Chelsea, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia : C : CH : CHE : Chelsea, Massachusetts
-->The City of Chelsea is in Suffolk County, Massachusetts directly across the Mystic River from the City of Boston.
History
The area was first called "Winnisimmet," meaning "good spring nearby," by the Pawtucket tribe which once lived here. Settled in 1624, the community remained a part of Boston until it was set off and incorporated in 1739, named after Chelsea, a neighborhood in London. In 1775, the Battle of Chelsea Creek was fought here, the second battle of the Revolution, at which American forces made one of their first captures of a British ship. Part of Washington's army was stationed here during the Siege of Boston. In 1846, North Chelsea (now the Town of Winthrop and the City of Revere), was set off from Chelsea, which would be reincorporated as a city in 1857. Nearly half the city was destroyed in the Great Chelsea Fire of 1908. In 1973, the Second Great Chelsea Fire burned 18 city blocks.Chelsea is the smallest city in the United States. It is just 1.8 square miles. Originally, much larger, it included all of Revere, Winthrop, and parts of Saugus. Revere was once known as North Chelsea.
In September 1991, Massachusetts enacted special legislation to place Chelsea into receivership. This was the first time since the Depression that a United States municipality had such an action taken against it.
Events preceding the action included failed financial intervention by the state, a political stalemate over the city's budget, deepening economic decline, and a spiraling fiscal crisis.
Fortunately, Chelsea had no publicly held long-term debt--thus, a solution to its problems could be explored in isolation of creditors.
A charter change in 1995 designed an efficient council-manager form of government, which has focused on improving the quality of service the city provides to its residents and businesses, while establishing financial policies that have significantly improved the city's financial condition. Increased emphasis on economic development and capital improvement has lead to an influx of new business and homebuyers.
In 1998, Chelsea was named winner of the All-America City Award.
Notable Inhabitants:
- Horatio Alger, author
- Chick Corea, jazz and Latin jazz musician
Geography
Chelsea is located at (42.396382, -71.033529)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 km² (2.5 mi²). 5.7 km² (2.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (11.69%) is water. Chelsea is drained by the Chelsea River.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 35,080 people, 11,888 households, and 7,608 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,184.7/km² (16,036.8/mi²). There were 12,337 housing units at an average density of 2,175.0/km² (5,639.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.95% White, 7.25% African American, 0.48% Native American, 4.69% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 22.94% from other races, and 6.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48.42% of the population.
There were 11,888 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.50.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,161, and the median income for a family was $32,130. Males had a median income of $27,280 versus $26,010 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,628. About 20.6% of families and 23.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 20.9% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- [City of Chelsea Official Website]
- [Chelsea Chamber of Commerce]
- [The Chelsea Record Newspaper]
- [Chelsea Historical Society]
- [Maps and aerial photos]
- * Street map from [Google Maps] or [Yahoo! Maps]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
- * Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
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