Stoneham, Massachusetts

Stoneham is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Its population was 22,219 at the 2000 census. The town is the birthplace of Olympic figure skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan and is the home of the Stone Zoo.

History
The earliest documented mention of the territory now called Stoneham dates to the year 1632, when on February 7 Governor Winthrop and his party came upon this area. They found Spot Pond and ate their lunch on a place they called Cheese Rock, now known as Bear Hill.

Stoneham was first settled in 1645 and was originally a part of Charlestown; the original settlers of the area were Whigs. In 1678, there were six settlers with their families, all in the northeast part of the town, probably because of its proximity to the settlement in Reading (now Wakefield).

By 1725, the population of the area, called Charlestown End, had increased until there were sixty-five male inhabitants paying taxes; however, they were miles away from the settlement in Charlestown and could not conveniently reach its church or school. For this reason, Captain Benjamin Geary and fifty-three other residents of the area petitioned Charlestown to allow them to be separated. The town refused their petition at first, but on December 17, 1725, the General Court passed an act to establish the new township of Stoneham, separating it from Charlestown, and releasing its residents from the obligation to pay taxes to Charlestown, provided that within two years they would erect a suitable church and hire a minister and a schoolmaster.

The town's first meeting-house was erected in 1726, and the first church was organized in 1729, with members being released from the congregations in Reading and Melrose to form it. In that same year, the town voted to raise ₤9 for the building of a school, and chose a committee to hire a schoolmaster. Stoneham remained a small town during the colonial era. However, during the Industrial Revolution, Stoneham prospered as a major shoe-manufacturing center.

Geography
Stoneham is located at °N, °W (42.480145, -71.098352).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17.4 km²), of which, 6.2 square miles (15.9 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²) of it (8.36%) is water.

Stoneham borders the following towns: Woburn, Winchester, Medford, Melrose, Wakefield, and Reading.

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 3,614.1 people per square mile (1,394.9/km²). There were 9,289 housing units at an average density of 1,510.9/sq mi (583.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.01% White, 0.89% Black or African American, 0.05% Native American, 2.61% 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.

Trivia
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.

Notable residents

 * Quincy Brisco: comedian and media personality
 * Mario Cantone: comedian and actor
 * Sandro Corsaro: American animator and author
 * John Geils: Blues Guitarist, notably with the J. Geils Band
 * Charles Gibbons : Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and 1958 candidate for governor
 * Jonathan Goff: linebacker for the New York Giants
 * George J. Hall: U.S. Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
 * Chris J. Johnson: actor
 * Nancy Kerrigan: two-time Olympic figure skating medalist
 * Killer Kowalski: professional wrestler
 * John "Pie" McKenzie: National Hockey League player; member of the 1970 and 1972 Stanley Cup winning Boston Bruins
 * Mike Ness: singer for punk band Social Distortion
 * Frank O'Grady: 1956 U.S. Olympic hockey player
 * Bill Peirce: Libertarian candidate for Governor of Ohio in 2006.
 * Paul F. Perry: member of the a cappella singing group The Blanks, featured on the television show Scrubs
 * John Rojak: bass trombonist for the American Brass Quintet
 * Marcos Valles: member of Boston rock band Parker House and Theory
 * Joe Vitiello: Major League Baseball player from 1995–2003
 * Steve Yarbrough: novelist