Medford, Massachusetts

Medford, Massachusetts
City
Medford Square, the intersection of Main Street, High Street, Forest Street, Salem Street, Riverside Avenue, and Ring Road
Seal
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts Location in the United States
Coordinates: 42°25′06″N 71°06′24″W / 42.41833°N 71.10667°W / 42.41833; -71.10667Coordinates: 42°25′06″N 71°06′24″W / 42.41833°N 71.10667°W / 42.41833; -71.10667
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Middlesex
Settled	1630
Incorporated	1630
City	1892
Government
• Type	Mayor-council city
• Mayor	Stephanie Muccini Burke
Area
• Total	8.6 sq mi (22.4 km2)
• Land	8.1 sq mi (21.1 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
Elevation	14 ft (4 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	56,173
• Density	6,859.9/sq mi (2,633.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	02153, 02155, 02156
Area code(s)	781 / 339
FIPS code	25-39835
GNIS feature ID	0612778
Website	www.medford.org

Medford is a city 3.2 miles northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173. It is home to Tufts University.

Medford was settled in 1630 as part of Charlestown. The area was originally called "Mistick" by Thomas Dudley (a name which persisted for many decades), which his party renamed "Meadford". In 1634, the land north of the Mystic River became the private plantation of former Governor Matthew Cradock; across the river was Ten Hills Farm, which belonged to John Winthrop, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony. The name may have come from a description of the "meadow by the ford" in the Mystic River, or from two locations in England that Cradock may have known: the hamlet of Mayford or Metford in Staffordshire near Caverswall, or from the parish of Maidford or Medford (now Towcester, Northamptonshire).

In 1637, the first bridge (a toll bridge) across the Mystic River was built at the site of the present-day Cradock Bridge, which carries Main Street into Medford Square. It would be the only bridge across the Mystic until 1787, and as such became a major route for traffic coming into Boston from the north (though ferries and fords were also used). The bridge would be rebuilt in 1880 and 1909.

Until 1656, all of northern Medford was owned by Cradock, his heirs, or Edward Collins. Medford was governed as a "peculiar" or private plantation. As the land began to be divided among several people from different families, the new owners began to meet and make decisions locally and increasingly independently from the Charlestown town meeting. In 1674, a Board of Selectmen was elected, in 1684, the colonial legislature granted the ability to raise money independently, and in 1689, a representative to the legislature was chosen. The town got its own religious meeting room in 1690, and a secular meeting house in 1696.