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Stoneham is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 22,219 at the 2000 census. Stoneham's postal ZIP code is 02180.
History
The earliest mention of Stoneham in history of European settlers was in the year 1632 when Governor Winthrop and his party came upon this area to picnic. They found Spot Pond and ate their lunch on Cheese Rock, which is now known as Bear Hill. Stoneham was first settled in 1645 and was originally a part of Charlestown; it was known as Charlestown End by the early American explorers. The original settlers of the area were farmers. In 1725, the residents of the area petitioned Charlestown to allow them to form a separate town. When Stoneham was officially incorporated that year, the taxable male population was 65. Stoneham remained a small town during the colonial era. However, during the Industrial Revolution, Stoneham prospered as a major shoe-manufacturing center. The shoe industry remained central to the town's well-being until the Great Depression, when shoe factories closed due to a lack of orders. In the 20th Century, Stoneham tried its hand as an auto manufacturing center, but a fire destroyed its auto factory. In the 1970s, Stoneham was in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the greatest number of gas stations along a one-mile strip. On January 6, 1994, Stoneham figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was assaulted in an attempt to prevent her from winning an Olympic medal. However, she went on to capture the Silver Medal.
Geography
Stoneham is located at (42.480145, -71.098352).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.4 km² (6.7 mi²). 15.9 km² (6.2 mi²) of it is land and 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (8.36%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,219 people, 9,050 households, and 5,873 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,394.9/km² (3,614.1/mi²). There were 9,289 housing units at an average density of 583.2/km² (1,510.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.01% White, 0.89% Black or African American, 0.05% Native American, 2.51% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.79% of the population.
There were 9,050 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% 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 3.07.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $56,605, and the median income for a family was $71,334. Males had a median income of $46,797 versus $37,274 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,599. About 3.0% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people from Stoneham
- Mario Cantone: comedian and actor
- Nancy Kerrigan: two-time Olympic figure skating medalist.
- Mike Ness: singer for punk band Social Distortion.
- Bill Peirce: Libertarian candidate for Governor of Ohio in 2006.
- Joe Vitiello: former Major League Baseball player from 1995-2003; 1st round draft pick (7th overall) of the Kansas City Royals in 1991; played for the Royals, San Diego Padres, and Montreal Expos.
External links
- Official Stoneham website
- The Stoneham Independent website (Newspaper)
- Stoneham Chamber of Commerce
- Stoneham Public Library
"Stoneham, Massachusetts"