route service to neighboring communities. The MBTA also provides THE RIDE, a paratransit service for the elderly and disabled.
Other
L.G. Hanscom Field, a joint civil-military airport, is located in Bedford. A Reliever Airport with Commercial Service (CR), it has a 5,106' asphalt runway and a 7,001' concrete and asphalt runway. Instrument approaches available: Precision and non-precision. Logan International Airport is also easily accessible from Waltham.
