Quincy,_Massachusetts

Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "The City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. Its name, which comes from that of Colonel John Quincy, is correctly pronounced /ˈkwɪnzi/, though non-locals often mispronounce it as /ˈkwɪnsi/. Quincy is the birthplace of former Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, as well as statesman John Hancock. The population was 88,025 at the 2000 census.

History

The Wollaston neighborhood is the oldest part of Quincy, first settled by English immigrants in 1625 as Mount Wollaston and renamed Merrymount. Quincy itself later became part of Braintree, was officially incorporated as a separate town in 1792, and was made a city in 1888.

Among its several firsts was the Granite Railway, the first commercial railroad in the United States. It was constructed in 1826 to carry granite from a Quincy quarry to the Neponset River in Milton so that the stone could then be taken by boat to erect the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, Massachusetts. Quincy granite became famous throughout the nation, and stonecutting became the city's principal economic activity.

Quincy was also a notable shipbuilding center. Sailing ships were built in Quincy for many years, including the only seven-masted schooner ever built, Thomas W. Lawson. The Fore River area became a shipbuilding center in the 1880s—originally owned by Thomas A. Watson of telephone fame—and many famous warships were built at the Fore River Shipyard, including the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2); the battleships USS Massachusetts (BB-59), now preserved as a museum ship at Battleship Cove in Massachusetts, and USS Nevada (BB-36); and the USS Salem (CA-139), the world's last all-gun heavy warship, which is still preserved at Fore River as the main exhibit of the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum. John J. Kilroy, the originator of the famous Kilroy Was Here graffiti, was a welding inspector at Fore River.

Quincy was also an aviation pioneer. Dennison Field in the Squantum section of town was one of the world's first airports and was partially developed by Amelia Earhart. In 1910, it was the site of the Harvard Aero Meet, the second air show in America. It was later leased to the Navy for an airfield, and served as a reserve Squantum Naval Air Station into the 1950s.

Of some note, Howard Johnson's and Dunkin Donuts were founded and started in Quincy, and the celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys got its start in Wollaston. The Quincy Mine in Hancock, Michigan, founded in 1846, was named after Quincy because the mine started with significant investment from Massachusetts.

Geography

Quincy shares borders with Boston to the north (separated by the Neponset River), Milton to the west, Randolph to the south, and Hull (maritime border), Weymouth, and Braintree to the east.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and are water. The total area is 37.60% water.

Although Quincy is primarily urban, or fully 23 percent of its land area lies within the uninhabited Blue Hills Reservation, a state park managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. This undeveloped natural area encompasses the southwestern portion of Quincy and includes the city's highest point, Chickatawbut Hill.

There are several beaches in Quincy, including Wollaston Beach along Quincy Shore Drive. Located on Quincy Bay, Wollaston Beach is the largest beach in Boston Harbor.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 88,025 people, 38,883 households, and 20,530 families residing in the city, making it the ninth largest city in the state. The population density was 5,244.3 people per square mile (2,025.4/km²). There were 40,093 housing units at an average density of 2,388.7/sq mi (922.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.60% White, 2.21% African American, 0.16% Native American, 15.39% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.85% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.08% of the population. 33.5% were of Irish, 12.7% Italian and 5.0% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 77.1% spoke English, 8.0% Chinese or Mandarin, 2.6% Cantonese, 1.9% Spanish, 1.5% Vietnamese and 1.3% Italian as their first language.

There were 38,883 out of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.2% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 17.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,121, and the median income for a family was $59,735. Males had a median income of $40,720 versus $34,238 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,001. About 5.2% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Neighborhoods

Quincy is divided into numerous neighborhoods with histories all their own.

Adams Shore
Germantown
Hough's Neck
Marina Bay
Merrymount
Montclair
North Quincy
Quincy Center
Quincy Point
South Quincy
Squantum
West Quincy
Wollaston

Education

Quincy is home to various educational institutions, including both a public and a private college.

Public

Public education in Quincy includes one community college, two high schools, five middle schools, and 12 elementary schools.

Higher education

Quincy College, a two-year community college and the only post-secondary institution owned and operated by a municipality in Massachusetts.

High schools

Middle schools

Atlantic
Broad Meadows
Central
Point Webster
Sterling

Elementary schools

Amelio Della Chiesa Early Childhood Center
Atherton Hough
Beechwood Knoll
Bernazzani
Clifford Marshall
Lincoln-Hancock
Merrymount
Montclair
Parker
Snug Harbor
Squantum
Wollaston

Private

Higher education

Eastern Nazarene College, a liberal arts college in Wollaston.

Primary and secondary schools

Montessori School of Quincy, a Montessori school for children of preschool through elementary school age
Woodward School for Girls, a non-sectarian, college preparatory day school for girls, grades 6-12

Catholic schools

Quincy's three Catholic schools each offer pre-kindergarten through eighth grade education.

Sacred Heart School
St. Ann School
St. Mary School

Transportation

Because Quincy is part of Metro Boston, it has easy access to transportation facilities. State highways and the Interstate system connect the Greater Boston area to the airport, port, and intermodal facilities of Boston. Due to its proximity to Boston proper, Quincy is connected not only by these modes of transportation but Boston's subway system, the T.

Rail

Subway service is available on the Red Line of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) from 4 separate T stations: North Quincy, Wollaston, Quincy Center, and Quincy Adams.

Bus

Buses are also available for transportation in Quincy, including the following bus lines provided by the MBTA: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Most of the routes funnel through the Quincy Center T station, which is the principal hub south of Boston for all MBTA buslines; the southern bus garage for the MBTA system is adjacent to the Quincy Armory on Hancock Street.

Major highways

Principal highways are State Routes 3, 3A, 28, 37, and 53, in addition to Interstate 93.

Airport

Boston's Logan International Airport is accessible via MBTA Red Line connections at South Station, directly on the MBTA commuter boat (see below) or by motor vehicle using Interstate 93 or surface roads to the Ted Williams Tunnel.

Water/ferry

Quincy is a major terminal for the commuter boat system that crosses Boston Harbor to Long Wharf, Hull, Rowe's Wharf, Hingham, and Logan Airport. The commuter boats, operated by Harbor Express under license by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, dock at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy Point.

Sports

Active sporting programs include the Red Raiders of North Quincy High School, the Presidents of Quincy High School, and the Crusaders of Eastern Nazarene College. Quincy hosted the youth baseball Babe Ruth League World Series in 2003 and 2005, and will do so again in 2008. Both high school and Babe Ruth League games are played at Adams Field.

Quincy has had brief flirtations with professional sports. The Quincy Chiefs of the minor league Eastern Basketball Association (the predecessor to the current Continental Basketball Association) played a single season in 1977-78, and was coached and managed by current Boston Celtics executive Leo Papile. The Chiefs finished 12-19 in third place, and lost in the playoffs to eventual league champion Wilkes-Barre.

The final season of the Boston Minutemen of the North American Soccer League was played at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy, in 1976, finishing 7-17.

Quincy has also briefly had a professional baseball team. The Quincy Shipbuilders competed in the New England League in 1933, recording a 12-6 record before moving to Nashua midseason.